[Q] Phone Decision - General Questions and Answers

It's time for me to make a decision on a new phone and i am stuck between the Galaxy S3 and the Razr HD.
In the past I haven't cared for Samsung's phones only because they seem to almost never get updates. But now my main concern is which phone is better suited for being flashed for custom roms.
I would appreciate everyones input on which phone they would recommend both for usability and customization.
Thanks in advance.
--Aric

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1846277
First see above link for your topic:
Second I moved your thread to the Q&A vice the Gen Section, which leads me to this topic, take a read thru this thread below, for a better understanding in general.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1699450

Well I can tell you personally that I love my GS3, there is tons of dev work on it already and will continue as thus. But it really comes down to preference go to the verizon store and play with both models, thats what I did before making my purchase.

Related

[READ] This is the SGH-T959V(SGS4G) Not The Vibrant, or the Galaxy S 4

Hello Android Developers | ROM Flashers | Hackers | Modifiers | "I want my phone to look cool" People
First of all, I'd like to point out a few interesting things about this device.
-This is an Android powered phone that is officially supported to Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread
-The is the Galaxy S 4G. It is part of the Original Galaxy S (1st Generation) series and was once offered by ]"THREE" carriers. Mainly T-Mobile, secondly Wind Mobile, and most infrequently, Telus. The unique think about this phone is it was the first 4G Galaxy S Phone on T-Mobile.
-The model numbers are SGH-T959V(For T-Mobile), SGH-T959W(For Wind Mobile), and SGH-T959P(For Telus).
-A vast majority of support on this forum goes to the SGH-T959V for T-Mobile as it is the most common. There are a few T959W users on this forum who also have a few important threads, as well as if you are a T959W user, it is smart to note that yes, you can generally flash T959V roms, yet, you should "NOT" flash T959V Bootloaders and other such partitions such as the Boot, SBL, and Param sections as this MAY result in a permanent brick.
-There are no current T959P specific posts, and it is unknown whether there are any Telus users here. It is currently unknown but probably consistent that these users may be able to flash T959V roms.
OST OR ASK QUESTION
NOW THE MAIN POINT
First, If you haven't read the above section. GO BACK AND READ IT
MAIN MESSAGE
To all noobs, the T-Mobile (WInd or Telus) Galaxy S 4G is NOT internally similar to its predecessor, the T-Mobile Galaxy S Vibrant which lacks 4G and Gingerbread support. If you flash a Galaxy S Vibrant ROM, your phone may (and probably will) die, and will likely be void from warranty if you still have it! You should only flash ROMS available in THiS forum. All other Galaxy S variants including Galaxy S I9000, and other Galaxy S SGH model ROMS, Galaxy Y ROMS, Galaxy S II ROMS, Galaxy S III ROMS, Galaxy Note I ROMS, Galaxy Note II Roms, Galaxy Note 10.1 ROMS, Galaxy Tab ROMS, Galaxy Player ROMS, and any other Android Phone ROM will also kill the phone.
The label, Galaxy S doesn't mean Galaxy S "4G". There is a "HUGE" difference.
THERE ARE NOW AN INCOMING FLOOD OF GALAXY S "4" USERS.... THIS IS AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT DEVICE... PLEASE POST IN THE FORUM THAT CORRESPONDS TO THE MODEL NUMBER BEHIND YOUR BATTERY
THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THIS WARNING IS TO STOP GALAXY S 4G AND GALAXY S VIBRANT USERS FROM FLASHING ROMS THAT ARE NOT FROM THEIR EXACT PHONE'S FORUM AS WELL AS TO STOP AN INCOMING FLOOD OF GALAXY S 4 USERS TO POST QUESTIONS IN HERE
Bump for sticky.
Bump bump BUMP!!!
Sent from my SGH-T959V using xda premium
bhundven said:
Bump for sticky.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seriously, sticky this beast. Its almost every day I see a thread with some poor sap who didn't do ANY research, has a bricked phone because he was trying to flash a vibrant ROM XD
While part of me says that if they can't bother to do the research before messing with a very expencive device then they deserve to be bricked with a voided warranty but then the other part says that this is good info so it is now stuck.
i do have to agree that this is good info, but isn't this referring to #3 in the 10 commandments thread? just wondering.
droidmyst said:
i do have to agree that this is good info, but isn't this referring to #3 in the 10 commandments thread? just wondering.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point. From some of the threads I've been reading, it doesn't sound like some people even pay attention to the stickies as it is.
Maybe the better question: Does having yet another sticky stop people from posting stupid stuff? Probably not.
I'm proud to be a part of this forum and community, and I'm tired of having to filter through a bunch of crap to find the needle(useful post) in the haystack(thread).
I hope that we, as a community, can band together to report abusive users (by clicking the alert triangle in the title bar of the abusive user's comment) and to help nurture the newbies to feel safe to ask questions so they don't follow bad advise and bootloop or worse... brick.
I hope that this being sticky catches someone's eye so they don't flash the wrong roms, if they are on other phones.
For the record I came to this site after flashing a vibrant rom through(gasp) ROM Manager. You know the story. Only option close to this phone was VIBRANT(this was back in feb and still the same). Some better googling led me here. Fixed my problem without so much as a post. Other people think and act different than I do. They will ask for help. They will be noobs. It's your choice whether or not to help. If you choose not to help than let that be it.
Oh bye the way NO ONE reads stickies
hechoen said:
For the record I came to this site after flashing a vibrant rom through(gasp) ROM Manager. You know the story. Only option close to this phone was VIBRANT(this was back in feb and still the same). Some better googling led me here. Fixed my problem without so much as a post. Other people think and act different than I do. They will ask for help. They will be noobs. It's your choice whether or not to help. If you choose not to help than let that be it.
Oh bye the way NO ONE reads stickies
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well then they deserve what they get.
Rewritting the OS on your phone without doing the needed research is just plain stupid
zelendel said:
Well then they deserve what they get.
Rewritting the OS on your phone without doing the needed research is just plain stupid
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thanked, because it seems to be the biggest problem with this site.
No one reads the stickies.
Should the site maybe implement a lightbox of some sort that pops up to remind users of the rules and reading the stickies and ops?
EDIT: It would be annoying, but if it worked, it would become less annoying to *not* have to scroll through 100-200 page threads of newbs fighting over stupid crap posted in the sticky and op...
bhundven said:
I thanked, because it seems to be the biggest problem with this site.
No one reads the stickies.
Should the site maybe implement a lightbox of some sort that pops up to remind users of the rules and reading the stickies and ops?
EDIT: It would be annoying, but if it worked, it would become less annoying to *not* have to scroll through 100-200 page threads of newbs fighting over stupid crap posted in the sticky and op...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We have tried to make things as easy as we can but in the end this is a development site so when joining is is expected that people research and learn. I just wish people would stop following videos that are mostly out dated. It is amazing how lazy some people are. To be honest I am all out of pity and sympathy for those that don't do their homework. Its not rocket science after all lol
zelendel said:
We have tried to make things as easy as we can but in the end this is a development site so when joining is is expected that people research and learn. I just wish people would stop following videos that are mostly out dated. It is amazing how lazy some people are. To be honest I am all out of pity and sympathy for those that don't do their homework. Its not rocket science after all lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not rocket surgery or brain science. The simple fact is people want an easy way to do things. That's why they(myself inluded) are here. My homework is my own. So is my frustration. I ask not for sympathy but for pentance. I am so fuc?ing tired of off the cuff remarks from users of this site that claim to "know it all" but slam some poor ****er asking for help. How do you build a comminity on top of that? Search for sure. Notice the hottest topic right now is this one?
Zeledel
Do not expect people to be you. I sure as hell don't
I don't but I do expect them to do what I did when started, the same thing that everyone is expected to do. And that is to spend a good amount of time reading. When I started I knew nothing of modding and only had basic computer skills. So I joined and spent weeks reading up on what I was doing before I even attempted to software unlock my device. If you asked a question here without doing your research you were flamed left and right as it was and still is expected that people do the research before posting. Mainly sense modding your phone breaks your warranty and if you bricked it there was no way back and no returning to stock to return it.
As for the off the cuff remarks, I am sorry it has come to this. You can ask any one of my team mates. I am the first to spend hours upon hours helping people. Hell I have even spent 4 hours on an international call to help a user that has bricked his phone. In the end it comes down to if you do the research and then after all the work it is still acting up then people are more opted to help.
zelendel said:
I don't but I do expect them to do what I did when started, the same thing that everyone is expected to do. And that is to spend a good amount of time reading. When I started I knew nothing of modding and only had basic computer skills. So I joined and spent weeks reading up on what I was doing before I even attempted to software unlock my device. If you asked a question here without doing your research you were flamed left and right as it was and still is expected that people do the research before posting. Mainly sense modding your phone breaks your warranty and if you bricked it there was no way back and no returning to stock to return it.
As for the off the cuff remarks, I am sorry it has come to this. You can ask any one of my team mates. I am the first to spend hours upon hours helping people. Hell I have even spent 4 hours on an international call to help a user that has bricked his phone. In the end it comes down to if you do the research and then after all the work it is still acting up then people are more opted to help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One thing to remember alot of people are not you. We agree are many things. People are still not you. Because A = B if I am A or B than we are the same. C is always an option. Be the better person don't expect or think humane kind will hold themselves in that same regard. Be who you are but remember C is also an option.
hechoen said:
One thing to remember alot of people are not you. We agree are many things. People are still not you. Because A = B if I am A or B than we are the same. C is always an option. Be the better person don't expect or think humane kind will hold themselves in that same regard. Be who you are but remember C is also an option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed.
For anyone that has been keeping up. Please don't think that I am trying to say that I am like some tech guru. Lol far from it. I only meant to show what can happen when you put some love, effort, common since, strong searchfu toss in some grey hairs into your device. Never know the guy that joins XDA tomorrow may become the next CM.
If you believe you can or if you believe you can't either way you are right.
pft.
Sometimes when your having a bad day, keeping your fingers off the keyboard makes things better.
I had to re-read hechoen 3 times until I got it.
agreed. Also, people should not flash to their phone until they really know what they are doing. When I first rooted my G1, I read for 2 months before trying. Also, I ended up frying my rom and being stuck i bootloader for a day, but I never posted a single thread anywhere(I wasn't a member). So before people say "HELP, am I bricked?" they should try "EVERYTHING" to solve their own problems. The senior members aren't the phone company warranty plans.
google does a good job of leading other galaxy variants to different forum. When i first googled this phone google led me to the i9000 forum, and from reviews and comparisons on other sites they say this phone is very similar to the vibrant so its easy to get confused.Its bad enough samsung has like 10 phones with the galaxy name on it too. I think this thread should be stickied on general and Q and A also, its very easy to be misled here.
Sticky vs. Wiki
airfluip1 said:
To all noobs, the galaxy s 4g isn't the vibrant, if you flash a vibrant rom, your phone may die. You should only flash roms available in this forum. Galaxy S I9000 roms and GS2 roms will also kill the phone. The label, Galaxy S doesn't mean Galaxy S "4G". There is a "HUGE" difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, why is the xda-dev wiki leading noobs to believe otherwise?
Clicking on that link (which is supposedly a list of all the Galaxy S models), we see the Galaxy S 4G nestled in amongst all the generic Galaxy S models. Shouldn't there be a separate section here for the 4G just as there is for a Galaxy S II and a Galaxy Tablet?
It's one thing to make this post a Sticky (which may or may not be found via searching), and quite another to deliberately classify the Galaxy S 4G as a Galaxy S on the Wiki (which is much more prominent than a Sticky)!
p.s.
I had specifically asked a moderator to create a new group for the Galaxy S 4G over 6 months ago...
[email protected] said:
So, why is the xda-dev wiki leading noobs to believe otherwise?
Clicking on that link (which is supposedly a list of all the Galaxy S models), we see the Galaxy S 4G nestled in amongst all the generic Galaxy S models. Shouldn't there be a separate section here for the 4G just as there is for a Galaxy S II and a Galaxy Tablet?
It's one thing to make this post a Sticky (which may or may not be found via searching), and quite another to deliberately classify the Galaxy S 4G as a Galaxy S on the Wiki (which is much more prominent than a Sticky)!
p.s.
I had specifically asked a moderator to create a new group for the Galaxy S 4G over 6 months ago...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually beg to differ. The galaxy s 4g is a 'galaxy s' phone based on the s5pc1xx (specifically the s5pc110 in PoP with the onenand-flex and dram, just like the epic4g and fascinate) processor (hummingbird chipset). The sgs2 is based on the exynos chipset.
The tablet IS in a class of it's own.
I don't understand your post.
Sent from my SGH-T959V using xda premium

Should I return my S4?

I recently upgraded from a Nexus 4. I was unlucky when I purchased my S4 because it came with the MF3 firmware. It's really important for me to be able to run custom roms on my phone. I know that using the safestrap method I can install TW based roms but I'd like to have more options available to me. It seems as though this has been the case for a while now. Should I just return my phone and purchase something else or wait for a fix in the future? Also, with the 4.3 update coming soon for the AT&T S4, will this effect my ability to use the safestrap method?
motojdm said:
I recently upgraded from a Nexus 4. I was unlucky when I purchased my S4 because it came with the MF3 firmware. It's really important for me to be able to run custom roms on my phone. I know that using the safestrap method I can install TW based roms but I'd like to have more options available to me. It seems as though this has been the case for a while now. Should I just return my phone and purchase something else or wait for a fix in the future? Also, with the 4.3 update coming soon for the AT&T S4, will this effect my ability to use the safestrap method?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A. You need to search, the question you asked about safestrap has been answered several times as well as it can be answered at this point.
B. Only you can decide if you want to take the phone back or not. How is anyone supposed to make that decision for you? If you need information to help you make the decision, I suggest you read the "pinned" threads in the General and Q&A sections and also read the threads that are on the front couple of pages of those sections. Good luck.
motojdm said:
I recently upgraded from a Nexus 4. I was unlucky when I purchased my S4 because it came with the MF3 firmware. It's really important for me to be able to run custom roms on my phone. I know that using the safestrap method I can install TW based roms but I'd like to have more options available to me. It seems as though this has been the case for a while now. Should I just return my phone and purchase something else or wait for a fix in the future? Also, with the 4.3 update coming soon for the AT&T S4, will this effect my ability to use the safestrap method?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would say return it if you really care about flashing custom roms, get the nexus 5 if you want pure Android experience. Otherwise, you could keep it and wait for the flashing method to becomes available.
@scott14719
There is nothing wrong asking for a second opinion. move on.
Mod Edit profanity
I say return it. There a plenty of options out there. My girlfriend just bought the lg g2 it's a very good phone. Or like was mentioned above the nexus 5 if you want pure android.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda app-developers app
scott14719 said:
A. You need to search, the question you asked about safestrap has been answered several times as well as it can be answered at this point.
B. Only you can decide if you want to take the phone back or not. How is anyone supposed to make that decision for you? If you need information to help you make the decision, I suggest you read the "pinned" threads in the General and Q&A sections and also read the threads that are on the front couple of pages of those sections. Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
... thanks buddy. the reason i ask is because maybe there is a developer reading this who might be able to give me a clearer timetable on when a fix might be released. it seems as though this has been an ongoing problem with no fix in sight. if the problem were to be fixed within the next month or so i'd be interested in keeping the phone. hence, why i ask the community for advice. it's not as though i'm a little child who doesn't know how to spend his money. and my question about the update/safestrap issue isn't clearly answered on the OP's FAQ... maybe if i sifted through thousands of pages. you go out of your way to write a lengthy MOD EDIT response yet fail to answer the question that could be easily answered much faster.
Anyone who buys an S4 or Note 3 from AT&T right now isMOD EDIT And did not do their homework before buying.
I'm lucky because I got my S4 the first day it was released, so I can run any ROM I want, including AOSP. But as of recently, nobody who buys a new S4 or Note 3 can run REAL custom ROM's, ever (as of today). And I'm talking AOSP of course.
When the first of my two current AT&T contracts is up (June '14), I'm ditching AT&T and going to T-Mobile.
I'll sell my used S4 to cover the cost of prematurely ending my second contract.
MOD EDIT AT&T.
I still love Samsung though. And have no plans to leave Samsung phones as long as they continue to give us removeable battery covers and MicroSD card slots.
Read and make a decision on your own. No one can decide it for you...the end!
Consider the Thread closed.
To the OP the reply to search and read is the best reply. The #1 rule on XDA is search. Your remark to the individual suggesting to search and read is unwarranted.
Also questions go in the Q&A section not in General. Please read the XDA rules here and familiarize yourself with them.
To all others profanity is not permitted on XDA in any style or form. Masked profanity is profanity. Also abusive name calling is not tolerated.
Thank you for your future attention to this.
EFM
Have a nice day.

[Q] Phone Decision

Hi all. I'm trying to find the best phone for me and I value your input. I have had all of the Galaxy Phones except for the S5. I really am big on flash and eye candy. I'm trying to decide which At&t phone to get next between the LG G3, S5 and the HTC One M8. I'm obviously going to want to root it and such, but I just want to make sure that I pick a phone that I'm going to be happy with. I currently have the S3 and it does what I need for it too, but I just want a bump in hardware and such. So, between these 3 phones, which do you think I would be happier with? Which one has the more flash, glitz, eye candy, etc? Thanks all.
There are 3 threads devoted to discussions about devices, please repost your question in one of these three threads: The what should I buy thread or the The Device Suggestion Thread or the The Device Comparison Thread.

[Q] MOST Support Phone?

I am about to buy a new phone. So my questions are as follows:
1.) What Carrier has the most active phone being worked on by developers?
2.) Which phones (regardless of carrier) have the most devoted developers working on them?
Note: Basically i want to be able to be a flash addict and try new ROMS with new features made by decent developers (Although beginner or pro, all programmers deserve respect).
What are your guys opinions on the best Android phone to get? My carrier currently is MetroPCS but i might move to T-Mobile. I do not like big screens. The biggest screen i could probably deal with is the Galaxy S5 and that's because i use the hip clip.
I am leaning towards the Galaxy S5 (Upgrade from the S4).... The Sickness makes AWESOME ROMS for the M919 and i'm looking for a new phone with a similar caliber developer that's just as devoted as him.
ANY opinions or direct answers to my questions are greatly appreciated.
Another aspect the phone should have is that it has a great kernel... I LOVE the KT Kernel. Stability and profiles make it so easy to overclock/underclock.
Thanks in advance!!
There are 3 threads already established that are devoted to discussions about devices, please read, and if necessary, repost your question in one of these threads: The what should I buy thread or the The Device Suggestion Thread or the The Device Comparison Thread.
There are also several other discussion threads that you probably should review to help you. They are What phone do you wish you had? or
The Worst Android Device That You've Ever Had & Why or even this place that talks about The best phone you ever owned.

Wondering about development interest for roms and such?

Well I gave up my lg v20 to go back to the s7 (tmobile). It was an impulse trade. Now I've regretted it because of the lack of development in the areas of roms, themes, locked bootloader, and such. MY question is this, what's your opinion of the s8 and s8+..? Are they going to go down in flames or will there be a resurgence of interest in samsung again?
Your answers will help me decide whether to get one right off the bat or wait for another flagship device that's coming out in the next couple of months.
I can not find a way to delete my posting, I switched it to another section. Please delete.
Duplicate.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s8/help/wondering-development-roms-t3562134

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