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Hi everyone,
I'm going to be writing a review when the SGSII comes out for the Clove blog, interested to know what questions everyone has for the review, and what they want to see demoed on video.
Let me know and I'll try to get through everyones questions in the review.
Will be a slightly different slant on the review than places like Engadget, in that I'll actually be using the phone as my fulltime handset, so if things like the GPS are amiss I should be far less likely to miss it than those reviews (real user feedback as it were).
Great news! Here are a couple of things I'd like to know:
1) Battery. How much does it last under different circumstances? So, WiFi on/off, NFC on/off, display brightness and so on. I know that making all possible combinations between all these options is impossible, however at least something indicative of how long the battery lasts in day-to-day use would be nice.
2) Heat. Does it really get so hot?
3) Graphics performance. Can you play Tegra 2 games on it? How well do they play and what are the graphics abilities of the device (so far we saw sub-par graphics benchmarks which were most likely due to the drivers so it'd be interesting to see whether anything has been done with that)?
Thank you in advance.
Thanks for your questions, gaming and battery life will definitely be covered (I'm also interested to know whether the Tegra Zone games will run on it, that said for all I know the first ones to ship could be Tegra based anyways), good question about how much the device heats up.
I'm mostly interested in general performance, such as browsing speed, flash speed, installing apps, (especially multiple updates on the market) any lag anywhere etc.
Also talk about the screen, would be nice to see it compared in depth with a SGS.
Also any chance you could install a 3rd party launcher and compare overall speed/lag/features etc with TouchWiz?
first and foremost i'd like to know when you will be getting the device.
do you have anything more specific than mid-late march?
Use it for more than 30 seconds, like the SGS reviewers didn't. Otherwise they might have noticed the lag, gps, etc.
Captivate, XDA Premium, Cyanogenmod
BoostedSR20 said:
I'm mostly interested in general performance, such as browsing speed, flash speed, installing apps, (especially multiple updates on the market) any lag anywhere etc.
Also talk about the screen, would be nice to see it compared in depth with a SGS.
Also any chance you could install a 3rd party launcher and compare overall speed/lag/features etc with TouchWiz?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will cover that indepth. Will be doing a screen comparison with first and second gen AMOLED screens (HTC Desire, SGS1), and also iPhone 4.
I'm a LauncherPro user, so will also be using that in the review and comparing to TW.
virussnake said:
first and foremost i'd like to know when you will be getting the device.
do you have anything more specific than mid-late march?
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Click to collapse
I don't know anything more than you guys yet, will post anything I hear about release date/expected delivery of stock as I become aware of it.
MikeyMike01 said:
Use it for more than 30 seconds, like the SGS reviewers didn't. Otherwise they might have noticed the lag, gps, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is going to be my new phone, I'm purchasing it from them, rather than being supplied it for review, so this won't be a review written after a days use like you'll see at lots of places. It will be my day to day phone, and I'll release the review in installments as I feel able to get a solid feel for the aspects I'm reporting on. The last part will probably be a couple of weeks down the line from release, and that will be the one that will be able to give much better feedback on things like battery life, performance under higher loads etc. If you guys have particular suggestions for some good stress tests for performance let me know.
Camera performance would be nice. eg. details, contrast, noise levels, features, how long it takes to process a picture, artifacts.
Camcorder also. Say look out for stuttering in videos, reproduction of frames.
As stated above, a thorough test of the phone's performance for lag or any inconveniences in performance.
Sound/Speaker quality and its volume levels.
UI/UX interface. Eg. is it polished like HTC sense, or as functional
I guess check for if all its features are working. Eg. wifi, GPS, NFC, MHL
A review of the battery life would be nice, however i think I already know the answer to that, since it only has 1650mAh/1500mAh
That's all i can think of for now.
Edit:
Also I noticed in the blog how clove wants users to discuss the price of the Galaxy S II. Just wondering, and understandable if you do not wish to answer, but, is the reason you wish to discuss is to also discuss with samsung the huge price for the galaxy s II so as to negotiate a price drop? Or is it simply for some healthy discussion?
The review will be my first piece for the blog, so I have no inside information on the discussion of the price that is currently running, and the motivation behind it.
Currently testing out RMAA software on my PC, but looks like I should be able to give good objective feedback about sound quality.
did you volunteer to review it? how come they chosen you? why will you do it?
Which 3G bands does it in fact have? Clove lists only 900/2100. Other sites list quad-band 3G. It's possible there's a Euro and International variant...
How many SGS2 forums do you post to? Is that a valid question?
I want lots of 1080p video test runs. Try flinging it into the air with the red button flashing. Doubles as a drop test.
Link to blog?
I need to know whether it can RECORD CALLS (both incoming and outgoing, real-time without beeps). Thanks!
1080p video performance in various light conditions. open up heaps of programs and see if the general phone performance is still smooth. thanks in advance
EDIT: If you can, find out what the deal is with the exynos/tegra 2 versions of the phone
silverwolf0 said:
How many SGS2 forums do you post to? Is that a valid question?
I want lots of 1080p video test runs. Try flinging it into the air with the red button flashing. Doubles as a drop test.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I post to quite a few mobile sites
Did I miss any?
Can you give us the link to the blog?
When will the review be availeble?
omg just google ''clove blog''
i thought xda forum members... oh forget it...
virussnake said:
omg just google ''clove blog''
i thought xda forum members... oh forget it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your nice reply
How is the music quality through headphones, I understood that it was crap with the LG O2X so I really want to know with this device
hi guys, i just want to know which one will be better.
the galaxy10.1
ipad2
or tranformer?
my purpose is for gaming purposes and for watching video and photo scrolling.
not on design, web browse, or what i can do with the unit just the 3 purpose i want.
ty guys
The ipad2 would be superior for your needs.
There are far more quality games and apps for the ipad2 then there are for android tablets. Not only that but the ipad2 has less issues playing different types of video formats.
There is no reason to be purchasing an android tablet if all you want to play game and watch videos. Ipad2 is light years ahead for gaming.
i see, ill take that as added reference in me. tnx bro
does ipad2 has better screen quality watching movies than android?
kurichichan said:
does ipad2 has better screen quality watching movies than android?
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Click to collapse
Depends which android tablet. The xoom uses a junk low quality screen. The transformer and tab10 have screens just as good as ipad.
Although who knows what ICS will bring us in terms of gaming when it's released and when we get the update.
The widescreen format of the Tab 10.1 makes it superior to iPad in watching movies. Movie compatibility can be overcome with software.
Na, ipad2 is still superior for what he wants to do. FAR superior actually. The games available for android tablets are a complete joke compared to the games for ipad2. Not only that but the GPU in ipad2 is far superior to tegra 2.
I was wondering how good the selection of films and shows that Netflix UK has in comparison to LOVEFilm and also in terms of video quality. I'm tempted to sign up to one of these services for use mostly with my Prime.
Thanks.
Moothead2 said:
I was wondering how good the selection of films and shows that Netflix UK has in comparison to LOVEFilm and also in terms of video quality. I'm tempted to sign up to one of these services for use mostly with my Prime.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a lot of content already and this will slowly grow over time. LOVEFilm only stream in standard def, yet require more bandwidth. I'm using netflix and I have to say, so far I'm enjoying it.
Here is a gizmodo article about the pros and cons of each:
http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2012/01/th...film-smackdown-which-one-is-worth-your-money/
Thanks, good read. So basically the video quality and TV Shows are better on Netflix but the movie selection is slightly better on LOVEFilm at the moment? Might give the Netflix free trial a run out tonight or tomorrow and see how I find it.
Thanks again.
So whats up guys! i just got my nexus 10 and damn its awesome, so good, that i made an unboxing video , but stay tuned, ill be doing lots more including comparisons with my T-prime..
http://youtu.be/1mQI6Z-wo0Y - Unboxing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C56tlPa_QL8 - Initial impressions and hands on
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1IvHifal98 - boot up test vs Transformer Prime
http://youtu.be/rlUXjto2VAw - Profile switching
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=M12ineGx1BA - gaming performance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmzEtd3vtnA - Video performance
http://youtu.be/iKuYoyo-pH8 - Browser Performance!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Jgy5M41IdM - Full review
http://youtu.be/kYdqPRw1-vc ( may still be uploading) - Transformer Prime tf201 vs Nexus 10
http://www.youtube.com/my_videos_edi...id=-W0FmNKHEQw - HDMI OUT- gaming
anything specific you wanna see? ill try and get round to it tomorrow if there is
Check the black level, light bleed, how vivid are the colours too?
I can do all these test, but iv kinda lost the light for today.. so ill do more videos tomorrow
i'd really like to know the weight (in grams) of the entire package..so including the box Google shipped it in. Do you have a scale by any chance
plaktoets said:
i'd really like to know the weight (in grams) of the entire package..so including the box Google shipped it in. Do you have a scale by any chance
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Click to collapse
674 grams according to the TNT label
on the delivery note it says "total weight :0.674kg"
Thank you both!
Done more videos today! lots more coming. check out the OP for info
Cheers for the videos, how to playback 1080p video files would be a good start for me
Yea im going to be doing Video playback performance soon
italia0101 said:
Yea im going to be doing Video playback performance soon
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I'm struggling to get anything mkv / mp4 to play
Can you show us a HD movie on the N.10..I for one would love to see something..thanks
Regarding that boot up clip of the Transformer TF200 vs N10, not really a fair comparison unless both are fresh factory resets (or brand new, you get my point). Can you confirm?
Nice videos, thx for your work!
I'm sure you'll do one on video playback, here are some samples for testing (most pushing the boundaries):
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1989223
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1995176
As far as regular video playback goes, would you mind testing some HD MKVs, AVIs and MP4s how does the stock player and MX/BS perform and if you can play them from an external storage?
Piss off.... I have to wait until Monday night to play with mine.
Screenshot of Settings--->Display Settings
italia0101 said:
anything specific you wanna see? ill try and get round to it tomorrow if there is
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would be great if you could post the following two screenshots:
1.) A screenshot showing the version (as proof that the tablet has recieved the latest udpate)
2.) A screenshot showing the Display Settings menu. I would like to see if it has an entry for wireless display. If the entry is not there, we can conclude that it does not currently support Miracast as there is alot of speculation regarding this.
Thanks - and enjoy your new device!
Nucking Futs! said:
Regarding that boot up clip of the Transformer TF200 vs N10, not really a fair comparison unless both are fresh factory resets (or brand new, you get my point). Can you confirm?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
neither of them are factor resets, they both have all the benchmark apps on them and a few games, but they are basically very similar in terms of apps
Gaming Performance - http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=M12ineGx1BA
Scriptabit said:
It would be great if you could post the following two screenshots:
1.) A screenshot showing the version (as proof that the tablet has received the latest update)
2.) A screenshot showing the Display Settings menu. I would like to see if it has an entry for wireless display. If the entry is not there, we can conclude that it does not currently support Miracast as there is alot of speculation regarding this.
Thanks - and enjoy your new device!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In terms of number 2, it doesn't have any mirror cast settings, i too , was really hoping it supported this..
here are the screen shots you requested... ( attached)
BoneXDA said:
Nice videos, thx for your work!
I'm sure you'll do one on video playback, here are some samples for testing (most pushing the boundaries):
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1989223
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1995176
As far as regular video playback goes, would you mind testing some HD MKVs, AVIs and MP4s how does the stock player and MX/BS perform and if you can play them from an external storage?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the links, ill include these in my video
I bought a Sony XTZ couple weeks ago. I love everything about this tablet, until I watched a movie on Netflix on it. It is borderline blurry compared to streaming the same title on Windows 8 or iPad. So I thought it's just a Netflix thing, until last night I played a movie from Google Play. It looked absolutely horrible, SD quality. It is not my internet connection speed as I get 100/30Mbps here.
I Googled this subject and found no information about this. Am I seeing things or is there something wrong with my Sony XTZ?
iosandroid said:
I bought a Sony XTZ couple weeks ago. I love everything about this tablet, until I watched a movie on Netflix on it. It is borderline blurry compared to streaming the same title on Windows 8 or iPad. So I thought it's just a Netflix thing, until last night I played a movie from Google Play. It looked absolutely horrible, SD quality. It is not my internet connection speed as I get 100/30Mbps here.
I Googled this subject and found no information about this. Am I seeing things or is there something wrong with my Sony XTZ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I did some more reading, apparently Sony didn't pay for licensing for HD playback on the XTZ :silly: I've read that even Sony's own video services do not offer HD playback on the XTZ. Wow, just wow. I really love this tablet but this is a deal breaker.
I have 4 more days to request a return on this. I was trying to get it to update to the latest 10.4.1.b.0.101 but it's not available yet. I will give it 3 more days to see if the update hits, and see if it enables HD playback. If not I have to return it which will be unfortunate and very disappointing.
Please tell me this is not true ..
iosandroid said:
So I did some more reading, apparently Sony didn't pay for licensing for HD playback on the XTZ :silly: I've read that even Sony's own video services do not offer HD playback on the XTZ. Wow, just wow. I really love this tablet but this is a deal breaker.
I have 4 more days to request a return on this. I was trying to get it to update to the latest 10.4.1.b.0.101 but it's not available yet. I will give it 3 more days to see if the update hits, and see if it enables HD playback. If not I have to return it which will be unfortunate and very disappointing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please tell me this is not true DAMMN im about to buy this tablet ..( not waiting for the z2 because the tablet is on 350$ deal so yeah..)
i love watching netflix and i when i see this .. well no, just no i have like 24 hours before the deals end .. someone tell me that i can watch hd content on it .. is it netflix only or all hd playback?
jesusitox12 said:
Please tell me this is not true DAMMN im about to buy this tablet ..( not waiting for the z2 because the tablet is on 350$ deal so yeah..)
i love watching netflix and i when i see this .. well no, just no i have like 24 hours before the deals end .. someone tell me that i can watch hd content on it .. is it netflix only or all hd playback?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, all streaming HD services. Very disappointing as I loved everything about this tablet. I really wanted it to work, so much so that I called Xperia support even knowing it'd be a waste of time. First thing I was asked was if I can copy the movies to my XTZ to be played.
This appears to affect the entire range of Xperia devices including the flagship Z1 Ultra. I'll link two samples I found here, but I saw the same complaints on other Xperia devices. I've found no complaints about Netflix, but trust me, if you watch the same title on Netflix with any other devices, the quality difference will be clear - it's way sharper even on a 720p device than on the XTZ.
http://talk.sonymobile.com/t5/Xperia-Tablet-Z/VOD-and-HD-Video-Playback/td-p/362656
http://talk.sonymobile.com/t5/Xperi...vice-does-not-support-HD-playback/td-p/417467
iosandroid said:
Yes, all streaming HD services. Very disappointing as I loved everything about this tablet. I really wanted it to work, so much so that I called Xperia support even knowing it'd be a waste of time. First thing I was asked was if I can copy the movies to my XTZ to be played.
This appears to affect the entire range of Xperia devices including the flagship Z1 Ultra. I'll link two samples I found here, but I saw the same complaints on other Xperia devices. I've found no complaints about Netflix, but trust me, if you watch the same title on Netflix with any other devices, the quality difference will be clear - it's way sharper even on a 720p device than on the XTZ.
http://talk.sonymobile.com/t5/Xperia-Tablet-Z/VOD-and-HD-Video-Playback/td-p/362656
http://talk.sonymobile.com/t5/Xperi...vice-does-not-support-HD-playback/td-p/417467
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well sucks a lot I think I'll wait for the z2 or the next nexus 10
jesusitox12 said:
Well sucks a lot I think I'll wait for the z2 or the next nexus 10
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know if the XTZ 2 will not have that issue - this seems to be an issue with every Xperia devices even the Z1 Ultra which came out not that long ago..
So I returned the XTZ and bought an LG G Pad 8.3, and find that the LG also has poor Netflix streaming quality, but at least the LG can play HD contents from Google Play which the XTZ would only play SD quality.
Did some more reading on this matter. 1080p Netflix on Android requires Android 4.3 (which the XTZ does in fact have) that has additional DRM API built-in, but it seems the ONLY Android device that can do 1080p streaming is the Nexus 7 2013. One might say on a smallish tablet device 720p vs 1080p shouldn't matter. I probably would've thought so myself if I hadn't been spoiled by the biting sharpness from iPads and Windows 8 devices when watching Netflix. The difference is immediately noticeable.
I've attached some pictures to show the difference in case anyone is interested to see. The difference in person is greater than these pictures show.
iosandroid said:
Did some more reading on this matter. 1080p Netflix on Android requires Android 4.3 (which the XTZ does in fact have) that has additional DRM API built-in, but it seems the ONLY Android device that can do 1080p streaming is the Nexus 7 2013. One might say on a smallish tablet device 720p vs 1080p shouldn't matter. I probably would've thought so myself if I hadn't been spoiled by the biting sharpness from iPads and Windows 8 devices when watching Netflix. The difference is immediately noticeable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm pretty sure all non-Nexus 7 2013 devices only get 480p, hence the low quality. Netflix help pages also say HD is only supported on "new Nexus 7".
dsfdfsdfs said:
I'm pretty sure all non-Nexus 7 2013 devices only get 480p, hence the low quality. Netflix help pages also say HD is only supported on "new Nexus 7".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is the reasoning for this? That's ridiculous.
I kid you not, the regular iPad Mini with the 1024x768 screen and the Dell Windows 8.1 8" 1280x800 tablets look much sharper than the non-Nexus 7 full HD Android tablets I've tried so far. Yes I had a 2013 Nexus 7 previously and Netflix is very sharp on it. This inconsistent experience from Android is a big turn off, although I like the LG G Pad a lot and it is a keeper. I'll just use my other gadgets when I watch Netflix.
I don't think there would be much differences in your images above.
Since each tablet you used has different brightness and contrast, so the picture sharpness looks different.
I have attached my photos showing pictures from XTZ and iPad Air. The two are a little out of sync.
Look at detail of Liam's shirt. They are the same on both XTZ and Air.
iosandroid said:
What is the reasoning for this? That's ridiculous.
I kid you not, the regular iPad Mini with the 1024x768 screen and the Dell Windows 8.1 8" 1280x800 tablets look much sharper than the non-Nexus 7 full HD Android tablets I've tried so far. Yes I had a 2013 Nexus 7 previously and Netflix is very sharp on it. This inconsistent experience from Android is a big turn off, although I like the LG G Pad a lot and it is a keeper. I'll just use my other gadgets when I watch Netflix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe it is because of DRM mess, i.e. the Widevine DRM interfaces are not implemented properly or something about it is different, etc.
I modified the Netflix APK to enable verbose logging and I looked through the code, and it seems to check specifically for Nexus 7 2013 on Android 4.3 only to enable Widevine DRM mode, otherwise the Widevine mode is disabled (which, I guess, disables HD playback completely). On Android 4.4 there is no separate check for device name, so maybe HD playback could work with Netflix for any 4.4 tablet that implements the Android Widevine DRM interface properly (or it could be it is limited in other places as well)...
And yes, the playback doesn't go above 480p according to the logs on my Tablet Z.
ngvuanh said:
I don't think there would be much differences in your images above.
Since each tablet you used has different brightness and contrast, so the picture sharpness looks different.
I have attached my photos showing pictures from XTZ and iPad Air. The two are a little out of sync.
Look at detail of Liam's shirt. They are the same on both XTZ and Air.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't see any quality difference in the pictures because the photo resolution is way too low for that. 480p video has 480 pixels in the vertical direction, and your photos doesn't even have that amount of vertical pixels for each display.
To definitely see what resolution your Netflix is maxing out at, search for "example short" in Netflix and play the "Example Short 23.976" video (in U.S. Netflix). The video shows the current playback bitrate and size in the upper-left corner. For me it maxes out at "1750 kbps, 720x480", which is consistent with what I saw in the APK, and which is not HD.
Sorry to bump this old thread, but it seems Netflix has finally let it loose on full HD streaming to other Android devices, at least on both my LG (G Pad 8.3 and G2 phone). I think since two Netflix app updates ago. The difference is immediately noticeable - same biting sharpness I've been used to from iPads and Windows 8.1. I imagine this would be across the board on all Android devices.
I remembered this thread when I searched "LG G Pad Netflix stuttering", which very surprisingly was rectified by rebooting the G Pad.
Edit, seems Netflix has "fixed" it again with the new update. The super sharpness is once again gone. In trying to fix the stuttering issue, I updated the Netflix app to the current release. I'm not seeing things. I've gone nuts since the XTZ in trying to see what's going on with Netflix on Android. I settled on a scene on Skyfall. At 12:21 the conference call speaker (plus M's wrinkles on her face), you'll see the very fine details when on HD, which I saw on the G Pad on the last Netflix app update. It's gone now.
I give up.
Edit 2: I think Netflix is messing around with things on their backend. A couple days ago I started noticing titles actually say "HD" when browsing on the Android app. Now it's gone. I went as far as downloading the .apk for 3.3.3 and 3.4.0, nope HD is gone.
Now I give up.
very poor product, equally poor customer service
dsfdfsdfs said:
I believe it is because of DRM mess, i.e. the Widevine DRM interfaces are not implemented properly or something about it is different, etc.
I modified the Netflix APK to enable verbose logging and I looked through the code, and it seems to check specifically for Nexus 7 2013 on Android 4.3 only to enable Widevine DRM mode, otherwise the Widevine mode is disabled (which, I guess, disables HD playback completely). On Android 4.4 there is no separate check for device name, so maybe HD playback could work with Netflix for any 4.4 tablet that implements the Android Widevine DRM interface properly (or it could be it is limited in other places as well)...
And yes, the playback doesn't go above 480p according to the logs on my Tablet Z.
You can't see any quality difference in the pictures because the photo resolution is way too low for that. 480p video has 480 pixels in the vertical direction, and your photos doesn't even have that amount of vertical pixels for each display.
To definitely see what resolution your Netflix is maxing out at, search for "example short" in Netflix and play the "Example Short 23.976" video (in U.S. Netflix). The video shows the current playback bitrate and size in the upper-left corner. For me it maxes out at "1750 kbps, 720x480", which is consistent with what I saw in the APK, and which is not HD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought this tablet thinking it would be amazing, dust proof, water resistant, slim slick design, SD card etc. It is very poor for the price I paid here in UK £380, live streaming rarely works, it goes off after about 30 seconds. Battery life poor, takes forever charging. Uploading videos is shocking, producing such poor quality videos even from the HD GoPro cameras, it's all blurry. I wish now I had stuck with my original plan of staying with Apple. Waste of money, customer service on Twitter absolutely useless, saying for me to do the same thing "system repair" black black black, why should we have to do this after paying nearly £400 for a tablet. I did do the system repair process and it made absolutely no difference whatsoever. Avoid Sony Xperia at all costs.
Back to Apple for me after my refund. Boom