Upgrading - General Questions and Answers

Hello everyone,
I'm here today to see if i can get any recommendation on a new phone as i will be upgrading my Samsung Epic 4G around June.
As of right now I have been looking into Galaxy II phones as I have gotten really fond of Samsung phones over iPhones.
I would like a keyboard but i can go without(if the phone supports swype though).
If possible a phone with a longer life as my phone dies very fast(only reason I'm leaning to a 4GS).
It has flexibility as in modding.
Overall i would like a fast phone and please no HTC phones.

sander3 said:
Hello everyone,
I'm here today to see if i can get any recommendation on a new phone as i will be upgrading my Samsung Epic 4G around June.
As of right now I have been looking into Galaxy II phones as I have gotten really fond of Samsung phones over iPhones.
I would like a keyboard but i can go without(if the phone supports swype though).
If possible a phone with a longer life as my phone dies very fast(only reason I'm leaning to a 4GS).
It has flexibility as in modding.
Overall i would like a fast phone and please no HTC phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check out the Asus Padfone. LTE model should come out close to when you can upgrade.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBTc3gn7jBE

I suggest you look at the cpu that comes with the phone, normally all your battery life goes there.
http://www.grandmax.net/2012/02/samsung-exynos-4412-quad-core-vs-nvidia.html
(Standby time vs Usage time)
And keep in mind that iphone standby battery drain is relatively same regardless on how many apps is installed.
Not for the case for android, thus you might prefer a cpu that can switch to low power mode when on standby, else you would need to rely on expanded battery.

Droid Razr Max. You will freaking love it. Battery life is amazing and if you use smart actions app that comes with the phone you will be amazed by the battery life.

Hello, we used to have the iPhone 3gs phones but now skyrockets, once u root them and run the custom rooms u find here they are fast have great battery life lots of storage and can do everything!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using XDA

Related

Android Battery Life

I know that we're told that android phones should last a day at least, but in the real world that's not always true. My Desire gets through about 15-17 hours before dying.
Which Android phone has the best battery life? I'm looking for a reasonably recent one, not neccessarily high specs, but that will comfortably last a day at least.
Thanks
You should try and install the latests firmware update : HTC_WWE_1.21.40
Did wonders on my Desire
I already have, it doesn't seem to have made much difference.
I'm asking though because my wife needs a new phone and wants one with better battery life
Dont buy a phone with a large touchscreen, or a smartphone.
The more a phone does, the more battery it eats.
HTC desire, iPhone, HTC HD2 they all eat power.
Get a traditional candy bar type phone if you just want a phone, or a blackberry if you need e-mail and web.
The battery life on blackberries has always been pretty good.

Need some personal input :)

Hey guys! I might be getting this phone, need some input from first person users!
Firstly, i can get one of these for approx 300-400 and its about the same price as what a lot of people are asking for the Samsung Galaxy S 2 (SGH-T989) i find this to be rediculous. Every review ive read/watched raved about the One S. Well i want some personal input i personally think its worth buying the one S at that price then the SGS2 at the same price. But i have a couple concerns with HTC......
Ive had two HTC phones
HTC Touch Pro 2 (RhodiumW)
HTC HD2
And the HD2 gets HORRIBLE service where my TP2 got plenty of service both on T-Mobile..
So im hoping its just my HD2 and not HTC's in general. However i have had someone with the HD7 say he loses service when holding the device. I know the HD2 and HD7 both have the antenneas in the bottom of the device. (Dumb if you ask me) hows the HTC One S with this situation? Does it still get great service while holding it? Like my HD2 could have full bars, but if i begin to use it it goes to NO service -.-
Thanks all for your input!
The One S of a great device,great build quality, nice feel in the hand, excellent camera, but I had several issues that led me to switch to my current GS3. With my time with the One S, I encountered random signal loss, & poor battery life. I would use the data network & it would drop from full bars to none then climb to 2 then back full. As for battery life I would get 2 & half hours of screen on time. What I disliked the most the pitiful 9.93GB of storage. & that is my two cents.
AttachedSilver said:
The One S of a great device,great build quality, nice feel in the hand, excellent camera, but I had several issues that led me to switch to my current GS3. With my time with the One S, I encountered random signal loss, & poor battery life. I would use the data network & it would drop from full bars to none then climb to 2 then back full. As for battery life I would get 2 & half hours of screen on time. What I disliked the most the pitiful 9.93GB of storage. & that is my two cents.
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Well the signal loss seems due to software not hardware (A plus for me) and i dont think any phone will get decent battery life without an extended battery. lI dont judge phones by battery life anymore. lol. My HD2 has a 1250 Mah battery xD
elesbb said:
Well the signal loss seems due to software not hardware (A plus for me) and i dont think any phone will get decent battery life without an extended battery. lI dont judge phones by battery life anymore. lol. My HD2 has a 1250 Mah battery xD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My GS3 has solid signal, & it's 2100 mah battery runs great all day if you don't mind the limited space and "decent" battery life then go for it, it is the slimmest of phones I've owned plus it has a sweet camera

[Q] question before buying (battery this vs galaxy nexus)

hey guys.
I'm currently in the market for a new cell phone. i had the galaxy nexus for a month last year and i LOVED it but the battery life was just god awful imo. im currently use an iphone 4s (jailbroken) and i have no interest in the iphone 5. i LOVE my Nexus 7 and miss being have to have the same ICS/Jellybean UI for my phone. but im worried about battery life.
is the GS3 battery life any better than the galaxy nexus?
personally i would rather own the galaxy nexus being that its a nexus phone and and its stock rom is pure AOSP but being that i can flash AOSP roms on the GS3, i though why not, if it has a better battery life then heck yeah. plus the gs3 i can use a microsd card (even though 32gb's on the galaxy nexus and more than enough but still)
lmk how you battery life is guys. what would you guys recommend? 99 bucks for a galaxy nexus for 2 year renew contract or just get it unlocked on ebay for probably around the same price as a 32 gb gs3 on contract
I have never owned a Nexus. But those that have are saying the battery life on the S3 is better. I am impressed with my battery life, stock, rooted, unlocked, clean kernel. Also the hardware specs aren't even close. S3 all the way! The dev support is awesome with lots of ROMS to choose from as well. It is great now, but will only get better.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
i routinely net 20+ hrs battery with 4hrs screen on...so yea battery life is legit on the s3.
I have the Verizon Galaxy S3 while my brother has the AT&T Galaxy Nexus.
Last weekend while tailgating for a football game he was complaining about battery life. We had both pulled our phones off the chargers about the same time and had been tailgating in the same spot for a few hours with similar use - texting a couple of phone calls, checking twitter, etc. (I had probably used mine a little bit more). He was at 80% while my phone was at 92%.
Now, this could be a GSM vs. CDMA thing, or other factors could be in play, but take that example for what it's worth.
I've used the Galaxy Nexus extensively and I just recently got a GS3; while I agree that the battery life on the GS3 is longer-lasting I also have to say that it is less manageable at this point. The GN has a ton of different kernel/ROM combinations and I can almost guarantee you can find one that will give you the same (if not better) battery life of the GS3; meanwhile, the GS3 has a larger battery out of the box (2100mAh vs 1850mAh) and is getting a larger amount of support more and more, I wouldn't be surprised if one day soon the GS3 has just as many options as the GN.
So, GN STOCK vs GS3 STOCK = GS3 Winner! I also have to put an extra tidbit in here, the GS3 takes sooooo much longer to charge than the GN, I'm talking an hour and a half longer almost, BUT it charges the battery to a full charge every time. The GN has problems doing that with the stock setup for whatever reason.
lchupacabras said:
I've used the Galaxy Nexus extensively and I just recently got a GS3; while I agree that the battery life on the GS3 is longer-lasting I also have to say that it is less manageable at this point. The GN has a ton of different kernel/ROM combinations and I can almost guarantee you can find one that will give you the same (if not better) battery life of the GS3; meanwhile, the GS3 has a larger battery out of the box (2100mAh vs 1850mAh) and is getting a larger amount of support more and more, I wouldn't be surprised if one day soon the GS3 has just as many options as the GN.
So, GN STOCK vs GS3 STOCK = GS3 Winner! I also have to put an extra tidbit in here, the GS3 takes sooooo much longer to charge than the GN, I'm talking an hour and a half longer almost, BUT it charges the battery to a full charge every time. The GN has problems doing that with the stock setup for whatever reason.
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Click to collapse
..i never herd of any gnex owner netting 20+hrs with 4 hrs screen on as many gs3 owners have. post some screen shots of your gnex doing the same and ill believe you!
Yep. what ^ he said. Gnex while it's got pretty ROMs and lots of developer support, it's still junk. forget about using speaker phone for taking on the phone, SQ is horrid even with good headphones, Bluetooth sound is so garbage.
I had the Gnex for about 11 months before buying GS3. I've had the GS3 for about 4 months now and I have to say, i get little more than 2x battery life compared to Gnex on comparable usage. Both on verizon LTE. I use speaker phone on regular basis for my conference calls. I leave Bluetooth on, GPS on, don't use power saving feature, receive about 100 emails per day with push,
No ROM or kernel will help you with ****ty hardware. Gnex talk time was 90min for me before hitting red zone, with GS3 i got 5 hours talk time plus 3 hours screen time before going yellow.
Right now there's no other phone that will beat GS3 other than Razr Maxx, don't know about iPoon5
I got 4 hours of screen on time out of my extended (2100) and 3 hours out of my stock battery all the time on Jelly Bean + Lean Kernel. Ya'll being ignorant, honestly.
The galaxy s3 gets good battery... definitely better than nexus. I would wait a bit for the next generation nexus device or galaxy s4
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Had vz nexus since the release and no matter how much I customized it, the max screen on time I could get was 3 hrs. Got vz s3 few days ago and getting about 5 hrs on it . Running aokp on both phones.

On the edge...

Hey guys.
I'll get straight to the point. Currently I use an iPhone 4S (had an HTC One X but it broke) and I've been eyeing up the Nexus 5 for a while now. I'm hoping to order one from the Play Store by the end of this week. However, with the the HTC One sequel and the Galaxy S5 coming within the next few months, I feel slightly hesitant.
So current owners of the Nexus 5, would you recommend that I wait or just make the jump and get the device? Also, if anyone has any experience with how the battery holds up against the 4S battery would be helpful (my 4S sucks tbh).
aranab said:
Hey guys.
I'll get straight to the point. Currently I use an iPhone 4S (had an HTC One X but it broke) and I've been eyeing up the Nexus 5 for a while now. I'm hoping to order one from the Play Store by the end of this week. However, with the the HTC One sequel and the Galaxy S5 coming within the next few months, I feel slightly hesitant.
So current owners of the Nexus 5, would you recommend that I wait or just make the jump and get the device? Also, if anyone has any experience with how the battery holds up against the 4S battery would be helpful (my 4S sucks tbh).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
switched from 5 to LG G2 to N5 and never looked back.. personally, wouldn't wait for anything from Samsung or HTC, but in the end it's your decision. N5 is great phone, battery life is ok.
aranab said:
Hey guys.
I'll get straight to the point. Currently I use an iPhone 4S (had an HTC One X but it broke) and I've been eyeing up the Nexus 5 for a while now. I'm hoping to order one from the Play Store by the end of this week. However, with the the HTC One sequel and the Galaxy S5 coming within the next few months, I feel slightly hesitant.
So current owners of the Nexus 5, would you recommend that I wait or just make the jump and get the device? Also, if anyone has any experience with how the battery holds up against the 4S battery would be helpful (my 4S sucks tbh).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's really kind of apples and oranges. The HTC and Samsung phones, while what we actually know is just from leaks and rumors, rest assured, they will be top tier phones in specs including screens, processors, etc. Does that mean they will be better than the N5? Not necessarily. Depends on whether you like the OEM skins. These can add some functionality (or take some away) and a different take on Android that can endear some and make others throw up. The Nexus will still probably be equal in performance not having all the extra "goodies", will be updated more regularly, and if you like to tinker, the custom roms and even completely different OSes like Ubuntu Touch and Firefox OS are available and much easier to get working right vs heavily skinned propietary versions of Android from HTC / Samsung / LG /etc. Battery life? Mixed bag. Some people don't have any issues while some are always looking for what's causing the drain. Same as the 4s in that manner. You'll look through a 100 forum threads about battery life for a 4s and you'll find 3 types of people - ones with no issues, ones with TONs of issues, and ones who have no idea what is practical in a modern smart phone with our current battery technology.
Honestly if you ask this question in the N5 forum most of the people will be telling you to get a N5. If you ask in the HOX forum they would be telling you to get a HTC etc... So like what the above poster said it's best to go with your own preferences - OEM skins, many features, AMOLED screen or "boring" stock android, more timely updates, best developers etc. Its your phone so it should be up to you to choose.
Don't just get the S5 because 92837262174 people around you are getting it, the HOX sequel because it has xyz technology, or the N5 just because it seems cool, choose from what you yourself really want in a phone.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Came from note 3 to nexus 5 and went back to note 3.
Nexus 5 is great phone except it's poor battery performance.
You basically need to turn off EVERYTHING to get 12-13 hours standby with 4-5 screen-on hours battery life.
IMHO, If you are a heavy user, don't go with this one.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app
cc7211 said:
Came from note 3 to nexus 5 and went back to note 3.
Nexus 5 is great phone except it's poor battery performance.
You basically need to turn off EVERYTHING to get 12-13 hours standby with 4-5 screen-on hours battery life.
IMHO, If you are a heavy user, don't go with this one.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's your opinion but this certainly isn't the case for many of us. I have EVERYTHING on and get 16 hours standby with 4+ hours screen on.
cc7211 said:
Nexus 5 is great phone except it's poor battery performance.
You basically need to turn off EVERYTHING to get 12-13 hours standby with 4-5 screen-on hours battery life.
IMHO, If you are a heavy user, don't go with this one.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Calling complete horse doo-doo on this statement. I have run the phone with everything turned on. Google Now, Google+ with photo backup enabled, all syncing enabled, High accuracy location mode, Location Reporting and History on, auto-brightness on, screen touch sounds on, haptic vibration on, no battery saving apps at all, etc. and would regularly get 3-4 hours screen on time along with 2-3 hours bluetooth music playback a day. Phone is taken off the charger at 6:30am and wouldn't need charging until bedtime around 10-10:30 with around 15-25% battery remaining. This is with mediocre to poor cell signal as well.
I'd be willing to guess most people with really bad battery performance are either in areas with really bad cell coverage or have their phone loaded with poorly coded apps.
cc7211 said:
Came from note 3 to nexus 5 and went back to note 3.
Nexus 5 is great phone except it's poor battery performance.
You basically need to turn off EVERYTHING to get 12-13 hours standby with 4-5 screen-on hours battery life.
IMHO, If you are a heavy user, don't go with this one.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok cool story bro
Like people said, you have to decide for yourself what you want. I would recommend the N5 because I'm a nexus fan and have no desire for anything else (mostly because I like getting multiple updates as soon as they come out).
But if you simply want the best hardware I'm sure waiting a couple months will get you something more powerful. Of course that will always be the case, right around the corner there will always be something more powerful in the works, so why wait? You won't have the best for more than a few months before better is out.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda premium
Few things:
1. You will get the latest android updates immediately on the nexus 5.
2. While the newer devices may have better specs, their software is typically so bloated that you will have a faster phone experience with the N5.
3. Carrier bloat on those other devices is inevitable unless you spend $600+ to buy them unlocked. Without rooting, you won't be able to get rid of them. The N5 does not have this issue.
rootSU said:
That's your opinion but this certainly isn't the case for many of us. I have EVERYTHING on and get 16 hours standby with 4+ hours screen on.
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Click to collapse
Yeah me too... Battery life has been nothing short of phenomenal for me. 4+ hrs screen time is pretty much the bare minimum that I can get. The only thing I leave off is location.
@OP- the Nexus 5 is a very solid device and you can't go wrong with it, but if I were in your shoes I would at least wait for the announcements of the new HTC One and GS5. The new One is looking like it's going to be the one to beat. It's essentially the older One but larger screen, better specs, and on screen buttons. It's gonna be awesome. If you can wait, I would.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Like all have said Nexus devices always get the first updates, zero bloatware, and stock "vanilla" android. The other devices are loaded with bloatware, skinned to the point of barely being android anymore, later updates, and any spec increases you will get will be null due to Sense or even worse Touchwiz "shuddering". Keep with the Nexus and love Android and choose the others and be locked down. HTC isn't as horrible but Samsung might as well be Apple with the way they lock everything down.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
My battery life is ok. Honestly don't even pay THAT much attention to it as I am rarely far from a charger. I change roms, kernels, and settings so much, that usually the battery life issues I would have are my own fault. But to the poster with the Note 3 and complaining about battery life, well...the Note's battery is CONSIDERABLY larger (over 25%) and while the screen is bigger, it's not THAT much of a difference. It's not surprising you would have better battery life from a phone with the same processor / chip with an extra 900 mah battery. Kind of a no brainer, one might say.
Thanks for the input guys. I've always rooted and ran roms close to stock on my S2 and One X so I guess I'm just destined to join the Nexus crew
cc7211 said:
Came from note 3 to nexus 5 and went back to note 3.
Nexus 5 is great phone except it's poor battery performance.
You basically need to turn off EVERYTHING to get 12-13 hours standby with 4-5 screen-on hours battery life.
IMHO, If you are a heavy user, don't go with this one.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
Sent from my Nexus 5
cc7211 said:
Came from note 3 to nexus 5 and went back to note 3.
Nexus 5 is great phone except it's poor battery performance.
You basically need to turn off EVERYTHING to get 12-13 hours standby with 4-5 screen-on hours battery life.
IMHO, If you are a heavy user, don't go with this one.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dont listen to this! Im about a heavy user as it gets and this phone lasts me all day an then some. I dont see where this bad battery life is coming from
If you buy a damn smart phone you should use it: don't turn off everything!
I want my updates, I want my whatsapp, I want to see when e-mails come through (both personal and company and whatnot). So reporting what Battery Widget Reborn says (using stock + franco r32 without any settings tampering): 22 hours - I would say it's safe to assume I get around 18 with 2-3 hours of SOT.
Returning to the original question (and guess the OP made his mind) my philosophy would be: buy now and profit. If you will start "*****ing" around which one is best, that x,y,z will come out, you will end up with endless discussions.
Every damn piece of technology that we throw money on has tradeoffs and it will be "obsolete" in the next 6 months.Any choice will be good enough, at the end of the day if you use the phone it should fit your needs (even if your needs are to flash a new build of some rom every other day ).
get N5 now
cheaper, phone is a beast and u be happy.
chaco81 said:
get N5 now
cheaper, phone is a beast and u be happy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheaper depends where you live. N5 isn't a high end smart phone. Happy, that's debatable. But I for one disagree.
Sent from my Nexus 5
dicecuber said:
Cheaper depends where you live. N5 isn't a high end smart phone. Happy, that's debatable. But I for one disagree.
Sent from my Nexus 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
umm..why not? What exactly do you consider "high end"? I consider high end to be well made, top of the line specs, and usually the companies flagship product.

[Q] What should replace my One XL?

Hey friends,
Ive had this phone for a while now, and two things has been an absolute stand out for me..first, the customization (its great to change absolutely everything in a rooted android phone) and second, the battery life (it sucks, my god even the standby time is bad). Ive never been a heavy user, and most crucial part in any phone software according to me is the user experience, i would rate a phone with less stellar spec and smooth, fluid and reliable OS higher than a beast of a phone with bugged OS. My One XL has been primarily used to make calls and browse the web, thats it..no games no nothing but Ive found that sometimes even that is not possible may be because the phone froze, or simply restarted or the app crashed.. And there is the battery life.. I get about 12hrs approx. from a single charge, I get it 1800mAh is small for an android device, few apps helped but I made it a habit to carry a second phone, in case I need one if XL dies out(and it has in the past).
While I love the customization of this phone, Im looking for something simple, something which I can simply pick up and do thing and rest assured it would get things done. Recently Lumia 730 caught my attention it has 720p display, a fairly decent OS, bit bigger battery.
Should I go for Lumia 730? Is there any other option I should be looking at?
I would check out the LG 2 which, even though the phone has been "replaced" by the G3, it's still an amazing phone. I moved to the G2 from a one XL myself and I am loving it. You can root the phone and I stall custom roms, the battery life is amazing! I've stopped worrying about running out juice because the phone last for over a day on a single charge. Might be worth checking out.
OnePlus One. Epic phone. Enough said.
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except you need an invite to buy one... wonder when they'll open that up to everyone?
it would probably destroy the mobile smartphone marketplace as we know it
Invites are easy to get.
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