Its not perfect but after all the criticisms i have to say i like it
Sent from my TrueSmart using XDA Free mobile app
It's ok, I like mine too
What do you like about it though?
I'm getting another SIM to use in it and I think I'll like it more then, but the fact that the companion app is so poor means that the integration with bluetooth isn't an option really.
I'm quite happy with it too.
I have the 1/8 2100 version, and all seem to work well.
- It started up out of the box
- The cradles charge ( I got the extra one I ordered)
- the buttons don't fall off
- call quality is awesome
- screen sensitivity is good (sometimes a little too good, but hey)
- bluetooth, wifi and gps have a proper connection
- "back button" swipe left action works
And in general use:
- surprisingly easy to read on small screen
- even able to watch short video/tutorials on watch (very handy when needing both hands free)
- app installing/start up goes quick
- I use Minuum Keyboard now, and that is awesome, Frees up half the screen for reading conversations, perfect!
- with Minuum keyboard it's also easy to make small voice commands that turn to text, for me works even quicker than responding with the "normal phone" in the old days
by having the phone on the wrist it makes checking if you need to respond 10 times faster. Just a flick of the hand and a two finger swipe when you get a short vibrate or buzz from a message/email/update and you are ready. Where as the "normal phone" you have to get out of the pocket, check and put back.
The two biggest downside that I find, are not necessarily omate related but more smartwatch in general:
- by having the watch on your wrist, if you use it for typing, by default are using both arms. Where as a "normal phone" you can operate with one hand.
- I don't 100% like the reading angle: you have to hold your arm really parallel to the body to read without make strange neck moves. Having "landscape" mode is even worse.
I think about 35 degree angle of the arm would be a way better reading position. That maybe would be the biggest advantage of the round type smartwatches like the moto 360, the ability to adjust the screen orientation till it ergonomically fits you best.
Wiggz said:
What do you like about it though?
I'm getting another SIM to use in it and I think I'll like it more then, but the fact that the companion app is so poor means that the integration with bluetooth isn't an option really.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My experience is pretty much identical to timkey's. It does what its supposed to. Typing is obviously slower but its better than I thought. Screen is sharp. It's fast. And it's a phone on my wrist I think rooting it and putting on soft keys and a status bar are pretty essential though. I do find the touch screen goes a little haywire sometimes.
To help with the viewing angle, I wear it a little loose and then I can twist it slightly towards me.
Sent from my LG-V500 using XDA Free mobile app
I like it because it functions just how I wanted it to. Its quite simply an android phone on your wrist, which is pretty damn awesome. Calls work pretty good, texting on this is awesome (so handy being able to just look at your wrist), and it's pretty much taken every app and game I've thrown at it so far. I also like being able to throw a song on and have handsfree music, so I can cut rebar or something at work and have music. And to top it off, I get pretty great battery life out of it. It's always lasted at least a full day, if not two. Even after two days the lowest I've had it is 30%
So, despite the company itself acting like a total noob for supporting this, it does function quite well (after some necessary patching of course). Having proper sources and support with proper firmware updates and having more tweaks android is known for available, would all just be icing on the cake.
So would those who like it buy a TS2, or has the arrogance and sheer mismanagement of Omate put you off, even though you enjoy the product?
I enjoy mine, though I can rarely use it as intended due to water issues. I have a T-Mobile sim in it. I would not only not ever buy anything associated with Omate ever again, but also not Umeox and not MTK. Never Again.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
It depends. I mean, the reality is I paid about £120 for a brand new android phone in watch form. If the TS2 was also a bargain, I'd probably get one. Hopefully they would learn some good lessons from this.
I am an engineer and did my degree in electronics, so I have some experience with product development. It was very clear to me that the timescales Omate were claiming were ridiculous and that made me question their competence. I'm still impressed they produced what they did as fast as they did. The testing problems people are experiencing are not acceptable but they are expected. Omate kinda painted themselves into an corner with their optimistic claims and high ambitions.
Now, all that said, I don't see what I would want from a TS2 that in don't get from this device. Its too small to do anything too intricate. It creates a WiFi hotspot and provides basic smartphone functionality well, which is all I need it for. Maybe if I got a 4G data plan, it might be good to have a watch that can make use of it but that's all I can think of.
Sent from my LG-V500 using XDA Free mobile app
The device has potential. I could maybe live with the HW shortcomings like IP rating, non-responsive buttons, add SD-card kills back seal etc as well as HW limitations like a little too heavy and too thick. The delays and communication failure from Omate is a separate story. I believe llepen believes what he says, he is still communicating still.
What I do not accept is the crappy firmware, that is HW specific. Noproper open source either. That kills BTLE, battery etc, as well as limits the adaptations required to get Android usable on a small device. I am not talking about limiting functionality like Android Wear, but an adapted Android experience w button actionssweep. Omate/Umeox mostly relies on MediaTek, and MediaTek seem to make good HW, but are both breaking GPL and incompetent in SW development.
I love my TS. I tried to have few expectations as to not be let down if it sucked, but I was happy to find that it was just about everything I could hope for in a smartwatch. It is solidly built, not too big, the screen is very sharp and sensitive, the camera is Good Enough(tm) (though the camera app really should rotate 90 degress left, which it does in the BlueTooth tether ROM, iirc).
My one major complaint is that Omate's version Android is awful. I work around it with third-party software (e.g. Nova Launcher, All in One Gestures), and with some effort, after-market ROMs can be ported. I'm very disappointed that no sources are available, but we all knew that would be the case.
That the notification bar is always hidden bugs the heck out of me, but the BlueTooth tether ROM fixes that.
Screen-on battery life is okay; not great, not awful, but it charges very quickly, so that's usually not a big deal. Screen-off life is fantastic.
I wish I could change the DPI for Ingress. It would be so cool to be able to play on my wrist.
Working with Omate is indeed like rolling a boulder uphill, and while I'll probably never buy anything from them again until they prove themselves reliable, I do believe Le Pen is trying. And I'm as disappointed with Omate as I am with those who continue to try to poison the TS community, making productive, open collaboration difficult.
timkey said:
I'm quite happy with it too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with just about everything you say. Anymore I use my phone only for long text conversations and more-than-casual web browsing. Everything else is done on my TS. Flesky is remarkably easy to use once you get used to it (although whoever decided to put backspace next to return needs a smack in the face). I'm especially happy that it's so easy to read text on the small screen as I read lots of RSS feeds on and off all day long.
The reading angle bothered me at first, but my arm just had to get used to being held in an unfamiliar position.
gerhardo said:
I could maybe live with the HW shortcomings like IP rating, non-responsive buttons, add SD-card kills back seal etc as well as HW limitations like a little too heavy and too thick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The IP rating and back seal issues don't matter much to me, but I can see how that would be a disappointment to other users. The button responsiveness, weight, and thickness are fine for me. It did seem a bit heavy for the first day or two, but I quickly got used to it.
nicktastique said:
I wish I could change the DPI for Ingress. It would be so cool to be able to play on my wrist.
Working with Omate is indeed like rolling a boulder uphill, and while I'll probably never buy anything from them again until they prove themselves reliable, I do believe Le Pen is trying. And I'm as disappointed with Omate as I am with those who continue to try to poison the TS community, making productive, open collaboration difficult.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Xposed Framework
Xposed Per App Settings
I consider setting default dpi to something higher than 120, to see better and change dpi where needed
gerhardo said:
Xposed Framework
Xposed Per App Settings
I consider setting default dpi to something higher than 120, to see better and change dpi where needed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but it doesn't work, and others have confirmed. Is your experience different?
Smockingjacket said:
So would those who like it buy a TS2, or has the arrogance and sheer mismanagement of Omate put you off, even though you enjoy the product?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No.
While I like the watch itself, if I were to drop another $200-$300 on a new watch, it would be from a company that can support it's device a little more competently. I really doubt we'll ever see a firmware update.
Although as long as this watch doesn't **** the bed I should be using it for a good long time. It functions pretty much like I want it to, so I don't feel the need to upgrade anytime soon.
I like it as well. After changing launcher and installing a few apps I felt it was usable. I tried for a while to use it as phone replacement. It DOES work as that, but the upsides of having a watch (smaller / lighter than a phone, won't forget something strapped to your arm and so on) doesn't really outweigh the downsides (hard to type, sometimes hard to navigate menus, small screen causing readability and layout issues, battery is slightly worse than my phone, etc). The most annoying issue though is when the screen goes into over-sensitive mode and register button press all over the place. Someone said it gets a lot better with a screen protector on, I will try that.
However, it does work great in some areas. My main use is for exercise - RunKeeper (and similar apps) works great. I can take a run, track my progress, listen to music, and see notifications if someone is trying to reach me, without needing a much more cumbersome phone jumping around in my pocket.
It's also useful when I'm outdoors, say fishing or hiking. While it isn't waterproof, it does what I need (gps / maps, tell time, make calls if I need to, no risk of dropping it).
So overall, it's a nice device (even though software and such needs some urgent updates). Maybe not great for a phone replacement but for outdoor use and exercise it's really good imo.
nicktastique said:
Yes, but it doesn't work, and others have confirmed. Is your experience different?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Works fine for me, using it for SuperSU and Titanium.
Well, the TS is unavailable again: Screen is black, no response to buttons (except the feedback I added with Xposed Additions to get virtual physical button) and no adb. adb is a common issue, very seldom works. But I have my device for a couple of days, I have occasionally borrowed one for time to time though.
He means that changing the DPI to 90 for Ingress doesn't work, I think, gerhardo.
Actually, I play Ingress with my TrueSmart and the stock Ingress client (only) and it mostly does work. Hacking and firing work fine from the front screen long press menu and I was even able to deploy I found recently mainly by lucky pressing in the portal view on a crunched up set of buttons there. I had previously thought deploying impossible with stock and stock. Its still impractical.
What was reported no longer working was adjusting the DPI because of some change Niantic introduced into their code at some point a while back. I have not tried that anyway.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
trent999 said:
He means that changing the DPI to 90 for Ingress doesn't work, I think, gerhardo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes that's what I mean in particular. Ingress no longer honors density settings via App Settings. It doesn't even appear to honor ro.sf.lcd_density on the TS, though it does on my Note 2 (which is annoying since it's set to 280).
I like mine too (1/8 2100 Dev).
Straight from the box, no patch, no rom, no bootloader, no nothing. The apps tho aren't there but it's almost like when the new Xbox, Playstation or Nintendo come out - people don't introduce games until the hardware is in use. I figure the developers of apps are waiting, working and planning something awesome for all smartwatches (not just companions).
Omate, well, hopefully, lessons on their side have been learned and fingers crossed the TS2 (if there is one) will be better planned for.
Hats off to SWApp Link tho. The app is the best thing that's been introduced for me. I had my SIM in my phone originally, then the watch and now back to the phone (just to work out what is best for me - I take a lot of photos and use 4G too much so my Note 3 is where my SIM is needed most) but the app - Bluetooth aside - is absolutely wonderful.
I don't regret buying the TureSmart, nor regret using Kickstarter - I have backed many an idea over the months. My regret is that the technology in total isn't there, yet.
But thank you XDA for being here :good:
Related
Hi all,
Looking to buy a new phone for the wife, and I think it's time to get her one (she's still using a Nokia N80, haha). I didn't play around with the actual Mini 10 yet, but I played with Android on my Topaz and I like it (as a system). I imagine it'll run much faster on a dedicated piece of hw.
So I'm just seeing what everyone here thinks of X10 mini pro phone and if anyone has dropped it (she's clumsy), or if there are any known issues. It's for her, so she'll just be using it and not needing to root it or anything else.
Questions:
Speed, does it flow well, and how do you think it will hold up to Froyo? (if it becomes available)
How is the hardware in real life (does the keyboard last, how about dropping it?)
Are there any real popular problems with the hardware/software?
Real life battery? My Topaz needs to be charged mid-day, with EDGE on only
Anything that required you to root it so it does the job better?
How is it as a phone for text messages and chatting? Annoying, or just takes getting used to?
Let me know your thoughts,
Thanx!
My girlfriend has the x10 mini (not pro), but as nobody has replied yet I thought I'd make a quick post as they are almost the same hardware-wise I thought it might be useful.
Speed, does it flow well, and how do you think it will hold up to Froyo? (if it becomes available)
its very fast, really quick and snappy to move around the menus/apps, you can tell the difference between it and my hero (using stock rom) for example.
I dont see why it wouldnt handle FroYo well, my Hero is currently running 2.2 with no problems and as the X10mini has a slightly better ram/processor it should do it equally if not better than my hero does.
How is the hardware in real life (does the keyboard last, how about dropping it?)
I think the phones a bit small, by the g/f loves it, fits in her hand and more importantly her purse for a night out so she's more than happy. dont have the keyboard so cant comment on that.
as for dropping it, she did that after 2 days and took a small chunk out of one of the buttons and scratched the screen, 3 days after that she dropped it down the toilet and fried the little bugger (thank god for insurance!) The non removable battery was the killer as we couldn't shut it down quick enough to try and dry it out.
Are there any real popular problems with the hardware/software?
the non-removable battery is a pain as you cant pull it out when the phone crashes (it has done this a couple of times for her now), software wise its not the greatest android experience as SE have customised it a lot compared to the stock roms from HTC, but the g/f prefers it as its much simpler and she's not a tech geek like me so it doesn't bother her
Real life battery? My Topaz needs to be charged mid-day, with EDGE on only
a few people on here say they get a couple of days out of it, not sure how myself, the g/f is currently charging it every night, sometimes it will last till the following morning but she does use it a lot tho (avid facebook fan) am sure we could improve it tho by turning off the GPS, WiFi etc but she wants everything left on as otherwise theres no point buying a phone that has all these features if you turn them off to save battery. it lasts a full day with heavy use so pretty good really.
Anything that required you to root it so it does the job better?
I rooted it so I could remove all the god awful demo's that sony/orange have planted on there as they were doing her nut in, I also popped titanium backup on there and shootme for screenshots, other than that its probably not needed.
How is it as a phone for text messages and chatting? Annoying, or just takes getting used to?
like any phone, I think there is a small amount of getting used to it, but as my missus has come from a touchscreen phone relatively the same size, she has taken to it with ease. she sits their quiet happily tapping away. Obviously she doesnt have the hardware keyboard so cant comment on how it is using that.
Speed, does it flow well, and how do you think it will hold up to Froyo? (if it becomes available)
It's a brilliantly speedy device, menus flow well and there's never lag when loading new screens. Sometimes there'll be a slight lag when waking the phone up from sleep, but it's just as bad as any other device.
How is the hardware in real life (does the keyboard last, how about dropping it?)
The keyboard is a great addition to the phone, although it can sound a little bit cheap from the plastic squeaking, but that's only because the device is so small. I haven't dropped it yet but it seems sturdy enough judging by the close encounters I've had with it, the back cover seems to be made of a scratch resistant material anyway so it'll not get banged up too easily. In all honesty the screen could be better, I was a little disheartened when I was comparing it to a friends iPhone just to see the difference. However it's still an ample screen, text is clear and web browsing is a breeze. Although it can become cluttered very easily.
Are there any real popular problems with the hardware/software?
The only thing I was concerned about was the screen size, but it's given me nothing to be worried about. The software has a few bugs here and there, such as Wi-Fi dropping randomly, but these should be ironed out with the next update. Overall there are no 'problems' that should stop you from buying the phone.
Real life battery? My Topaz needs to be charged mid-day, with EDGE on only
With heavy usage I can get about a day and a half out of it - that's including Wi-Fi, the odd bit of GPS and constant music playing as well as apps, web browsing and regular texting, but I charge it every night as that's what I've always done with any phone I've had.
Anything that required you to root it so it does the job better?
I rooted mine so I could get around that nasty implication of having a lower-than-normal resolution screen, that is, half of the apps on the market don't show up. But rooting allowed me to use the patched market from a thread on here and all apps work great, the system scales them down anyway so everything's good. Rooting also allowed me to install an app which blocks all ads in apps - I know it's not the most moral thing to do, but with a screen so small you need that extra space taken up by an ad.
How is it as a phone for text messages and chatting? Annoying, or just takes getting used to?
I've had no problems while texting or chatting. The keyboard is excellent, although the addition of a spell-ckecker when using the keyboard wouldn't go amiss. The on-screen keyboard is great too, brilliantly responsive allowing for quick texting.
"The keyboard is a great addition to the phone, although it can sound a little bit cheap from the plastic squeaking"
Does the keyboard close securely? I've stayed away from sliding keyboards for a long time because they tend to open in my pocket. This device is so small, I have to give it a try when it hits the US.
Also, are there landscape keyboards that you can put on the mini?
I haven't used android yet...
bazalicious said:
Anything that required you to root it so it does the job better?
I rooted mine so I could get around that nasty implication of having a lower-than-normal resolution screen, ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you explain pls?
Baxter said:
"The keyboard is a great addition to the phone, although it can sound a little bit cheap from the plastic squeaking"
Does the keyboard close securely? I've stayed away from sliding keyboards for a long time because they tend to open in my pocket. This device is so small, I have to give it a try when it hits the US.
Also, are there landscape keyboards that you can put on the mini?
I haven't used android yet...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah the keyboard closes securely. Hasn't opened up in my pocket yet. Not too sure about the Mini as I don't own one.
kimb0 said:
Could you explain pls?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
App developers usually design their apps to work on a device with a HVGA resolution. However, because the resolution on the X10 Mini is QVGA, some apps do not show up in the market due to HVGA resolution screens being a requirement. Read this thread for more info
bazalicious said:
App developers usually design their apps to work on a device with a HVGA resolution. However, because the resolution on the X10 Mini is QVGA, some apps do not show up in the market due to HVGA resolution screens being a requirement. Read this thread for more info
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you
Thanks for the replies guys. The only thing that's making me hesitant about picking it up right now is the lack of damn firmware updates for this thing. SE only cares about their phones for the time that they're out. When the new model comes out, they stop updating the older ones.
I love Froyo on my Topaz and I want it on here before Q4, since that's when Win Phone 7's are coming out. It'll be hesitant, but if I buy it, you'll be the first to know.
The resolution hack seems like something that's much needed. Thanks!
Sometimes when I hold my tablet in a certain spot (usually right side) and let go... the backing makes some sort of clicking sound. The device doesn't feel flimsy to me, as other have complain... but that noise worries me.
Have others experience this clicking sound when holding their tablet?
Mine did this — it felt like the glue holding the backing in place was coming unstuck. I also found that if I pressed on the back, the pressure point showed on the screen and even engaged the touch sensor.
This along with other annoyances (screen shadow along bottom edge, a dead pixel, diagonal lines on screen and breaking of Firefox Sync by Sony Android OS) made me return it. I expect a $600 to be well-built and last at least 2 years and this glue unsticking spoke of shoddy design and a short product life.
My original Xoom cost the same and is still fully functional and unblemished. I was hoping the Xperia would be a worthy replacement, but it was a disappointment.
TellTenPeople said:
Mine did this — it felt like the glue holding the backing in place was coming unstuck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's exactly how I would describe it. I've been trying to find more information about this issue, but not many people have written about it. Do you think this issue is normal for all these tablets, or I got a defective one?
SmartBugger said:
That's exactly how I would describe it. I've been trying to find more information about this issue, but not many people have written about it. Do you think this issue is normal for all these tablets, or I got a defective one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine makes the same clicking sound. And I also have the "loose headphone flap". I'll ask for an exchange.
I have the same problem with mine. It feels like the glue is not holding well. Hopefully it can be easily fixed by SONY if it start to cause problems.
One more thing. When you press the loose place it makes screen go white, which worries me a little. No problem if you using case but still something like that shouldn't happen in high end device. Maybe it is thinnest tablet but it is not the strongest
Sent from my SGP311 using XDA Premium HD app
SmartBugger said:
That's exactly how I would describe it. I've been trying to find more information about this issue, but not many people have written about it. Do you think this issue is normal for all these tablets, or I got a defective one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you got a defective one. If you have the patience to do the exchange-fix dance with Sony or whatever retailer you bought it from and like everything else about the tablet then you should.
If the just-announced Tegra 4 Toshiba Write hadn't caught my eye, I would probably had tried to exchange it to see if I could get a properly glued one, but that Toshiba is the same price, had a newer processor and is designed for my intended use-case (notetaking), so Sony's lose is Toshiba's gain at least in my case.
TellTenPeople said:
I think you got a defective one. If you have the patience to do the exchange-fix dance with Sony or whatever retailer you bought it from and like everything else about the tablet then you should.
If the just-announced Tegra 4 Toshiba Write hadn't caught my eye, I would probably had tried to exchange it to see if I could get a properly glued one, but that Toshiba is the same price, had a newer processor and is designed for my intended use-case (notetaking), so Sony's lose is Toshiba's gain at least in my case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got it from newegg, and I suspect they will be good about doing an exchange. That being said, I don't want to do an exchange if this problem is very common. So perhaps I should ask... has anyone NOT experience this issue?
The main reason why I got this instead of the nexus 10, was because of its waterproof nature. I want a tablet I can go to the gym with... and not having to worry about sweat/water was a huge selling point for me.
There's really no way of knowing how widespread the issue is without a proper survey of a representative sample of Xperia Tablet Z owners. People on forums tend to go there with problems they have so forums are full of people with problems Not a great sample.
Ultimately, all that you can realistically do is keep exchanging until you get one you like, or you or Newegg lose patience.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Mine can flex slightly (which triggers recognition on the screen), but I have no clicking sounds or similar things - mine feels very solid and feels top-notch otherwise, but I wouldn't be surprised if Sony's quality control for Japanese units was tighter.
Same thing here SGP321 FROM DUBAI, seems like the glue between the back cover and whatever inside got unstuck...
My xperia tablet Z makes the clicking sound on both the bottom left and right, around the speaker area.
To me it sounds like the paper (or plastic) that is generally found in a (earplug) speaker.
Seeing that the slim design i think it is more then likely that we are pressing on the speaker of the tablet, and not so much the glue coming apart.
If it were the glue then it would most likely be at random places across the tablet. Seeing that we are all reporting the noise in the same general area, which also happens to be the place where the internal speakers are located, i feel that it is the speaker making the clicking (crackling) noise.
Hi look on youtube and search, Opening up Sony's Android Tablet, the Xperia Tablet Z (Teardown) you can see the back cover is stuck on with double sided tape.
dazbut28 said:
Hi look on youtube and search, Opening up Sony's Android Tablet, the Xperia Tablet Z (Teardown) you can see the back cover is stuck on with double sided tape.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is a link to the video you mentioned.
Opening up Sony's Android Tablet, the Xperia Tablet Z (Teardown)
Cat McGowan said:
Here is a link to the video you mentioned.
Looks easy enough to pop off the back and add some additional tape or silicone adhesive, if you're so inclined.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same issue. I decided to give it a week or so before returning it to see how much I use it and if there are any other problems. I am nit-picky and the screen colours (greys and whites mainly) are just strange. Greys are red-ish while whites and yellowy, so a screen adjuster app doesn't help at all. Also I get a shadow right around my screen, it's really distracting on things like Falcon Pro in white. The sticky back is still happening and I also found out that I don't really like Android tablets. That, or they're just not ready for me yet. The 16:10 aspect ratio has no advantage to me, just disadvantages, and apps that I want to use just aren't good enough or they're non-existent.
So I'm returning it and waiting for the iPad mini 2. Sorry, but the Nexus 7 felt like a blown up experience of my phone rather than a shrunken down experience of a tablet.
Mister, here are people who use and like Android because of the openness and customizability.
If that isn't important to you, then you are anyway wrong here, and I wish you much fun with your Apple stuff.
iisshaun said:
I have the same issue. I decided to give it a week or so before returning it to see how much I use it and if there are any other problems. I am nit-picky and the screen colours (greys and whites mainly) are just strange. Greys are red-ish while whites and yellowy, so a screen adjuster app doesn't help at all. Also I get a shadow right around my screen, it's really distracting on things like Falcon Pro in white.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with my colors being a little warm, but it's not extreme or bad (my desktop monitor is also set moderately warm). Probably unit variance. What I do have is the 'shadow' on the bottom border, but I'm not unaccustomed to backlight bleed or such. It doesn't bother me much either since usually the black Android system bar is there to begin with.
Sounds like Sony's quality control isn't very tight on international units...
salanos said:
I agree with my colors being a little warm, but it's not extreme or bad (my desktop monitor is also set moderately warm). Probably unit variance. What I do have is the 'shadow' on the bottom border, but I'm not unaccustomed to backlight bleed or such. It doesn't bother me much either since usually the black Android system bar is there to begin with.
Sounds like Sony's quality control isn't very tight on international units...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My monitors are every so slightly yellowy, but I was able to use that with a slight colour value change. It seems mine just has odd variables on different tones... quite a bit like my old Galaxy Nexus was like (Yellow whites, green greys and purple dark greys). That's actually why I really dislike AMOLED, so it's a bummer that this IPS panel isn't as accurate as I'd like.
And yeah, really doesn't like they're super tight on the international side. I didn't really want to bother with what could have been back and forth replacements.
hasenbein1966 said:
Mister, here are people who use and like Android because of the openness and customizability.
If that isn't important to you, then you are anyway wrong here, and I wish you much fun with your Apple stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well look at that, I do actually use and like Android (it's the only mobile OS I use right now). It's just the tabs that aren't up to snuff for me. Openness and customisability is only a good thing if it actually helps make something more useful for me. I find those aspects very useful on my phone. I need to be quick and efficient and I can do that on an Android, but not really on an iPhone. A tablet serves a different purpose for me. It's a leisure/convenience device, I don't need any customisation for it to allow me to do anything faster. Also, my phone has a ton of apps and absolutely all of the ones I want, this Xperia tab doesn't, and definitely not all the apps I consider essential.
Sorry that I have different needs and wants than you, but I'm pretty sure that I'm not wrong in being here because 1) I own the tablet that's in question here and 2) I use Android as my only mobile OS right now and I'll still be using it on my phone for a long time. I wasn't trying to start some petty flame war here, I was just explaining my issues with this tablet and elaborating on why I'm returning it. So let's stay on topic here, huh?
If you're looking for a leisure device, wouldn't 16:10 be more ideal for movies? But I agree on the lack of proper tablet optimized apps. What exactly do you want to do on your tablet though?
If it's web browsing, I feel Android will always deliver a superior experience (I have long tired of constantly reloading tabs on the iPad 3). If it's gaming... well, no argument, iOS usually gets more games.
salanos said:
If you're looking for a leisure device, wouldn't 16:10 be more ideal for movies? But I agree on the lack of proper tablet optimized apps. What exactly do you want to do on your tablet though?
If it's web browsing, I feel Android will always deliver a superior experience (I have long tired of constantly reloading tabs on the iPad 3). If it's gaming... well, no argument, iOS usually gets more games.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I don't really watch much video away from my PC anyway, and I hardly ever watch any movies either. You've hit the nail on the head though, it's what I plan to do on it that makes the difference. I do a lot of social media stuff, reading, some browsing, games and a bit of video. Reading is far better on a 4:3 screen in portrait. I like 16:9 in portrait on my PC for reading, but trust me it's very different on a tablet. Also, I can't even get a half-decent way of using Facebook on the XTZ either. The official app is awful and Friendster which is supposed to be great is honestly rubbish.
Really it's just something to waste time on, read stuff on and be a convenient portable web browser. A 10" tablet isn't very convenient tbh and the Nexus 7 isn't either when it's so similar to my phone that's already in my pocket. An 8" 4:3 screen is a lot different from a 4.7" or 7" 16:10 screen. It's big enough to be something I want to use over my phone in some situations and small enough that it can travel most places quite easily.
It's just personal preference, it's been said a million times, but I think you already know that. Back on topic though.
I buy a lot of devices and I almost always find something I don't like about one and move on. I did all of my research and watched every video available and honestly thought I was prepared for the size of this thing. I have a Lumia 1520 and briefly had a Mega, so I'm no stranger to larger phones.
Size - When I first opened the box and saw how gigantic it was in person, I thought "I have made a terrible mistake". However, after taking it out of the box and using it for a few days, I couldn't be more wrong. I'm not sure if it's the thinness or the weight, but it just doesn't feel as cumbersome as I expected. I really enjoy the screen real estate and it actually feels nice in the hand, more so because the sides are squared off and not rounded. The Lumia 1520 never felt right in my hand.
Screen- I know it's probably just me, but the screen looks a little washed out. It gives me much the same impression that the Nexus 5 did before I sent it back. When I use it on its own for a while, it looks nice, and I'm sure it's color accurate, but there are times when it just doesn't look good to me. I think it's the AMOLED effect, coming from oversaturated screens like the Note 3, Moto X, and LG G2, but I guess I'm a sucker for saturation. I also find the brightness to be a little on the low side. Much like the LG G2, I feel like I have to have it at around 80% for it to look right to me. On a better note, I was expecting the shatterproof film to bother me, but it doesn't.
Camera - I was prepared for the disappointment that is the camera on this device. Just about every review panned it. I love the camera features, but the image quality does leave something to be desired, even in daylight. I have tried all kinds of manual settings and lighting conditions. It's still a passable camera, but I can't help but feel that I'm missing out on better photos when I use it. It's probably my one biggest gripe with this phone. I found a flash diode you can install in the headphone jack for low light shots, but since photos aren't that much better in daylight, I doubt it would make much difference. I wish they had at least included the 13mp camera from the Xperia Z.
Overall, despite the negatives (for me) listed above, I really like this device overall. I like it way more than I thought I would. I'm still fighting battery life a little and trying to figure out how to use Stamina mode to best benefit, but I don't regret my purchase at all. I'm pretty sure I'll be keeping it and my next project is to find a nice clear case that shows off the beautiful purple back.
Congrats and welcome!
Regarding the battery, it'll get better after a couple of cycles (typically around a week). Stamina helps a fair bit with the standby time, so be sure to not whitelist everything, or else there won't be any reason to use it. I'm on the GPe ROM now (Google Play Edition), but when I run the stock ROM, I only whitelist important stuff like Gmail, Pushbullet etc. You may want to whitelist your IM app of choice too, but keep in mind that they all use a lot of battery.
Sent from my C6806_GPe using Tapatalk
LordManhattan said:
Congrats and welcome!
Regarding the battery, it'll get better after a couple of cycles (typically around a week). Stamina helps a fair bit with the standby time, so be sure to not whitelist everything, or else there won't be any reason to use it. I'm on the GPe ROM now (Google Play Edition), but when I run the stock ROM, I only whitelist important stuff like Gmail, Pushbullet etc. You may want to whitelist your IM app of choice too, but keep in mind that they all use a lot of battery.
Sent from my C6806_GPe using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! Yeah, I only whitelisted a few (Gmail, Telegram, etc), but it still seems to be draining a bit much on standby. Exchange services seems to be partly to blame. I have 2 exchange accounts set up on push and I'm seeing around 8% drain from Exchange Services. While not much, it typically doesn't show up on the battery stats of any of my other phones, so I'm not sure if it's a bug or what.
greyhulk said:
Thanks! Yeah, I only whitelisted a few (Gmail, Telegram, etc), but it still seems to be draining a bit much on standby. Exchange services seems to be partly to blame. I have 2 exchange accounts set up on push and I'm seeing around 8% drain from Exchange Services. While not much, it typically doesn't show up on the battery stats of any of my other phones, so I'm not sure if it's a bug or what.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, that might be something.. or not. It's a little early to tell. You should get fairly good battery life though, so keep an eye on it. You should get between 5 and 8 hours of screen time depending on usage, but your battery is brand new, so it'll get better in a few days.
Sent from my C6806_GPe using Tapatalk
greyhulk said:
I buy a lot of devices and I almost always find something I don't like about one and move on. I did all of my research and watched every video available and honestly thought I was prepared for the size of this thing. I have a Lumia 1520 and briefly had a Mega, so I'm no stranger to larger phones.
Size - When I first opened the box and saw how gigantic it was in person, I thought "I have made a terrible mistake". However, after taking it out of the box and using it for a few days, I couldn't be more wrong. I'm not sure if it's the thinness or the weight, but it just doesn't feel as cumbersome as I expected. I really enjoy the screen real estate and it actually feels nice in the hand, more so because the sides are squared off and not rounded. The Lumia 1520 never felt right in my hand.
Screen- I know it's probably just me, but the screen looks a little washed out. It gives me much the same impression that the Nexus 5 did before I sent it back. When I use it on its own for a while, it looks nice, and I'm sure it's color accurate, but there are times when it just doesn't look good to me. I think it's the AMOLED effect, coming from oversaturated screens like the Note 3, Moto X, and LG G2, but I guess I'm a sucker for saturation. I also find the brightness to be a little on the low side. Much like the LG G2, I feel like I have to have it at around 80% for it to look right to me. On a better note, I was expecting the shatterproof film to bother me, but it doesn't.
Camera - I was prepared for the disappointment that is the camera on this device. Just about every review panned it. I love the camera features, but the image quality does leave something to be desired, even in daylight. I have tried all kinds of manual settings and lighting conditions. It's still a passable camera, but I can't help but feel that I'm missing out on better photos when I use it. It's probably my one biggest gripe with this phone. I found a flash diode you can install in the headphone jack for low light shots, but since photos aren't that much better in daylight, I doubt it would make much difference. I wish they had at least included the 13mp camera from the Xperia Z.
Overall, despite the negatives (for me) listed above, I really like this device overall. I like it way more than I thought I would. I'm still fighting battery life a little and trying to figure out how to use Stamina mode to best benefit, but I don't regret my purchase at all. I'm pretty sure I'll be keeping it and my next project is to find a nice clear case that shows off the beautiful purple back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Usually my target time is 2.5-3 hours of screen time when battery reaches 50%. That is without gaming.
Sent from my C6802 using xda app-developers app
hansip87 said:
Usually my target time is 2.5-3 hours of screen time when battery reaches 50%. That is without gaming.
Sent from my C6802 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the office I work in is what kills my battery. Seems to be consistent throughout most of my devices. Might be a reception issue, even though I'm usually on Wifi. I also removed my Exchange accounts and now battery life seems to be better. I added one back to day and Exchange Services has yet to show back up in my battery stats.
I'm still really impressed with this device. I still really want a Z2, but this thing kicks way more ass than I thought it would and I'm really digging the size more than I expected.
greyhulk said:
I think the office I work in is what kills my battery. Seems to be consistent throughout most of my devices. Might be a reception issue, even though I'm usually on Wifi. I also removed my Exchange accounts and now battery life seems to be better. I added one back to day and Exchange Services has yet to show back up in my battery stats.
I'm still really impressed with this device. I still really want a Z2, but this thing kicks way more ass than I thought it would and I'm really digging the size more than I expected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may want to try and kick it into 2G mode while you're at work? You're on WiFi at work, so you don't need 4G speeds, and 2G is basically everywhere - while 4G is not, so you'll probably get great reception. I don't know where you are located though, but i'm guessing some place within the US?
LordManhattan said:
You may want to try and kick it into 2G mode while you're at work? You're on WiFi at work, so you don't need 4G speeds, and 2G is basically everywhere - while 4G is not, so you'll probably get great reception. I don't know where you are located though, but i'm guessing some place within the US?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm in Texas. I actually get great reception here, but the building I work in seems to block the signal pretty bad. Almost every phone I have used here seems to struggle with a signal (slow download speed) inside the office. I was kind of hoping that the Stamina mode would help with that, since it doesn't allow the data connection when the screen is off.
Is there an easy way to bump it down to HSPA+, or is it a code in the phone menu?
Go to Settings -> More... -> Mobile networks and see if there are any better options in there. Or I guess you'll have to quit your job. It's the only logic thing to do.
Sent from my C6806_GPe using Tapatalk
LordManhattan said:
Go to Settings -> More... -> Mobile networks and see if there are any better options in there. Or I guess you'll have to quit your job. It's the only logic thing to do.
Sent from my C6806_GPe using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hahahaha! Option B all the way! :highfive:
I just got my Z Ultra on Friday. I bought the Google Play Edition from the Play Store and I'm absolutely blown away by this phone after using it for the last few days. The screen is gorgeous, stock Android screams on that hardware, and it's just HUGE. I've always liked big phones, plus I have big hands, so the size doesn't bother me at all. So far, my biggest complaint is that the headphone jack is on the side. Kinda makes it annoying when I'm out on a walk and have the phone in my pocket. Minor complaint, though. I also don't like the fact that I had to use a toothpick to get the SIM card tray out when I took it out of the box.
I'm not sure how fast the retail variants are with Sony's Timescape UI, but man, I've never seen stock Android run so fast in my life. This phone was worth every penny. I do believe this will be the one that finally gets me away from my Google Play Edition Galaxy S4 that I've been using as a daily driver for the last ~6 months. So far, so good. I know that Sony phones are wildly popular in Europe, Australia and Japan, but they have almost no presence in the US market. Because of that, this is my first introduction to Sony's mobile products, and it's left me with a very good first impression. The Z Ultra certainly isn't for everyone, but I'd recommend this thing to anyone who loves big phones.
greyhulk said:
I buy a lot of devices and I almost always find something I don't like about one and move on. I did all of my research and watched every video available and honestly thought I was prepared for the size of this thing. I have a Lumia 1520 and briefly had a Mega, so I'm no stranger to larger phones.
Size - When I first opened the box and saw how gigantic it was in person, I thought "I have made a terrible mistake". However, after taking it out of the box and using it for a few days, I couldn't be more wrong. I'm not sure if it's the thinness or the weight, but it just doesn't feel as cumbersome as I expected. I really enjoy the screen real estate and it actually feels nice in the hand, more so because the sides are squared off and not rounded. The Lumia 1520 never felt right in my hand.
Screen- I know it's probably just me, but the screen looks a little washed out. It gives me much the same impression that the Nexus 5 did before I sent it back. When I use it on its own for a while, it looks nice, and I'm sure it's color accurate, but there are times when it just doesn't look good to me. I think it's the AMOLED effect, coming from oversaturated screens like the Note 3, Moto X, and LG G2, but I guess I'm a sucker for saturation. I also find the brightness to be a little on the low side. Much like the LG G2, I feel like I have to have it at around 80% for it to look right to me. On a better note, I was expecting the shatterproof film to bother me, but it doesn't.
Camera - I was prepared for the disappointment that is the camera on this device. Just about every review panned it. I love the camera features, but the image quality does leave something to be desired, even in daylight. I have tried all kinds of manual settings and lighting conditions. It's still a passable camera, but I can't help but feel that I'm missing out on better photos when I use it. It's probably my one biggest gripe with this phone. I found a flash diode you can install in the headphone jack for low light shots, but since photos aren't that much better in daylight, I doubt it would make much difference. I wish they had at least included the 13mp camera from the Xperia Z.
Overall, despite the negatives (for me) listed above, I really like this device overall. I like it way more than I thought I would. I'm still fighting battery life a little and trying to figure out how to use Stamina mode to best benefit, but I don't regret my purchase at all. I'm pretty sure I'll be keeping it and my next project is to find a nice clear case that shows off the beautiful purple back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what is the biggest difference you find switching from 1520 to ZU?
I have ZU and always been curious to try out 1520..
i welcome your thoughts on the ecosystem switch experience
corrado85 said:
what is the biggest difference you find switching from 1520 to ZU?
I have ZU and always been curious to try out 1520..
i welcome your thoughts on the ecosystem switch experience
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i also bought a xperia z ultra from a guy and it has doa issue and i can't fix it,tried with all ftf's and not working same error with screen,but i'm loving my xperia it's the best.
I have to start with a disclaimer that a) I'm not a professional reviewer and this is probably my first and longest review I've done and b) I'm an avid OnePlus supported, I think what they've done is amazing and I truly hope they keep working on getting us top notch devices in such a great prices, I got the One on September last year and I got the Two a week ago and have been using it full time just a few days.
The Pros or Neutral:
The OnePlus Two feels more like an improved version of the One, thank like a brand new device, in terms of size and weight is pretty much the same, except that the Two is a better looking one, I think removing the aluminum gloss was a hit and the more magnesium surrounding gives it a very elegant highlight.
The styleswaps gives the phone a sens of personalization that I love, I got the Kevlar one and I really love the look and the feel of it.
Talking about the phone, I've had just a few days of use, but I certainly feel the power of the new processor where every action and app is super smooth, gaming, browsing, reading emails, I can truly see the difference
Also I can see the difference in the camera, though it has the same megapixels as the One, I certainly can see the effect of both the laser focus and the 1.3µm light-collecting pixels, plus the speed of taking the picture is really great. Please understand I cannot consider myself even an amateur photographer, all I know about pictures is if I like them or not.
I love being able to turn on the screen and unlock it with the fingerprint reader, this gives it a sens of security and speed without needing to type your password / pin / pattern every time you need to do something in the phone
The notification toggle is a really nice feature where you have a physical toggle to turn on/off the notifications. Even more, I love that they introduced "Alarms Only" as one of the toggle positions allowing you a true usable "Silent Mode" with it.
The battery life seems to be really good, a bit better than the One's which was already pretty good.
Cons or Not so Neutral
OxygenOS. I mean seriously, one of the great features of the One was it's tight integration with CM, where we could get a special build of CM powering our great phone. OxygenOS limits the posibilities you had with CM. Some of the things I miss (with just a couple of days of use) from the One / don't like from OxygenOS are:
Ringtones, seriously? I mean I understand you will get different tones but OxygenOs has a VERY limited number of ringtones
Camera App. The one with OxygenOS is VERY bad, with not as many features / configurations as the one provided in CM for the One
No way to switch from notification profiles OS level (without the physical toggle). I like the physical toggle, but I also want to be able to change these in the OS
All volume controles grouped together. I mean, I need to be able to move the volume of media without there needing to be media playing, in CM I could expand the control when using the volume rocker and change Notifications / Media / Alarms volume in the same place
Impossibility to change ROMs. I know there are a few ROMs out there, including CM, however to be honest, moving to any ROM, at this point, is like going back to the One. For me, besides the CPU power, the two main features are the fingerprint reader and the laser focus, both which there is no support, yet, in any other ROM.
USB Type C. I love the fact that OnePlus is on the edge of technology, and maybe in the future this would be a simply required feature, however at this point, using USB Type C requires me to either buy a whole bunch of cables or buy a whole bunch of addapters, since I have a cable everywhere in my house/office
The phone gets warm. It's a fact, no matter how much reviewers, OnePlus and even Qualcomm, have tried to convince us this is not an issue, THIS IS AN ISSUE. The one would get warm if I'm charging the phone and at the same time I'm doing intensive actions (gaming, playing multimedia, etc), however if I'm just doing regular use to the phone, and even playing, it would not get warm (or not that much that starts getting uncomfortable). The Two, even if you are just browsing, facebook, twitter, it gets warm and as soon as you start doing intensive tasks, it starts getting uncomfortable
Quality of the phone: I love the new looks (as explained in the Pros), however I have to say that I dropped it ONCE and the edges are now pretty damaged. This might have been a bad luck on how the phone felt, but my One had similar drops and I can barely notice them in the outside.
Volume: It seems to be that the general volume of the device is WAY less than it was on the One, I got used to have my notifications in the lowest possible and still listen to it almost anywhere, and now, I need to have the two way up in the volume to have similar results.
The fingerprint reader is not what I was sold by. It is certainly not fast (I have never used the Iphone nor any other reader, this is just my opinion on how I feel it when I'm using it) and it constantly fails to the point that I have to unlock it with my pin and the next time it would work ok.
Placement of the rockers. I really loved, and got used to, having the volume rockers on the left and the on/off on the right, it really doesn't make sense to have the rockers on the right.
All and all, it is a great device, and if you did not get the One and are coming from an old device, it truly make sense to get it and I'm sure you will enjoy it a lot, but I have to say I'm very disappointing at this point for the simple reason that I feel that I got a very few improvements from the One, but mostly it doesn't provide enough new features improvements to make it worth spending the money just a year after I got the one, plus it has some problems that really make it worst than the One.
90% of your cons are software based. itll take many months as with all phones for software to become even slightly mature. see this as a positive, itll get much better over time. although with new chips n gadgets coming soon its probably not worth the wait.
I got mine 2 weeks ago and still havent used it yet - just got latest 2.1 and the new kernal which i must say does improve greatly everything. it has been and will be fun tweaking as time goes by, but those where my expectations. Yours, along with many others have higher "immediate" expectations, probably brought about by chinese marketing
Alot of what you don't like is majority software indeed. Now am I'm saying the opt is perfect? No, but neither is any phone. But I will say after a week of use. I haven't went back to my opo and decided to sell it whenever it gets sold. One thing I don't like about this phone is really the fact that the USB type c. For what they were trying to do I would have been fine with micro usb with fast charging.
Can't agree more with you, as I said, this is a great phone, and hopefully in short time we get those improvements in SW that my cons disappear. I did have great expectations because of the great impact the One had and all the marketing around the launch of the Two
Sent from my ONE A2005 using XDA Free mobile app
There is a thread for such posts... No need for separate threads.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-2/general/oneplus-2-user-opinion-reviews-t3177299
Thanks! Thread closed.
Darth
Forum Moderator
So, I bought my ZenFone 3 Deluxe from Amazon on October 23, with an estimated delivery of Nov 30-Dec 7. On Nov 4th, surprisingly, my phone got delivered. Coming from a Note 7 (as a long time galaxy user) I had some hesitations, but overall I am pleased. I have owned it for just about a month now, and I would like to share some of the things I have noticed. I am hoping that some of you have a way to fix some of these, or if nothing else, to find out that I am not the only one having the issues.
First, lets start with the IMEI issue I had. Straight out of the box, I took the phone to the AT&T store and got a new SIM card for it. Right off the bat, it picked up good service on the voice network, but failed to connect to LTE (or any data network for that matter). I checked my APN settings, called AT&T 3 different times, and finally fixed it. The cause was the IMEI was reading as a Motorola V577, which is an old flip phone without the data capability. I could pull up my IMEI as a ZF3D but, for whatever reason, AT&T was pulling it up as the Motorola. On the 3rd call, they finally reconfigured my IMEI and a week later I now have data connection. Not LTE, but 4G+ is better than nothing I guess...:victory:
Next, the most annoying thing, is Bluetooth. I have a few devices. A Samsung Gear S2 watch, an LG headset, and my Honda Accord are my main 3. All the devices I have connected initially pair really easily, so no problem there. I am normally wearing both my watch and headset, and for the most part, both stay connected no problem. The biggest thing for me is when I have both connected, and receive a call, it automatically directs it to my watch-not my headset... to "fix" this in call I have to pretty much disconnect my watch, then go into the headset Bluetooth settings, deselect phone audio, then reselect it. I have gotten to the point now that I just leave the watch connected only for "contact sharing" and the headset stays connected for audio. I have only received one call since doing this, so hopefully that works. Also, hopefully someone has a fix on how to have them both connected at the same time and have the headset take priority.
The other big deal with Bluetooth is with my car. The ZF3 will not automatically connect to the car, and manually connecting to the car takes about 10 failed attempts each time. With my Note7, as soon as I would start the car it would start the connecting process. Same with my wife's Iphone 6+. The car will even connect to my wife's phone when I start it up in the morning, her phone inside the house, and mine being in the car before backing out of the driveway...again annoying...
Yet another annoying thing, is the texting fail. Normally not a big deal, but when it comes to picture messages, whether group or individual, it's hit or miss. I have a friend with a Galaxy S7 Edge, and his pictures 90% of the time never come through. For the most part everyone else's come through fine, and his pictures come through on everyone else's phones perfectly (we do a lot of group texts...). The messenger app tells me I have a picture, and gives me the refresh button for each picture, but even when pressed, they wont come through. This happens when connected to both WIFI and Data. A not so big deal, but more of a nuisance, is the texting notification. Regardless of if I have no new texts, it says I have 3 new...the bubble never goes away. If I get new texts, it gains numbers (4, 5, 6, etc.) but never gets lower than 3. I have been through each text, checked all of them, refreshed, checked archived messages, and nothing seems to make the number disappear.
Now for the good. The fingerprint sensor is awesome. I absolutely love it. It is BY FAR greater than the Note7, and leaps and bounds greater than my wife's Iphone. The camera is awesome (minus low light, but I knew that from the reviews) and the wide variety of shooting modes is pretty cool as well. The amount of different themes you can choose from is a plus, and the laser ruler is a neat toy, that will probably never get any real use. I will say, I tested the accuracy with a ruler, and it comes within about 1/2 an inch every time.
The accessories I use are the Sparin clear TPU soft case, and the OMOTON 9H hardness tempered glass screen protector. Both of these I got off of Amazon, and both came in a 2 pack. I am pleasantly surprised with both of these items. The screen protector is extremely smooth to the touch, and goes on easily, you can hardly tell its there. The case is good for a cheap TPU case, and it's a lot smaller scale than an Otterbox, which I am used to having on all of my phones within the last 4 years.
Sorry this is a lot of words, hopefully at least some of you read it and find something interesting, or know of a fix for anything. I would definitely appreciate it. :good:
Thanks again everyone.
Nick
Good read! What model 4ram 64gb soc820?
Hey Nick,
Phones Issues
IMEI: I'm on ATT too. I have the 6/64GB version. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but even when you have LTE connection, it will still only show up as 4G+.
Bluetooth call priority issues: Sound like you need to set the priority This quick read may help.
General connection to car's Bluetooth: the previous info might help this issue as well. My ZF3D automatically connects to my car radio about 10 seconds or less after startup.
Text Fail: Have you tried a different messaging app? Have you checked your MMS settings in the app?
Accessories
I have 3 cases. A soft clear TPU case, Blue Tudia Slim Case, and the black IMAK frosted case. Out of them all, I like the cheap clear case the best. Cost like 2.50 and came with two glass protectors. Super thin and allows the phone's good looks to show (hard to notice that it has a case). I'm surprised how well I like the phone - I do have my rant on some issues, but they are mostly with Asus and the way they operate their phone division rather than the phone itself.
galaxys said:
Good read! What model 4ram 64gb soc820?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no SD820 with 4GB of RAM
Blues-n-Blazin said:
There is no SD820 with 4GB of RAM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes there is...
ultramag69 said:
Yes there is...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How are you going to say yes there is and not give me a model number to back it up?
And if you are saying that referring to a non Zenfone 3 model, well then you know what I meant to say and you should take a look at your avatar...lol. I really should have specified Zenfone, so if that is what you mean, then nicely played sir, got me on a technicality and I can appreciate that.
galaxys said:
Good read! What model 4ram 64gb soc820?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
6 GB ram 64 Gb storage sd820. Even though when I bought it, it was advertised as the 821...
The Simple said:
Hey Nick,
Phones Issues
IMEI: I'm on ATT too. I have the 6/64GB version. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but even when you have LTE connection, it will still only show up as 4G+.
Bluetooth call priority issues: Sound like you need to set the priority This quick read may help.
General connection to car's Bluetooth: the previous info might help this issue as well. My ZF3D automatically connects to my car radio about 10 seconds or less after startup.
Text Fail: Have you tried a different messaging app? Have you checked your MMS settings in the app?
Accessories
I have 3 cases. A soft clear TPU case, Blue Tudia Slim Case, and the black IMAK frosted case. Out of them all, I like the cheap clear case the best. Cost like 2.50 and came with two glass protectors. Super thin and allows the phone's good looks to show (hard to notice that it has a case). I'm surprised how well I like the phone - I do have my rant on some issues, but they are mostly with Asus and the way they operate their phone division rather than the phone itself.
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Thanks for the info, I'll give the read a try. I haven't tried any other messenger apps, I'm used to the stock messenger just working with Samsung...I have checked the settings though, and even toggling them does nothing.
UPDATE 12/6/2016:
So I tried the Bluetooth autoconnect app thing, and it didn't fix it for me. It sometimes connects to my watch mid call, but only with my headset off. When my headset is on now, it stays connected just fine. Same with the car, if I manually select the car in the Bluetooth menu, it stays connected, but wont actually connect automatically.
As far as the different messenger app, I tried a couple (Handcent, Google Allo,) and while using those, my phone hardly received ANY texts...I uninstalled both, and it seems to have fixed itself with the preinstalled messenger. either that or I no longer get any group texts like I usually do....either way, I'm not complaining.
Thanks for your help everyone!
Nick
Blues-n-Blazin said:
How are you going to say yes there is and not give me a model number to back it up?
And if you are saying that referring to a non Zenfone 3 model, well then you know what I meant to say and you should take a look at your avatar...lol. I really should have specified Zenfone, so if that is what you mean, then nicely played sir, got me on a technicality and I can appreciate that.
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LOL....
I too have had mine for about a month, and I'm underwhelmed. I have the same screen protector and it works very well, but good cases are few and far between.
Speed is OK, almost everything runs fine, but the single biggest issue I have is texting. I can make/receive calls, but sending SMS, I'm having to trap "try again" to send text messages waaaaaaaaaaay to often. I receive messages hours after they're sent. Stick the SIM card back in my ZF2, and everything works like it should. So that's frustrating.
Looked at APN settings, matches everything online I can find.
Bluetooth pairing is also a problem for me. It will not pair with my bluetooth ear buds, it shows the Mac address and then the name of the deivce, then when I pair it says device not available. My tablets and ZF2 both pair with them fine, so not sure where the problem is.
I think that if I compare it at 499 vs the 299 I paid for my zenfone 2, the $200 difference isn't worth it, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. And frankly, I think the marketing was a bit misleading, I thought I was getting the 821, and only got the 820, but I didn't find a good side-by-side comparison, and amazon stock was getting low and I needed a phone. And there is no way, based on what I have, that the 799 for the special deluxe is money well spent.
On the hunt for another phone so I can dump this one off on some unsuspecting sucker.
I swung away from samsung, and tried something new, and am now paying the price.
My phone has none of those issues you've described, but based on what I've read, it's one of two things - your phone, or everything else.
Meaning, if it's your phone that is just plain defective and you have a warranty - exchange it. If the connection problems persists, more than likely it's another cause (everything else) and then it gets more complicated. Otherwise I'm with you, dump the phone if it doesn't work right.
I do think that Asus priced the ZF3D too high to be very competitive against other Chinese/Taiwan phone makers. They released it much too late in the year and got undercut by the competition (see examples: OnePlus 3T, LeEco Le Max 2). I was ready to have buyer's remorse, but I realized that that was my problem not the phone or it's quality.
As far as comparisons to your old phone, I have a Zenfone 2 Deluxe as well. I got the dreaded ghost touch problem. I replaced the screen and I still like it. However, the 5.7 inch ZF3D is still a far better and different phone than the Zenfone 2 in my opinion. I find it hard to compare the two.
mrcpu said:
I too have had mine for about a month, and I'm underwhelmed. I have the same screen protector and it works very well, but good cases are few and far between.
Speed is OK, almost everything runs fine, but the single biggest issue I have is texting. I can make/receive calls, but sending SMS, I'm having to trap "try again" to send text messages waaaaaaaaaaay to often. I receive messages hours after they're sent. Stick the SIM card back in my ZF2, and everything works like it should. So that's frustrating.
Looked at APN settings, matches everything online I can find.
Bluetooth pairing is also a problem for me. It will not pair with my bluetooth ear buds, it shows the Mac address and then the name of the deivce, then when I pair it says device not available. My tablets and ZF2 both pair with them fine, so not sure where the problem is.
I think that if I compare it at 499 vs the 299 I paid for my zenfone 2, the $200 difference isn't worth it, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. And frankly, I think the marketing was a bit misleading, I thought I was getting the 821, and only got the 820, but I didn't find a good side-by-side comparison, and amazon stock was getting low and I needed a phone. And there is no way, based on what I have, that the 799 for the special deluxe is money well spent.
On the hunt for another phone so I can dump this one off on some unsuspecting sucker.
I swung away from samsung, and tried something new, and am now paying the price.
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How could you think you were getting the SD821? They list two options, common sense tells you that it is price tiered.
I have the 256GB SD821, and it was money well spent. Everything works great.
You may need to take your phone to the carrier to make sure all their network settings registered off the SIM card. I got my Dad that phone and he had to get a new SIM card from ATT. For some reason, it doesn't like SIM cards being traded back and forth between phones
Blues-n-Blazin said:
How could you think you were getting the SD821? They list two options, common sense tells you that it is price tiered.
I have the 256GB SD821, and it was money well spent. Everything works great.
You may need to take your phone to the carrier to make sure all their network settings registered off the SIM card. I got my Dad that phone and he had to get a new SIM card from ATT. For some reason, it doesn't like SIM cards being traded back and forth between phones
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I'm going to go get a new SIM and see. The last OTA, and a factory reset seems to have cleared up all but one issue, which is the massively delayed texting. I'm trying the NXTGENPHONE APN, to see if it helps, but some initial tests aren't encouraging. Everytime I reboot the phone, all the "delayed texts" come in bam bam bam, and I can send. Then 10-15 minutes later, I send myself a text, and nothing. Reboot the phone, and bam, here it is. So we'll see if the new APN helps, and I'll snag a new SIM on my way to work Monday if the AT&T store isn't too busy.
I managed to cobble together a decent wallet-ish case that I'm happy with, so that's a plus.
I used this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HQKYJOE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 , and
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KPOOL5U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 with this screen protector
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H3SI1TS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s03?ie=UTF8&psc=1
and it's all working together pretty well for me, and appears to be holding up, so one major gripe eliminated. (If you pull the lip of the case up with your fingernail and run your nail all the way around the case, it will come down on top of the glass, and add some extra "hold-down" power. If you don't, the glass seems to just touch the edge of the case, and depending on how you grab it, raise it up just a tad so you see a little air bubble around the edge).
Anyway, I was probably a bit harsh, the phone is a good phone, good build quality, battery life for me has been very good, > 1 day, everything I try is working well, my NFC works, I can pay stuff with android pay, all those parts are good, it's now just the texting, and while I won't be a happy camper, at least I'll be a satisfied one.
I've kind of lost my custom rom fetish with phones, so lack of custom roms, and unlockers really doesn't sway me either way. Will I buy a ZF4? Probably not, but this will work for now...
mrcpu said:
I'm going to go get a new SIM and see. The last OTA, and a factory reset seems to have cleared up all but one issue, which is the massively delayed texting. I'm trying the NXTGENPHONE APN, to see if it helps, but some initial tests aren't encouraging. Everytime I reboot the phone, all the "delayed texts" come in bam bam bam, and I can send. Then 10-15 minutes later, I send myself a text, and nothing. Reboot the phone, and bam, here it is. So we'll see if the new APN helps, and I'll snag a new SIM on my way to work Monday if the AT&T store isn't too busy.
I managed to cobble together a decent wallet-ish case that I'm happy with, so that's a plus.
I used this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HQKYJOE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 , and
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KPOOL5U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 with this screen protector
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H3SI1TS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s03?ie=UTF8&psc=1
and it's all working together pretty well for me, and appears to be holding up, so one major gripe eliminated. (If you pull the lip of the case up with your fingernail and run your nail all the way around the case, it will come down on top of the glass, and add some extra "hold-down" power. If you don't, the glass seems to just touch the edge of the case, and depending on how you grab it, raise it up just a tad so you see a little air bubble around the edge).
Anyway, I was probably a bit harsh, the phone is a good phone, good build quality, battery life for me has been very good, > 1 day, everything I try is working well, my NFC works, I can pay stuff with android pay, all those parts are good, it's now just the texting, and while I won't be a happy camper, at least I'll be a satisfied one.
I've kind of lost my custom rom fetish with phones, so lack of custom roms, and unlockers really doesn't sway me either way. Will I buy a ZF4? Probably not, but this will work for now...
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The NXTGENPHONE APN is what my Dad's phone got put on and his works great. He has the SD820
I've had it (5.7", SD820/64Gb variant) since late October;
- the design is amazing, but the smooth back can be a tad slippery; mine already fell on the pavement from around hip-height & got dents.
This is definitely not aircraft-grade aluminium but a softer alloy.
- the screen is OK; QHD would've been better but FHD is a good compromise with power consumption. Colour saturation is what you'll come to expect from an OLED display & autobrightness kicks has an acceptable reaction time. Full brightness is quite good, even in direct sunlight.
- performance: processing power - takes everything I throw at it. Disk performance is a 50/50 though. Nothing beats the NMVe, not even UFS 2.
The external storage (128Gb Samsung EVO+, exfat formatted) works fine.
- audio: nothing to write home about - good general purpose quality over A2DP/earphones, but not audiophile.
- video playback: works fine.
- software: I've grown to tolerate the ZenUI - it's fast & snappy, but I definitely do not like it. I can't wait until we finally have a bootloader unlock to slap an AOSP build.
- connectivity: 4G/LTE reception &call quality is OK. BT is also OK once it connects (can be a bit slow to connect). WiFi is a miss though - I have worse reception than on my other devices (examples: Nexus 9, Samsung A5/2016, Huawei P8max). Maybe this is due to the "no antenna lines" approach.
- power management: the worst of the bunch - battery life is subpar. I have no other choice than to force close some apps until I check on them again.
I didn't have such an issue on my Xiaomi Mi5 (same SD820 SoC) or Huawei P8max, which leads me to believe it's an issue with the inkernel implementation or pm framework. Again, one of the reasons we absolutely need a bootloader unlock & play around with nogapps or custom firmware builds.
ASUS should've considered at least 3500mAh, or even 4000mAh, seeing how even the budget phones like UMi or elephone are able to include Sony batteries of such capacity while keeping a low profile (thickness).
- fingerprint sensor: it's usually quite fast, but can be slow when being probed from deep sleep.
- camera: I don't use it too often, but it does take amazing pictures in a well-lit environment (I usually use HDR Pro mode).
It does struggle & produces subpar quality in lowlit conditions. The sensor itself is quite good (IMX318), thus I hope we can port some of the code from other devices using similar sensors once we have bootloader unlock.
adwinp said:
I've had it (5.7", SD820/64Gb variant) since late October;
- the design is amazing, but the smooth back can be a tad slippery; mine already fell on the pavement from around hip-height & got dents.
This is definitely not aircraft-grade aluminium but a softer alloy.
- the screen is OK; QHD would've been better but FHD is a good compromise with power consumption. Colour saturation is what you'll come to expect from an OLED display & autobrightness kicks has an acceptable reaction time. Full brightness is quite good, even in direct sunlight.
- performance: processing power - takes everything I throw at it. Disk performance is a 50/50 though. Nothing beats the NMVe, not even UFS 2.
The external storage (128Gb Samsung EVO+, exfat formatted) works fine.
- audio: nothing to write home about - good general purpose quality over A2DP/earphones, but not audiophile.
- video playback: works fine.
- software: I've grown to tolerate the ZenUI - it's fast & snappy, but I definitely do not like it. I can't wait until we finally have a bootloader unlock to slap an AOSP build.
- connectivity: 4G/LTE reception &call quality is OK. BT is also OK once it connects (can be a bit slow to connect). WiFi is a miss though - I have worse reception than on my other devices (examples: Nexus 9, Samsung A5/2016, Huawei P8max). Maybe this is due to the "no antenna lines" approach.
- power management: the worst of the bunch - battery life is subpar. I have no other choice than to force close some apps until I check on them again.
I didn't have such an issue on my Xiaomi Mi5 (same SD820 SoC) or Huawei P8max, which leads me to believe it's an issue with the inkernel implementation or pm framework. Again, one of the reasons we absolutely need a bootloader unlock & play around with nogapps or custom firmware builds.
ASUS should've considered at least 3500mAh, or even 4000mAh, seeing how even the budget phones like UMi or elephone are able to include Sony batteries of such capacity while keeping a low profile (thickness).
- fingerprint sensor: it's usually quite fast, but can be slow when being probed from deep sleep.
- camera: I don't use it too often, but it does take amazing pictures in a well-lit environment (I usually use HDR Pro mode).
It does struggle & produces subpar quality in lowlit conditions. The sensor itself is quite good (IMX318), thus I hope we can port some of the code from other devices using similar sensors once we have bootloader unlock.
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SD820 - RAM6/64Go
I have pretty same comments as you after 2weeks daily driver, even though:
- Design: I would have prefer white body
- Automatic brightness still too bright for me
- Audio/Video: good enough for my moderate usage
- ZenUI: snappy, but I don't like it either. Colors too flashy, and smaller text size would have been nice in display settings. Looking forward LineageOS (CM14.1 RIP)
- network: everything fine (same or better than P8max - my previous phone)
- power management: would have loved to have 3500/4000mAh. But I recently discover I could run a full day with Location off (hope may help you)
- camera: ok, but not ergonomic enough in manual mode. Too much sub menu
I owned one for about a month also and I am underwhelmed by the phone also. I hadDa note 7 before this. I have mine on the T Mobile network here are some of my pros and cons:
PROS: The price. Great quality build. The phone is nice and sturdy. Capable of 256 GB microsd storage. Phone runs buttery smooth, no lag. Customer service is good. Not a lot of bloatware.
CONS: Battery life is bad. Camera is horrible. For a 23 MP camera the zoom and picture quality is bad. If you move the phone even a little the picture will blur. The phones features are lackluster. There is no video calling from the dialer. You will have to look for several third party apps to do things familiar to Samsung. Updates from ASUS are lacking. For some reason my phone signal doesn't see LTE signals. I get H, 4G and 4G+. Right now I'm coordinating with TMobile and their engineers are going to provision the phone in 72 hours.
OK, it's been another month, new SIM, NXTGENPHONE APN on AT&T, and still nothing has gotten better with the texting. I suppose it may get better with an update somewhere, but enough's enough, it's gotta go. I went back and reactivated my zf2, and everything works just as expected. Not that that's proof, but it seems unlikely to be an AT&T problem.
I think it could've been a great phone, I'm actually really happy with my cobbled together wallet case, performance is relatively snappy.
I guess it's either take a shot on another off-brand, like a huawei which looks nice, or stick with tradition, and go with samsung. Anyway, thanks for those of you that offered advice.
Ok Nick
Ok mister Ramble the fu%* on...... Dude I don't no what planet you come from but here on earth there is no NOTE 7....WTF R you talking about bro....
Nicksjohnson said:
So, I bought my ZenFone 3 Deluxe from Amazon on October 23, with an estimated delivery of Nov 30-Dec 7. On Nov 4th, surprisingly, my phone got delivered. Coming from a Note 7 (as a long time galaxy user) I had some hesitations, but overall I am pleased. I have owned it for just about a month now, and I would like to share some of the things I have noticed. I am hoping that some of you have a way to fix some of these, or if nothing else, to find out that I am not the only one having the issues.
First, lets start with the IMEI issue I had. Straight out of the box, I took the phone to the AT&T store and got a new SIM card for it. Right off the bat, it picked up good service on the voice network, but failed to connect to LTE (or any data network for that matter). I checked my APN settings, called AT&T 3 different times, and finally fixed it. The cause was the IMEI was reading as a Motorola V577, which is an old flip phone without the data capability. I could pull up my IMEI as a ZF3D but, for whatever reason, AT&T was pulling it up as the Motorola. On the 3rd call, they finally reconfigured my IMEI and a week later I now have data connection. Not LTE, but 4G+ is better than nothing I guess...:victory:
Next, the most annoying thing, is Bluetooth. I have a few devices. A Samsung Gear S2 watch, an LG headset, and my Honda Accord are my main 3. All the devices I have connected initially pair really easily, so no problem there. I am normally wearing both my watch and headset, and for the most part, both stay connected no problem. The biggest thing for me is when I have both connected, and receive a call, it automatically directs it to my watch-not my headset... to "fix" this in call I have to pretty much disconnect my watch, then go into the headset Bluetooth settings, deselect phone audio, then reselect it. I have gotten to the point now that I just leave the watch connected only for "contact sharing" and the headset stays connected for audio. I have only received one call since doing this, so hopefully that works. Also, hopefully someone has a fix on how to have them both connected at the same time and have the headset take priority.
The other big deal with Bluetooth is with my car. The ZF3 will not automatically connect to the car, and manually connecting to the car takes about 10 failed attempts each time. With my Note7, as soon as I would start the car it would start the connecting process. Same with my wife's Iphone 6+. The car will even connect to my wife's phone when I start it up in the morning, her phone inside the house, and mine being in the car before backing out of the driveway...again annoying...
Yet another annoying thing, is the texting fail. Normally not a big deal, but when it comes to picture messages, whether group or individual, it's hit or miss. I have a friend with a Galaxy S7 Edge, and his pictures 90% of the time never come through. For the most part everyone else's come through fine, and his pictures come through on everyone else's phones perfectly (we do a lot of group texts...). The messenger app tells me I have a picture, and gives me the refresh button for each picture, but even when pressed, they wont come through. This happens when connected to both WIFI and Data. A not so big deal, but more of a nuisance, is the texting notification. Regardless of if I have no new texts, it says I have 3 new...the bubble never goes away. If I get new texts, it gains numbers (4, 5, 6, etc.) but never gets lower than 3. I have been through each text, checked all of them, refreshed, checked archived messages, and nothing seems to make the number disappear.
Now for the good. The fingerprint sensor is awesome. I absolutely love it. It is BY FAR greater than the Note7, and leaps and bounds greater than my wife's Iphone. The camera is awesome (minus low light, but I knew that from the reviews) and the wide variety of shooting modes is pretty cool as well. The amount of different themes you can choose from is a plus, and the laser ruler is a neat toy, that will probably never get any real use. I will say, I tested the accuracy with a ruler, and it comes within about 1/2 an inch every time.
The accessories I use are the Sparin clear TPU soft case, and the OMOTON 9H hardness tempered glass screen protector. Both of these I got off of Amazon, and both came in a 2 pack. I am pleasantly surprised with both of these items. The screen protector is extremely smooth to the touch, and goes on easily, you can hardly tell its there. The case is good for a cheap TPU case, and it's a lot smaller scale than an Otterbox, which I am used to having on all of my phones within the last 4 years.
Sorry this is a lot of words, hopefully at least some of you read it and find something interesting, or know of a fix for anything. I would definitely appreciate it. :good:
Thanks again everyone.
Nick
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