Con me out of selling my 6T. - OnePlus 6T Guides, News, & Discussion

So, I landed a 6T for a steal. I wasn't even in the market to replace my G6 (US997, rooted), but here I am.
As of right now, the only distinct advantages the 6T has over the LG G6 are:
Pie
Far smoother operation
Larger screen
Infinitely better aftermarket support (roms etc)
The G6 has my heart in:
Power button being on the back (Yes, I know I'll get used to the side button again).
SD Card Slot (I have a 256gb collecting dust now)
Pixel density
Quick Charge
Always On Display
Integrated headphone jack (although I rarely use my wired headphones anymore)
And right now, I'm on the fence:
Call quality (seems to be a wash)
Display clarity (wash again, despite the pixel density)
and the biggest thing to me, is the camera. I know I'm missing the wide angle from the G6. But is it just me, or is the camera just sort of meh on the 6T?
It seems to charge very slow when not connected to the included charger (which I can't seem to find in stock anywhere?)
I landed it with a case and screen protector for 350. I know I can sell it for that or maybe even up to 400. But I'm not sure I want to. I want to love this thing. It feels so nice in my hand. The battery on it is as big as a freakin car battery. It's more modern than my G6, has better specs. Is definitely faster.
So tell me, what do I do here?

I sorta did the same. My previous phone was a G6. In my case that phone I got it basically for free when I renewed my contract.
LG G6
I hated the fact that I could not root it (in my country that model is bootloader locked).
I loved its camera, but the glass on top of it it's real trash because it scratched in a month or so even with a case and TLC.
I hated the battery not lasting more than 2 hours screen on time.
I hated the button and FP on the back.
I hated the OS, stuttered and most of all, bloated (more of a carrier problem than a phone problem I know).
I hated being stuck on an older Android version.
I hated the screen because I got some screen burn-in issues, but fortunately with no permanent damage (reversible).
I too used it with a 200GB memory card, but the horrible management of the 4GB of RAM and 32GB internal storage meant that I was constantly running out of space. Even if you move apps to external storage, some huge chunks of data remain internally.
I was on the fence between getting the Huawei P20 Pro or the OP6T, and I decided to try the OP6T with 8GM RAM and 256GB Storage and boy o boy, I can't complain at all!
OnePlus 6T
The sheer speed of this phone is amazing! In all these years with Android (I started in 2007) I have never enjoyed a phone this much!
I love the fact that I'm always getting more than 7 hours screen on time with extensive use!
I love the tiny camera notch!
This phone is stupid FAAAAASTTTT!!!
And the fast charge on the OP6T is far FAR superior to that on the LGG6. Every morning I charge my OP6T while getting ready for work and about 40-45 minutes later is already at 100%. No more leaving the phone on my nightstand charging overnight!
OxygenOS is simply the best Android iteration ever created!
OnePlus Android updates and beta program is amazing!
So freaking easy to root.
OnePlus community is awesome (not that xda forums are not cool, but you get my point).
The huge RAM and Storage makes it future proof for many years to come if I desire to keep it that long.
Last but not least, the on-screen fingerprint scanner is a great conversation starter and wow factor. (mine works flawlessly)
This is simply no fair comparison, the LG G6 feels dated in comparison.
I don't miss the audio jack because I'm always listening over Bluetooth.
I don't miss the higher DPI because the OP6T screen despite having less DPI looks stunning!
I don't miss the external storage option on the LGG6
I don't miss the wide angle lens on the main camera, but I do miss the wide angle lens on the front camera.
This is my experience so far!
Cheers mate!

sell it; I'll give you 50 bucks for it

aNGERY said:
So, I landed a 6T for a steal. I wasn't even in the market to replace my G6 (US997, rooted), but here I am.
As of right now, the only distinct advantages the 6T has over the LG G6 are:
Pie
Far smoother operation
Larger screen
Infinitely better aftermarket support (roms etc)
The G6 has my heart in:
Power button being on the back (Yes, I know I'll get used to the side button again).
SD Card Slot (I have a 256gb collecting dust now)
Pixel density
Quick Charge
Always On Display
Integrated headphone jack (although I rarely use my wired headphones anymore)
And right now, I'm on the fence:
Call quality (seems to be a wash)
Display clarity (wash again, despite the pixel density)
and the biggest thing to me, is the camera. I know I'm missing the wide angle from the G6. But is it just me, or is the camera just sort of meh on the 6T?
It seems to charge very slow when not connected to the included charger (which I can't seem to find in stock anywhere?)
I landed it with a case and screen protector for 350. I know I can sell it for that or maybe even up to 400. But I'm not sure I want to. I want to love this thing. It feels so nice in my hand. The battery on it is as big as a freakin car battery. It's more modern than my G6, has better specs. Is definitely faster.
So tell me, what do I do here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
G6 has your heart with Quick charge? The OnePlus 6T is one of the fastest charging phones there is.

lg sucks i own 2 still but UI is slow they mess a kernel up don't support developers less everything that's like pulling out the old Razer phone

aNGERY said:
So, I landed a 6T for a steal. I wasn't even in the market to replace my G6 (US997, rooted), but here I am.
As of right now, the only distinct advantages the 6T has over the LG G6 are:
Pie
Far smoother operation
Larger screen
Infinitely better aftermarket support (roms etc)
The G6 has my heart in:
Power button being on the back (Yes, I know I'll get used to the side button again).
SD Card Slot (I have a 256gb collecting dust now)
Pixel density
Quick Charge
Always On Display
Integrated headphone jack (although I rarely use my wired headphones anymore)
And right now, I'm on the fence:
Call quality (seems to be a wash)
Display clarity (wash again, despite the pixel density)
and the biggest thing to me, is the camera. I know I'm missing the wide angle from the G6. But is it just me, or is the camera just sort of meh on the 6T?
It seems to charge very slow when not connected to the included charger (which I can't seem to find in stock anywhere?)
I landed it with a case and screen protector for 350. I know I can sell it for that or maybe even up to 400. But I'm not sure I want to. I want to love this thing. It feels so nice in my hand. The battery on it is as big as a freakin car battery. It's more modern than my G6, has better specs. Is definitely faster.
So tell me, what do I do here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LG G6 a lot slower.
Snapdragon 821 vs Snapdragon 845.
Not even in the same league. 6 month old phone vs almost two year old phone.
I had an LG G6 and traded it for an Essential PH-1.
Sold the Essential when the 6T came out and have not looked back.
The 6T is just a better all around phone.
The 6T is dual SIM which made it a no brainer for me. I was carrying a work phone and a personal phone.
I carry one phone now.

I don't have 2 sims, but I don't disagree about the hardware being superior. I actually wiped the phone last night, put my sim in my G6, and about an hour later, I started setting up the 6T again. I'm on it now.
I'm not going to make any hasty decisions. Probably will give this thing a week.
As I type this, the biggest thing to adapt to is the SD card slot being absent.
Am I being too hard on the camera?

G6 is garbage

If 6T it's slow or seems slow, format the phone or do a MSM tool.
Yes the camera is maybe the cheapest..., but in daylight take good pictures. At night not so good. For camera you can try Google cam.

Reuben_skelz92 said:
G6 is garbage
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Compared to a 6T it is.

For camera, try the Pixel camera. See separate thread.

aNGERY said:
I don't have 2 sims, but I don't disagree about the hardware being superior. I actually wiped the phone last night, put my sim in my G6, and about an hour later, I started setting up the 6T again. I'm on it now.
I'm not going to make any hasty decisions. Probably will give this thing a week.
As I type this, the biggest thing to adapt to is the SD card slot being absent.
Am I being too hard on the camera?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also came from the G6. I do miss the wide angle camera and the overall photo quality from the G6. Also was a fan of water resistance rating, mil-spec drop rating, and the power button/fingerprint sensor on the back. The G6 really felt good in the hand, but the performance difference between it and my 6T are night and day. I don't think I could go back to the G6 from a performance standpoint.

I think you should sell it.
However, having someone else decided what phone you use will never end well.

Only thing that bothers me about the phone is that fp doesn't work on custom ROMs wich combined with the bad ram management on stock oos is kinda annoying.
About the camera. I find it rather inconsistent. Sometimes i get pretty good shots and sometimes they are just lousy. Anyway it's a tiny phone cam and as such it simply suffers physical limitations.

Sell it!

You paid for it.

tet-bundy said:
Only thing that bothers me about the phone is that fp doesn't work on custom ROMs wich combined with the bad ram management on stock oos is kinda annoying.
About the camera. I find it rather inconsistent. Sometimes i get pretty good shots and sometimes they are just lousy. Anyway it's a tiny phone cam and as such it simply suffers physical limitations.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bad RAM management?
Do you have a 6GB device?

I'm reading through this post on my g6 while I let the 6t sit and try to figure out what's giving me wakelocks.
This thing is tiny and slow in comparison lol. I'm glad I'm giving it another go. Appreciate the opinions.

Reasons why I buy OP phones
Nearly native Android experience
Always rootable - I will not touch a phone I can't put Adaway on
Fast updates - almost as fast as the Pixels
Battery that lasts and lasts
Price/performance that can't be beat
Things that could be better
Camera is definitely a meh. Shutter delay is notable and limiting for anything but static scenes. Auto WB is way out of wack in anything but mid day blue sky conditions, and even setting WB manually leaves you with funky casts. This is particularly troublesome with skin tones, where your choice is between a "boiled shrimp" and "jaundice sickness" appearance. I don't use the camera for anything other than utilitarian purposes so this is a don't care, but if my phone was my primary camera I would definitely think twice.
Designs are somewhat bland, but this is probably partly how they keep the price as low as it is. I could not care less, as long as the formfactor is right. Which it is.

tech_head said:
Bad RAM management?
Do you have a 6GB device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
8 GB

Related

Does Shamu have a worthy successor yet ?!

Hiya tech-mates !
I'd love to have your opinion.
I just asked myself, if my (underestimated)beloved Shamu needs to be replaced tomorrow, for any reason, (hope he won't, at least few years)
which phone could be as good as N6 was (and still is) nowadays ?
I.e. our shamu is being old little by little but still in race yet imo..
Got it since 2 years from now, and the more time passes, the more I like N6 !
-32/64bits transition is in a good way and almost finished (flagships). I think new SoCs (even more powerful) are still not as efficient as SD805 is. (without filling RAM with useless data or using an 32bits-adaptator which waste ressources)
-Cameras are quite better now
-Fingerprint scanner is a classic feature now (if you need it)
-Stock ROM "outdated" and security patch ends soon
-better StB ratio (not that much)
IMO, there's no device yet which beat the Shamu considering overall characteristics. And buying a new one will make me loose some beloved features I guess (screen size/type/quality, awesome dualspeakers, software fluidity, xda ressources/ROMS, Qi, LED)
If I need to buy a new phone today, I'll surely take a brand new N6 but i'll think about waiting for a OP5 or maybe chinese devices P10+/Mi Mix2/Mi 6+.
Which one would you choose ? (do your own suggestions)
(excuse my english, he's dirty)
I would recommend either waiting for the OP5 or getting the OP3T. I used to own the N6 but it ended in a tragic fate. So I decided to get the OP3T. Love it! Super fast, great camera, great battery, I love the fingerprint scanner, and the notification LED. The only downfall IMO is the speaker. It can easily be covered up and block sound. Other than that I would definitely recommend the OP3T or the OP5 if it it any good
Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk
baeren131 said:
I would recommend either waiting for the OP5 or getting the OP3T. I used to own the N6 but it ended in a tragic fate. So I decided to get the OP3T. Love it! Super fast, great camera, great battery, I love the fingerprint scanner, and the notification LED. The only downfall IMO is the speaker. It can easily be covered up and block sound. Other than that I would definitely recommend the OP3T or the OP5 if it it any good
Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there any phone which have a speaker as good as the N6s one ?
So hard to leave that speaker :S
mesco38 said:
Is there any phone which have a speaker as good as the N6s one ? [emoji14]
So hard to leave that speaker :S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can only think of the 6P or the pixel... (If you don't get one with the glitched out speaker...) But sorry. I can't think of anything, but I know what you mean. I definitely miss that
Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk
The new Google phones are to expensive .
OnePlus 3T or LG G6 are acceptable priced.
But my N6 - debloated and decrypted - is still fast and smooth.
I can wait...
mesco38 said:
Is there any phone which have a speaker as good as the N6s one ?
So hard to leave that speaker :S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Axon 7 has very good sound, stereo speakers.
mesco38 said:
Is there any phone which have a speaker as good as the N6s one ? [emoji14]
So hard to leave that speaker :S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pixel XL speaker is much weaker (hah). Clear but sounds muffled compared to the venerable Shamu. Also only one speaker so the only stereo is through the headphone jack. Other than that, the Marlin is nice.
I read an article recently that Nokia (Yeah, read that correctly) wants to push the Nexus line back into existence. Or at least as close as possible, replicating the Nexus experience of little to no bloatware, and fast updates. My N6 is chugging along just fine right now, but I hope that Nokia follows through, because that just might be my new phone..
I've been watching for one, but there just aren't a lot of options if you like larger phones. What I need to see...
5.5" minimum screen size. 16:9. Might have to reevaluate if the ratios change much more. 1080p or better.
AOSP builds supported, no locked bootloader.
Better RAM/CPU/storage specs than the N6.
SD card. I don't care if the phone comes with 1TB internal, I want the damn SD slot. The manufacturing cost is about 20 cents, just put it in.
Forward facing speakers that sound decent.
Decent reception on TMobile LTE bands. Ideally supporting all US carriers, but Sprint/VZW are annoying.
Ideally, TMobile WiFi calling enabled.
Ideally, 4000+ mAh battery or user removable so I can get a bigger battery.
Ideally, flat screen so I can use tempered glass screen protectors.
Max price $500 US.
Oh yeah, no spontaneous combustion.
Axon 7 is the only one close. Flat screen and battery are not there, but the price is nice and performance is good. AOSP builds are fully functional now, thanks to the devs over there.
I know it's not a nexus-killer, but I just ordered a Note 5 to replace my Nexus 6. There's nothing that quite matches the beauty of Samsung, plus I just miss the S-Pen. Plus it'll be just enough smaller, thinner, and lighter enough that it won't feel big and bulky in my hand, as well as it being nice and balanced unlike the N6 which is noticeably bigger and heavier on the top than on the bottom.
The only things I'll really miss of the N6 are 1) 100% carrier compatibility 2) Stereo front speakers (oh man, no phone beats these) and 3) plain stock os, although that's starting to lag behind on speed (even though it gets faster antutu than lineage). Anyway. I'm pretty excited. And again, definitely not a nexus-killer in any way, but the Note 5 just has things I value more than getting a vanilla experience.
Besides, if Google is going to turn Apple and make an iphone-clone and also make it so I have to be unrooted/locked anyway in order to pass safetynet, I might as well move back to what's comfortable to use. Just my 2c.
NLBeev said:
The new Google phones are to expensive .
OnePlus 3T or LG G6 are acceptable priced.
But my N6 - debloated and decrypted - is still fast and smooth.
I can wait...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree and will wait too until he dies
N6 debloated, even encrypted, still runs everything perfectly smoothly and still have one of the best stereo dual speakers.. Autonomy is fine too, event after 2 years he's still running 1 day and half with normal/good use (no wifi, always on 4G, no gps, using youtube with or without earphones at least 1 hour)
alresave said:
The Axon 7 has very good sound, stereo speakers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, didn't know that phone, looks great. Stock ROM excepted, he really looks like a N6 "successor" (not really sure that SD820+4Go RAM+64bitsOS runs that much better than SD805+3Go RAM+32bitsOS - your opinion ?)(I don't trust benchmarks)
Heard something about alternative ROMs with him ? Will look after some xda forums
Anything about ZTE quality/updates/after-sales ?
ttabbal said:
I've been watching for one, but there just aren't a lot of options if you like larger phones. What I need to see...
5.5" minimum screen size. 16:9. Might have to reevaluate if the ratios change much more. 1080p or better.
AOSP builds supported, no locked bootloader.
Better RAM/CPU/storage specs than the N6.
SD card. I don't care if the phone comes with 1TB internal, I want the damn SD slot. The manufacturing cost is about 20 cents, just put it in.
Forward facing speakers that sound decent.
Decent reception on TMobile LTE bands. Ideally supporting all US carriers, but Sprint/VZW are annoying.
Ideally, TMobile WiFi calling enabled.
Ideally, 4000+ mAh battery or user removable so I can get a bigger battery.
Ideally, flat screen so I can use tempered glass screen protectors.
Max price $500 US.
Oh yeah, no spontaneous combustion.
Axon 7 is the only one close. Flat screen and battery are not there, but the price is nice and performance is good. AOSP builds are fully functional now, thanks to the devs over there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agreed.. SDCard excepted, got the same requirements
Hope there's a new phone soon (pixel2 ? but they don't seem to go on this way..)
Axon 7 looks great indeed
BlockOfDynamite said:
I know it's not a nexus-killer, but I just ordered a Note 5 to replace my Nexus 6. There's nothing that quite matches the beauty of Samsung, plus I just miss the S-Pen. Plus it'll be just enough smaller, thinner, and lighter enough that it won't feel big and bulky in my hand, as well as it being nice and balanced unlike the N6 which is noticeably bigger and heavier on the top than on the bottom.
The only things I'll really miss of the N6 are 1) 100% carrier compatibility 2) Stereo front speakers (oh man, no phone beats these) and 3) plain stock os, although that's starting to lag behind on speed (even though it gets faster antutu than lineage). Anyway. I'm pretty excited. And again, definitely not a nexus-killer in any way, but the Note 5 just has things I value more than getting a vanilla experience.
Besides, if Google is going to turn Apple and make an iphone-clone and also make it so I have to be unrooted/locked anyway in order to pass safetynet, I might as well move back to what's comfortable to use. Just my 2c.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SHAME ON U
SHAME2U
SHAMU !!
What's the interest turning GPhones into Apple-likePhones ?
mesco38 said:
...
What's the interest turning GPhones into Apple-likePhones ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Money! They want us to use Android pay. Banks don't like rooting; fear of fraud.
As the Moto X Pure was a nice update of what I loved about the N6, I was hoping that the 2017 Moto X would continue that line. Unfortunately, from the leaks we have seen, it looks more like an HTC phone or even an iPhone than the logical continuation of the N6. But the price points that MotoLenova are hitting are really tempting. I even think the G5 Plus would make a nice phone at that price. I'll see what they eventually release with the Moto X before I decide. I've just gotten to a point where the Pixels of the world are too expensive for what you get.
But like all of us here in the N6 forum, I am still rocking my Shamu.
NLBeev said:
Money! They want us to use Android pay. Banks don't like rooting; fear of fraud.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IMO, I don't think Android/applepay will last over time..
So insecure and new-gen credit cards are developped right now (with screen/digital pin or fingerprint scanner)
mesco38 said:
IMO, I don't think Android/applepay will last over time..
So insecure and new-gen credit cards are developped right now (with screen/digital pin or fingerprint scanner)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But I can't think of other reasons why Google makes it more difficult to get root access.
G. doesn't even manage to create a dark UI.
I am beginning to dislike Google....
Hopefully there will be soon new credit-cards.
BTw Phone paying is recently introduced here in the Netherlands.
NLBeev said:
But I can't think of other reasons why Google makes it more difficult to get root access.
G. doesn't even manage to create a dark UI.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess, users who make last their phone 3+ years by rooting, installing customroms, changing screens and batteries themselves, is not worthy in this consumery society..
When you see how sheeps spend their money with iPhones, spending 1000€/years sometimes to get a 2years-late technology.. Com'on, "Think different"
NLBeev said:
I am beginning to dislike Google....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, same for me :crying:
At least stock android/G-devices
NLBeev said:
Hopefully there will be soon new credit-cards.
BTw Phone paying is recently introduced here in the Netherlands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here, in France, banks have already made an agreement among them, tu use a local payment service called "paylib". So they don't wanna introduce android pay. (but applepay is already working here..)
Fu**ing retarded country we are..
mesco38 said:
Totally agreed.. SDCard excepted, got the same requirements
Hope there's a new phone soon (pixel2 ? but they don't seem to go on this way..)
Axon 7 looks great indeed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SD is one of those things people seem to love or hate. There's no one right way, but there's also nothing saying you have to put a card in there if there's a slot. But if there's not a slot, you have no choice. As it's tiny, costs almost nothing, and harms nothing to have it, why not? Then everyone can have it however they like. Those digital packrats can have tons of storage, those who prefer not to have one just don't install one. The Axon 7 implementation is particularly nice, the SIM tray is a dual SIM and one of them can be an SD or a SIM. It can even be both, but that requires some modifications to the SD cards. IMO the only people to gain anything from it not being there are device manufacturers (sell overpriced higher capacity versions), and cloud providers trying to sell you storage.
Axon 7 is really the only device I could see buying right now. The LG G6 looks nice, but LGs history with bootloops and lack of service has me avoiding them. AOSP is not possible at the moment though, so G6 is out.
OnePlus 3T looks nice, screen is a bit small and no SD.
I really liked my Note 3, but Samsung is on a lockdown thing right now, and I won't buy a device I can't actually own. He who controls the software controls the device.
None have the removable battery, which would be nice, and all are a bit small on battery for me, but I can live with that. Nothing is perfect. I'm in no hurry at the moment, Shamu and the devs here are treating me well.

Looking into buying this phone, but wanted actual owners inputs

I'm looking into getting this phone, but wanted actual owners inputs on the phone.
I bought a g5 plus on black friday at bestbuy, and used it for about a week and a half. I has issues with calls were cutting out, as if I had dropped call, but if I waited long enough, the call would resume fine, but the other side could not here me and eventually hung up without waiting long enough. This is a known issue on lenovo forums, as others have the same issue with the g5 plus.
I'd like people with say a month or better to chime in on this if you would.
I've watched numerous videos on the 5s plus and read thru countless reviews on it as well, and the biggest complaint seems to be with the camera and the depth feature, both of which have terrible lag time and wait time.
I've also sifted thru lenova forums to see if there are any issues, and the only other issue that I would call major is the screen cracked when it was not dropped or anything, was due to an alarm, although I'm not sure how that would happen.
That being said, has anyone encountered any issue, that I would call deal breakers, like voice calls, wifi dopping, slow hotspot or cell data, etc....
I'm not an avid big user of the camera, so I'm what you'd call a casual point-n-shoot person, so the camera is a low priority on my list when it comes to phones, as I don't do much with selfies or picture taking.
What I do want in a phone is good working voice and data, hotspot, and fingerprint scanner. I could even get past a buggy or glitchy fingerprint scanner even.
I've had some really bad bad bad experiences with phones as of late. I bought that g5 plus and had the voice call issues, which was not a carrier thing it was the phone, as my nexus 5x and oneplus 3 do not suffer from it. Now I have a oneplus 3, and although I love the phone, but it seems that I cannot upgrade my os at all, past 7.1.1, due to I get drastically slow data speeds. I won't go into a lot of detail on that, just in short anything past 7.1.1 android it happens, data speeds get cut near in 1/2. I'm in contact with 1+ and hope dearly that they can find a fix to this, but I am still shopping as I don't hold much stock in they will actually find a fix and more sluff it off, especially given they no longer support the phone at all.
My poor nexus 5x is suffering from bad battery life, more-so than before , and has some slow downs now, and stuttering at some points. I'm guessing it's on it's way out, this is why I was shopping for another phone and I got the 5 plus, but had issues, and now this oneplus 3 issue.
So as for looking and researching, it seems like the g5s plus doesn't suffer from the issues the g5 plus has, so it seems like it would be a good choice.
So I'm hoping those who actually have the phone and use it on a daily basis can chime in and tell me what the pros and cons are, what you like and/or don't like, aside from the obvious camera issues.
Thanks for any input that might help me with my choice.
I never faced any issue with Fingerprint, call, Wi-Fi. The only issue that's particularly bothering me is that most call recorder apps don't work (except Boldbeast recorder which is doing fine as of now).
My phone fell from 6 feet height once and landed flat on the screen. I thought it'd have shattered by some miracle (or the chinese tampered glass), even the protector didn't get any scratch except like 3 mm of it got chipped off one of its corners.
So, it's quite a sturdy one. Moreover, the camera quality has been improved significantly after the updates. Now, there's almost 0 shutter lag clicking the normal pics and almost half a second to 1 second lag to click in Depth mode or HDR mode.
However, I still think one plus3 is still a much better option than this one. You may also have a look at Xiaomi A1.
For the money, it's a great device. Had it for 3 months, used on gsm (att) and cdma (Verizon) no issues with calls. Since camera isn't am issue for ya, I'll say it takes pictures, certainly not the best pictures, but it works - but what would ya expect for a $300 or less phone. Low light is where it really struggles (as expected). Rom development isn't the greatest, is a relatively new device, hoping that gets better but what is available is good enough for daily drivers at least. And custom roms are 64 bit, not 32 like stock which does give a noticeable performance bump. Battery life is great - better than my 6p when it was new, and better than my n5 when it was new. Games, if that's your thing, run fine. I tried some racing sims for fun and no problems (I was actually impressed by how they ran). The all metal construction feels solid, really solid. I've never used a case or screen protector (it lives in my back pocket), dropped it from about 4 feet one day on to a hard tile floor, not a mark in it. I'll also say the finger print gestures are great. No need for the nav bar, which makes the screen almost the exact same size as the 6p (at my age bigger is definitely better!). The sd625 has enough power to run everything smoothly, with the benefit of being very power efficient. Ruining 64 bit os, performance is almost as good as my 6p (before the big cores died) - sorting and adding formula to a spreadsheet with 100k to 150k rows takes a few seconds, but barely longer than the fully working 6p.
This is a good bang for your buck device. I'd recommend it, and have to a few people who are getting it now.
It has its Pros and Cons, but it's really the first Android device I've had that I haven't immediately thought about my next phone. It's fast enough, smoother than my wife's iphone 7 at least..Everything is a little better than average except camera performance. Camera is "meh" as others have pointed out, and there have been times where I was frustrated trying to take decent photos over the holidays.
*Really wish it had NFC for Android Pay
*If you can afford it, get the 4GB RAM version. Using the camera causes most apps to close out of memory for some reason on my 3GB model. Sent bug requests and they say it is due to RAM management.
In the $200-$300 price range, I think it's either this phone or the Honor 7x. Honor has a better Camera, but has EMUI
Thanks for he input.
On looking more, it seems moto released a patch that fixes the camera issues now, so that's a good thing. The video I saw with the new update and depth setting was a HUGE inccrease in speed now....almost instant now compared to 2-3 seconds or better.
So far I can't seem to find much negative about this phone, perhaps because its still new, not sure.
easyrider77 said:
Thanks for he input.
On looking more, it seems moto released a patch that fixes the camera issues now, so that's a good thing. The video I saw with the new update and depth setting was a HUGE inccrease in speed now....almost instant now compared to 2-3 seconds or better.
So far I can't seem to find much negative about this phone, perhaps because its still new, not sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looking on Swappa.com, I was seeing OnePlus 3T's in the $300-$350 range, which if you ask me, looks like a better phone...Not as "new", but Snapdragon 821, 6 GB of RAM, I think they're already on Oreo too...
Coming from the oneplus 3 and having slow data issues, and this is not just a little, this is at least 1/2.....24Mbps before the update to Oreo, down to 8-10Mbps after. That unexceptible in any terms. I've been in contact with 1+ and after 5 emails, still no fix in sight.
I don't feel like repeating the same thing all over.
This data issue is rampant on the one plus 3. Do a search on "oneplus 3 slow speed after android update". Tons of people having the issue. This has haunted these phones since 2016.
Not everyone has it, some do, but I'm not willing to take that chance again.
Update:
Did some testing on my hotspot today on the 1+3, so I wanna ask, is anyone here with a g5s plus, using tmobile service and hotspot? can you test your hotspot speeds and let me know what you get.
I have a suspicion tmobile is limiting non-branded tmobile phones ie: a phone that's unlocked, and not bought from tmobile store or tmobile.
Both my 5x and 1+3 have the issues of slow hotspot, but when I went to a tmobile store today, inserted my sim card in a tmobile branded phone and tested hotspot on my 5x and 1+3, I got good speeds, 24-50Mbps, but when I put the sim in the 5x or the 1+3, both suffer from bad slow hotspot speeds 1-3Mbps, while cell data on the phone is fine.
If they are indeed blocking or limiting non-tmobile branded phones, then even the g5s plus will suffer from slow hotspot as well.
Last update:
I finally did some more tesitng today, and found that the 1+3 has what I think is hardware issues with hotdpot. I placed my sim into my 5x phone and now things are fine, so it's not a tmobile issues or blocking non tmobile phones, as my 5x is still non tmobile, but it works fine.
I'm going to chalk it up as the 1+3 has bad hardware or flawed hardware of some sort that affects bad hotspot.
I'm going to order the g5s Plus this coming friday so I am looking forward to getting this phone.
" the screen cracked when it was not dropped or anything, was due to an alarm, although I'm not sure how that would happen."
Lol. It wouldn't. I read that a lot about the xperia z3 too. People drop phones and struggle to admit "i was clumsy and dropped my glass phone and it cracked".
I have the g5s plus and it's great. The camera isn't very good, and sometimes apps crash, usually at the point they're loaded/switched back to, and sometimes an app I'm not using will tell me it's crashed but other than that it's very stable. I've had no random reboots. Battery life is great. I had the z3 before for about 3 years and the screen just failed while I was holding it. I just can't be bothered with expensive phones any more so I got the g5s plus expecting it to be a step down from the z3 but it is better in every respect except for the camera (awesome on the z3, average on the g5s plus) and the magnetic charger (z3 has, g5s plus has the old fashioned usb only and i'm always worried it's going to die one day). If I lost this phone I'd buy another one to replace it without thinking about it. I considered the oneplus 5 initially but it's twice as expensive and the camera isn't very good on that one either so i wasn't sure where the extra £250 I'd need to pay would be going (I paid £260 in the uk for my g5s plus).
I'm not expecting moto to rush out oreo, however. I get the feeling they're even slower than samsung for updates.
Webern said:
" the screen cracked when it was not dropped or anything, was due to an alarm, although I'm not sure how that would happen."
Lol. It wouldn't. I read that a lot about the xperia z3 too. People drop phones and struggle to admit "i was clumsy and dropped my glass phone and it cracked".
I have the g5s plus and it's great. The camera isn't very good, and sometimes apps crash, usually at the point they're loaded/switched back to, and sometimes an app I'm not using will tell me it's crashed but other than that it's very stable. I've had no random reboots. Battery life is great. I had the z3 before for about 3 years and the screen just failed while I was holding it. I just can't be bothered with expensive phones any more so I got the g5s plus expecting it to be a step down from the z3 but it is better in every respect except for the camera (awesome on the z3, average on the g5s plus) and the magnetic charger (z3 has, g5s plus has the old fashioned usb only and i'm always worried it's going to die one day). If I lost this phone I'd buy another one to replace it without thinking about it. I considered the oneplus 5 initially but it's twice as expensive and the camera isn't very good on that one either so i wasn't sure where the extra £250 I'd need to pay would be going (I paid £260 in the uk for my g5s plus).
I'm not expecting moto to rush out oreo, however. I get the feeling they're even slower than samsung for updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My own opinion, coming from a Note 4..... Camera isnt good. Other than that, this is a spectacular phone, running rooted stock only. Catch it on sale and cant beat it.
Use it as my work phone, great battery life and very smooth. Here in the UK I can't get volte or WiFi calling which is a little annoying.. Motorola don't release updates like they used to either, they are much slower.
That's not too say is a bad phone though, I really like it.
Phone is really good for a normal user. I'm using this for more than a week now. It works well. I get 2 days battery backup. This is the best phone available at this price for the hardware specification.
My 2 cents , is this I had a Nexus 6 p and then an Essential , the Nexus was great but it had a terrible battery issue, the screen wasnt very good, i actually had two of them the first one died within a week, then aftrr 2 years i got the Essential , what a beautiful phone , very elegant, barely drop it , crack, still nice, but there is a terrible camera. The calks dropped because the cellular software and radio is messed up , the side screen s have touch issues , theres a lot of little things
The G5S+ , i bought because it was rated high for midlevel phone and to be quite honest , its lightbthan both previous phones, better call quality , vetter battery life, this phone wont be any other phone on any test , but it will always rate in the middle of the pack, it has not let me down at all, feels good in the hand , great touch , everything about it is mediocre , but thats ok, because it rocks, its my go to daily driver , it was sim unlocked when i bought it, bl unlocked after 5 minutes adb , havent rooted or twrped it yet , nit enough time, but its worth the money

Not sure if I should get Xiaomi or Nokia

I am considering either getting A2 or Nokia 7 Plus.
The A2 has the same hardware platform but is considerably cheaper but there are a few things/questions that I am considering:
1. the updates on A1, if I read comments or on the A1 forum seem to be late and buggy. This is one of the major drawbacks for me as I want a stable device and I am afraid the same thing will happen with A2
2. on Nokia there seem a way to enable gcam without doing root on the device, on A2 I saw that root is needed... this would be a drawback as gcam seems to improve picture taking on many devices
3. How does the device feel in hand? Is it slippery? Is the camera bump annoying?
4. Any software/hardware issues reported so far? I read something about proximity sensor but other than that not much.
The reviews for the device aren't stellar. Most complain about nfc, jack and sd card. None of this are important to me, I care about updates and camera.
So, should I get the Nokia (better build, bigger battery, stable and fast updates, probably a bit better camera, gcam working, better screen, no PWM for brightness)
I'd like to hear your advices. Thank you for your time.
It'll be better if you buy the Nokia 7 plus Android One version! You'll get most the things needed in a flagship phone (not all) and it's better than Mi A2 in most of the time except the camera!
You should also bear in mind that Nokia phones have no official way of unlocking bootloader for now, so there won't be lot of custom development for their devices until HMD decide to provide way to unlock bootloader. And according to HMDs head twitter, they won't do it because of security (proof: https://twitter.com/sarvikas/status/910421837661790208)
There certainly are a ** lot ** of things to consider when buying a phone now-a-days.
One of the very first things I look at is appearance, and weight. So right off the bat, 2 knocks on the 7plus; it's gaudy looking with the faux gold trim, and it's 183 grams (and I thought 165 gram phones were heavy!).
I'm shocked you would say an issue with the Mi A2 would be build quality? I don't have mine yet, but the unibody construction of these devices, like the Huawei Mate SE, are as good as it gets. Could not feel more solid. There's a marked difference to how a device with a unibody and 2.5D raised glass feels compared to how a device (like the 7plus) that has a 'flat' band all around it, holding the top and the bottom panels together.
I much much prefer the rounded unibody, way more comfortable in the hand, less likely to slip. And the metal body of them isn't slippery.
Yes, the A1 has had some issues with updates / bugs. But the A2 already has the ota security patch / bug fixes for August available. Someone mentioned they seem to be doing better with the A2 and it may well be because it's Project Treble.
As someone else mentioned; Is the bootloader unlockable? That's right near the top of the list for me, if not the top. If the Nok is locked down (as said), it's off my list. At some point, and you might keep the phone that long, updates will stop. If you can't unlock it, then the phone is basically done.
As far as reviews go, actually the ones i've read, are stellar. Yes, the lack of nfc, expansion, no jack, are mentioned. They all mention it. I guess they have to or it won't be considered a decent review. But to me, I can live without them, not that much of a big. What is a big, and it's mentioned a lot in the reviews I've read, are the cameras. The f1.75 cams on the back will let in a ** lot ** of light. All reviews indicate they do well in low light (as you would expect), some even say the great cameras make up for the loss of the other items.
So what's important to you? I"m going with Android One is big, good cameras is really big, unlockable bootloader is huge, not too heavy helps to keep me from constantly pulling my pants up, available in black... I like black (not gaudy pls).
We all have our criteria don't we...
Build quality of the A2 is amazing. Feels like a flagship device. I was afraid how it would compare to my light Nexus 5x but man was I wrong. I loved it from the start
Custom roms were my main deciding factor compared to Nokia or bq even if there is no NFC or RGB notification LED. So I am ready to use the hardware until it breaks.
Headphone jack I don't care too much, get a fiio btr Bluetooth headphone amp and you are smartphone independent and can use your cable headphones which I won't change to anything purely bluetooth based unless Sennheiser comes out with some usb-c based ie80s.
SD card? You really need more than 64GB or 128Gb even? I am happy with the 64GB but depends a lot on what you are planning to do.
Oh I forgot the amazing camera. You can find some of my pics in the gcam thread. Guess I will upload a little camera showcase soon.
Thank you all for your thoughts.
@AsItLies I did not say there's an issue with build quality on A2. As you say, I am kind of convinced that it will fell better in hand as it is rounded, and that matters on big phones a lot. What I have noticed is that the camera bump is really big and that could make it wobble on the table.
So to set the list of pros and cons
A2
+ good feel in hand
- no way to use gcam without root and bootloader unlock which is something I don't want to do.
- no double tap to wake
+/- the software remains to be seen... A1 wasn't really great in that department
7Plus
+ double tape to wake
+ better screen quality
+ stable software with quick updates
+ google camera works without root
- like 25% more expensive
- not sure the looks in live preview with the copper accent.
- finger print scanner seems a bit too high, but A2 kind of looks at the same spot
- no notification led and glance uses battery since it has LCD
- bulkier and heavier
To be honest, I don't care for rooting the device. In 2 years, after no more updates, I am sure there will be other cheap alternatives to get.
Looks like you're not power user, doesn't need rooted device or custom ROM, etc. Based on this I recommend the 7 Plus, I think it's better than A2 for general usage. A2 to me strong in the community support and development since it has better value for budget phone.
7 Plus wins in many aspects, but A2 is slightly better at camera department based on some reviews I read. 7 Plus prices is very high compared to other mid range devices, I think if you have the money and can add few bucks more, you can buy flagship phone with Snapdragon 8XX instead of 7 Plus.
I care about:
1. updates - I have my concerns on updates given the previous history with A1.
2. camera - some say nokia is better, some say a2 is better. Probably nokia with gcam is better
3.handling- a2 seems to be more rounded, slimmer but has that huge camera bump what probably makes it wobble on table. Together with no double touch to wake makes it no so ergonomic.
Nokia kind of ticks most of the boxes really, however, a2 is 25% cheaper and may have life after 2 years with the community. At the price of 7plus, I could get a used pixel 2 for instance and that has better camera and updates.
Tough choice to make.
alinescoo said:
I care about:
1. updates - I have my concerns on updates given the previous history with A1.
2. camera - some say nokia is better, some say a2 is better. Probably nokia with gcam is better
3.handling- a2 seems to be more rounded, slimmer but has that huge camera bump what probably makes it wobble on table. Together with no double touch to wake makes it no so ergonomic.
Nokia kind of ticks most of the boxes really, however, a2 is 25% cheaper and may have life after 2 years with the community. At the price of 7plus, I could get a used pixel 2 for instance and that has better camera and updates.
Tough choice to make.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well hopefully you won't mind my version of your concerns, but always remember, these things are evolving and changing, due to experience. It's only natural with complicated things like this.
1. updates - While the A1 did run into a few issues, I'd say remember, this is a new thing for them. They'll probably get it right soon, evidenced by the August patch available now... and it's August! That's almost unheard of in itself.
2. Camera - I certainly like the Zeiss optics on the Nok, but Sony is no slouch either. Keep in mind the aperture of the 2 rear cameras on the A2 are f1.75. The Nok are f1.8 and f2.6 (for the optical zoom one). I don't know exactly, but the diff between the 1.75 and 2.6 is a Full Stop, if not more. That means, if u don't know, that the 1.75 will let in TWICE the amount of light. That's a huge difference, resulting in much better pictures.
The other thing re the GCam. I have a port on my LG G6 now. It's very good. Except it doesn't have all the features the OEM app has. For instance; taking a selfie in portrait mode, there is no timer. Also note the GCam ports won't use both lenses, as the pixel phones only have one lens. Some OEM apps use info from both lenses to create bokeh effects etc.
3. Handling - it is an individual thing for sure. My take on the camera bump is - I'd prefer it didn't have it, but I just don't set the phone down on the back (unless it's in a case). If I set it down I'll set it on the front. It's usually just in my pocket.
All cameras (except the G6!) have a bump, the A2 is just a bit bigger. Oh well. As far as double tap, for me... I've never used it, even once. Just use the finger print scanner.
Again! not knocking your concerns, they are valid for you, that's all that matters. Just giving a different perspective on them. Tomorrow, I may think differently! Haha, phones, they've become so complicated it's more and more time consuming to evaluate them. I've bought and sold so many lately, I never thought I would do that! I think I have a new addiction
About the handling, if you don't use a case with Mi A2, it is a bit slippery for me. The device is actually round but it is also thin. The metal at the back is very smooth and could be slippery for some.
And I think the cameras between two are not so different, depends on your taste. But the sensor with Nokia 7 Plus is larger so it should produce better images in low light.
@AsItLies thank you for your detailed info. I am very glad to receive info from an owner.
@Marciano09 thank you. To be honest, my comfort zone ends around the sizes of pixel 2, but the trend now is to have phones bigger and bigger so I guess I need to get used to it. So, bigger and slippery is not something that sounds comfortable. Nokia seems to have some ceramic back cover which probably improves handling but has rougher edges.
I saw some comparison videos on camera samples, sometimes I liked A2 ones, sometimes the Nokia ones. Nokia with gcam has some really nice photos where on xiaomi I depend on the OEM camera.
Really tough choice to make.
alinescoo said:
I care about:
1. updates - I have my concerns on updates given the previous history with A1.
2. camera - some say nokia is better, some say a2 is better. Probably nokia with gcam is better
3.handling- a2 seems to be more rounded, slimmer but has that huge camera bump what probably makes it wobble on table. Together with no double touch to wake makes it no so ergonomic.
Nokia kind of ticks most of the boxes really, however, a2 is 25% cheaper and may have life after 2 years with the community. At the price of 7plus, I could get a used pixel 2 for instance and that has better camera and updates.
Tough choice to make.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. they're both android one devices, sure, the nokia may not have as much dev support but it will get the same 2y official treatment because of android one.
2. both good cameras yep, the a2 will probably take some better nighttime pics, the nokia might be better at portrait mode.
3. forget about the double tap to wake... it's so much nicer to use the fingerprint to wake up instead! and yes, the a2 isn't stable on a flat table. even with the tpu case it still wobbles. the case helps, but it's still not standing nicely.
if you care about the price difference, go for the a2. but be aware that the a2 will drop in price over the next few months. this is the most expensive it will ever be. the nokia may have started to drop in price already.
the features that may point you to the nokia:
- nfc
- bigger battery
- 3.5 jack
- sd card support
- sturdier
a2:
- slimmer, lighter
- maybe better dev support (on the long long run however it's probably irrelevant since both phones are android one supported) - see LE
- maybe better night shots (it's still a phone however, and anything but the highest end flagships pale in comparison to real cameras - if you ask me never pick a phone based on cameras)
- cheaper (however expect the price to drop over the next months! this is the launch price)
did you consider/looked at the redmi note 5 pro (whyred)?
- already has some good custom roms (lineage)
- better battery
- 636 is a 660 running at a lower clock speed (even better use of battery)
- way cheaper
L.E.
- yes, the proximity sensor on the a2 seems a bit wonky, but not as bad as some reviews describe it
- updates are always a bit weird at first, android one is the fix for that (on both phones), only difference is the nokia had the time it needed to fix some already
- without a case yes, the a2 is slippery. use the included case from the moment you unbox it.
- yes, i own an A2, i love it and dont regret getting one, i recommend it to anyone looking to buy one.
- dev support...
*yes, it's very possible the a2 will get better unofficial support. however, and i don't know how i'm gonna say this without getting the full wrath of the forum thrown at me... that's irrelevant.
*you get a android one so you don't have to worry about the official support! you get one of these to be able to stay on the stock rom.
*either way you look at it, and in all honesty i really appreciate the work all the devs pull of unofficially for devices, thank you all and keep up the good work!
*however you cannot expect a handful of devs to be able to compete with google or big oem's. - again, this may seem like i am ungrateful, that's not the case. (only exception is when those oem-s choose to drop support). with android one they cannot do that even if they wanted to.
*both phones will get security patches and android updates for a minimum of 2 years. by then, regardless which one you buy you'll want a newer one that supports 6g or vr over lte or 5 cameras or a bendable screen. or whatever else gimmick they pull out of the hat by then. (if anything, i would be sorry for having to dump the nokia more)
I personally was debating between this or the 6.1 plus. I don't recall off hand what the deciding factor for me was. But I went with the a2 and it will be here Tuesday.
Nickdroid86 said:
I personally was debating between this or the 6.1 plus. I don't recall off hand what the deciding factor for me was. But I went with the a2 and it will be here Tuesday.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
now that's a better comparison!
picked the a2 for the large screen and better cameras?
enjoy the new a2! and piece of advice... dont switch away from the standard android one for as long as you can. unlike the other xiaomi-s with miui, it's actually not a bad idea to stick to stock.
if you find the time share your opinions about it after a few days
Doing a little research and found on gsmarena u can not only compare phones, but also photo comparisons;
There are 3 categories it compares them in: Lowest ISO, Good Light, Low Light. There's some explanation of how they got their results, but they seem a bit vague (but at least they have SOME control they're doing).
An issue that comes up when comparing Cameras is some think it has to be an apples to apples comparison; Same ISO, Same Aperture, Same exposure time. They think that's the only way to have a true comparison.
But here's the thing; A comparison really should be 'take the best picture possible' for ea camera under the exact conditions and exact subject matter. That way, if one camera has pixel binning, it can use that. Or another camera has a wider aperture it can use that, etc.
But this does give 'some' idea of how the 2 phone cameras compare, it's pretty cool to fool around with, click in the design on the left to change what's focused on. Also note, the pictures do seem to indicate when a lense has a wider angle than another, noted by what's captured in the 'viewing box'.
https://www.gsmarena.com/piccmp.php3?idType=5&idPhone1=9140&idPhone2=9058
I think the build quality of A2 is very good but the metal back is really slippery. I have to use the TPU cover provided. After using the cover, the camera bump is not a big issue. The bump becomes much smaller.
I also considered Nokia 7 Plus but I think it's too bulky and heavy for me. As I don't need NFC and SD card because it's not my main phone, I can live with it.
The screen is vibrant and crisp. I really didn't expect that in such a low price phone.
Thank you all for your valuable informations. The price of Nokia 7 plus is around the same as a Pixel 2 (the smaller one) and I think I'll keep an eye on the market for a good deal. Pixel is more compact, has great camera and another 2 years of software updates.
Thank all again you for your time.
laviniu_c said:
now that's a better comparison!
picked the a2 for the large screen and better cameras?
enjoy the new a2! and piece of advice... dont switch away from the standard android one for as long as you can. unlike the other xiaomi-s with miui, it's actually not a bad idea to stick to stock.
if you find the time share your opinions about it after a few days
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will for sure. I love Android One software. I had it with my regular Nokia 6.1
Comparing 7 plus and a2 is like comparing apples to oranges (both are phones). In terms of price there is a stellar difference, if you can afford the 7 plus, better go for a pixel 1 (you said you wanted updates and camera), i personally bought a2 because it's cheap as hell and even if i'd be the richest person on the planet i would not pay more than 300 dollars for a phone.
Android is made for SD8XX, nomatter what these cheapsters hide under the lid (SD6XX) they will always hang, lag, overheat and die fast.
Component wise the a2 feels like a joke (sorry, copying the iphone x in this manner it's way beyond shame) and a toy for kids with the ir blaster (come on it's 2018) and the lack of nfc (if you're european you'll understand).
If you have the money buy the pixel 1, if you're a cheapster like the a2, go for it. I don't se the reason to buy the 7 plus.
strapabiro said:
Comparing 7 plus and a2 is like comparing apples to oranges (both are phones). In terms of price there is a stellar difference, if you can afford the 7 plus, better go for a pixel 1 (you said you wanted updates and camera), i personally bought a2 because it's cheap as hell and even if i'd be the richest person on the planet i would not pay more than 300 dollars for a phone.
Android is made for SD8XX, nomatter what these cheapsters hide under the lid (SD6XX) they will always hang, lag, overheat and die fast.
Component wise the a2 feels like a joke (sorry, copying the iphone x in this manner it's way beyond shame) and a toy for kids with the ir blaster (come on it's 2018) and the lack of nfc (if you're european you'll understand).
If you have the money buy the pixel 1, if you're a cheapster like the a2, go for it. I don't se the reason to buy the 7 plus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android is made for SD8XX? Each phone is optimized for it's precessor, among other hardware. Some better than others. The sd660 in my mi a2 is hanging in there up against my sd845 in my s9+ and the sd835 in my pixel 2 xl..

Some Guys 24-Hour Review: Nokia 9 Pureview

PURPOSE
So 1st and foremost, the plan here is to give you my first 24-Hours experience with the Nokia 9 PureView compared to some other recent flagship phones I have tried. Granted, I have only used the Nokia 9 for about 24-Hours now and can say I have yet to fully break it in to find everything that may or may not be right / wrong with it. However, this will be a unbiased look and comparison. I'm neither a fanboy or sheep. No brand affiliation. Not a programmer either, just a pro-sumer Senior Member of XDA willing to get trolled, flamed, etc. for sharing a look at this phone. Hopefully, I can give "the everyday guy / gal look" without getting bogged down in stats, variables or benchmarks. Here goes...
MY BACKGROUND
No one special. Just a guy that likes the latest tech... phones being at the top of the list. I am a nerd. No doubt about that. I think anyone that knows about XDA probably is to some extent. No brand loyalty. I have had the privilege to try out the following phones:
1. Samsung S10 128GB / 8GB
2. Google Pixel 3 XL
3. Xiaomi Mi 9 Global Version 64GB / 6GB
4. iPhone XS Max
5. Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro Transparent Global
And probably some more, but these are the most recent. Does that make me qualified to make a review... Maybe. It does make me an idiot that likes new phones, though. I am always looking for something that meets my needs but also is a good phone. Currently with TMobile but have been with ATT, Verizon & Sprint at some point 20 years of using cell phones.
MY NEEDS
I drive about 45 miles each way everyday to work (yes, my work week is currently 7 days a week with a few occasional days off). So, with this in mind and where I drive. I need the minimum requirements:
1. Can Stream Music
2. Android Auto / Apple CarPlay Compatible w/ My 2018 Honda
3. An equalizer of some sort since I have only switch out my new cars speakers for better ones and don't plan on changing or adding a better sound system.
4. Decent pictures when needed
5. Relatively not laggy - will sometimes do some ROM-ing or some customization but since I tend to get rid of the phones quickly I try not to void warranties or make it too non-stock
THE COMPARISON
I am looking at my experience with the Nokia 9 and the other flagships under/around these requirements and some normal stuff like battery, screen, snappiness, camera & software. Here goes:
BATTERY
This has been a hot topic as of late as the larger phones continue to dominate this field (duh... larger phone mean more room for larger battery), however 3340 - 3800 mAh batteries seemed to be the "standard" for phones the size of the Nokia 9. During setup, from 100%, I tortured it setting up all my apps from scratch while on AC-wireless connection... then after all the app downloading, logging apps in and setting up further. I would say a good 5 to 6 hours of heavy use on Wifi drained it to 56% battery... decent performance given the amount of hammering on it I was doing. If normal day away from home is 12 hours with normal use, I feel it goes the distance... Is it a battery champ like the iPhone XS Max, no. Is it one of the better phones in its group like the S10 and Xiaomi Mi 9... you bet. I feel Android One has everything to do with it... More on Android One later.
SCREEN
At a 5.99" OLED at 18:9 aspect, I do feel that the forehead and chin on the phone is a little circa 2017 - 2018. With that said, I do feel it is more pleasant than "Mein Fuhrer" mustache going on with the Pixel XL 3... so much so I had to toggle no notchiness in the developer settings. The "Little Mac" swing and a miss punch out on the Samsung S10 is definitely not my cup of tea ... I found it annoying for one and the fact that they have graphics to swirl around it to make that much more noticeable is even more unsettling. As for the actual screen itself, the colors, brightness and clarity is awesome albeit small especially if you toggle down the screen size in settings... with that, it is a little difficult to manage photos properly with the size of screen. Not impossible but it can try your patience... but the screen itself is definitely better than the Xiaomi Phones and the Pixel 3 XL... the S10 still has the nicest screen but Samsung is getting me annoyed with the continue elongation of the phone... soon it will have a 76:5 aspect ratio... and will look like a Hershey Bar... btw Samsung, don't take design cues from a candy bar company... just sayin'
THE FINGERPRINT SCANNER
Probably the most controversial item on the Nokia 9. Yes it is not great.... I would place it below the scanner in the S10 & Xiaomi Mi 9 but better than the Mi 8.... Pixel 3 XL , you don't count with your don't rock the boat rear sensor... which of course is super fast. Honestly, this tech is not ready for prime time on any of these phones. The S10 comes with a plastic screen protector that makes it hard at first to register the scanner. I felt like I pressing my finger through the display. It did start working decently at about a 90% success rate, after programming fingers a few different time. The Nokia 9 is definitely 75% at best with just one scan of each of my thumbs... as mentioned in different threads, going to add a second scan of each thumb to see of that improves... I feel though that Nokia HMD will patch it to make it slightly better. With facial recognition available, although not as secure, helps for getting into the phone and really the finger print is only needed for the different apps requiring. There's a learning curve for sure to get it to work well but the same goes for the S10... Definitely, not the "deal breaker" everyone's trying to paint... it's the price of new technology
SOFTWARE
Android One to me, besides the Pixel 3 XL and the iPhone XS Max, is in a class of android that Samsung and Xiaomi can't touch. Vanilla Stock Android (for the most part) is a breath of fresh air. Everyone is creaming in their pants that One UI is so much better TouchWiz for Samsung. When your yardstick is the garbage that was TouchJizz, saying One UI is better without qualifying it further is not a great state of affairs. I personally did not find it "that much better" and was immediately looking to replace the launcher with the pixel launcher or similar iteration immediately. I feel as soon as they take away the google assistant screen to the left on the homepage, its a failure... that's of course is a personal preference. Bixby blows... kill him/her off Samsung... and have Bixby take Siri with them... Google Assistant, the swipe left news screen should NEVER be removed... if it happens, then google and android lose a customer for life... just saying... can't wait for timely security updates that will never come to Samsung. Xiaomi on their own do a great job to update. not much to say about their interface other than like most Xiaomi phones... notifications can sometimes be a pain to get to work right due to aggressive battery savings. Xiaomi also does not have the assistant screen to the left :crying: replaced easily with pixel launcher... the S10 was not as easy... could not just use pixel launcher from apkmirror and had to buy action launcher to mimic. The experience of as close to vanilla android on the pixel 3 xl and the nokia 9 just can't be touched. The 6GB phone rocking the 845 performs IMO better than the 855 8GB S10. Even the Xiaomi Mi 9 feels faster than the S10, 845 or 855.
CAMERA
Ok, camera... or as you all know cameras when speaking about any of these phones except you, you "one-eyed monster" pixel 3 xl. Although I haven't put it through the regiment of use cases, The Pentacular camera explosion that is the Nokia 9 is something I'm digging. If your looking for a point and shoot and send master class phone, get the iPhone 8 XS Max, Google Pixel 3 XL or the Xiaomi Mi 9 in that order. For me, Samsung always supposedly has good cameras in their phones but being a person that went to photography school, shot professionally and still cares about the pictures they take... the software non-sense that the S10 does with pixel smoothing, HDR, etc., etc. makes everything no genuine. The other phones too suffer from this at times as well. Don't get me wrong... Night Shot on the Pixel 3 XL is a feet of software magic... quite frankly, google needs to share this tech with other OEMs to make the sustainability of Android that much better. But if your looking for a genuine picture with great image detail and the ability to adjust in-box, the Nokia 9 excels. Yes, you pay for it in processing time. Are you going to want to take this phone to Monaco to caught a F1 car in motion... hell no, but if you want on par caliber shots with a DSLR with RAW Images on outdoor, standard to semi-low light situations... I don't believe there's a camera that compares... for the price... and that leads to...
VALUE FOR YOUR DOLLAR
Although not the cheapest phone, at $600 USD (pre-sale pricing, $700 now), you get a lot of phone for the dollar. The only better value is you just want to go the point, shoot and send route is the Xiaomi Mi 9 at about $530 USD. As always, Samsung at over $800 is not worth it. Not worth it for camera, not worth it for software, design, etc. Samsung Pay to me is the only thing Samsung uniquely has that I wish every phone did. The Pixel 3 XL which I was able to get around $550 was a good value too, but is barely worth it north of $600 buying new. Yes it has the best single shooting camera of practically any phone in its class, but I feel it doesn't run as smoothly as the Nokia 9 with the extra 2GB RAM increase. Of course, Apple cost to value is in a different class... yes the phone is $1100... but you'll also be able to probably sell it in 2 years for $600 as well. Try that with an android phone and you'll get laughed at that it retains 60% value after 2 years. The Nokia 9 packs the right amount of stuff to make it a great value IMO. It would be a slam dunk of course if it had a SD 855 as opposed to 845 but it would be probably $100 more expensive without adding much value. Android One is wonderful and a great choice. Wireless charging (OnePlus, you can't add wireless charging, are you just dumb or what at this point?) The 5 cameras is a great gimmick and works as advertised. Everyone expecting the world out of a $600 phone... it has a better camera then phones $200 - $500 more than what it costs. Can you shoot in a pitch black room... no? Why are you? You creep... you spying on me... it is a little weird
OVERALL
The Nokia 9 is not the phone for everyone. It's the phone for a person that want great value in a phone capable of taking amazingly detailed photos in its price category. Can you point, shoot, send... sometimes. Does the fingerprint reader work ok? Sometimes. Is it a phone pushing some new hardware envelopes in a cost affordable package? Always! The fingerprint reader hate is just that... hate without a 100% justification. Is it an annoyance, it can be... does it overshadow the value of this phone for those of us wanting more from their phone cameras, absolutely not. It is also by no means cutting edge on design... but it doesn't have to be sporting 5 cameras... chins and foreheads are nice when done tastefully (look at Angelina Jolie... maybe not 2019 Angelina maybe circa 2005 Angelina :highfive: ) It not an ugly phone is all I'm saying. Can the big boys in the cell phone game learn something from the once dominate Nokia (actually HMD) is that innovation is needed to remain relevant... think if Apple put 5 cameras on its next phone (would never happen) but what if it did. They'd be like "The Job-biness is Back at Apple" "Apple, the innovators again" and a multitude of other stupid headlines. Lets face it, this phone has a gimmick, a fairly great one but gimmick nonetheless. Will it catch on? Is it years ahead of its time? It just maybe. As always, this is just Some Guys 24-hour Opinion....... :good:
Great first 24 hour impressions
Camera question
Thanks for the review, mine arrives March 18 and looking forward to the camera. The processing time has been mentioned all over the place but I am still unclear as to whether the processing time prevents you from taking the next shot. For example, I would most likely always shoot raw with the full depth turned on. I am more interested in being able to take the next exposure quickly than looking at the last shot on the phone's screen. So, wondering how quickly one can take the next shot.
Thanks!
jhw61032 said:
Thanks for the review, mine arrives March 18 and looking forward to the camera. The processing time has been mentioned all over the place but I am still unclear as to whether the processing time prevents you from taking the next shot. For example, I would most likely always shoot raw with the full depth turned on. I am more interested in being able to take the next exposure quickly than looking at the last shot on the phone's screen. So, wondering how quickly one can take the next shot.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From experience it doesn't keep you from taking the next shot... I haven't done it with say more than 2 or 3 shots though... don't know how far it will let you go and tell you it can't process anymore. The processing is not unbearable either.... its just kids nowadays, if it isn't ready in 1.5 seconds, time to troll Nokia on a phone that is at least trying to change things up.... :victory:

Question A bit underwhelmed

Had the pixel 7 for 4 days now and not that impressed with it
Actually thinking about going back to my OnePlus 7 Pro
The charging is poor on it and generally scrolling on webpages menu etc its no better than my oneplus
Dont know maybe I will persevere with it and it will get better
Got the pixel 7 on a killer deal with 5g coming from 4g with EE - I literally got the phone for free but not feeling it
Anyone else not buying into the hype?
So I've had the phone for the better part of a month and my takeaway from owning the device is that whilst is not the best or does it have any killer features that stand out above any other phone I've used. It does everything that it does really very well
The auto brightness is basically perfect.
The camera is reliable, it's not the best. The video is a bit lacking, but everything else about it is very good.
Is probably not the fastest at navigating between apps and multitasking but when I use the device it's reliably smooth in operation.
The battery isn't as good as my previous device, Poco F3, however, it gets me through the day and it's reliable in battery drain.
Notifications work unlike MIUI
Signal is much better compared to my 7T Pro
I can use speaker phone in my car and the other side can hear me clearly, couldn't do this on the 7T or F3
The screen is accurate and well balanced
I could go on
The phone doesn't have anything amazing that will make you want to go out and buy it or talk about how amazing it is, but once you just use it day in day out as the tool phones are now, it becomes the best phone I've used as a package.
roughavoc said:
So I've had the phone for the better part of a month and my takeaway from owning the device is that whilst is not the best or does it have any killer features that stand out above any other phone I've used. It does everything that it does really very well
The auto brightness is basically perfect.
The camera is reliable, it's not the best. The video is a bit lacking, but everything else about it is very good.
Is probably not the fastest at navigating between apps and multitasking but when I use the device it's reliably smooth in operation.
The battery isn't as good as my previous device, Poco F3, however, it gets me through the day and it's reliable in battery drain.
Notifications work unlike MIUI
Signal is much better compared to my 7T Pro
I can use speaker phone in my car and the other side can hear me clearly, couldn't do this on the 7T or F3
The screen is accurate and well balanced
I could go on
The phone doesn't have anything amazing that will make you want to go out and buy it or talk about how amazing it is, but once you just use it day in day out as the tool phones are now, it becomes the best phone I've used as a package.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thing is my oneplus is a better phone than the pixel
I am not trying to downplay the pixel its just for a new phone/upgrade its not what I thought it would be
If it works for you great and I genuinely mean that
Going to give it a few more days but I can honestly see myself switching back I miss the fluidity and charging speed of my oneplus
I only got the P7 because the carrier I'm with would only give me a better deal if I got a new phone. It's been nearly 3 months and still haven't used it other than to take pictures and see how it runs lol. It's a quirky thing.
I do have plans for it down the road, once it's rooted with a custom ROM, but won't be using it as a primary device. 128 GB without an SD card slot was what killed it for me. I know most phones don't have the slot these days, but with specs similar enough to my S10 with 512 GB and the card slot, I've just stuck with using that. I know the P7 has a better battery and charges faster, but the extra storage is more important for what I need. Not bad as a back-up device though.
I have a pixel 7 after almost 3 years with the OnePlus 7pro and I was the same... OxigenOS have a lot more stuff than pixel except for the exclusive stuff. I was missing my OnePlus a lot and hold this P7 for a month or more... After that I went back to the OnePlus and noticed the quality of the phone. OnePlus felt so cheap in my hand and idk, it was not the same. So yes I understand your feeling about OP7pro it was a hell of a phone but , I think pixel 7 is just more premium feeling and a "mature OS" nut fun but mature.
Oneplus have a great deal on the 11 at the moment I can get £180.00 trade in on the 7 pro plus - free buds plus if I link my device and a 5% student beans I have got the price down £400 very tempting
I went from the OnePlus 6t to the pixel 6 and I kinda felt the same way. I knew it was a better phone in theory with higher specs and all, but the 6t had a better screen to me and seemed faster in charging and smoothness at first. However, the camera on the pixel was waaaay better and I was happy with that trade off. Fast forward a year and I got a good trade in deal from the pixel 6 to the 7 and it is a way better screen than my 6. Not much else other than slightly lighter in the hand with better weight distribution (6 was top heavy). It is a much better overall experience though and I love a couple of features I've only found on pixels like the ability to copy text from your recent apps slider, amazing speech to text, and I will say the scrolling speed/smoothness has gotten way better with time. I think the software needs a bit of time to smooth out.
I came from the OP8. I did like the phone, but got really tired of the hit or mostly miss camera. I know there are better camera phones than the P7, but I'm not buying a phone I can't root plus I really like the smaller size. The OP11, IDK, like another said, my P7 does everything I want and does it really well. Also there's the whole Chinese and Spyware thing.
I get what everyone is saying!! I came from a Pixel 3XL. The 7 didn't blow me away, but works very efficiently. At least I can unlock my bootloader now.
roughavoc said:
or does it have any killer features that stand out above any other phone I've used.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That depends on if you use your phone as a phone, once you get used to not receiving spam calls and having call screening there is no going back.
Also the speech recognition is faster and more accurate than any device on the market.
Thing is phone's have been fast enough for years and you won't notice a huge difference between modern devices.
gap30 said:
Had the pixel 7 for 4 days now and not that impressed with it
Actually thinking about going back to my OnePlus 7 Pro
The charging is poor on it and generally scrolling on webpages menu etc its no better than my oneplus
Dont know maybe I will persevere with it and it will get better
Got the pixel 7 on a killer deal with 5g coming from 4g with EE - I literally got the phone for free but not feeling it
Anyone else not buying into the hype?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was in the same situation, upgraded from my oneplus 7 pro. I agree that the screen was better on the oneplus and looking at a spec sheet it is obvious that it is the better screen. Other than that and charging speed everything is better on the pixel 7. The NFC is more reliable, better sound quality, better networking, camera and so on. I think it is worth the upgrade if you do not mind the screen. I rarely ever used the dash charge and mostly stuck to slower charging for over night so I do not have issues with the charging and the battery lasts me the whole day anywaay.
gap30 said:
Had the pixel 7 for 4 days now and not that impressed with it
Actually thinking about going back to my OnePlus 7 Pro
The charging is poor on it and generally scrolling on webpages menu etc its no better than my oneplus
Dont know maybe I will persevere with it and it will get better
Got the pixel 7 on a killer deal with 5g coming from 4g with EE - I literally got the phone for free but not feeling it
Anyone else not buying into the hype?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had my pixel 7 since late November, and I'll never buy another. I regret trading in my Galaxy S20fe for this turd of a phone. Google has locked down so much of the stock OS it's ridiculous. Very Apple -like. If I want that garbage I'll just buy an iphone.
But by far the most miserable part is the awful--and I mean TRULY, epically horrifically bad--fingerprint sensor. It's hands down the worst I have ever seen on any phone.
jasongw said:
I've had my pixel 7 since late November, and I'll never buy another. I regret trading in my Galaxy S20fe for this turd of a phone. Google has locked down so much of the stock OS it's ridiculous. Very Apple -like. If I want that garbage I'll just buy an iphone.
But by far the most miserable part is the awful--and I mean TRULY, epically horrifically bad--fingerprint sensor. It's hands down the worst I have ever seen on any phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't comment on the OS because I just got the phone and rooted it right out of the box, but Samsung phones are fairly limited themselves IMO not to mention with tons of bloat. I went from an Honor View 10 to an S10(because ATT blocked my V10 from service last year) and the s10 is crap in comparison and has very restrictive OS.
Do you have a screen protector? Did you rescan your fingerprints after? Lots of issues have been reported for those who haven't rescanned after a screen protector install, even changing brands I would recommend it.
GL
I bought this in December after accidentally destroying the screen of my OnePlus 7 Pro. It's everything I loved about that phone, with the bonus of NOT having a curved screen. Best phone ever? Nah. But a damn good and reliable phone? Absolutely.
You need to give Pixels some time, as the software is supposed to be intuitive and adapt to your usage. Also, I think some people coming from a different OEM don't realize Pixels are pure android with no frills, so they don't always "wow" you right out of the box. Pixels aren't for everybody, but those of us who love our Pixels tend to be happy with them and enjoy special features that others may not get due to carrier software manipulation, etc.
At the end of the day, all devices are subjective and it just depends on what you're looking for. Don't like the Pixel? Cool. There are thousands of other options out there. Go find your happy place.
Pixels can run grapheOS, others phones can't. That's me reason to keep pixel phones.
I regret trading in my P3 for this phone
The OS is cleaner and it has some nice functionality, but even my Xiaomi mi 10 that I traded from feels like a better phone. And the battery life, which was the only reason I gave up the mi 10 (which had dropped to 60% battery), is **** on the pixel 7.
cannot talk about the OS, i immediately switched to LineageOS as i'm used to that.
i tend to agree to the general feeling, underwhelming it's a good summary for this device.
in my overall experience, it's a barely good device which could've been great if they wanted to.
Screen: 5/10
mediocre screen... it only looks good on darker colors, lighter ones look terrible with visible rainbow effects at very little movement.
minor, almost imperceptible, flickering on static images.
i completely fail to understand why pixel 7 has so many positive reviews about the screen.
thankfully xda and other reviewers made interesting insights about this issue, sadly we as the customers got a indecent panel.
Battery life: 8/10
usually allows me to do 5h of screen usage with ~50%, which is more than enough for me, just in time to put in charge for the next day.
Camera: 7/10
i expected more, considering the reviews.
i've tried it a few days on stock and gcam but i really don't see why all the praises.
anyway it delivers more than i actually need and care.
front camera is actual ****, really bad for video calls.
About the rest:
fingerprint sensors, odd enough, works ok for me: it always recognize my fingerprint. it's just a tad slow which isn't great.
stereo audio balance is weird.
i'll always complain about 3.5" mm audio jack lack.
57op said:
i'll always complain about 3.5" mm audio jack lack.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It also doesn't have digital to analog conversion, soost USB-C to 3.5mm converters won't work.

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