Database Info

Planning to buy a Captivate

I recently had an AT&T Tilt die on me. Fortunately, I had warranty on it, so AT&T sent me a refurbished Pure. Its awesome and all, but now I am eligible for an upgrade on one of my lines. So, I'm planning on getting the Captivate from Amazon for $99, and sell the month old refurbished Pure on ebay or something.
What do you guys think? Good idea to swap a Pure for a Captivate? And would I be able to get around $100-200 for the refurbished Pure on ebay?
What about features? I know the Captivate has Android. Is it as customizable as WinMo? Anything I should keep in mind before I take the plunge?
Thanks in advance.

I used to have a winmo phone a couple years ago, and I loved how customizable it was, but then I got the iphone because it was skinnier perfermed a lot nicer and had a lot more features.
now im going to be getting a captivate because it performs better than an iphone and just as much customization (or more) then winmo.

I had an original tilt (tynt2) up until the aria came out. I had been running an android rom on it for a few months and decided to switch. 30 days after getting my aria I returned it to Best Buy and got the captivate on release day.
I am loving the switch. My android fulfills the work, personal, and entertainment needs my winmo just couldn't get.
I will be checking out phone7 when it releases but I am not sure if I will be switching away from android. I suggest you go for it. Experience something new!

Selling rooted captivate or will trade for att banded nexus one, I don't care if its a step down. I miss trackballs, and fastboot.
sent from a 42 node T.I. 89 cluster

Interesting. Its nice to see different opinions. Keep them coming. I need all angles before I make my decision.

If you on at&t the captivate its the best option. The only drawback I find over the iPhone its the appstore. The 3rd party apps on the iPhone are just way more Polish.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

That's why i kept my AT&T branded Nexus One. I mean I love my Captivate, but it just isn't there yet like the Nexus One and plus the dev community behind the Nexus is second to none. It will get there, but for the time being the SIM card with my unlimited data plan and main number is in my Nexus One again, but i wont be getting rid of my Captivate either. I wish i could take the two phones and frankenstein me a nexus two. Nexus One body style with the 4" super AMOLED and MaxTouch sensor, 1 ghz hummingbird and PowerVR, and best of all Vanilla Android with Froyo. I guy can wish can't he. Until then i am happy with both just not ready to retire my loyal Nexus One, but i feel that when i do it will be for the Captivate. We just need the end of September to hurry and get here bringing us Froyo and we need Samsung to hurry with a GPS fix while the developer community grows.

I bought the captivate on release day. I have to say it's a great phone but it wasn't for me. There are a few issues with the phone that should be fixed by Samsung soon (major is just gps) but other than that its a good phone, it's more technical thats for sure. I had to return it for an iphone 4 instead, music is a big role that is a factor for me when i purchase a phone and although the stock player was ok it was nothing compared to iphone. Thats one thing no one can beat apple in...media. There is also a little bit of lag (launcher pro takes care most of it). If you buy it I would suggest you root it and make sure to back up the At&t apps...i forgot to do that lol, good thing best buy doesn't check

The only problems i have are some software issues that i assume samsung will fix - things that their skinning affected - like not being able to dial a number in a calendar invite. Not a show stopper, but an inconvenience.
As for customization - it is more customizable then WinMo mostly. WinMo was more wide open you copied files and futzed with the registry, nothing would stop you. Android, you have to root first - so an extra step. But compared to the iPhone much easier to customize. Rooting after an update is much easier then jailbreaking.
As far as other comparisons - I like the captivate better then my iPhone 3G, and passed on the iPhone 4. I think the media player in the captivate is superiour to the iphone - the interface is nicer, and easier and sound is just as good if not better then the iphone. More video and music formats are supported too, and even though the screen may not have the pixels of the iPhone 4 it is bigger and better looking. Blacks are black and that is what i wanted.
Android is not perfect, but it is catching up to the iPhone fast. iPhone has at least a year jump on Android, but I think the feature list will put Android on top soon.
I haved had phones of every OS, and Android is my favorite so far - the extent of the widgets is amazing.

I switched over from a BlackBerry Bold 9000, phone is night and day difference. The call quality is better, web browsing, youtube and the screen is awesome. The only downside I find with the Captivate is the lack of push e-mail scheme except with gmail but the plus side is no more truncation and actually get to see all of the html e-mails like looking at them through thunderbird. I will add that I love Android over Palm, BB and Windows Mobile, I have not owned the iPhone but I dont think I can because I prefer the 4 inch samoled screen.
HTH,
Charlie

You probably know already since you've been doing research, but the compass and GPS on the Captivate are totally busted at the moment. Otherwise, it's a fantastic handset, and as customizable as you could want.

I got the Captivate on release day, and previously used a Tilt.
The Tilt was running the stock WinMo ROM for most of it's life, but I got bored and flashed Polymod's 2.1 ROM to it at some point.
That's what made me get the Captivate.
The Captivate beats the Tilt and Pure in nearly every way possible. I don't think you'll regret the upgrade at all.
My only complaint is that the battery isn't the best on the Captivate, but it's not a big deal unless you go multiple days without access to a charger.
I say go for it.

Thanks for all your opinions, guys. Yeah, I've been doing a lot of research, and am disappointed that the GPS on this phone sucks. Its not a huge deal breaker, but something to think about nonetheless. By the way, is the GPS/compass totally busted or is so-so?
I'm looking forward to the switch to Android, because I'm a programmer by heart and like to tinker with my devices, so iOS is out of the question.

My compass is completely busted, but my GPS is fine if I'm outside. It just takes a while to get a lock. Others have reported GPS being way off.
Sent from my Samsung Captivate.

ashoooo said:
Thanks for all your opinions, guys. Yeah, I've been doing a lot of research, and am disappointed that the GPS on this phone sucks. Its not a huge deal breaker, but something to think about nonetheless. By the way, is the GPS/compass totally busted or is so-so?
I'm looking forward to the switch to Android, because I'm a programmer by heart and like to tinker with my devices, so iOS is out of the question.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never had an issue with the compass unless it gets too close to a magnet. a few figure eights in the air resets it.
The GPS is a software issue, and will eventually be officially fixed. It also seems to be a hit and miss for some people that could be due to bad phone batches, times of day, location, or a million other variables. There are a few GPS fixes currently floating around that should improve any GPS issues at least marginally. they do not fix the underlying issues, but do help mitigate them.

Keep the vibrant or wait for the g2?

I'm just about at the end of the return period for my upgrade and would like to get a couple of solid opinions on this. I know not a lot is set in stone on the g2, but seeing it listed already on the tmobile site earlier is starting to make me think twice about getting it.
I like the vibrant, but could do with a camera flash and quicker support as far as firmware and updates. It's a little sluggish at times, but I'm sure an update would help cure that. I love the screen and unlike others, I really like how it feels in my hand. I like the g2's camera flash, quicker data capability and I feel like it may get more love from the manufacturer and developers. I don't care about a sliding keyboard, kind of feel like having anything below the screen (like a trackpad) is wasted space and makes the phone larger, and don't like the slightly smaller screen.
What are your thoughts or suggestions?
Thanks!
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

I think the vibrant has to many pro's on the g2. I wouldn't even consider buying the g2 over the vibrant (or any galaxy s phone)
The minor lag issue that galaxy s phones have will soon come to a complete fix.
Hardware-wise it's not even in the same class.

I love my vibrant but I think I'm gonna upgrade my phone to the G2. The processor is slower and the internal memory isnt much, but how many times do you really actually use the phones' processor to the limit. The screen clarity is amazing but I'm willing to give that up for this phone. Like you said you would probably get more love from manufacturer and developers, plus its HSPA.

My G/F is really set on getting the G2, even though I told her numerous times that that she should get the Vibrant or at least wait until November for the supposed to be released MyTouch HD, but she just gotta have a keyboard.

I was in a similar situation until I saw the G2's specs. Even then I debated on stock android, but I don't need the extra bulk of the keyboard.
To simply put it, you can't read WVGA screens in broad daylight. Being a college student, it's a novelty to be able to see my screen with perfect clarity when the suns out. Super Amoled has an advantage over everything else.
To anyone dumping their Vibrant for the G2, you will be sorry you did it. How could you call that an upgrade?
The G2 weighs more and is thicker than the Epic 4G, funny huh. Oh, and it only has a 1300mAh battery. Overclock that thing to 1ghz and you will drain FAST.

That's what I was thinking too after looking over the pictures some more. It does look much thicker and bulkier from the side profile shots, and a smaller battery can never be a good thing, especially when it's definitely going to get overclocked.
Also unlike other people, I like that it resembles an Iphone 3gs. I've always wanted one, but wouldn't want to go to At&t or use it unlocked on T-Mobile and didn't like the lack of customization.
Guess I'll just be sticking it out with the Vibrant. Thanks for the input guys

G2x, Sensation, or Galaxy S II?

Before I ask, I know there have been many threads about this topic, but my question is a little more specific than the rest. I get to upgrade my phone sometime in the next few weeks and one of these will be my first android phone. As a young artist, I am mostly looking for a phone which will take quality photos for good reference and preferably one which has video auto focus. I'm also a heavy internet user (about 5 hours a day on iPod Touch) but coming from iOS, I long for flash player. I also like to game a lot so the dual core cpu performance has to be somewhat decent with good speeds (better than my 4th gen touch at least lol). Lastly I'm a big media person with music a videos so I'm looking for a quality screen, support for multiple media formats (specifically mkv), decent speakers, and if possible, support for in-line headphones with volume, FF and RR (optional to come in the box, but if there are alternative working ones, please post below as I haven't found a solution with android devices and working in-line headphones). I've played around with my cousins EVO a lot so I've grown a liking to HTC Sense but I would also like to try out stock android sometime. And after a lot of time reading reviews and comments, I've taken a liking to the Galaxy S II's screen but I'm not a fan of TouchWiz. As previously stated, coming from an iOS user, I'm hoping one of these phones can either match or have greater quality with the screen in terms of brightness and contrast (not so much with resolution but mostly with colors, hue, and saturation). I'm hoping this narrows down the margin between these 3 phones.
P.S. I'm also hoping for one of these to have great dev support since I love to customize and test new tweaks.
EDITED - Also as an additional post, can you explain the batter life of the 3 as best as you can (even considering not having much info about the sensation)

I would say the G2X after LG fixes the Bleeding screen, restarts, and battery life issue. Both the GS2 and Sensatoin both have skins over android to which I've never been a fan of. 1st GS2 Engaget did a review and called it the best smart phone on the planet (the week before g2x was lol) but its made of plastic and its really thin so if the unthinkable happens and you drop the phone changes are its going to get jacked up and touchwiz. 2. Sensation Ive never been a fan of sense its a power hungry beast that needs to be removed. Just look at the battery life of the thunderbolt its really bad.
I had the G2X for a week and I loved it, its solid like my Nexus One it feels like a phone. I dropped it twice once on my tile floor and there were no marks and once on my naked foot to which brought me great pain. (lol) The G2X will have CM7 the galaxy s phones don't have CM support so why do you think that GS2 will? I plan on getting anothe G2x I'm just waiting until the 2nd line of them.

It honestly sounds like the Galaxy S II is just right for you. I know you say you dont like touchwiz (believe me I hate it) but the TW 4.0 or whatever its called looks really nice. From what I have seen it looks better than sense ui. Anyways, there have been battles between the G2X and the Galaxy S II and hardware wise the GSII always has the upper hand with camera, performance, screen, colors, etc.. However there are many things to consider. Do we even know what US carrier (if any) will receive the GSII? Also coming from the vibrant I swore up and down I wouild never buy a samsung phone again. Their lack of software support was just unacceptable. Im not even talking upgrades, just basic bug fixes. Development for this phone NEVER gave us a fully functioning stock android or AOSP ROM. Sure CM7 made a lot of headway and may still come to the galaxy s with all the fixes but right now it still has bugs and some things just dont work.
To make a long story short, I got the G2X because I wanted a stock android experience with a lot of developer backing (specifically cyanogenmod) and the specs of the phone are pretty amazing. Now it sounds to me like media and camera are more important to you so you may feel more welcome by the Galaxy S II if you dont care about aftermarket roms and such.

get 2x
coming from a vibrant, i can say that screen on the g2x is actually better and it being a stock android updates come faster and custom roms will also. I can't wait for the cyanogen mod either. I had battery issues but after resetting my phone the battery works just fine. they all have similar processors but the g2x being stock will get you better performance. I am a photographer also and am creating a photo journal with the g2x and it does the job well. good luck

i say go for SGS2, it works quite good out of the box and it has a great screen and you will absolutely appreciate the larger screen. Though im not really a fan of touchwiz.
I have g2x and going to return it today for SGS2.

There is no doubt in my mind that the dev support will be there for the sgs2 but it will be greater on the g2x just b/c of all the vanillaness.
The weight of the galaxy line is extremely light but believe me when I say that it is extremely durable. My old cliq felt like a brick but the second time I dropped that it stopped working completely so weight and feel have nothing to do with durability.
My vibrant has pretty much been through the equivalent of back to back fights with Manny Pacquiao and Anderson Silva only to come out as the new peoples champ. If you can wait, I would say try to see what all 3 of them are like and whether or not they come to your carrier. Its what I'm gonna do b/c I would hate to be stuck in another 2 year contract and not have the phone that I'm gonna own for atleast half of that time.

I have the same question, but new phones will probably come out because my next upgrade is in September. I really hate big phones and it seems phones are getting bigger and bigger. I really like the nexus s design (A lot!) And I like stock android, so I think I might wait until the nexus s2 comes out. Hopefully it stays a bit close to the design of the nexus s.

Sense isn't that power hungry the reason why the thunderbolt sucks on battery life is because of the lte network. A custom sense rom usually has no data drops. Like the aosp roms do.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA Premium App

Killbynature said:
Sense isn't that power hungry the reason why the thunderbolt sucks on battery life is because of the lte network. A custom sense rom usually has no data drops. Like the aosp roms do.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Each one of my friends who had a sense phone who switched to a custom rom w/o sense batter life increased alot.

jrharvey said:
It honestly sounds like the Galaxy S II is just right for you. I know you say you dont like touchwiz (believe me I hate it) but the TW 4.0 or whatever its called looks really nice. From what I have seen it looks better than sense ui. Anyways, there have been battles between the G2X and the Galaxy S II and hardware wise the GSII always has the upper hand with camera, performance, screen, colors, etc.. However there are many things to consider. Do we even know what US carrier (if any) will receive the GSII? Also coming from the vibrant I swore up and down I wouild never buy a samsung phone again. Their lack of software support was just unacceptable. Im not even talking upgrades, just basic bug fixes. Development for this phone NEVER gave us a fully functioning stock android or AOSP ROM. Sure CM7 made a lot of headway and may still come to the galaxy s with all the fixes but right now it still has bugs and some things just dont work.
To make a long story short, I got the G2X because I wanted a stock android experience with a lot of developer backing (specifically cyanogenmod) and the specs of the phone are pretty amazing. Now it sounds to me like media and camera are more important to you so you may feel more welcome by the Galaxy S II if you dont care about aftermarket roms and such.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your input. Also as a CFW PSP user and a Jailbroken iOS user, I like to have a combination of both dev support and media features, so I wouldn't want to leave that out. I'm surprised that only one person gave consideration to the sensation when I stated how it was the only UI I've ever used so far on android, and I read how it had an HRD camera with auto focus video so I thought most would assume that as the better choice, but my only problem with it is how its rumored to not have an unlocked bootloader. I think atm I will go with the g2x but I hope to hear about some alternatives to getting inline music controls to work.

g2xnerd said:
coming from a vibrant, i can say that screen on the g2x is actually better and it being a stock android updates come faster and custom roms will also. I can't wait for the cyanogen mod either. I had battery issues but after resetting my phone the battery works just fine. they all have similar processors but the g2x being stock will get you better performance. I am a photographer also and am creating a photo journal with the g2x and it does the job well. good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much! when I saw still photos on the G2X compared to the S II, I thought it looked inferior, but being able to make a photo journal out of it seems to counter that argument. BTW is it possible for the camera to get an update for auto focus video recording like the Galaxy S Vibrant did? For camera usage, that is the only thing pushing me back from the G2X as well as the support for multiple video formats (which I hear the Galaxy S II will have based on the Exynos processor). Hope to receive some additional feedback.

If you go bluetooth you can get inline music control. I personally have and like the plantronics backbeats and the sweatproof motorola S-10 HDs. The backbeats are more flexible and easier to wear, while the S-10s are must haves for working out and sports.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App

Infos3c said:
If you go bluetooth you can get inline music control. I personally have and like the plantronics backbeats and the sweatproof motorola S-10 HDs. The backbeats are more flexible and easier to wear, while the S-10s are must haves for working out and sports.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i hear a lot of mixed things about bluetooth headphones. even though the sound quality is great and the music controls work, I cannot always depend on headphones which need charging. Having to charge one device already is enough so i am more suited for wired inline in ear headphones.

jree said:
There is no doubt in my mind that the dev support will be there for the sgs2 but it will be greater on the g2x just b/c of all the vanillaness.
The weight of the galaxy line is extremely light but believe me when I say that it is extremely durable. My old cliq felt like a brick but the second time I dropped that it stopped working completely so weight and feel have nothing to do with durability.
My vibrant has pretty much been through the equivalent of back to back fights with Manny Pacquiao and Anderson Silva only to come out as the new peoples champ. If you can wait, I would say try to see what all 3 of them are like and whether or not they come to your carrier. Its what I'm gonna do b/c I would hate to be stuck in another 2 year contract and not have the phone that I'm gonna own for atleast half of that time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well not voting for the SGS2 here but I don't think Vanilla has any bearings on Dev Support, directly. Granted, I prefer vanilla and thus may contribute to its popularity, which, indirectly, popularity = dev support.
The only thing that matters is that the bootloader is unlocked and it is easily rootable and flashable. I mean once you get a CM rom on there, they all work the same.
I think Vanilla roms are more open to other variants like MIUI and the likes because they typically share the same partition structure. I know the G2x has a different structure and I think it is safe to say the SGS2 does too. Good thing that we are able to format and change the partitions to work across multiple roms.
The SGS2 was recently rooted and I think they found the bootloader to be unlocked. So it should be able to be flashed pretty easily.
One big factor that more people don't think about is the screen size. I have small hands (vs huge sausages) and the 4" screen of the G2x pushes my comfort zone. I think 4.3" would be too much and I would be fumbling it while trying to do one handed operations.
Having bought a G2x from a N1... I can say I'm extremely happy. I've been reading the SGS2 forums trying to stir up some internal buyers remorse... but I can honestly say that I would still pick my G2x over the SGS2 again. To me Tegra>Orion justifies AMOLED>LCD. I think NVidia will really push some developers to create some great games and I don't want to be stuck on the sidelines wishing I could get in on the action. Unable to play some of the newer "HD" (Only for Tegra) games are really making some of the SGS2 owners unhappy.
Nothing like buying a new toy and finding that it doesn't work with the latest HD games.
DMan1993 said:
that is the only thing pushing me back from the G2X as well as the support for multiple video formats (which I hear the Galaxy S II will have based on the Exynos processor). Hope to receive some additional feedback.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as multiple video formats, I don't think this has much to do with physical hardware as it does software. While I am most certainly not an expert, I have played a range of videos on my phones. Wouldn't all you need is a Video app that has the correct codecs and support for such file types?
I mean, really, not picking one device over another based on media format is just insane to me and defies all logic. I mean how easy is it to convert between formats, come on. I'd say that if you using a less common format or one that isn't widely available, you are only asking for trouble anyway. Most of the video I find online are either MP4 or avi and have no problem playing them on my device. If you are ripping it yourself, just save it in a format you can use.

This is a very good player, plays many formats
http://market.android.com/details?id=net.thefluxstudio.implayer

Player911:
Having bought a G2x from a N1... I can say I'm extremely happy. I've been reading the SGS2 forums trying to stir up some internal buyers remorse... but I can honestly say that I would still pick my G2x over the SGS2 again. To me Tegra>Orion justifies AMOLED>LCD. I think NVidia will really push some developers to create some great games and I don't want to be stuck on the sidelines wishing I could get in on the action. Unable to play some of the newer "HD" (Only for Tegra) games are really making some of the SGS2 owners unhappy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm quite surprised that the SGS2 folks have a buyers remorse, especially after reading your post. I was having remorse with the G2x since it just has 512MB ram and the GS2 kicks the G2x to the curb on every bullet point except Value for money/cost (I'm buying off contract). I'm also very surprised when you implicitly state that Orion cannot run Tegra games even though it's way faster than tegra.

ski_power said:
I'm quite surprised that the SGS2 folks have a buyers remorse, especially after reading your post. I was having remorse with the G2x since it just has 512MB ram and the GS2 kicks the G2x to the curb on every bullet point except Value for money/cost (I'm buying off contract). I'm also very surprised when you implicitly state that Orion cannot run Tegra games even though it's way faster than tegra.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dont just look at numbers (1ghz dual core vs 1.2 dual core) RAM numbers, etc.
It has been said the 1ghz Tegra 2 is a better processor overall, and you really dont need more than 512mb of RAM since Android closes apps on its own when memory gets low. You wont see much if any performance increase from merely more RAM.
Lets not forget Samsung's recent past with its Galaxy S line having broken GPS, wonky file systems that slowed down phones, and bootloaders locked.
I wouldnt just yet say the SGS2 is a better device because how it looks on paper.

>It has been said the 1ghz Tegra 2 is a better processor overall, and you really dont need more than 512mb of RAM since Android closes apps on its own when memory gets low. You wont see much if any performance increase from merely more RAM.
I'm not sure about that. Both use dual Cortex A9s. The difference in hardware between the two is the GPU. We all know Tegra 2 uses GeForce ULP but I'm not sure what the Exynos uses(SGX or Adreno).
I concede my point to your statement about the RAM, since I only recently learnt about memory management in Android (this is my first Android). I'm pretty sure Sammy must have fixed the GPS issues, since if they don't I'd lose all respect for them.
Oh OP, one thing you might want to consider is that the Galaxy S2 does not have an HDMI out port. They say it's got some USB-HDMI cable though.
Also, it depends on your hands. The G2x itself is a pretty big device in my opinion, and seeing that the SGS2 has a 4.3" screen it's going to be much bigger.

Definitely sgs2
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

player911 said:
Well not voting for the SGS2 here but I don't think Vanilla has any bearings on Dev Support, directly. Granted, I prefer vanilla and thus may contribute to its popularity, which, indirectly, popularity = dev support.
The only thing that matters is that the bootloader is unlocked and it is easily rootable and flashable. I mean once you get a CM rom on there, they all work the same.
I think Vanilla roms are more open to other variants like MIUI and the likes because they typically share the same partition structure. I know the G2x has a different structure and I think it is safe to say the SGS2 does too. Good thing that we are able to format and change the partitions to work across multiple roms.
The SGS2 was recently rooted and I think they found the bootloader to be unlocked. So it should be able to be flashed pretty easily.
One big factor that more people don't think about is the screen size. I have small hands (vs huge sausages) and the 4" screen of the G2x pushes my comfort zone. I think 4.3" would be too much and I would be fumbling it while trying to do one handed operations.
Having bought a G2x from a N1... I can say I'm extremely happy. I've been reading the SGS2 forums trying to stir up some internal buyers remorse... but I can honestly say that I would still pick my G2x over the SGS2 again. To me Tegra>Orion justifies AMOLED>LCD. I think NVidia will really push some developers to create some great games and I don't want to be stuck on the sidelines wishing I could get in on the action. Unable to play some of the newer "HD" (Only for Tegra) games are really making some of the SGS2 owners unhappy.
Nothing like buying a new toy and finding that it doesn't work with the latest HD games.
As far as multiple video formats, I don't think this has much to do with physical hardware as it does software. While I am most certainly not an expert, I have played a range of videos on my phones. Wouldn't all you need is a Video app that has the correct codecs and support for such file types?
I mean, really, not picking one device over another based on media format is just insane to me and defies all logic. I mean how easy is it to convert between formats, come on. I'd say that if you using a less common format or one that isn't widely available, you are only asking for trouble anyway. Most of the video I find online are either MP4 or avi and have no problem playing them on my device. If you are ripping it yourself, just save it in a format you can use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Coming from iOS, I am tired of having to convert all of my videos to mp4 format and having little knowledge of android from not having owned one just increases my curiosity on the matter since the SGSII specs list stated that the Exynos processor has more support for video formats than tegra 2. Being able to directly download and play any format is one thing I am looking for in one of these phones so that is why I asked the question. Some of the videos I download are dual audio and subbed mkv's and having to download multiple programs to get the subtitles and audio working on a mobile device is very time consuming so having support for multiple codecs would make things a whole lot easier.

Is a V20 on Verizon a good choice for my first Android phone?

Hi, All! I am going to be leaving the world of Windows Phone and switching to Android. The V20 looks like a good choice. The only thing that worries me is the bootloop problem I keep seeing when I search for user reviews.
Has this been resolved? I don't want to get a used one and have it pop up suddenly. If the issue has been corrected, then a new one from the factory might be a better option?
The other thing that I cannot figure out are the bad reviews complaining about lag, poor audio volume, and loss of wireless signal. Is that all related to the bootloop/solder issue? Are these common problems?
Anyone wish they had gotten an S7 or another phone?
I'd appreciate any advice or thoughts.
Update: And let me add that I first came to xda years ago when I was messing with Palm ROMs. I am not afraid of getting my hands dirty with rooting, etc. I'm getting old and not as up on things like I used to be, but I'd rather post here than some Android site with less technical knowledge.

frettd said:
Hi, All! I am going to be leaving the world of Windows Phone and switching to Android. The V20 looks like a good choice. The only thing that worries me is the bootloop problem I keep seeing when I search for user reviews.
Has this been resolved? I don't want to get a used one and have it pop up suddenly. If the issue has been corrected, then a new one from the factory might be a better option?
The other thing that I cannot figure out are the bad reviews complaining about lag, poor audio volume, and loss of wireless signal. Is that all related to the bootloop/solder issue? Are these common problems?
Anyone wish they had gotten an S7 or another phone?
I'd appreciate any advice or thoughts.
Update: And let me add that I first came to xda years ago when I was messing with Palm ROMs. I am not afraid of getting my hands dirty with rooting, etc. I'm getting old and not as up on things like I used to be, but I'd rather post here than some Android site with less technical knowledge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had my Verizon V20 for awhile now. Honestly stock isn't so bad. After awhile it got laggy for me, but I had it loaded full of apps and media. Never had any issues with it until I rooted, unlocked bootloader, and starting flashing ROMs. Since then I've been running LOS. I love the phones stock camera, the filters and software are amazing. The wide angle camera is my favorite feature. Video quality is amazing. The sound output on headphones even better (with good headphones). Louder than any phone I've ever tested...but the actual phone speaker is rather dull. Would I recommend it for a first Android phone? Probably not. Usually Sammy phones are great first Android phones. Personally I'm coming from a Galaxy Note5. I do miss my Galaxy a bit. Just better overall build quality. My V20 hasn't had a single software update and is still months behind on security patches. Cell signal is iffy all the time, although it may just be the area I live in but I've heard this is a V20 issue. Never had VoLTE working, which sucks too. Lose data each time I call. Do I wish I had chose another phone? Not really. Although my next phone will most likely be a Note 8 since I'm a basic Sammy fanboy. But that's my 2¢ for what it's worth. I never really knew about the solder/bootloop issue until you brought it up actually. That may have been an early production defect...

I haven't really seen definite proof of a bootloop issue on the V20s-- just lots of people who know of LG's reputation (G4/V10 *do* have horrible bootlooping issues-- much of it due to a processor that runs far too hot, which the V20 does not share) and make assumptions. People who get into bootlooping situations on the V20 are usually trying to root the phone without reading the instructions. (and with that said, the V20's root is complicated but not impossible and as long as you're patient and *read*, you can get out of most any jam.)
I love my Verizon V20 but I don't know about it being someone's first Android phone. It's not a perfect phone, but it's AMAZING at what it does well. The sound quality for both playback and recording is unmatched IMHO. The onboard speaker is pretty bad but with headphones and good source material it shines. I haven't had any lag or jerk issues but I DID root it as soon as the exploits were available and have done a lot of tweaking on it to keep it running well (on stock rom). That said people talked about lag out of the box which I never experienced (I had it for about a month or two before the root was found) which makes me wonder if there wasn't a bad initial batch of hardware. I'd say if you decide to get one and it lags, return it and get a new one right away. It's not "normal", or at least doesn't have to be.
I feel like the V20's hardware was incredible, but let down a bit by LG's software (it's not as bad as some complain, but it is a bit "spartan" and would've been nice if it was better documented given how complicated the phone is) and really let down by lack of documentation and by reviewers who didn't "get" it and tried to review it like an iPhone. I feel like it got a bad reputation from LG's previous hardware and from people not understanding this isn't an iPhone. This phone is incredibly complicated to use at times if you really want to push it, and it takes patience to learn. It's sort of like giving a fighter jet to someone who's never even driven before-- this isn't a standard "phone" and takes time to learn its ins and outs. That said,if you take the time you'll realize it can do a lot of things most phones can't do and in a lot of ways is as good or better than much more expensive media devices in general. It was my primary camera on a trip to Europe this summer, mostly because it was just easy to have it with me all the time. The photos aren't perfect but I felt like much less of a tourist/target using it a lot of the time. Manual mode is your friend, which is the case for much of this phone.
I love mine, but it's not for everyone by any stretch. I have no idea what I'd want to replace it with since the things I use are pretty much dead features now going forward on phones-- I USE the spare battery (again, on the trip to Europe, I had to swap batteries a few times mid day after a lot of photos-- quick charge would've been of no help in the middle of a sightseeing day!), I use the SD card, I use the remote, I use the HD audio recording... I think I'll have this phone until it dies, and then I might have to find another one.

I've had my v20 for about 7 months now or so.
After rooting and getting on the lastest Weta + Werewolf kernel, adding in updates here and there, installing xposed, and substratum themes... I think this is the perfect phone for me.
When I purchased the phone from the verizon store it was blazing fast. It's been fast for me since I bought the thing. I haven't had any issues with it whatsoever besides my own blunders. Signal never cut out for me. Bluetooth works fantastically. This phone + Arise makes every single song I play sound like an ear orgasm. I haven't even looked at other phones or felt that urge to flash roms I've had on other phones like the LG G3, Galaxy S3, and such. I get constantly 7 hours of Screen on Time. Even more if I use it conservatively.
This is the first phone I fell in love with. Everything is how I want it exactly the way I want it and I wouldn't have it any other way. If this phone lasts another 2+ years I'll be perfectly fine.

Id say its an ok device i moved in

Thanks for the advice thus far. THIS is why I didn't want to ask on an Android fan site. I wanted input from power users and people that would be more objective.

I actually just made the same move as you. Been using a windows phone for years but finally switched to the V20. It's a nice phone but there are a lot of things about windows phone I miss. I've been frustrated with it since I got it but I think they are android beefs and not beefs with this phone. I have seen the lag though, not sure what is causing it but it's definitely there. Not enough for me to recommend against getting this phone.
Quality of stock Google/LG apps seem to be of lesser quality than Microsoft apps, but I have been pleasantly surprised that some 3rd party apps have way more functionality than their windows phone counterparts did.
Also, I am using the Microsoft launcher and switched to all Microsoft services and it has made the transition a little easier.

Well till about a couple of years back i used to be a Samsung fanboy, but the day I got my G3, I realised how good LG can be.
You might hear a lot of stuff about LG phones here and there but I find them to be pretty good, the best part is the screen, due to ips display the whites are pretty punchy and that's what I prefer.
I have had all the LG devices (mostely ) g2, G3, g4, g5 and now the v20.
V20 is pretty solid, nice build quality, great cusyomization options via LG smart world, you can get Ringtones, wallpapers, themes. If you are willing to spend you can buy many more awesome looking themes from The playstore.
Camera is good, battery backup is decent, I haven't rooted it and apart from those adverts here and there I don't see the need, though till date i have only used rooted devices with huge cusyomization therein.
Call quality is great, signal strength though network dependent but is great.
Another notable thing is the awesome dac that v20 has, wonderful audio output from of the 3.5 mm jack and Bluetooth.
Go for it, though you might find more whistles than you may be used to like the second screen, but they are great to play around with.
My 2, best is go to the store, check the device personally if it's still available in em, play around for atleast half an hour and check whatever you can.
Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

lord dredd said:
Well till about a couple of years back i used to be a Samsung fanboy, but the day I got my G3, I realised how good LG can be.
You might hear a lot of stuff about LG phones here and there but I find them to be pretty good, the best part is the screen, due to ips display the whites are pretty punchy and that's what I prefer.
I have had all the LG devices (mostely ) g2, G3, g4, g5 and now the v20.
V20 is pretty solid, nice build quality, great cusyomization options via LG smart world, you can get Ringtones, wallpapers, themes. If you are willing to spend you can buy many more awesome looking themes from The playstore.
Camera is good, battery backup is decent, I haven't rooted it and apart from those adverts here and there I don't see the need, though till date i have only used rooted devices with huge cusyomization therein.
Call quality is great, signal strength though network dependent but is great.
Another notable thing is the awesome dac that v20 has, wonderful audio output from of the 3.5 mm jack and Bluetooth.
Go for it, though you might find more whistles than you may be used to like the second screen, but they are great to play around with.
My 2, best is go to the store, check the device personally if it's still available in em, play around for atleast half an hour and check whatever you can.
Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought mine used last February, and it has been an excellent device. I plan on grabbing a new one before they become unavailable. The V20 is a large phone, though, so if you prefer small phones, it's not a good choice. Extra battery and charging cradle means I rarely need to plug it in.
Sent from my VK815 using Tapatalk

Razer Phone Community?

I've been a Samsung Note fan since forever. Started with the Note 2 which still works running Bean Stalk ROM. Note 4 running Bean Stalk still going strong. My current phone is the Note 5 which I recently dropped and cracked the rear glass. Since then its been somewhat unstable. Press messages or phone and it takes around 10-15 seconds before the app opens. Little things like that. Did some searching and sure the Note 8 looks the business but I'm kind of thinking maybe the Note isn't for me anymore and came across the Razer Phone. At the moment there are some good prices for the Razer Phone and I was certain to get one. Checked it out and seen all the issues people are having with it, the camera, which is no deal breaker for me. Screen brightness isn't a problem I'd worry about. Updates are slow, but again, not a deal breaker for me. It looks the business, I really love the design. The speakers look the business too and I love love love a loud phone.
But before I commit to purchase I knew I'd have to see what's happening on XDA, what ROMs are available for it, mods, and just the general communities developments on what I would consider a pretty awesome device. I am shocked! this place is almost dead?
I understand its Razer's first phone and it isn't perfect. What is? And I understand the current issues it has and the price point combined with the issues might put some off getting one. But I didn't expect such little interest and little development here on XDA? If there was any place that would be alive and kicking the Razer it would be here. Now I'm not too sure about getting one. And that sucks because I really like it. Bookmarked some sites for screen protector and found a couple of really nice cases for it. But half the fun of owning a device is the development put into it by the community. The ROMs to try, the mods, the enhancements to features and functions. Its all part of the experience that makes owning an android phone unique and fun.
What happened with the Razer Phone? Really disappointed. So, talk me into it, or talk me out of it. Should I get one? If so why? If not, why? You guys own one, best to talk to people who own one I guess. Will it improve? Is this a dying community? Does Razer have a future on XDA?

In my opinion, it's a pretty good phone. It performs very fast, and the 120hz screen really makes a difference for me, mostly when I'm scrolling. The display was brigther than I expected, and I don't think the camera is bad, I can take decent pictures with it, but not better than the ones I could take with my Note 5. The sound is really amazing and loud.
The problem is that it doesn't feel premium to me, for example, the crappy vibration motor that makes a weird rattling sound when I receive a notification. There are some apps that don't open (like Netflix for me). My keyboard sometimes gets super slow, or the figerprint not being able to detect my finger until I turn the screen off and on again.
I can deal with all that though. What does not make me feel 100% happy with this phone is the same reason you're mentioning, the lack of development. I bought this phone before checking xda, but I was hoping to see different choices of custom ROMs and apps to take more advantages of the amazing features of this phone. Until now, the closest thing I've seen has been the GSI (which I've tried, and come back to stock because couldnt deal with the bugs). Another thing that bothers me is that I haven't found how to install custom themes on my phone. The only way I know to install themes is Razer Theme store, but it doesn't have one that I like.
Overall, I think is a very good phone, loud, fast and sleek, but it doesn't like a Note 5 in terms of quality and developer community.

What happened to the Razer community? The Razer phone happened. I had one for a while, but the HORRIBLE stock software and HORRIBLE implementation of Project Treble support, to go along with the fact that I had to modify the stock fastboot flash files given to us from Razer just to make them flash on my Razer phone made me realize how good a company OnePlus really is. I got rid of the Razer phone as fast as I could and bought a OnePlus 6. It is kinda sad actually though. The hardware is great and I loved the look of the phone and the fact that it is metal instead of a glass sandwich. But nothing can make up for horrible software and even worse customer support.

The only advantage of the lack of development and community support is the fact that it's really pushed prices down as most peeps who buy these beasts anticipate activity on xda. However with dev support being dead the phone, s prices are tumbling and when you really look at it, it's a great phone after all.

Overall, I am happy with my Razer, and dont have anything major to complain about. Yes, its not perfect, but I am hoping LINDA comes along soon, and I am sure additional development will come as well. Screen is great, Audio is great.