Related
I've been in several discussions with users that have come from (or previously owned) the 5 inch HTC Advantage. I see Dell Streak users have a thread to compare/contrast to the Note, so I thought I would do the same for the Advantage. This may help some to decide to move from the Advantage to the Note - or not.
For those that don't know what the Advantage is, it came out 5 years ago - the first phone with a 5" screen. It also included a detachable keyboard, stereo speakers, video port, stylus/pen, and a 8 GB hard drive when most SD cards at the time were below 2 GB. It had its problems, too. Since it was so far ahead of its time it was fairly bulky and heavy even with the keyboard removed. It didn't have a private speaker for phone calls. It had room for a vibration motor internally but it was never implemented even in later models, presumably because it caused problems with the hard drive. The other references in the thread title are the development name, and model names/numbers used by various carriers. Here is the XDA forum for the Advantage: http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=351
My personal reaction, as I've told several already, is the Note is by far a better phone. Physical stats, operating system, having things like a private speaker and vibration which the Advantage should have had, all add up. Not to mention that the Note costs 1/3 of what the Advantage did so you have far less to loose. The Note/Android has its deficiencies. I've had to install a half-dozen apps to add features which were built into Windows Mobile - things like incremental ring volume, ability to get more than a single system notification for things like texts and calendar appointments (miss the first one and you've missed your appointment!), or keeping the screen from timing out when it is plugged in or for specific apps. But at least you can extend/improve the OS with apps without unlocking/rooting or flashing to a whole new OS. Which many Advantage owners did including me.
All that said, the Advantage held a special place in my heart. In the 4 1/2 years I used mine, I often told my wife it was the best gadget I had ever owned and I meant it. Which is saying a lot with all the gadgets and computers I've owned since 1984. But the Note is so good that if IT had come out 5 years ago, I'm sure I would be saying the same thing about it right now. Buy one.
I have a x7501 for a few years, but haven't been actively using it in the last few years also (went to iPhone, Android etc). I am interested in the Note, but haven't decided to get one yet.
But I think one fundamental difference is that the Athena is a keyboarded device (you can use it without, but you also loose the stand at the same time). Its stereo speakers and other positioning makes it a mainly landscape orientation device.
I really don't care about its thickness, it's not that bad. It is a bit thick w/ its leather case, but it does that to any other devices anyway.
What I don't like about the Athena: battery life, speed (I'm shocked reviews that said it's fast), photo taken with camera (rear) has off (red) colour (no ROM can fix that). Especially the last piece, it's unforgivable for a $1,500. USD product! The 8GB HDD is both slow, and battery eating, and cannot be turned off.
I just can't say I like it as much as some of you do. I don't hate it, but I don't think it was worth the $1,000. I paid for. If I had paid $1,500. then, I'd have sued them (just kidding).
I lugged the keyboard around for 1 1/2 years, but finally left it on my work desk permanently. Only used it there when I was streaming XM.
I never had a problem with battery life, it would last me much longer than the 12 hours I would go between unplugging in the morning and plugging it back in when I got home. Never had a problem with the camera, either. Good colors all around, not that the quality was that great.
I think you'll like the Note, all the advantages (pun intended) of the 7501 and none of its problems. After you add some apps to tweak the downfalls of the OS.
i'm one, see my siggie
i've had still have that gigantic heavy monstrous HTC 5" for the longest time
still trying to get Android installed on it someday
I had the x7501, then the x7510, and the note is 1/2 as thick, has a "phone" speaker, and besides all of the obvious spec advantages, is lighter and easier to hold. The screen is far more responsive than the old tft pressure technology without the inaccuracy of the iphone/android capacitive blunt-object to write/draw with issue.
all thumbs up for the note... though the Advantage was WAY ahead of its time.
I don't understand these threads. I get that the advantage was way ahead of its time, but it's 5 years old. 5! Would anyone seriously pick the advantage over the note?
I sold my x7501 long ago. Good times, lol.
nstong said:
I don't understand these threads. I get that the advantage was way ahead of its time, but it's 5 years old. 5! Would anyone seriously pick the advantage over the note?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess sometimes people can't let their old devices go.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA
This isn't about keeping the Advantage. Its about comparing one to the other for those that are familiar with the Advantage and loved all of its features.
I think it is not about keeping the Advantage / Athena, may be it's partly nostalgia, partly comparing what's missing on current devices (bad things are not missed, I'm talking about things that users might like or prefer):
1. Stereo speakers. How hard can that be? But so far, iPhone doesn't have it, none of my Android phones up to 4.65" have it, my Tablet P by Sony has a tiny mono speaker. Only the Playbook (once had, now sold), and the Samsung Q1 have stereo speakers and good sound.
2. The metal case has pros and cons. It can get dented and discolouring when bumped / scratched, but it made it more sturdy as it is metal. But at least it is unique, and also makes it feel more premium (until it gets dented, like mine, from dropping, that is). Now everything besides iPhones are just plastics.
3. Magnetic keyboard. Now, no more, never seen and all give way to on screen ones, except a few. But those few, including Blackberry, do not want to do a magnetic keyboard, may be it's the cost, or fear of bad contacts. But again, this is very unique and hasn't been replicated. The see thru window to mimic the status bar on it makes it even cooler.
4. External connections for: USB host (only very lately, there are USB OTG for Android devices, before this, support was very poor, mostly only HID stuff), VGA out, cellular antenna, GPS antenna. Granted, the last 3 are not as needed today, and some Android devices have HDMI outputs that replace VGA more or less.
right now, few Android phones can stand on a desk unless with a kick stand case (which is usually the kind I buy, as I want it stand similar to what Advantage can do w/ the keyboard).
I think some clamshell MIDs like UMID / Viliv had come close to the design of Advantage but physically not as cool, no magnetic keyboard etc.
I guess the problem with modern design is that nobody would make a $1,500. device unless it is for industrial or military use, so they have to save cost and won't engage in fancy design and materials. In the case for Advantage, it's HTC flagship product, so they went all out.
Looking at current HTC products now, there aren't anything really special (I'm talking strictly from the physical point of view, since operating systems are all the same across the manufacturers anyway).
People are often amazed when I tell them that the Note is my third 5" phone. I loved the Advantage and the Dell Streak I had before the Note. No way I can go to a smaller screen. Very happy that the rest of the world is catching on to the benefits of a large screen device. And there are things I miss from Windows Mobile. I found it easier to flash ROMs and change the look and feel of the device.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Is it time for a new Nokia 7280?
"When twilight falls, prowl the night with the mysterious Nokia 7280 phone. Shrouded in the mystery is a passion that will only reveal itself as you slide it open. Its sublime form is exquisitely crafted, leaving you with a slim, sleek object of beauty, unmatched by any other. You and the Nokia 7280 phone, a combination that's as compelling as the night."
The mobile market has changed a lot in recent times. The mobile phone, as we know, was quite petit at one time, the fancier the phone, the smaller it was. If you were a high flier just after the dot com boom, your phone was tiny - Then things like the Panasonic GD55 were the coolest things out there. As media and screens became more and more vibrant and phone capabilities started to expand, people demanded bigger screens to view media, and such, these days all of the flagship phones are 5.5" or even bigger in some cases.
This is further demonstrated by the tablet boom... People demanded tablets - with their 10" screens. Media is consumed now at a higher rate than at any other time.
For most people and most times it's OK - they view movies, read the internet, play games - All of that stuff. Immersed in a world by themselves.
For many people however, the weekend is a time to be anywhere except for alone watching a movie or looking up Pintrest while drinking a tea.
In 2005, Nokia launched the 7280.
A lot of people wondered why anyone would spend $1100 on a phone that... by the days standards, wasn't all that great. Bad battery life, look some learning to interface with, was a pain to text with... But it was simple, it was shaped like lipstick, so it fit in a girls clutch when she went out on the town. Also, it was as fashion phone, and primarily, it was a second phone. Nokia was selling so many phones at the time, that they wanted to sell people more than one! At the time, the 7280 and the 7380 sold pretty alright for what it was. I wouldn't call it a flop, but I wouldn't call it great.
These days... with Galaxy Note's and iPhone 6S's selling quite well, soon enough all of the "smaller" phones will be phased out... I can't even buy a new phone with a 4" screen anymore. What is a girl to do? Carrying a phone around is hardly elegant, and shoving one down ones bra is even less so. Clutches are kind of getting bigger to accommodate bigger phones, but once you've shoved mascara, lipstick, a packet of cigarettes and a few bank cards into it, space can be a premium.
Could another "fashion phone" sell well? One specifically to fit in a clutch and only to be used when one is out of the town? One designed to be a second phone. The components would be cheap, as there is absolutely no need for the latest processors, and 512MB of RAM would suffice, after all, i'm thinking of a slim device, one shaped like a 7280 that is half as thick. Typing SMS's could be done by holding the thing landscape, or maybe even an implementation of Swype.
It would only need one camera, maybe one that is optimised for low light. No need for a front facing camera, but maybe a small screen for selfies if space allows (Like the Samsung DV150F) I don't think multi-tasking would be needed, after all, once you're at home you pop your SIM back into your normal large phone. The light-on hardware would also mean the battery (which would be small) gets at least 12 hours. It could run on a slimmed down OS too, be that iOS, Android or Windows Phone. The light hardware also makes the device cheap, I would hope for no more than $150.
All of the cloud services available these days mean that any SMS's or photos taken would sync up to your normal phone once you get home.
Manufacturers are always looking for new markets, and I think the female fashion market is a big one that no manufacturer caters to.... yet. No-one wants to wear an Apple Watch when they're dressed up to the 9's.
PURPOSE
So 1st and foremost, the plan here is to give you my experience with these 2 phones. Granted, I have only used the Axon 7 for about 3 days now and can say I have yet to fully break it in to find everything that may or may not be right / wrong with it. However, this will be a unbiased look and comparison. I'm neither a fanboy or sheep. No brand affiliation. Not a programmer either, just a pro-sumer Senior Member of XDA willing to get trolled, flamed, etc. for sharing a look at these 2 phones. Hopefully, I can give "the everyday guy / gal look" without getting bogged down in stats, variables or benchmarks. Here goes...
MY BACKGROUND
No one special. Just a guy that likes the latest tech... phones being at the top of the list. I am a nerd. No doubt about that. I think anyone that knows about XDA probably is to some extent. No brand loyalty. Recently, I have had the privilege to try out the following phones:
1. Axon 7
2. OnePlus 3
3. HTC 10
4. LeEcco Le Max 2
5. Huawei P9
6. LG G5
7. Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
8. Huawei Mate 8
9. Huawei Nexus 6P
10. LG Nexus 5X
11. Samsung Note 5
12. Apple iPhone 6s+
And probably some more, but these are the most recent. Does that make me qualified to make a review... Maybe. It does make me an idiot that likes new phones, though. I am always looking for something that meets my needs but also is a good phone. Currently with TMobile but have been with ATT, Verizon & Sprint at some point over 20 years of using cell phones.
MY NEEDS
I drive about 40 miles everyday to work (yes, my work week is currently 7 days a week with a few occasional days off). So, with this in mind and where I drive, I need the minimum requirements:
1. Can Stream Music
2. Bluetooth is fully compatible with my 2016 vehicle
3. An equalizer of some sort since I have only switch out my new cars speakers for better ones and don't plan on changing or adding a better sound system.
4. Decent pictures when needed
5. As a nerd, I like to "mesmerize" people with a pay with your phone app like Apple Pay or Android Pay
6. Works with my Huawei Watch
7. Relatively not laggy - will sometimes do some ROM-ing or some customization but since I tend to get rid of the phones quickly I try not to void warranties or make it too non-stock
THE COMPARISON
I am looking at my experience with the OnePlus 3 and the Axon 7 under/around these requirements and some normal stuff like battery, screen, snappiness, heat, speakers, etc. Here goes:
SOUND OVERALL
There is not too many times when I do a review comparison where 1 phone just crushes the other... and I don't mean like crushing an empty aluminum beer can in your hand crushing... I mean like BigFoot crushing late model junk cars at the end of a Monster Truck Rally Crushin'.... 'Mericaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!! Sorry got carried away there a second. Honestly, how phone manufacturers cannot include a system-wide sound equalizer with all the other STUPID GUI tweaks and bastardizations they do to Android especially is beyond me in 2016. Most people are transitioning to bluetooth headphones or have bluetooth in their cars and for the most part use streaming services to/for music. Yes, there is the occasional dude with the $1000 plug-in headphones that also plugs into a in-line $2000 DAC that only listens to download Loseless Quality Music with the Music App that came with the phone.... with a show of hands, how many fall into this category??? Then why pray tell is this the only music equalization most manufacturers are catering too on their phones (Apple included)? I don't know just wanted to rant a little. With that said though, the inclusion of Dolby ATMOS without having to root on the Axon 7 plus its dual stereo forward facing speakers makes this a non-competition. Yes, you could add ViperATMOSBeatsDon'tcare Mod.zip to a rooted TWRP OnePlus 3... but why should I have to? Why can't some system-wide equalizer be included Mr. FlagShip Killer? Look at their own Community Forum and its one of the most active requests since the OnePlus 3 came out (along with actually using all the RAM the phone has)... Good Work ZTE!!! I'm sure for all you headphone people too that the AXON 7 would dominate even though I have zero to judge that on since I have never taken either the OnePlus 3's headphones nor the AXON 7's headphones out of the box.
WINNER: AXON 7 BigFoot- Crushing OnePlus 3 Grave Digger.
BATTERY
People get bent out of shape nowadays about the "wall hugger" syndrome... this is the need to re-charge your phone more than once, twice, 3-times etc. per day and being attached to a charger constantly. Well, we only have ourselves and technology to blame. Battery technology has yet to progress to a point that adequately matches all the other advances cell phones have made... I can remember in the 90's getting my first Li-ion Battery Cell Phone and was like "WOW!!! I can charge this anytime I want, days of battery life, no need to discharge the whole phone before recharging and no need for extra batteries..." Fast forward almost 30 years... AND its the same type of battery... So no phone truly wins here until technology gets better. This too along with our need for skinny things... women, cocktails, bank account, soda, etc. have phones getting increasingly skinnier without ever considering what it has do with the battery is disturbing. If only we could get back to the simpler times of a bagphone, then the battery could be as big as you want it... AHHH, the simpler times. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Really though, the batteries on both phones perform very similar in my use. The place where they differ the most is the charging. For OnePlus 3, you have to use their proprietary DASH Charge as oppose to QuickCharge 3.0. This means you can only buy OnePlus 3 chargers (or some not trustworthy knock offs) to take advantage of feature... it's not so bad now that they made the car charger available again on their website and the phone comes with a wall plug with the feature... it's just a departure from the standard many others are using and requires new accessory purchases... basically a OnePlus Money Grab.... DASH Charge is slightly faster but not enough for anyone but a battery loving neophyte to really take notice.
WINNER: AXON 7 - Sorry QuickCharge 3.0 Industry Standard beats proprietary DASH Charge even though DASH Charge is slightly faster.
HEAT
Not going to spend much time here. Both phones run Snapdragon 820's. Both phones are metal... guess what... they get hot under stress... so no winners here, only losers. Neither had to be powered off for getting too hot though, like my S7 needed to when I was doing its initial setup... so there's that. :good:
WINNER: Both or None... They get hot under processor stress and in the dreaded "At an event and have your camera constantly on then stick it in your pocket only to have 3rd degree burns on your thighs or butt" Test
SNAPPINESS
Neither phone I have taken the time to Mod or root or stare at compassionately... but both perform really well like they should. Now, let the 6GB vs. 4GB debates begin!!! First, it is well known that even after 2 updates, the OnePlus 3's RAM management is still wonky and does not fully utilize all that RAM. No matter. I can't see an advantage yet. Yes you could AnTuTu-whogivesapoop test them all day. I rather just talked about how using the phone feels. Neither have extensive bastardizations over stock android so neither grinds the phone to a halt like TouchWizCement does. I run the BETA of Sense 8 Launcher for All Android Phones on both. Both phones perform well with it. I have played Pokemon GO! on both along with Clash Royale... both run fine. GPS works good on both and locks in fairly quickly. It isn't the best I have seen but not the LG Worst either Until there's another processor to look at, I think most manufacturers are taking full advantage of the limits of the 820. Throwing RAM at it doesn't dramatically do anything either. I guess it good to always have it in your back pocket if needed.
WINNER: ONEPLUS 3 - Simply because it has more RAM, no real-world experience proves it faster. Fanboy Benchmarkers withstanding
************DISCLAIMER / NEWSFLASH************* FOR IT PEOPLE FROM NEW JERSEY AND/OR GENERAL KNOW-IT-ALLS
YES... One can easily claim that RAM on the face of it has nothing to do with Snappiness since no present day Android phone fully utilizes 4GB let alone 6GB of RAM... The point to be made here is that the OP3 although having more RAM has no advantage in snappiness over an AXON 7. With that said, since both phones cost the same, neither phone is snappier, why not pick the one with more RAM based on stats alone... for this particularly on the face of it unrelated category? Furthermore, there has been many tests of the OP3 that show that RAM in a way DOES influence its snappiness when compared to 4GB phones... not because of the amount of RAM but by OP3's RAM MANAGEMENT. Lastly, although it may seem like a marketing ploy now for OP3 to have 6GB of RAM since it is not needed since it is not utilized.... I have kind of heard this argument before... when phones had 1GB of RAM and 2GB phones were introduced, then when 3GB phones were introduced, etc. etc. and from basically every iSheep out there, that more RAM does not necessarily make a phone better or faster. Albeit true for the most part for Apple because they spend a vast amount of time developing their RAM Management and have iOS lock down, for Android and what seems to be a lack of development on this front, RAM amounts increase to handle the sloppiness of the RAM Management and/or lack of focus on developing this overlooked section of the phone's programming. Basically, OP3 moves the needle for better or worst towards 6GB at the same price as 4GB... more is more in this one scenario only...
DISPLAY
Not much to mention here either. Both have good displays. On paper, the AXON 7's is better. I would say that the average person not knowing that one has higher resolution than the other would have a hard time calling it out. Color reproduction is about the same on both as well. Neither have a "always-on" feature which would have been nice. Both have LED's for notifications. Here's where once again you just have to stick with the stats and say....
WINNER: AXON 7 - higher stats mean better screen right!!!!???
PHONE DESIGN
Wow! a bit to talk about here. Let's start on both phones exterior features and design. Both are designed well. Definitely not ugly by any stretch of the imagination. The AXON 7 was designed with help from BMW and significantly improves on the previous generation iteration, like having actual speakers in both of the speaker grill looking forward facing top and bottom of screen. I do have the gold AXON 7... the color isn't the greatest but I wasn't going to wait for the gray one to come out to test it... I might return the gold for a gray if they become available in my return window. The OnePlus 3 is a pretty phone too. It doesn't have a firm like BMW attached to it, but one feels they did a good job of improving on the OnePlus 2 design without getting away from their bread and butter core design elements. With that, I love the alert slider... call me an isheep but I feel to this day that it is the single greatest design advantage the iPhone has had over any Android phone for years now. Although not as perfectly functional as Apples is, the OnePlus 3 is a great feature. Both have excellent fingerprint readers. Very fast. For my use case, a front facing fingerprint reader is better. That's my use case, in a cradle, in my car, that I get in and out of while sometime leaving my phone in the cradle, makes the front facing reader slightly more convenient. NFC chip and camera placement good on both as well. AXON 7 does have one design characteristic that I found annoying and I noticed while playing Clash Royale.... the power button is on the right side of the phone near the center. While playing and trying to drag drop to the top of the screen, you can easily inadvertently toggle the on/off button, this might be the button is overly sensitive or just my clumsiness. OnePlus 3 scores some extras too with swapstyle cases... Why can't other phone manufacturers take notes here. I think it is great that I can get relatively cheap exclusively designed nice looking cases for my OnePlus 3... for the AXON 7, I'm stuck with Chinese knock off cheesy poop designed cases with TPU raining from skies... I need a case and sure the first thing that comes to mind when I get a nice looking professionally designed by BMW phone is to put it into a TPU trashcan of a case because 0.0 (zero point zero) cases by ZTE are available or even look worthy of residing on the phone.... yep, I so love it. AXON 7 does step it up with one thing, SD card compatibility. More storage... sure I can use that anytime...
WINNER: TIED - OnePlus 3 would have won here, but not having SD Card capability is just dumb... especially since you used the space for a dual SIM.
*********************ADDITIONAL DESIGN DISCUSSION************CAPACITIVE BUTTONS ON THE AXON 7**********************
Purposely I left this discussion out about the capacitive buttons on the AXON 7. WHY? You may ask. At first, like many, when I heard that not only does the AXON 7 only have capacitive buttons without the option to toggle to turn them off for on-screen buttons, the buttons themselves do not light up, did make me a little worried. But to not buy a phone based on a untested worry is just fear mongering at it best, plus I bought my AXON 7 from Amazon so that I could easily return it if I hated it. Well, surprisingly the capacitive button "issue" is really just a bunch of hype... yes, I do think that OP3 has the advantage here with the toggle for on-screen and that its buttons light up. However, the AXON 7 does provide a on-screen button solution although it is way more sloppy looks wise then OP3's. The whole light up button thing to me can be excused by what was an intentional design choice by ZTE. So, unlike the OP3 which has its all app and back buttons spread out along the bottom of the display, the AXON 7 distinctively has its all-app and back buttons crowded towards the center closer to the central home button. Why do this? Well, from my use in dark rooms and at night, it makes not seeing the actual buttons not an issue. Let me explain further. I know from muscle memory that the home button is in center of the bottom of screen... pretty easy to hit in a completely dark room unless I'm drunk that is... being able to do this on muscle memory then in turn with a slight adjustment to the right, makes it easy to hit the back button (setup for right hand in the AXON 7's setting) and same to the left with the all apps button. If the buttons were spaced out like OP3's without lights then it would be an issue... but in this case and what I hope is design answering function, the AXON 7 doesn't have an issue... once again to me, maybe not you.... hahahahaha
CAMERA
I have done a couple of these reviews and every time I point out that I am not a big fan of cameras on phones. I went to school for photography and movie making back when film was still used. Have seen lenses that cost more than my current house and have seen Ansel Adams original prints first hand. So, it makes me a camera snob... thus, my opinion of on phone cameras is that they are all Bantha PooDoo. However, improvements are made with every new phone and even though innovations have seem to slow in favor of the pixel wars... one day they might be great.
Looking at both and later I will put up some similar shots from both, each phone have decent cameras. The OnePlus performs better in low light especially however I would not count the AXON 7 out in the cold as I feel that the AXON 7's low light difficulties might be able to be corrected with feature updates. The AXON 7 does have it's ripoff version of a "live photo" that works pretty decent plus some decent scenario modes that just work better for pictures I may take. The OnePlus 3's camera software is just basic with good custom manual settings. The AXON 7 has manual mode as well. Like I said, I will upload some similar shots from each and you can decide.
WINNER: TBD
CONCLUSION
So, what can I conclude? Both phones are awesome... Both have plus and minuses. I don't think there's a clear hands down winner and would not want to argue that point. I can only tell you that beyond everything else that the lack of a system-wide equalizer for sound just annoys little brown stinkies out of me. My commute to work is a big part of my day sometimes 7 days a week. I want to listen to Sirius XM app and Google Play Music so it sound great in my car. I want to set some equalization that make it sound awesome then forget it is even there. Not constant resetting of bass boost, tweaking sound to have it all reset again and again. Why provide a basic equalizer in Google Play Music on the OnePlus 3 that always has the bass setting reset when a call comes in, you switch to a new app or the crappy RAM Management software kicks it out of memory even though you locked it into memory on the all apps screen? That just pains me... If OnePlus does listen to their customer base, maybe just maybe they will add one in a future OTA update. Who knows. Having had the original AXON, I have to say that this phone is definitely an improvement and is worth checking out if you liked the original. I am still a little off-put by the fact that ZTE has done very little to support this phone with accessories like cases and stuff making me hit Aliexpress for the Oscar the Grouch specials that they have there. Could you survive with either one of these phones as your next new phone... of course! Hopefully, this little review will help you out in that decision. Lastly and as always, this is just Some Guys Opinion...
:highfive:
Newsflash - Having 6gb of RAM doesn't make a phone more snappy than a 4gb phone... people need to stop thinking this...4gb is more than enough RAM for even the most hardcore user...6gb is just a gimmick for sales.
gparmar76 said:
Newsflash - Having 6gb of RAM doesn't make a phone more snappy than a 4gb phone... people need to stop thinking this...4gb is more than enough RAM for even the most hardcore user...6gb is just a gimmick for sales.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Newsflash- didn't say it did but with proper RAM management it COULD in theory be more snappy if it kept more apps in memory not requiring them to be reloaded. Also if the phones are the same price why not have more. Was pretty much my point. It makes no difference but higher quantity wins out. Your argument is the same for better displays 1080p is good enough why would you need more? Because they can and do... Snore
mahst68 said:
Newsflash- didn't say it did but with proper RAM management it COULD in theory be more snappy if it kept more apps in memory not requiring them to be reloaded. Also if the phones are the same price why not have more. Was pretty much my point. It makes no difference but higher quantity wins out. Your argument is the same for better displays 1080p is good enough why would you need more? Because they can and do... Snore
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Click to collapse
lol...why don't you read what you wrote...Snappiness -OP3 simply because it has more RAM.
All I'm saying is you're wrong...the OP3 could very well be "snappier" but it sure as hell isn't because it has 6gb of memory... memory management issues or not...the only time RAM would take away from a modern day smartphone's speed or cause heavy lag would be if it had very low amount of RAM (512mb or 1gb)....even 2gb phones run great on Android M...most high end phones that have 3 or more GB of memory never use all of it...you could load up 250,apps simultaneously and you would never use 4gb of memory...trust me I've tried and I'm using the OP2...most if not ALL issues related to lag these days or just spotty performance in the UK is related to the OS and how the OEM implemented it...heavy skinning, bloatware, etc etc.
gparmar76 said:
lol...why don't you read what you wrote...Snappiness -OP3 simply because it has more RAM.
All I'm saying is you're wrong...the OP3 could very well be "snappier" but it sure as hell isn't because it has 6gb of memory... memory management issues or not...the only time RAM would take away from a modern day smartphone's speed or cause heavy lag would be if it had very low amount of RAM (512mb or 1gb)....even 2gb phones run great on Android M...most high end phones that have 3 or more GB of memory never use all of it...you could load up 250,apps simultaneously and you would never use 4gb of memory...trust me I've tried and I'm using the OP2...most if not ALL issues related to lag these days or just spotty performance in the UK is related to the OS and how the OEM implemented it...heavy skinning, bloatware, etc etc.
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Bra- I know you guys in the UK think you invented English language but...
The whole paragraph explains that neither the Axon 7 or the OP3 is faster or more snappy. In so much as this is true, why not have 6GB of RAM if it doesn't cost more. Thus exactly what I wrote rather than the trainwreck you wrote :
WINNER: ONEPLUS 3 - Simply because it has more RAM, no real-world experience proves it faster. Fanboy Benchmarkers withstanding
Which simply means in headlines, newsflashes or whatever else makes you feel like you are telling someone that you're important that when 2 phones perform the same, might as well have the one with more stuff, regardless if it helps or not...
I prefer that I pick who puts words in my mouth and it turns out you're not one of them
mahst68 said:
Bra- I know you guys in the UK think you invented English language but...
The whole paragraph explains that neither the Axon 7 or the OP3 is faster or more snappy. In so much as this is true, why not have 6GB of RAM if it doesn't cost more. Thus exactly what I wrote rather than the trainwreck you wrote :
WINNER: ONEPLUS 3 - Simply because it has more RAM, no real-world experience proves it faster. Fanboy Benchmarkers withstanding
Which simply means in headlines, newsflashes or whatever else makes you feel like you are telling someone that you're important that when 2 phones perform the same, might as well have the one with more stuff, regardless if it helps or not...
I prefer that I pick who puts words in mouth and it turns out your not one of them
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"BRA" It was spell check that changed UI to UK... would have thought that was clearly evident...but alas...
And I know what he was implying...bra...lol...aren't bras worn by women? Maybe you mean Bruh?
gparmar76 said:
"BRA" It was spell check that changed UI to UK... would have thought that was clearly evident...but alas...
And I know what he was implying...bra...lol...aren't bras worn by women? Maybe you mean Bruh?
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Nope I meant to call you "bra" and spell check had my back. Bruh is for my bruhs. "Bra" is for someone exactly like you because since you must wear them since you're a little biatch... Trolling flaming gnome. Go get in line for Harry Potter and have a nice day BRA
mahst68 said:
PURPOSE
So 1st and foremost, the plan here is to give you my experience with these 2 phones. Granted, I have only used the Axon 7 for about 3 days now and can say I have yet to fully break it in to find everything that may or may not be right / wrong with it. However, this will be a unbiased look and comparison. I'm neither a fanboy or sheep. No brand affiliation. Not a programmer either, just a pro-sumer Senior Member of XDA willing to get trolled, flamed, etc. for sharing a look at these 2 phones. Hopefully, I can give "the everyday guy / gal look" without getting bogged down in stats, variables or benchmarks. Here goes...
MY BACKGROUND
No one special. Just a guy that likes the latest tech... phones being at the top of the list. I am a nerd. No doubt about that. I think anyone that knows about XDA probably is to some extent. No brand loyalty. Recently, I have had the privilege to try out the following phones:
1. Axon 7
2. OnePlus 3
3. HTC 10
4. LeEcco Le Max 2
5. Huawei P9
6. LG G5
7. Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
8. Huawei Mate 8
9. Huawei Nexus 6P
10. LG Nexus 5X
11. Samsung Note 5
12. Apple iPhone 6s+
And probably some more, but these are the most recent. Does that make me qualified to make a review... Maybe. It does make me an idiot that likes new phones, though. I am always looking for something that meets my needs but also is a good phone. Currently with TMobile but have been with ATT, Verizon & Sprint at some point over 20 years of using cell phones.
MY NEEDS
I drive about 40 miles everyday to work (yes, my work week is currently 7 days a week with a few occasional days off). So, with this in mind and where I drive, I need the minimum requirements:
1. Can Stream Music
2. Bluetooth is fully compatible with my 2016 vehicle
3. An equalizer of some sort since I have only switch out my new cars speakers for better ones and don't plan on changing or adding a better sound system.
4. Decent pictures when needed
5. As a nerd, I like to "mesmerize" people with a pay with your phone app like Apple Pay or Android Pay
6. Works with my Huawei Watch
7. Relatively not laggy - will sometimes do some ROM-ing or some customization but since I tend to get rid of the phones quickly I try not to void warranties or make it too non-stock
THE COMPARISON
I am looking at my experience with the OnePlus 3 and the Axon 7 under/around these requirements and some normal stuff like battery, screen, snappiness, heat, speakers, etc. Here goes:
SOUND OVERALL
There is not too many times when I do a review comparison where 1 phone just crushes the other... and I don't mean like crushing an empty aluminum beer can in your hand crushing... I mean like BigFoot crushing late model junk cars at the end of a Monster Truck Rally Crushin'.... 'Mericaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!! Sorry got carried away there a second. Honestly, how phone manufacturers cannot include a system-wide sound equalizer with all the other STUPID GUI tweaks and bastardizations they do to Android especially is beyond me in 2016. Most people are transitioning to bluetooth headphones or have bluetooth in their cars and for the most part use streaming services to/for music. Yes, there is the occasional dude with the $1000 plug-in headphones that also plugs into a in-line $2000 DAC that only listens to download Loseless Quality Music with the Music App that came with the phone.... with a show of hands, how many fall into this category??? Then why pray tell is this the only music equalization most manufacturers are catering too on their phones (Apple included)? I don't know just wanted to rant a little. With that said though, the inclusion of Dolby ATMOS without having to root on the Axon 7 plus its dual stereo forward facing speakers makes this a non-competition. Yes, you could add ViperATMOSBeatsDon'tcare Mod.zip to a rooted TWRP OnePlus 3... but why should I have to? Why can't some system-wide equalizer be included Mr. FlagShip Killer? Look at their own Community Forum and its one of the most active requests since the OnePlus 3 came out (along with actually using all the RAM the phone has)... Good Work ZTE!!! I'm sure for all you headphone people too that the AXON 7 would dominate even though I have zero to judge that on since I have never taken either the OnePlus 3's headphones nor the AXON 7's headphones out of the box.
WINNER: AXON 7 BigFoot- Crushing OnePlus 3 Grave Digger.
BATTERY
People get bent out of shape nowadays about the "wall hugger" syndrome... this is the need to re-charge your phone more than once, twice, 3-times etc. per day and being attached to a charger constantly. Well, we only have ourselves and technology to blame. Battery technology has yet to progress to a point that adequately matches all the other advances cell phones have made... I can remember in the 90's getting my first Li-ion Battery Cell Phone and was like "WOW!!! I can charge this anytime I want, days of battery life, no need to discharge the whole phone before recharging and no need for extra batteries..." Fast forward almost 30 years... AND its the same type of battery... So no phone truly wins here until technology gets better. This too along with our need for skinny things... women, cocktails, bank account, soda, etc. have phones getting increasingly skinnier without ever considering what it has do with the battery is disturbing. If only we could get back to the simpler times of a bagphone, then the battery could be as big as you want it... AHHH, the simpler times. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Really though, the batteries on both phones perform very similar in my use. The place where they differ the most is the charging. For OnePlus 3, you have to use their proprietary DASH Charge as oppose to QuickCharge 3.0. This means you can only buy OnePlus 3 chargers (or some not trustworthy knock offs) to take advantage of feature... it's not so bad now that they made the car charger available again on their website and the phone comes with a wall plug with the feature... it's just a departure from the standard many others are using and requires new accessory purchases... basically a OnePlus Money Grab.... DASH Charge is slightly faster but not enough for anyone but a battery loving neophyte to really take notice.
WINNER: AXON 7 - Sorry QuickCharge 3.0 Industry Standard beats proprietary DASH Charge even though DASH Charge is slightly faster.
HEAT
Not going to spend much time here. Both phones run Snapdragon 820's. Both phones are metal... guess what... they get hot under stress... so no winners here, only losers. Neither had to be powered off for getting too hot though, like my S7 needed to when I was doing its initial setup... so there's that. :good:
WINNER: Both or None... They get hot under processor stress and in the dreaded "At an event and have your camera constantly on then stick it in your pocket only to have 3rd degree burns on your thighs or butt" Test
SNAPPINESS
Neither phone I have taken the time to Mod or root or stare at compassionately... but both perform really well like they should. Now, let the 6GB vs. 4GB debates begin!!! First, it is well known that even after 2 updates, the OnePlus 3's RAM management is still wonky and does not fully utilize all that RAM. No matter. I can't see an advantage yet. Yes you could AnTuTu-whogivesapoop test them all day. I rather just talked about how using the phone feels. Neither have extensive bastardizations over stock android so neither grinds the phone to a halt like TouchWizCement does. I run the BETA of Sense 8 Launcher for All Android Phones on both. Both phones perform well with it. I have played Pokemon GO! on both along with Clash Royale... both run fine. GPS works good on both and locks in fairly quickly. It isn't the best I have seen but not the LG Worst either [emoji14] Until there's another processor to look at, I think most manufacturers are taking full advantage of the limits of the 820. Throwing RAM at it doesn't dramatically do anything either. I guess it good to always have it in your back pocket if needed.
WINNER: ONEPLUS 3 - Simply because it has more RAM, no real-world experience proves it faster. Fanboy Benchmarkers withstanding
DISPLAY
Not much to mention here either. Both have good displays. On paper, the AXON 7's is better. I would say that the average person not knowing that one has higher resolution than the other would have a hard time calling it out. Color reproduction is about the same on both as well. Neither have a "always-on" feature which would have been nice. Both have LED's for notifications. Here's where once again you just have to stick with the stats and say....
WINNER: AXON 7 - higher stats mean better screen right!!!!???
PHONE DESIGN
Wow! a bit to talk about here. Let's start on both phones exterior features and design. Both are designed well. Definitely not ugly by any stretch of the imagination. The AXON 7 was designed with help from BMW and significantly improves on the previous generation iteration, like having actual speakers in both of the speaker grill looking forward facing top and bottom of screen. I do have the gold AXON 7... the color isn't the greatest but I wasn't going to wait for the gray one to come out to test it... I might return the gold for a gray if they become available in my return window. The OnePlus 3 is a pretty phone too. It doesn't have a firm like BMW attached to it, but one feels they did a good job of improving on the OnePlus 2 design without getting away from their bread and butter core design elements. With that, I love the alert slider... call me an isheep but I feel to this day that it is the single greatest design advantage the iPhone has had over any Android phone for years now. Although not as perfectly functional as Apples is, the OnePlus 3 is a great feature. Both have excellent fingerprint readers. Very fast. For my use case, a front facing fingerprint reader is better. That's my use case, in a cradle, in my car, that I get in and out of while sometime leaving my phone in the cradle, makes the front facing reader slightly more convenient. NFC chip and camera placement good on both as well. AXON 7 does have one design characteristic that I found annoying and I noticed while playing Clash Royale.... the power button is on the right side of the phone near the center. While playing and trying to drag drop to the top of the screen, you can easily inadvertently toggle the on/off button, this might be the button is overly sensitive or just my clumsiness. OnePlus 3 scores some extras too with swapstyle cases... Why can't other phone manufacturers take notes here. I think it is great that I can get relatively cheap exclusively designed nice looking cases for my OnePlus 3... for the AXON 7, I'm stuck with Chinese knock off cheesy poop designed cases with TPU raining from skies... I need a case and sure the first thing that comes to mind when I get a nice looking professionally designed by BMW phone is to put it into a TPU trashcan of a case because 0.0 (zero point zero) cases by ZTE are available or even look worthy of residing on the phone.... yep, I so love it. AXON 7 does step it up with one thing, SD card compatibility. More storage... sure I can use that anytime...
WINNER: TIED - OnePlus 3 would have won here, but not having SD Card capability is just dumb... especially since you used the space for a dual SIM.
CAMERA
I have done a couple of these reviews and every time I point out that I am not a big fan of cameras on phones. I went to school for photography and movie making back when film was still used. Have seen lenses that cost more than my current house and have seen Ansel Adams original prints first hand. So, it makes me a camera snob... thus, my opinion of on phone cameras is that they are all Bantha PooDoo. However, improvements are made with every new phone and even though innovations have seem to slow in favor of the pixel wars... one day they might be great.
Looking at both and later I will put up some similar shots from both, each phone have decent cameras. The OnePlus performs better in low light especially however I would not count the AXON 7 out in the cold as I feel that the AXON 7's low light difficulties might be able to be corrected with feature updates. The AXON 7 does have it's ripoff version of a "live photo" that works pretty decent plus some decent scenario modes that just work better for pictures I may take. The OnePlus 3's camera software is just basic with good custom manual settings. The AXON 7 has manual mode as well. Like I said, I will upload some similar shots from each and you can decide.
WINNER: TBD
CONCLUSION
So, what can I conclude? Both phones are awesome... Both have plus and minuses. I don't think there's a clear hands down winner and would not want to argue that point. I can only tell you that beyond everything else that the lack of a system-wide equalizer for sound just annoys little brown stinkies out of me. My commute to work is a big part of my day sometimes 7 days a week. I want to listen to Sirius XM app and Google Play Music so it sound great in my car. I want to set some equalization that make it sound awesome then forget it is even there. Not constant resetting of bass boost, tweaking sound to have it all reset again and again. Why provide a basic equalizer in Google Play Music on the OnePlus 3 that always has the bass setting reset when a call comes in, you switch to a new app or the crappy RAM Management software kicks it out of memory even though you locked it into memory on the all apps screen? That just pains me... If OnePlus does listen to their customer base, maybe just maybe they will add one in a future OTA update. Who knows. Having had the original AXON, I have to say that this phone is definitely an improvement and is worth checking out if you liked the original. I am still a little off-put by the fact that ZTE has done very little to support this phone with accessories like cases and stuff making me hit Aliexpress for the Oscar the Grouch specials that they have there. Could you survive with either one of these phones as your next new phone... of course! Hopefully, this little review will help you out in that decision. Lastly and as always, this is just Some Guys Opinion...
:highfive:
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Thanks but no thanks... You actually didn't influence my thoughts. More like 1 step forward, 1 step backward, your pros fit both phones matched your cons
Sent from my SM-A9000 using Tapatalk
Thanks for your comparison! Not sure why people are so arrogant or condescending. Appreciate your effort writing this up so some of us can make a better decision.
ashburton said:
Thanks but no thanks... You actually didn't influence my thoughts. More like 1 step forward, 1 step backward, your pros fit both phones matched your cons
Sent from my SM-A9000 using Tapatalk
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That's the whole point. Too many so called "real" reviews online do not give an honest opinion and are influenced by the author getting free stuff, free phone, etc. My point is to not make you say "hey I need to go get one of these phones now" but rather "I did know that and didn't know this... now I do." Thanks for reading!
Charkol said:
Thanks for your comparison! Not sure why people are so arrogant or condescending. Appreciate your effort writing this up so some of us can make a better decision.
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Yep!! You got the point exactly. I'm not here to "influence" anyone into making a decision. I'm not a ZTE or OP3 salesperson. Just laying out real world facts as I see them (Thus the title of the post). Too many blog reviews make phones out to be the greatest thing since sliced bread or the bottom layer of poop in an unattended bird cage (like the stuff stuck to newspaper on the bottom). The fact of the matter is that these people tend to be influenced in other ways (monetarily, free stuff, etc.) to make or break a review. Just because I posted in the AXON 7 forum, does not mean that the AXON 7 wins every category automatically. The AXON 7 is a good phone but not without some flaws, same with the OP3. It's knowing what flaws you can live with and which ones you can't that should influence your decision rather than Some Guys Opinion hahahahahaha :highfive:
Post some stats of battery life comparison. I highly doubt the A7 gets better battery than the OP3.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using XDA-Developers mobile app
mahst68 said:
Nope I meant to call you "bra" and spell check had my back. Bruh is for my bruhs. "Bra" is for someone exactly like you because since you must wear them since you're a little biatch... Trolling flaming gnome. Go get in line for Harry Potter and have a nice day BRA
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I'm an American and am embarrassed to read what you wrote.
Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk
darkjedi said:
I'm an American and am embarrassed to read what you wrote.
Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk
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You are an American?
Sent from my Nexus 6P using XDA-Developers mobile app
darkjedi said:
I'm an American and am embarrassed to read what you wrote.
Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk
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I am too but he stopped commenting so there's that. Sorry I know it was very lame
brickedvice said:
Post some stats of battery life comparison. I highly doubt the A7 gets better battery than the OP3.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using XDA-Developers mobile app
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Didn't say it did actually.... I said it performed similarly. I also said that the OP3 actually charges faster. Why did I pick the AXON 7 then.... well, that's the question isn't?
Oh wait... it's right there in the Battery paragraph if you only took time to read thoroughly... thanks!
I guess, that the snappiness of the OnePlus 3 isn't only because of more Ram, but also because of the much slimmer Oxygen OS.
I didn't receive my OnePlus 3 so far, but even when it's faster, I think I can't live without those awesome speakers of the ZTE Axon 7.
mahst68 said:
Didn't say it did actually.... I said it performed similarly. I also said that the OP3 actually charges faster. Why did I pick the AXON 7 then.... well, that's the question isn't?
Oh wait... it's right there in the Battery paragraph if you only took time to read thoroughly... thanks!
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Your review was kind of big b.s that's why no time to waste on reading all of it. Do a better job next time. Thanks!
Sent from my Nexus 6P using XDA-Developers mobile app
Cypher_01 said:
I guess, that the snappiness of the OnePlus 3 isn't only because of more Ram, but also because of the much slimmer Oxygen OS.
I didn't receive my OnePlus 3 so far, but even when it's faster, I think I can't live without those awesome speakers of the ZTE Axon 7.
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Yep. I wish I could get past the sound thing. Unfortunately it consumes about an hour of my day everyday if not longer. You'll enjoy the OP3. Great phone!!
brickedvice said:
Your review was kind of big b.s that's why no time to waste on reading all of it. Do a better job next time. Thanks!
Sent from my Nexus 6P using XDA-Developers mobile app
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Why is it a bs review? Explain
I’ve been in love with electronic gadgets for years. I had the first Palm Pilot and the HTC Blue Angel, a great windows mobile phone with a keyboard. Many of you are probably too young to be familiar with these devices. Each year, and sometimes twice a year, I would get so excited to see the new devices come out sporting new tech. I would buy two new phones a year, usually from Samsung as the new Galaxy S and Note models came out. I HAVE NEVER BEEN AS DISAPPOINTED WITH THE CELL PHONE MANUFACTURERS AS I AM TODAY. Let me explain why.
Apple is one of the most successful cell phone manufacturers. The I-Phone (the I stands for Idiot) has not been successful because of its great design or software; but because so many people were already hooked on the I-Pad and I-Tunes for their music and media. Another feature that has kept Apple high on the sales charts is I-Message. Though the Apple has good (not great) hardware, its software is for idiots (this is good because there are so many of them) and its feature set is very weak. My primary disgust with current phones is that all the Android manufactures are chasing Apple and removing features that made their cell phones great.
Let’s look at some of these features.
Removable Battery.
A phone is no good if the battery is dead. HTC and Samsung started out right with a replaceable battery. The idiot Apple loving pundits in this industry have reported gleefully that the removeable battery is gone forever. I hope not. No matter how fast a cell phone charges, there’s always times when you just don’t have time to charge. There are so many times when you realize your battery is almost dead and you need to be somewhere else NOW. I’m currently using the last of the great phones with a replaceable batter – the LG V20. I am an extremely heavy cell phone user. I have four batteries (one came with the phone) and three chargers. I keep a charged battery in my pocket and two in the chargers. I never have to plug in my phone. For each of my three sets of battery and charger I paid $22. So for $66, I never run out charge.
I laugh when I see others tell me – “Wait, I cannot go yet, my phone’s dead.” The most idiotic thing is Samsung making a phone that can share a charge with others. Who the heck is going to do that? What Samsung and other manufactures should do is sell a charger and battery set direct for $29 or less. They charge $29 for their wireless chargers and you end up needing two or three so you can have one at the office and a couple at home anyways.
One of the most important things about the removeable battery is the ability to extend the life of the phone. The life of batteries decreases after a short period. It’s ridiculous and costly to have to send in your phone to have the battery replaced.
Build Quality/Cellular Connectivity
On any given day, you can find a reviewer of a cellular device touting “build quality.” Are they just stupid or Apple lovers? Samsung’s build quality was berated by reviewers because they had cheap plastic frames and plastic backs on their phones. This cheap plastic was great. The plastic back allowed easy access to the battery, SIM card, and SD card. Furthermore, plastic frames have better cellular connectivity than aluminum frames do. They are also much cheaper to make and are lighter. Most use a phone case to protect their phones anyway.
So because the industry has chased Apple, we Android users have no replaceable battery, no easy access to SIM and SD cards, heavier phones, and a much higher cost – now over $1,000. My Samsung Note 9 is so heavy that I get fatigued just holding it up in bed. The Note 2 made years ago was a masterpiece in terms of manufacture and feel. It was light and had nice curved corners. It felt great in the hand.
Screen & Screen Dimensions.
Most cell phone manufactures have a great screen. However, somewhere along the way, Samsung decided that a curved screen was a good idea. It’s just a stupid and useless sales gimmick. A flat screen can be easily protected with a case the edges of which extend above the screen. Such a case not only protects the screen but allows one to grip the device without touching the screen.
My next screen grip is the narrow screen. We cannot blame this trend on Apple. As I’ve aged, I need to use reading glasses. When the screens were wider (3 inches and above), I could read almost everything without my reading glasses. With my Note 9, I must use my glasses all the time. I have a LG Stylo 3 too. It has a wide screen that is easy for me to read. Also viewing videos on the wider screen is much better for everyone.
I get it that some people have small hands and need a slimmer phone. But there’s lots of people out there with big hands. You’d think that with all the Android phone models designed each year, someone could make a phone for us men. LG, you’ve got a ThinQ line. How about a FatQ line?
Camera.
Most of the cameras on today’s higher end phones are great and they need to be. I’d like to see more optical magnification.
3.5mm Jack.
Samsung, don’t you get it? People want the 3.5mm jack. Yes, they all have Bluetooth headsets. But sometimes you forget to charge them or need to use a wired headset for other purposes. I bought the Note 9 but will NOT be buying the Note 10 primarily due to the lack of a headphone jack.
IR Blaster/FM Radio.
These are two features I really miss on phones. I love not having to search for my TV’s remote control. This was a great feature now missing on almost all phones. I guess if Apple doesn’t have it, then no one needs it.
The FM radio may seem outdated to some. However, us older guys listen to talk radio and a bunch of other stuff that makes us smarter not dumber like the music you listen to on Spotify, etc. Furthermore, FM radio doesn’t suck the life out of the battery like I-Heart radio. What’s really nice about the FM radio is that you can get reception even where you don’t have cell service. This could be important in an emergency where cell service is down. I use the FM radio at our cabin where the cell signal is weak.
FM radio is available on almost all chips my by Qualcomm and Samsung. Yet, many manufacturers, including Google, make their phones so the FM radio is not functional. Shame on them.
Conclusion.
Android phone manufacturers are giving us phones that have less features, are less useful, are heavier and cost more. What’s the advantage of buying a new phone? Is it any wonder that the sales of flagship cell phones are decreasing? Quit chasing Apple and start adding back in real features that add value.
NeutronBomb said:
Nobody gives a **** that you miss the removable battery or that you don't like the phone. Save it for your diary.
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I give a **** that he misses the removable battery!
Neo3D said:
I give a **** that he misses the removable battery!
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As do I. It should never of been removed as an option.
Form over function. Design over usability.
These are the priorities that Apple promoted and all other manufacturers followed, sadly.
Bollocks!
"a phone is no good if the battery is dead" = A car is no good if its gastank is empty. Do you carry additional gastanks with you to extend the mileage, or do you have the discipline to stop for gas when it is needed?
You are complaining about the lack of removable battery because you like to extend the phone's life by buying additional batteries. But you are buying two new phones every year? In my opinion that doesn't make any sense unless you're collecting them for a personal museum-like use.
If I could use to choose between removable battery or waterproof housing back in the days (let's say around the Note 2 era) I would have chosen waterproof housing. These days I cannot imagine why someone is not been able to charge there phones on a regular (daily) basis. So carrying extra batteries all day sounds stupid to me, and is the main reason powerbanks exist.
- 3,5mm jack?...Old technology....forget about it en move on.
- Rounded glass, metal frame not good? Millions of devices are bought by customers who are drooling about their shiny metal and rounded devices. Why in the hell would a manufacturer not jump in that gap and keep using ugly plastic screens and bodies? People are willing to pay the high prices for it...it is just a simple matter of demand.
- IR blaster? Seriously? In an era where we could controle devices with wifi/BT, even with voice commands etc.
- FM radio? There are dozens of apps out there where you could listen to thousands (if not more) radiostations, in the most cases in digital quality.
Your post, I mean rant, is nothing but a whining post about features that have had their time. Technology is moving on, I suggest you do too. Maybe you get a revelation and see that (not all ) I-Phone users aren't idiots. Those who keeps complaining about "it was way better back then" are...
jabberwock said:
Bollocks!
"a phone is no good if the battery is dead" = A car is no good if its gastank is empty. Do you carry additional gastanks with you to extend the mileage, or do you have the discipline to stop for gas when it is needed?
You are complaining about the lack of removable battery because you like to extend the phone's life by buying additional batteries. But you are buying two new phones every year? In my opinion that doesn't make any sense unless you're collecting them for a personal museum-like use.
If I could use to choose between removable battery or waterproof housing back in the days (let's say around the Note 2 era) I would have chosen waterproof housing. These days I cannot imagine why someone is not been able to charge there phones on a regular (daily) basis. So carrying extra batteries all day sounds stupid to me, and is the main reason powerbanks exist.
- 3,5mm jack?...Old technology....forget about it en move on.
- Rounded glass, metal frame not good? Millions of devices are bought by customers who are drooling about their shiny metal and rounded devices. Why in the hell would a manufacturer not jump in that gap and keep using ugly plastic screens and bodies? People are willing to pay the high prices for it...it is just a simple matter of demand.
- IR blaster? Seriously? In an era where we could controle devices with wifi/BT, even with voice commands etc.
- FM radio? There are dozens of apps out there where you could listen to thousands (if not more) radiostations, in the most cases in digital quality.
Your post, I mean rant, is nothing but a whining post about features that have had their time. Technology is moving on, I suggest you do too. Maybe you get a revelation and see that (not all ) I-Phone users aren't idiots. Those who keeps complaining about "it was way better back then" are...
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OMG! Chill, guys. He was only expressing an opinion, not attacking your mother.
kat3k said:
OMG! Chill, guys. He was only expressing an opinion, not attacking your mother.
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Agreed! One thing I really don't understand...why manufacturer's follow apple? Unless apple pays other manufacturers To me it is the same thing if someone jumps from the bridge, then I would be doing it as well. Why not to do the opposite...Apple removed headphone jack, we(android people) keep it. When manufacturers follow apple, it shows users that apple is smart and go ahead buy their products. There are so many manufacturers around the worlds and once a notch on the phone became a thing, many started to copy. Small camera cutout is fine, but not the big notch!
rambo6 said:
Though the Apple has good (not great) hardware, its software is for idiots (this is good because there are so many of them) and its feature set is very weak.
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Apple actually has great hardware. Their SOC is something that Qualcomm just can't match. As for their software, it's not "for idiots". It's for average users that only care about the standard smartphone experience. It's not for enthusiasts. Calling every IPhone user an idiot just shows how dumb YOU are.
rambo6 said:
Removable Battery.
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Get a powerbank. They're cheap enough and occupy basically the same space a spare battery would.
rambo6 said:
Most cell phone manufactures have a great screen. However, somewhere along the way, Samsung decided that a curved screen was a good idea. It’s just a stupid and useless sales gimmick. A flat screen can be easily protected with a case the edges of which extend above the screen. Such a case not only protects the screen but allows one to grip the device without touching the screen.
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There are still plenty of phones with flat screens. I personally like the curve. It's a subjective matter. Just buy a different phone that suits your taste.
rambo6 said:
Most of the cameras on today’s higher end phones are great and they need to be. I’d like to see more optical magnification.
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Sure thing. Would you like a giant, thick, ugly as all hell sensor to go with that?
rambo6 said:
IR Blaster/FM Radio.
These are two features I really miss on phones. I love not having to search for my TV’s remote control. This was a great feature now missing on almost all phones. I guess if Apple doesn’t have it, then no one needs it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apple never had it in the first place (at least the IR blaster) so your reasoning why it was removed is pretty silly. You can buy a universal remote for 3$. As for FM radio, again, a ton of devices still have it. Just buy something that suits you.
Good grief.
Guys, calm down, man expresses his opinion here, it's not illegal
What worries me about Samsung, Samsung should work on a larger battery.
Flagships have smaller batteries, and are mid-priced have larger batteries, the battery on the N10 needed to be bigger (e.g. 4000mAh).
IMO IR-blaster is worthless on a touch device. I want physical buttons I can find and press without having to look at the remote, so good riddance to this feature.
"Cell phone"...that's a word I haven't heard in a while
LMFAO. The list of grievances here is just stupid. I don't give two ****s about removable battery, the goddamn 3.5mm jack is DEAD so get over it, and the rest are really not a problem. You act like features have ONLY been removed all while features like improved cameras, fingerprint reader on-screen, active wake word support for voice assistants, incredible screen improvements, better battery life, and inking support have all been added. You'll clearly never be happy with technology so just stop using it.
I returned my note 10 plus and got a huawei mate 20 x. It's a beast no pen. Better in other regards. 1080p is good enough for me on a phone. Older 4g version.
rambo6 said:
I’ve been in love with electronic gadgets for years. I had the first Palm Pilot and the HTC Blue Angel, a great windows mobile phone with a keyboard. Many of you are probably too young to be familiar with these devices. Each year, and sometimes twice a year, I would get so excited to see the new devices come out sporting new tech. I would buy two new phones a year, usually from Samsung as the new Galaxy S and Note models came out. I HAVE NEVER BEEN AS DISAPPOINTED WITH THE CELL PHONE MANUFACTURERS AS I AM TODAY. Let me explain why.
Apple is one of the most successful cell phone manufacturers. The I-Phone (the I stands for Idiot) has not been successful because of its great design or software; but because so many people were already hooked on the I-Pad and I-Tunes for their music and media. Another feature that has kept Apple high on the sales charts is I-Message. Though the Apple has good (not great) hardware, its software is for idiots (this is good because there are so many of them) and its feature set is very weak. My primary disgust with current phones is that all the Android manufactures are chasing Apple and removing features that made their cell phones great.
Let’s look at some of these features.
Removable Battery.
A phone is no good if the battery is dead. HTC and Samsung started out right with a replaceable battery. The idiot Apple loving pundits in this industry have reported gleefully that the removeable battery is gone forever. I hope not. No matter how fast a cell phone charges, there’s always times when you just don’t have time to charge. There are so many times when you realize your battery is almost dead and you need to be somewhere else NOW. I’m currently using the last of the great phones with a replaceable batter – the LG V20. I am an extremely heavy cell phone user. I have four batteries (one came with the phone) and three chargers. I keep a charged battery in my pocket and two in the chargers. I never have to plug in my phone. For each of my three sets of battery and charger I paid $22. So for $66, I never run out charge.
I laugh when I see others tell me – “Wait, I cannot go yet, my phone’s dead.” The most idiotic thing is Samsung making a phone that can share a charge with others. Who the heck is going to do that? What Samsung and other manufactures should do is sell a charger and battery set direct for $29 or less. They charge $29 for their wireless chargers and you end up needing two or three so you can have one at the office and a couple at home anyways.
One of the most important things about the removeable battery is the ability to extend the life of the phone. The life of batteries decreases after a short period. It’s ridiculous and costly to have to send in your phone to have the battery replaced.
Build Quality/Cellular Connectivity
On any given day, you can find a reviewer of a cellular device touting “build quality.” Are they just stupid or Apple lovers? Samsung’s build quality was berated by reviewers because they had cheap plastic frames and plastic backs on their phones. This cheap plastic was great. The plastic back allowed easy access to the battery, SIM card, and SD card. Furthermore, plastic frames have better cellular connectivity than aluminum frames do. They are also much cheaper to make and are lighter. Most use a phone case to protect their phones anyway.
So because the industry has chased Apple, we Android users have no replaceable battery, no easy access to SIM and SD cards, heavier phones, and a much higher cost – now over $1,000. My Samsung Note 9 is so heavy that I get fatigued just holding it up in bed. The Note 2 made years ago was a masterpiece in terms of manufacture and feel. It was light and had nice curved corners. It felt great in the hand.
Screen & Screen Dimensions.
Most cell phone manufactures have a great screen. However, somewhere along the way, Samsung decided that a curved screen was a good idea. It’s just a stupid and useless sales gimmick. A flat screen can be easily protected with a case the edges of which extend above the screen. Such a case not only protects the screen but allows one to grip the device without touching the screen.
My next screen grip is the narrow screen. We cannot blame this trend on Apple. As I’ve aged, I need to use reading glasses. When the screens were wider (3 inches and above), I could read almost everything without my reading glasses. With my Note 9, I must use my glasses all the time. I have a LG Stylo 3 too. It has a wide screen that is easy for me to read. Also viewing videos on the wider screen is much better for everyone.
I get it that some people have small hands and need a slimmer phone. But there’s lots of people out there with big hands. You’d think that with all the Android phone models designed each year, someone could make a phone for us men. LG, you’ve got a ThinQ line. How about a FatQ line?
Camera.
Most of the cameras on today’s higher end phones are great and they need to be. I’d like to see more optical magnification.
3.5mm Jack.
Samsung, don’t you get it? People want the 3.5mm jack. Yes, they all have Bluetooth headsets. But sometimes you forget to charge them or need to use a wired headset for other purposes. I bought the Note 9 but will NOT be buying the Note 10 primarily due to the lack of a headphone jack.
IR Blaster/FM Radio.
These are two features I really miss on phones. I love not having to search for my TV’s remote control. This was a great feature now missing on almost all phones. I guess if Apple doesn’t have it, then no one needs it.
The FM radio may seem outdated to some. However, us older guys listen to talk radio and a bunch of other stuff that makes us smarter not dumber like the music you listen to on Spotify, etc. Furthermore, FM radio doesn’t suck the life out of the battery like I-Heart radio. What’s really nice about the FM radio is that you can get reception even where you don’t have cell service. This could be important in an emergency where cell service is down. I use the FM radio at our cabin where the cell signal is weak.
FM radio is available on almost all chips my by Qualcomm and Samsung. Yet, many manufacturers, including Google, make their phones so the FM radio is not functional. Shame on them.
Conclusion.
Android phone manufacturers are giving us phones that have less features, are less useful, are heavier and cost more. What’s the advantage of buying a new phone? Is it any wonder that the sales of flagship cell phones are decreasing? Quit chasing Apple and start adding back in real features that add value.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
rambo6 said:
I’ve been in love with electronic gadgets for years. I had the first Palm Pilot and the HTC Blue Angel, a great windows mobile phone with a keyboard. Many of you are probably too young to be familiar with these devices. Each year, and sometimes twice a year, I would get so excited to see the new devices come out sporting new tech. I would buy two new phones a year, usually from Samsung as the new Galaxy S and Note models came out. I HAVE NEVER BEEN AS DISAPPOINTED WITH THE CELL PHONE MANUFACTURERS AS I AM TODAY. Let me explain why.
Apple is one of the most successful cell phone manufacturers. The I-Phone (the I stands for Idiot) has not been successful because of its great design or software; but because so many people were already hooked on the I-Pad and I-Tunes for their music and media. Another feature that has kept Apple high on the sales charts is I-Message. Though the Apple has good (not great) hardware, its software is for idiots (this is good because there are so many of them) and its feature set is very weak. My primary disgust with current phones is that all the Android manufactures are chasing Apple and removing features that made their cell phones great.
Let’s look at some of these features.
Removable Battery.
A phone is no good if the battery is dead. HTC and Samsung started out right with a replaceable battery. The idiot Apple loving pundits in this industry have reported gleefully that the removeable battery is gone forever. I hope not. No matter how fast a cell phone charges, there’s always times when you just don’t have time to charge. There are so many times when you realize your battery is almost dead and you need to be somewhere else NOW. I’m currently using the last of the great phones with a replaceable batter – the LG V20. I am an extremely heavy cell phone user. I have four batteries (one came with the phone) and three chargers. I keep a charged battery in my pocket and two in the chargers. I never have to plug in my phone. For each of my three sets of battery and charger I paid $22. So for $66, I never run out charge.
I laugh when I see others tell me – “Wait, I cannot go yet, my phone’s dead.” The most idiotic thing is Samsung making a phone that can share a charge with others. Who the heck is going to do that? What Samsung and other manufactures should do is sell a charger and battery set direct for $29 or less. They charge $29 for their wireless chargers and you end up needing two or three so you can have one at the office and a couple at home anyways.
One of the most important things about the removeable battery is the ability to extend the life of the phone. The life of batteries decreases after a short period. It’s ridiculous and costly to have to send in your phone to have the battery replaced.
Build Quality/Cellular Connectivity
On any given day, you can find a reviewer of a cellular device touting “build quality.” Are they just stupid or Apple lovers? Samsung’s build quality was berated by reviewers because they had cheap plastic frames and plastic backs on their phones. This cheap plastic was great. The plastic back allowed easy access to the battery, SIM card, and SD card. Furthermore, plastic frames have better cellular connectivity than aluminum frames do. They are also much cheaper to make and are lighter. Most use a phone case to protect their phones anyway.
So because the industry has chased Apple, we Android users have no replaceable battery, no easy access to SIM and SD cards, heavier phones, and a much higher cost – now over $1,000. My Samsung Note 9 is so heavy that I get fatigued just holding it up in bed. The Note 2 made years ago was a masterpiece in terms of manufacture and feel. It was light and had nice curved corners. It felt great in the hand.
Screen & Screen Dimensions.
Most cell phone manufactures have a great screen. However, somewhere along the way, Samsung decided that a curved screen was a good idea. It’s just a stupid and useless sales gimmick. A flat screen can be easily protected with a case the edges of which extend above the screen. Such a case not only protects the screen but allows one to grip the device without touching the screen.
My next screen grip is the narrow screen. We cannot blame this trend on Apple. As I’ve aged, I need to use reading glasses. When the screens were wider (3 inches and above), I could read almost everything without my reading glasses. With my Note 9, I must use my glasses all the time. I have a LG Stylo 3 too. It has a wide screen that is easy for me to read. Also viewing videos on the wider screen is much better for everyone.
I get it that some people have small hands and need a slimmer phone. But there’s lots of people out there with big hands. You’d think that with all the Android phone models designed each year, someone could make a phone for us men. LG, you’ve got a ThinQ line. How about a FatQ line?
Camera.
Most of the cameras on today’s higher end phones are great and they need to be. I’d like to see more optical magnification.
3.5mm Jack.
Samsung, don’t you get it? People want the 3.5mm jack. Yes, they all have Bluetooth headsets. But sometimes you forget to charge them or need to use a wired headset for other purposes. I bought the Note 9 but will NOT be buying the Note 10 primarily due to the lack of a headphone jack.
IR Blaster/FM Radio.
These are two features I really miss on phones. I love not having to search for my TV’s remote control. This was a great feature now missing on almost all phones. I guess if Apple doesn’t have it, then no one needs it.
The FM radio may seem outdated to some. However, us older guys listen to talk radio and a bunch of other stuff that makes us smarter not dumber like the music you listen to on Spotify, etc. Furthermore, FM radio doesn’t suck the life out of the battery like I-Heart radio. What’s really nice about the FM radio is that you can get reception even where you don’t have cell service. This could be important in an emergency where cell service is down. I use the FM radio at our cabin where the cell signal is weak.
FM radio is available on almost all chips my by Qualcomm and Samsung. Yet, many manufacturers, including Google, make their phones so the FM radio is not functional. Shame on them.
Conclusion.
Android phone manufacturers are giving us phones that have less features, are less useful, are heavier and cost more. What’s the advantage of buying a new phone? Is it any wonder that the sales of flagship cell phones are decreasing? Quit chasing Apple and start adding back in real features that add value.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A mid spec device will have more of the features you want than the current flagship devices, which are advancing in areas that you don't understand.
How I miss the removable batteries, sd card support, 3.5mm jacks. I hate my iPhone (and newer Android's) but love it too
skally said:
A mid spec device will have more of the features you want than the current flagship devices, which are advancing in areas that you don't understand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do realize that there's more and more tech added to the new flagships, but is it really that useful? Take for instance the new bluetooth stylus or the in screen fingerprint scanner. I do use the stylus of my Note 9 as a remote for the camera, but it's really not as useful as the removable battery or head phone jack. The same goes for the in screen fingerprint scanner. It's cool, but is it necessary. Part of my job is to design products with useful features. The gimmicks the phone designers may be cool and high tech. I hope they keep it up, but they need to develop some high end phones with REALLY USEFUL features. The mid-range phones don't cut it in speed though some come close.
Neo3D said:
I give a **** that he misses the removable battery!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You must work for Samsung or one of the other phone manufacturers.
rambo6 said:
You must work for Samsung or one of the other phone manufacturers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That statement has 0 logic
Neo3D said:
That statement has 0 logic
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You want logic, try this: The reason the new cell phone sales are tanking is because they are too high priced for the features offered.
rambo6 said:
You want logic, try this: The reason the new cell phone sales are tanking is because they are too high priced for the features offered.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This statement is a straw man's fallacy
---------- Post added at 03:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:30 PM ----------
Tundrok said:
LMFAO. The list of grievances here is just stupid. I don't give two ****s about removable battery, the goddamn 3.5mm jack is DEAD so get over it, and the rest are really not a problem. You act like features have ONLY been removed all while features like improved cameras, fingerprint reader on-screen, active wake word support for voice assistants, incredible screen improvements, better battery life, and inking support have all been added. You'll clearly never be happy with technology so just stop using it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do give 10 ****s about not having a removable battery.
This phone has a fast SOC, 12GB RAM, 256GB storage, and 256GB micro SD... You think it will be outdated in 2 years? Of course not and Samsung f?kcing knows that!!!
That is exactly why they sealed in the battery, so when the battery is shot to hell in 2 years, then you'll be forced to upgrade.
As SOCs get even more powerful every year and phones get more and more RAM and storage, this PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE STRATEGY becomes more and more true.
Customers never had to replace their laptops every 2 years. Yet, Samsung and Apple are getting away with forcing people to do this with their $1000-$1500 phones which ironically cost as much as a laptop!
OFF-TOPIC DISCUSSIONS ARE WELCOME AT A POINT!
I think it's really amazing! A foldable phone that's a Pixel
What do you think?
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notnoelchannel said:
I think it's really amazing! A foldable phone that's a Pixel
What do you think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm stoked for it. Everything about it that was announced was expected due to the leaks... form factor, price, specs, etc. Dates were expected, although I'm not too happy with the Sony Xperia-esque delivery date (a bit of an exaggeration, but whatever). Will be worth it in the end though.
Hoping that Android 14 Beta will make it's way over to it sooner rather than later.
I think it's miles behind Samsung on the software front unfortunately. But the pixel fold has 2 big advantages, the form factor is much better than Samsung (too narrow) and it's going to be much easier to root/build custom ROMs. Peeves me off even after you unroot Samsung 1/2 your functions are still broken
andy242 said:
I think it's miles behind Samsung on the software front unfortunately. But the pixel fold has 2 big advantages, the form factor is much better than Samsung (too narrow) and it's going to be much easier to root/build custom ROMs. Peeves me off even after you unroot Samsung 1/2 your functions are still broken
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For example camera is going to be broken after root on the galaxy fold..
notnoelchannel said:
I think it's really amazing! A foldable phone that's a Pixel
What do you think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would be an interesting device if it sold for ~$800. I don't know what they are charging an extra $1,000 for.
notnoelchannel said:
For example camera is going to be broken after root on the galaxy fold..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not anymore but Samsung pass Samsung health and Samsung pay will never work again even after unroot
TheMystic said:
It would be an interesting device if it sold for ~$800. I don't know what they are charging an extra $1,000 for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a good question. I think it's the accessories for the device?
It will have the same issues as all fold displays; material failure at the crease. It's simply beyond the physical capabilities of any transparent plastics/adhesives to repeatedly bend at that high a radius. You can take that to the bank.
What to expect...
High because of limited production and breakage, during and after production.
Limited storage because Gookill doesn't want you to have expandable storage; like MS they want to force you into the cloud.
If it's reality be as great as its hype... but it's not.
blackhawk said:
It will have the same issues as all fold displays; material failure at the crease. It's simply beyond the physical capabilities of any transparent plastics/adhesives to repeatedly bend at that high a radius. You can take that to the bank.
High because of limited production and breakage, during and after production.
Limited storage because Gookill doesn't want you to have expandable storage; like MS they want to force you into the cloud.
If it's reality be as great as its hype... but it's not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tbh the inner screen failure has been quite low on Sammy devices, the issues have been with the inner screen protector. I do agree with you on the production yield though
No Ideas coz it will Not Release in India. But If Released It would be the Most Non Selled Device in India. Here only 2 Type of People One Type Goes to Chinese Phones as they were cheaper other type people only buys Samsung or Apple Because most of them are considering these brands are the best in market without checking others... This is Also the Reason for Google to stopped selling their flagships in India.
notnoelchannel said:
That's a good question. I think it's the accessories for the device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I know, they don't even give a charger in the box.
There are a lot of reasons to price it there.
Product positioning: All rumors point to this becoming their flagship device. A part of what makes a flagship, a flagship, is exclusivity through pricing. It wouldn't be exclusive if everyone had it.
It's also more palatable to consumers to lower pricing that is too high versus raising prices that were below what the market would bear.
There is some speculation that they'd rather not move too many of these until the durability factor is quantified. That reduces the exposure to warranty claims in case there should be a significant percentage of failures in the wild.
Money, and lots of it, gives you a different perspective. While corporate goals have reportedly turned to making hardware profitable, it is not their cash cow. If you look at their earnings, you can see very clearly that hardware isn't keeping the lights on. Their not idiots: The purpose of being in the hardware game is controlling the narrative; the real machine is their ad business.
They would like hardware to recoup its cost, make a little money. If it goes their way, maybe even become a significant source of future profits. But for today they're swimming in money and investing billions in hardware that will help shape the android ecosystem is really investing billions in their ad business. The Pixel Fold doesn't need to sell in numbers because Google is not really in the hardware business. They have that luxury.
krabman said:
There are a lot of reasons to price it there.
Product positioning: All rumors point to this becoming their flagship device. A part of what makes a flagship, a flagship, is exclusivity through pricing. It wouldn't be exclusive if everyone had it.
It's also more palatable to consumers to lower pricing that is too high versus raising prices that were below what the market would bear.
There is some speculation that they'd rather not move too many of these until the durability factor is quantified. That reduces the exposure to warranty claims in case there should be a significant percentage of failures in the wild.
Money, and lots of it, gives you a different perspective. While corporate goals have reportedly turned to making hardware profitable, it is not their cash cow. If you look at their earnings, you can see very clearly that hardware isn't keeping the lights on. Their not idiots: The purpose of being in the hardware game is controlling the narrative; the real machine is their ad business.
They would like hardware to recoup its cost, make a little money. If it goes their way, maybe even become a significant source of future profits. But for today they're swimming in money and investing billions in hardware that will help shape the android ecosystem is really investing billions in their ad business. The Pixel Fold doesn't need to sell in numbers because Google is not really in the hardware business. They have that luxury.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well put. Meantime to failure of the inner protective screen and/or display, 6 months.
andy242 said:
Tbh the inner screen failure has been quite low on Sammy devices, the issues have been with the inner screen protector. I do agree with you on the production yield though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't even touch on the AMOLED display that's constantly bending at a very tight radius. Unlike ribbon cables in conventional hinges. With its hundreds of matrix pathways as well OLEDs . Much more stress than in a simple static curved display. Add to all that the torsional stresses of being on a hinge.
It's got fail written all over it.
Warranty doesn't reimburse inconvenient... the only hardware down time this N10+ suffered in almost 4 years (how many Folds have survived heavy usage with this kind of repair track record?) was half a day to have its battery replace. Worse Samsung failed to adequately design firmware/software that can take full advantage of all the real estate that's available.
Samsung has had many years to get the whole package from a beta project to a flagship level* of reliability and performance. It remains a more refined beta offering. It's a cool looking headache.
*meanwhile their other flagships are suffering as well. Too many lamps burning and not enough kerosene.
I'd like to see the citations for your data; I'm not aware of any source, public or private, that shows MTBF for the Pixel Fold screen. Or for that matter, any data you possess or can link to showing the MTBF for any foldable device coming from a reputable source would be useful to all of us. I would be grateful if you could share this information.
Just to give you an idea of the testing involved in the development of these phones the screens were tested to last at least 200,000 or more openings (open and close counts as 1) depending on the device. That's over 5 years even if you use your phone every ten minutes, for 16 hours, every single day.
krabman said:
I'd like to see the citations for your data; I'm not aware of any source, public or private, that shows MTBF for the Pixel Fold screen. Or for that matter, any data you possess or can link to showing the MTBF for any foldable device coming from a reputable source would be useful to all of us. I would be grateful if you could share this information.
Just to give you an idea of the testing involved in the development of these phones the screens were tested to last at least 200,000 or more openings (open and close counts as 1) depending on the device. That's over 5 years even if you use your phone every ten minutes, for 16 hours, every single day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Link is above; it didn't go so well for them. Maybe you'll get lucky. Are you feeling lucky?
Use some common sense. Do you know of any folding plastic with this acute of a radius bend and thickness that can survive 200k folds? Worse it's a laminate.
Even teflon is hard pressed to do that... and it's not transparent.
I've gone through 3 folders, none of them failed. I'm typing on one that's a year old right now, but much like the link you've posted, that's just one man's personal experience and in no way qualifies as data regarding MTBF for any particular device or part.
Do you have any actual MTBF data from a credible source that you can link?
krabman said:
I've gone through 3 folders, none of them failed. I'm typing on one that's a year old right now, but much like the link you've posted, that's just one man's personal experience and in no way qualifies as data regarding MTBF for any particular device or part.
Do you have any actual MTBF data from a credible source that you can link?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a pretty good run especially for the earlier ones. The better get while gettings good philosophy has worked so far for you.
I still have the Note 10+ I purchased in October of 2019. It looks and runs like new. Only repair was one replacement battery. It has over 8k hours on it with zero detectable display defects/degradation.
MTBF? It's not mil spec... 200k cycles; sounds like it last 5 years easy. Yes, well... just like the Samsung VP's claim that most customers hold the Note in their right hand to justify putting the spen on the wrong side. Sammy's gotten pretty sleazy in the last 4 years. Zero confidence.
Trust me, the first Z fold was a little scary. By the time I traded it the hinge was a weakening, there were signs of screen delamination, etc. That was somewhat less than a year.
The only longevity question mark I have here is that the phone hasn't been in consumer hands. They talk about having iterated the hardware dozens of time over the (protracted) development period but that's no substitute for 1000s of hands finding ways to make something break.
For me, it's simple: Sometimes it goes bad when you want to play with the new shiny; I like new shiny and it usually it works out so I'll take my chances.
krabman said:
There are a lot of reasons to price it there.
Product positioning: All rumors point to this becoming their flagship device. A part of what makes a flagship, a flagship, is exclusivity through pricing. It wouldn't be exclusive if everyone had it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no rumour pointing to this becoming their flagship device. It is just a different form factor. The flagship device from Samsung is their S Ultra, not the Fold which is already in its 4th generation. The Pixel 7 Pro is still the better device than the Pixel fold.
As with exclusivity through pricing, it makes sense to buy one only if the product is indeed superior. If not, it is just a waste of money.
krabman said:
There is some speculation that they'd rather not move too many of these until the durability factor is quantified. That reduces the exposure to warranty claims in case there should be a significant percentage of failures in the wild.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is a strategy even Samsung used. But they were the pioneers, testing waters and creating a new product. Google using it almost 5 years later shows that the hardware is still not up to the mark for mass use.
MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION:
Your reasons explain the pricing from the company's perspective. Why is the customer paying so much for an inferior product? To help Google to improve their products?
It is well known that Samsung's software is best optimised for the fold experience today. It has a much better build and in its 4th generation. It is the better product and easily the better choice to make, if the customer has 'value' and 'reliability' considerations.
krabman said:
Just to give you an idea of the testing involved in the development of these phones the screens were tested to last at least 200,000 or more openings (open and close counts as 1) depending on the device. That's over 5 years even if you use your phone every ten minutes, for 16 hours, every single day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Real life use is way different from factory testing in controlled environments. These numbers are just like the fuel efficiency that the car makers claim.
blackhawk said:
just like the Samsung VP's claim that most customers hold the Note in their right hand to justify putting the spen on the wrong side.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is a very absurd argument. Most users are right handed, so would find it naturally more convenient if the S-Pen was housed on the right side of the device, because they would use the right hand to operate the pen.
I use my left hand more than the right hand when it comes to using the phone (I'm a right hander). Even for me, the S-Pen on the right side would be easily more convenient.
krabman said:
For me, it's simple: Sometimes it goes bad when you want to play with the new shiny; I like new shiny and it usually it works out so I'll take my chances.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I too like new and shiny, and willing to take some chances. But then it really has to be the best or superior product. The price should justify my spending it, and not why the company benefits from it.
Actually there are not only MANY rumors pointing to this becoming Googs flagship device; there is also talk of dropping the A model effective next year because of that. We'll see how it all plays out.
As to why I explained the pricing from the company's perspective... The question was asked why they were charging what they were charging. Whether you or I or anyone else should pay it is another question altogether.
The rest of that is largely subjective. I have had several Samsung folders, I do not see that as better than the software shown so far on the Pixel but the jury is still out, I have to use it before I can make a call. So do you for that matter.
Agree about the benefits of being in the 4th and soon 5th iteration. But then I had the Z fold when it was in its first generation too; heard the same arguments made then about it being a high school garage project which no sane person should buy. Except of course a lot of us enjoyed the crap out of that thing, shop project and all, and were never going back to a rectangle again.
True about the folding tests as compared to real life usage but then that's factual data that is repeatable, quantifiable, and has actual bearing on the subject at hand. A story about some random guy who had a problem isn't exactly a proof of anything other than there was some random guy that had a problem.
My suggestion, MrMystic: Move on; no sense in staying around here. Life is short, too short to hang on a forum for a device you don't want or like bellyaching over what you've already decided you don't want.
Personally I loved the folding action itself of the Z Folds, hate the rest of the phone. I didn't use the cover screen for anything but reading notifications and IMO they're all fatally flawed from the start due to the form factor alone. I moved on to the X Fold for that reason and despite its' wonky software liked it better. The PIxel Fold is going to finally bring the form factor folding phones have needed all along and I'll take it every day of the week over Samsung. If Google had not released this phone I would have bought another folder again, I'm completely sold on them, but it would not be Samsung.