[Q] Future CDMA Android Handset Discussion - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

So...after being burned by Carrier branding and OEM locking i'm going to try something new.
Not get a samsung device. I tired HTC But I got burned with the Thunderbolt and the Rezound (BOTH phones I had to get an extened battery)
But I've done my research and each OEM has it's own caveats ....what do you think?
Sony: Features are lost if you unlock the bootloader. Root is EVERYTHING to me. I've never had an android phone that I couldn't root. The one that I couldn't. I didnt own. (I passed on a Note 4 for a S5 because it *STILL* doesn't have root) Plus I heard (and i've done research) the verizon variant of the Z3 sucks more than a vacuum cleaner (compared to the REAL Z3) VZW pulled an Apple like the iTouch 3G 8GB (THEY DON'T EXIST. 8GB is really 2G)
OnePlus: I have no F**king idea what they are like. If anyone has a 1+ would they be so kind to share with me their experience with it? (heard it's GSM only)
Asus Phone: no clue either. They look good though. Any info? (GSM exclusive too)
LG: screens are nice on them. Had a G Pro years ago and it was OKAY...just okay. It didn't blow me away. Wife had the G3 for a week and got a Note 4 instead. So I really didn't get to use it much
Google / Motorola: (Nexus): great phones. Bootloader unlock ability. But NO SD card (which is why i'm giving sammy the finger next time around)
HTC: See Above. DIdn't have a super experience with them twice. M9 looks interesting....But I might be willing to try them again.....
Samsung: ........ nope. nuh uh.
Now i've been thinking about buying an international version to use with USA (VZW) but Is that possible? Probably not. GSM users most likely. I'm tired of these damn carrier branding and bootloader locking down crap. Or maybe a developer edition ofa device.....lots of options here...what do you guys (and gals) think? Who should I trust my future with?

Related

Would YOU recommend the LG P769?

I am thinking about purchasing a LG P769 for use on At&t.Since it is a T-Mobile phone,I wont have to have a data plan from at&t which it forces me to have for my Atrix 2 and Galaxy Note.I plan to just unlock it and disable the data.
I've had some LG flip-phones in the past and have owned an LG Thrill which I did not really care for(I got it for free with an upgrade),but I am sure LG has improved slightly...
Is this a decent phone for the average used?I am just looking for good call quality,easy texting and playing some casual games.
Thanks in advance for any input.
PassingThruLife said:
I am thinking about purchasing a LG P769 for use on At&t.Since it is a T-Mobile phone,I wont have to have a data plan from at&t which it forces me to have for my Atrix 2 and Galaxy Note.I plan to just unlock it and disable the data.
I've had some LG flip-phones in the past and have owned an LG Thrill which I did not really care for(I got it for free with an upgrade),but I am sure LG has improved slightly...
Is this a decent phone for the average used?I am just looking for good call quality,easy texting and playing some casual games.
Thanks in advance for any input.
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Click to collapse
As per current situation in XDA and the restricted support of P769 providers, I will "not recommend it", until LG releases P769 through its own channel, and not from other mobile operators. Read all forum and various threads and posts about P769 before you decide to buy one.
I don't foresee the same XDA support for the P769 as was seen here for the HTC G2 and HD2 Leo. Nevertheless, it is a midgrade phone running ICS (JB 4.1 expected eventually) and serves me well w/o a custom rom. It is dual core, has 1GB of ram, and is physically light. Unfortunately, it includes a bit of T-Mobile bloatware (that is easily disabled). Removal is possible, but research! ...and you probably know that T-Mobile's wifi calling will not work for you on AT&T.
Two areas of concern are the lack of a light sensor for auto-dimming and has only 2GB of internal memory (G2 had 4!). It is sold without an SD card so you will have to buy one. The lack of auto-dimming hasn't bothered me yet, but it might. The 2150mAh battery seems to help with usage life. Whether I recommend it depends on the price.
Anyways, this was quickly written and I may be back to organize and edit this post.
btw... root it and backup root with voodoo (see threads here) before an OTA update installs.
dkouzou said:
I don't foresee the same XDA support for the P769 as was seen here for the HTC G2 and HD2 Leo. Nevertheless, it is a midgrade phone running ICS (JB 4.1 expected eventually) and serves me well w/o a custom rom. It is dual core, has 1GB of ram, and is physically light. Unfortunately, it includes a bit of T-Mobile bloatware (that is easily disabled). Removal is possible, but research! ...and you probably know that T-Mobile's wifi calling will not work for you on AT&T.
Two areas of concern are the lack of a light sensor for auto-dimming and has only 2GB of internal memory (G2 had 4!). It is sold without an SD card so you will have to buy one. The lack of auto-dimming hasn't bothered me yet, but it might. The 2150mAh battery seems to help with usage life. Whether I recommend it depends on the price.
Anyways, this was quickly written and I may be back to organize and edit this post.
btw... root it and backup root with voodoo (see threads here) before an OTA update installs.
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Click to collapse
He can get good alternate at the same or bit more cost, he just have to look around. And what if he gets phone with V10G or if V10G is unknowingly updated on V10E? He will lose root and nothing much can be done. He should better go for any HTC or Samsung Grand, a recommended at this moment.
cmahendra said:
He can get good alternate at the same or bit more cost, he just have to look around. And what if he gets phone with V10G or if V10G is unknowingly updated on V10E? He will lose root and nothing much can be done. He should better go for any HTC or Samsung Grand, a recommended at this moment.
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Click to collapse
For $150 USD, I'd buy it (no contract), but above $200 I might consider more expensive options. I see the LG 769 now at Best Buy for $200 (no contract). He can return it if it comes with V10G preinstalled. Considering that he wishes to use it with AT&T, he will have to get it unlocked and this will drive his total cost over $200. An AT&T phone might be more economical although I don't know their selections. An AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II is about $300 (StoreSF). The cheapest I see the Samsung Galaxy Grand is around $400 online (Mobile City Online). If you know of a phone with similar or better specs to the LG 769 (min. dual core, ICS or JB, 1GB Ram) at around $200 or less (no contract), please share.
PassingThruLife said:
I plan to just unlock it and disable the data.
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Click to collapse
Never tried this. I guess you can use Wifi only for data?
dkouzou said:
For $150 USD, I'd buy it (no contract), but above $200 I might consider more expensive options. I see the LG 769 now at Best Buy for $200 (no contract). He can return it if it comes with V10G preinstalled. Considering that he wishes to use it with AT&T, he will have to get it unlocked and this will drive his total cost over $200. An AT&T phone might be more economical although I don't know their selections. An AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II is about $300 (StoreSF). The cheapest I see the Samsung Galaxy Grand is around $400 online (Mobile City Online). If you know of a phone with similar or better specs to the LG 769 (min. dual core, ICS or JB, 1GB Ram) at around $200 or less (no contract), please share.
Never tried this. I guess you can use Wifi only for data?
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Click to collapse
U r right. At 150 u can go for it. In our country it is 310. And Grand is 350.
Sent from my LG-P765 using xda app-developers app
i would recommend the P768 with 8MP instead of 5MP camera - although software will still take a while and Sony / Samsung is always best.
Go for it mate..got mine too 2 weeks old..and im impressed..actually i have 2 android phone one is d galaxy s advance, they almost have thesame specs.but compare to both performance.,l9 wins,,maybe becoz i already had an upgrade my sgsa to jb..but overall performance game,browse,camera,sounds,not to mention the rom memry becoz thats the only thing i ddnt like to l9 but what the devs cant do about that,,.
And compare to samsung.i just noticed that most of their new released phone have thesame looks/style and thats a plus for l9,slim and light..like other post go for galaxy grand rather l9,naahh,,i even had thought of it overnight and finally had my l9 the ff day..
All in all rating:10/10
Sent from my LG-P768 using xda app-developers app
Based on your requirement: "I am just looking for good call quality,easy texting and playing some casual games", and if you can get 150$ price tag, definitely go for it, it should be the best bang for your buck the last 2, 3 months (USA). For 200$ price tag, it might be still best value out there, but you might want to look around more.
People here in this forum seems to always assume phone must be rooted, must have unlocked boot loaders to be a phone, but it totally depends on your usage to care about those things or not. And from your description, I would say you can live well with either of those (root might be a bonus for some adblocking and backup btw).

Dying Note II, rootable replaement available? [HELP!]

Got a dying NoteII (need to replace the USB port and apparently as of yesterday, re-flash the PIT)... so for the moment I have no phone and I'm going into withdrawal
I've got an upgrade available on Verizon, so I'll get a phone through there, but I'm trying to find something that's flashable or at least rootable, ideally QHD (1440x2560), MicroSD, removable battery.
Any 'phablet' class, 5.3"++, phones on verizon that are rootable/flashable, that have at least two of those three things? SD slot I can live without if I can get 64GB internal memory or higher, but there doesn't seem to be much of that on verizon, and less and less rootable, too
At the moment I'm leaning to the nexus 6 or Note 3, those seem to be the most recent/'best' phones that I can get at the moment, but I'm hoping there's some I've missed, that are better!
Any suggestions, anyone?
Haven't been able to find a list of what Verizon phones are rooted/romable, but apparently the LG V10 is as of this week, so I'm likely going with that, unless anyone has any better suggestions?
christiebunny said:
Haven't been able to find a list of what Verizon phones are rooted/romable, but apparently the LG V10 is as of this week, so I'm likely going with that, unless anyone has any better suggestions?
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Click to collapse
Based on my experience, btw, if you're having PIT issues - like, recovery is throwing up errors about unable to mount partitions - then your eMMC is hosed. Happened to me recently and took me forever to realize it wasn't something I could fix in software. If the display on your phone is in decent shape, though, someone with a cracked/burned-in screen would probably love it, and at least earn you some cash towards a newer phone.
Sadly, the selection of phones for Verizon is pretty sparse. Your best bet these days is buying one outright - Moto X Pure, N6P, international version of the S7/S7 Edge etc - so that bootloader and rooting are never an issue, plus not dealing with Verizon bloatware. Financing outside of Verizon is the way to go, and at that point, you might as well look at an MVNO with good coverage and cheaper rates on data.
Ended up getting the V10, for ~$400 ($18/mo), should be here by morning!
I think the Nexus would have been the best choice, as it is not really a proprietary Verizon phone, but you can always return the V10 and say you did not like it.

Potential new customer. 5X US and development/issues

So I've been out of the loop for about a year now and looking to grab the Honor 5X US version on at&t or T-Mobile. My last phone I kept for 2 years almost ZTE Boost Max(Iconic)
and basically all I did was play with it. Meaning root, PhilZ, Link2sd, Viper4android, and most importantly Xposed.
My questions. Is it a easy plug n play going to a new carrier at&t or T-Mobile in the US with this phone. No issues at all right.
Is all development pretty good. Plenty of options. With the ZTE phone is 1 option for everything and nothing else. I did end up with a custom rom/kernel and a overclocked cpu. Do we have those options.
Thanks in advance I've limited the phone choices to just a couple. $250 budget and want development options and ease of carrier use
AT&T won't be a problem. T-Mob is missing support for LTE Band 12. I've read in these boards that support is coming soon (maybe in the MM update?). I'm not sure about WiFi calling. Normally you need carrier firmware for that type of functionality though.
Dev support seems healthy enough. I'd recommend looking in the development section and judging for yourself
It should be noted that while band 12 support is missing, you can still use the phone on T-Mobile, and you can still get 4G LTE (if it's available in your area).
I don't have WiFi calling here, and you probably do need carrier firmware for that.
Wifi calling wasn't really something I need. I've never experienced good wifi calling reception in the past. I just remember a year or so ago when the new wave of unlocked phones hit like One Plus, and so on there were always issues with not having LTE or something. Good to know at&t is fully supported. I'm a buy and hook up myself online person. Can't stand dealing with customer service on the phone.
So ultimately hows the phone in terms of everything. Signal? Options? Dependability?
So we still don't have MM available on the phones? This is concerning as I wanted the newest OS. The one thing I never liked about android vs Apple. When an update hit, everyone within a 2 year old phone got that update that day. MM came out around XMas so I was hoping for it.
Thanks for the replies and I'm late replying as I'm just a very patient shopper. Any new phone I buy I keep 1-2 years depending
If y'all want latest updates to android. Then there's no doubt about it as we all know this on XDA.........buy a nexus devices
Sent from my Nexus 5X using XDA-Developers mobile app

Samsung Galaxy Stardust S766C - Root/OS Upgrade

Hello all, I'm making a thread hoping somebody with far more experience than I in this field can answer some questions that I have.
My current personal smartphone is a Samsung Galaxy Stardust "S766C". It's currently running Android 4.3 Jellybean, and is on the Tracfone network.
Recently, I've noticed a number of apps that I've wanted to install only support Android 4.4 or higher. (Yes, Pokemon GO is one of them). I've checked with my phone's software update, and it doesn't seem any updates are available for my OS, so it doesn't seem I'll be getting any further official updates for this device.
So what I was wondering, is if it's possible to root this phone and install a newer, more compatible OS, such as 5.0 or 6.0? I've also heard custom ROMs can also accomplish a similar feat. Basically, what would I need to do to get these apps installed and functioning normally, without bricking my phone or accidentally discontinuing service?
I've conducted a bit of research, but have been scarce in finding specific tutorials or solutions to my given scenario. I really do not want to upgrade my phone, I purchased it less than a year ago and the hardware is still more-than-enough to meet my needs.
Thanks.
Unfortunately it does not look like there are any options to update your phone, whether officially or unofficially. That's one of the downsides to having a less popular phone on a less popular network. Tracfone and Samsung couldn't care less to update a $100 phone as it's hard enough for them to keep up with the Galaxy S and Note lines while the developers that are into modding phones don't have the inclination or the source code from Samsung for devices like these to be able to make newer versions of Android run properly on older devices. As far as Pokemon Go, you might want to keep an eye on this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/help/to-patch-pokemon-to-4-3-jelly-bean-beta-t3412608, though be warned that there are some unofficial versions floating around that might have some spyware included: https://blogs.mcafee.com/mcafee-labs/trojanized-pokemon-go-android-app-found-wild/.
es0tericcha0s said:
Unfortunately it does not look like there are any options to update your phone, whether officially or unofficially. That's one of the downsides to having a less popular phone on a less popular network. Tracfone and Samsung couldn't care less to update a $100 phone as it's hard enough for them to keep up with the Galaxy S and Note lines while the developers that are into modding phones don't have the inclination or the source code from Samsung for devices like these to be able to make newer versions of Android run properly on older devices. As far as Pokemon Go, you might want to keep an eye on this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/help/to-patch-pokemon-to-4-3-jelly-bean-beta-t3412608, though be warned that there are some unofficial versions floating around that might have some spyware included: https://blogs.mcafee.com/mcafee-labs/trojanized-pokemon-go-android-app-found-wild/.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see, that's unfortunate, I was really hoping there would be at least some sort of option available to give this phone some extra life, but I guess I'll have to look into upgrading sooner than I originally thought.
I'll keep an eye on the Pokemon GO thread, but it doesn't seem like they're getting anywhere too quickly.
Iron124 said:
I see, that's unfortunate, I was really hoping there would be at least some sort of option available to give this phone some extra life, but I guess I'll have to look into upgrading sooner than I originally thought.
I'll keep an eye on the Pokemon GO thread, but it doesn't seem like they're getting anywhere too quickly.
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Click to collapse
Not sure what kind of budget you're working with, but if you know someone with an Amazon Prime account, you can get the new Blu HD R1 for $60 with 2 GBs of RAM, 16 GB storage + SD card slot, quad core Mediatek processor, 5" 720P screen, 8 MP camera, and 6.0 Marshmallow. It's nothing special and the discount is because it has lockscreen ads, but it's an upgrade over your current phone in most every way, and is unlocked for any GSM network (Tracfone has GSM and CDMA options). You can remove ads by just replacing the lockscreen with a 3rd party app. Got one coming this week to give to my mom.
es0tericcha0s said:
Not sure what kind of budget you're working with, but if you know someone with an Amazon Prime account, you can get the new Blu HD R1 for $60 with 2 GBs of RAM, 16 GB storage + SD card slot, quad core Mediatek processor, 5" 720P screen, 8 MP camera, and 6.0 Marshmallow. It's nothing special and the discount is because it has lockscreen ads, but it's an upgrade over your current phone in most every way, and is unlocked for any GSM network (Tracfone has GSM and CDMA options). You can remove ads by just replacing the lockscreen with a 3rd party app. Got one coming this week to give to my mom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do have Amazon Prime, but only the student version. I get free shipping, but I suppose this deal is not included. Total for that phone comes to $109, out of my budget range by about a mile.
I also couldn't find any confirmation that it worked with Tracfone, only Verizon, AT&T, and Net10. Theoretically, it'll just work if I purchase the $1 BYOP Tracfone kit?
Iron124 said:
I do have Amazon Prime, but only the student version. I get free shipping, but I suppose this deal is not included. Total for that phone comes to $109, out of my budget range by about a mile.
I also couldn't find any confirmation that it worked with Tracfone, only Verizon, AT&T, and Net10. Theoretically, it'll just work if I purchase the $1 BYOP Tracfone kit?
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Click to collapse
There's 2 versions of the phone - regular and the one with ads that is $50 off. I'm not sure about whether that is an option for the student version of Prime or not.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H2E0J5M/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - see if that link works for you.
But yea, works on Tmo or ATT and I think Tracfone can support either, if I remember right. ATT network for sure.
es0tericcha0s said:
There's 2 versions of the phone - regular and the one with ads that is $50 off. I'm not sure about whether that is an option for the student version of Prime or not.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H2E0J5M/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - see if that link works for you.
But yea, works on Tmo or ATT and I think Tracfone can support either, if I remember right. ATT network for sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, same link that I followed, I can purchase it even though it says "only for prime members", but for $109.
Lame. Have to befriend someone else with a regular Prime account.

Suggestions Needed on Rootable Phones

I am currently a customer with Cricket Wireless. All of their phones come with the bootloader locked, which I didnt know when I bought my E5 Supra a couple of years ago. Last week I plugged it up and it started smoking randomly. It's fried. I did a good bit of research and decided for under 220, the Moto G7 Power used off Ebay unlocked was my best bet. I made sure it was rootable, I thought.
The seller had it listed as "Motorola G7 Power Unlocked ATT/Cricket". What came in was a Verizon variant (XT1955-6) that had not only a constant error that I wasnt using a verizon sim but had a locked bootloader. The error thing, I could live with or fix. I was on the phone with both Motorola and Verizon with the hopes I could sweet talk them into something, explaining I was an app developer.
Well, im sending the G7 Power back. I was going to get the XT1955-5 which could be unlocked through Motorola or the international version and just flash whatever bands were needed. But at this point, I think I want to steer clear of Motorola altogether. Everyone in the G7 forums is constantly bricking, some hard bricking and actually sending them back.
Models Im Considering
One Plus 5T
LG G7 ThinQ
Samsung Galaxy A50
Samsung Galaxy S8-S9 (whichever I can find for that price range)
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 or 8 (whicheveer I can find for that price range)
Sorry for the background but, does anyone have any advice or recommendations on what a good phone with an unlockable bootloader for under $220 would be? (used is fine) I dont even really require it be sim unlocked, so long as it doesnt have a locked bootloader. I see the Pixel guys ran into issues with bootloaders being locked so that ruled that out. Im not too concerned with camera or anything like that. Mostly freedom to do with it as I please and a smooth processor lol. Thanks in advance!!

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