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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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.
Related
As I said above I currently have a Droid X. My upgrade is up and I'm debating on whether or not to get the S3. I was really gun-ho about it until I heard of all the locked bootloader issues and thought "Oh boy it's the X all over again".
It is my understanding that currently what holds back the X is that it runs it's ICS roms on a gingerbread kernel which causes all sorts of lag and other issues. Being that the S3 is locked down, will it eventually hit this problem?
I mainly want a phone that's dev/manufacturer supported for at least two years, I can deal with the stock rom, but I've come to find that others are far superior. Will the S3 for Verizon be limited in it's roms because of the locked bootloader?
Basically it all comes down to should I get the S3 or wait?
PS~ Switching Carriers is not an option due to living in the middle of bum-f Egypt.
The bootloader i think has been unlocked...YES get the 32gb version of S3..its worth it..
I don't think that it is unlocked yet, there is a bounty on it though. I'm still skeptical. To add to the pressure of upgrading, my fiance wants to swap onto my current family plan to save an extra $40 a month.
What to do what to do.
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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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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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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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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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 $200 or less (no contract), please share.
Never tried this. I guess you can use Wifi only for data?
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U r right. At 150 u can go for it. In our country it is 310. And Grand is 350.
Sent from my LG-P765 using xda app-developers app
i would recommend the P768 with 8MP instead of 5MP camera - although software will still take a while and Sony / Samsung is always best.
Go for it mate..got mine too 2 weeks old..and im impressed..actually i have 2 android phone one is d galaxy s advance, they almost have thesame specs.but compare to both performance.,l9 wins,,maybe becoz i already had an upgrade my sgsa to jb..but overall performance game,browse,camera,sounds,not to mention the rom memry becoz thats the only thing i ddnt like to l9 but what the devs cant do about that,,.
And compare to samsung.i just noticed that most of their new released phone have thesame looks/style and thats a plus for l9,slim and light..like other post go for galaxy grand rather l9,naahh,,i even had thought of it overnight and finally had my l9 the ff day..
All in all rating:10/10
Sent from my LG-P768 using xda app-developers app
Based on your requirement: "I am just looking for good call quality,easy texting and playing some casual games", and if you can get 150$ 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).
Sorry to have to ask, but I can't find an answer and I've been searching around.
It's time for my 'free' upgrade, and I was thinking of an LG G3. It's even free with 2-year right now. But I'm tired of getting inferior Verizon versions and dealing with carrier-installed stuff. Would it be to my advantage to just sell the unopened LG G3 and buy an international/generic version? I'm assuming I could activate it on Verizon (then I'd just be bringing my own phone). I would then get wireless charging and hopefully more timely updates and easier unlocking/rooting/etc.
This probably sounds very nooby but I've just been turned off entirely to carrier-specific hassles after my insurance replacement Note 2 was shipped with a sorta-unrootable ROM.
I would buy a Nexus 6 but they're hard to come by and considerably more expensive.
My Verizon G3 was easy to root. But there have been a few updates so not sure about now. Even if you don't root most bloat is uninstallable anyways. A few you just disable. Best Verizon version of a phone yet imo. Olney gripe it's they disabled the F. M. Radio
If you root it's pretty painless to disable the VZW (and LG) bloat.
As of the current shipping 12b software load, you can still restore back to 10b software and root, then choose what you want to do going forward.
The overall phone has been quite nice for the 5 months I've had it. Pretty responsive, good screen. Qi wireless charging works fine on it.
I like the G3 removable SD storage and changeable battery, things I missed on my last phone.
It does have a locked bootloader, which is gotten around by using a Bump exploit. I have a Bump'd twrp installed, been flashing things on it. There seems to be a fair number of third-party ROMs out for it.
Some folks have complained about lack of Lollipop, however you can already get a Cyanogen 12 lollipop implementation for it (I'm waiting for VZW`s official release, and likely will wait a bit after that; Lollipop hasn't been a huge thrill to me on my Nexus 7 2013, some apps don't have a Lollipop implementation yet.
AndrewZorn said:
Sorry to have to ask, but I can't find an answer and I've been searching around.
It's time for my 'free' upgrade, and I was thinking of an LG G3. It's even free with 2-year right now. But I'm tired of getting inferior Verizon versions and dealing with carrier-installed stuff. Would it be to my advantage to just sell the unopened LG G3 and buy an international/generic version? I'm assuming I could activate it on Verizon (then I'd just be bringing my own phone). I would then get wireless charging and hopefully more timely updates and easier unlocking/rooting/etc.
This probably sounds very nooby but I've just been turned off entirely to carrier-specific hassles after my insurance replacement Note 2 was shipped with a sorta-unrootable ROM.
I would buy a Nexus 6 but they're hard to come by and considerably more expensive.
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The G3 is a great phone and easy to root. You will not be able to use another variant of the G3 on Verizon.
I just bought a G3 on Verizon. Its a one click root app available right now.. Mines didn't ship with the new 12b update but it kept asking me do I want to update my software. Just decline it and install a rooted ROM from the development selection.
I'm also running cm12 and its pretty nice so far. I wish I would've bought this device when it first came out. But I don't notice any difference between the international version and this. Minus the Verizon logo.
The verizon variant should come with 10B out of the box, you can easily root and do what you want from there, if it happens to ship updated past 10B you can downgrade with the LG flash tool, there are threads on how to do this. Verizon does not give you wireless charging but you can purchase the "sticker" for the battery cover and get it working, I got mine from ebay for $8, sticker and charger.
mcerk02 said:
The verizon variant should come with 10B out of the box, you can easily root and do what you want from there, if it happens to ship updated past 10B you can downgrade with the LG flash tool, there are threads on how to do this. Verizon does not give you wireless charging but you can purchase the "sticker" for the battery cover and get it working, I got mine from ebay for $8, sticker and charger.
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I got a new red one recently (12/24) and it came with 11C
scy1192 said:
I got a new red one recently (12/24) and it came with 11C
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Just use the flash tool to downgrade to 10b if you want root, after that I would recommend install twrp and backup before upgrading to 12b via flash2 method, everything you need to know you can find here http://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-lg-g3/general/reference-stock-img-files-t2966958
I just got mine last Monday, used the flash tool to go back to 10b, bumpd it and been flashing away. It's honestly really easy and there are a ton of roms available.
The VZ LG G3 is the first phone that I've found no need to root. With 32 GB plus a 64 GB card space isn't an issue. While rooting is a challenge and challenges can be enjoyable. Challenges also have risks.
Using this phone stock meets my needs; why root for the sake of rooting? If you have a specific need that is worth the time to root (and time to keep your root current) then rooting may be the proper choice.
28cliff said:
The VZ LG G3 is the first phone that I've found no need to root. With 32 GB plus a 64 GB card space isn't an issue. While rooting is a challenge and challenges can be enjoyable. Challenges also have risks.
Using this phone stock meets my needs; why root for the sake of rooting? If you have a specific need that is worth the time to root (and time to keep your root current) then rooting may be the proper choice.
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Wireless Tether
drozek said:
Wireless Tether
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Exactly....
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?
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/.
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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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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.
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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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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.
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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.