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OK, here's the deal: I am hard on phones. I don't mean that I'm clumsy and drop my phone in the toilet or piss myself while drunk with my phone in my pocket, I mean I work in an industrial environment but need to keep my phone available. I pick up heavy things, I occasionally get soaking wet, and often am completely covered with dust. My old phone is a Motorola Defy+ and I managed to crack the housing on both sides with an Otterbox case on it - just the 'Commuter' case, but still. Don't ask me how, I don't even know when it happened. My phone before that was one of the old Casio G'zone flip phones, and durability wise was the best thing ever, too bad they don't make anything that really keeps up on the Smartphone end, I want a bigger screen. I'm fairly tech-savvy for a blue collar guy, but I'm definitely blue collar. Even on my days off I'm doing rough dirty stuff: yesterday I pulled an engine out of a motorcycle and helped my dad stand up a wall on an outbuilding he is putting up - he works harder retired than he did when he worked!
So to sum up, IP67 seems like a worth addition, but even with it, I would want the toughest case I can find.
Now the other side of the coin, software. My Defy opened my eyes to the smartphone world, and it is simply too handy a tool to me, but its limitations were a constant annoyance. The stock Motorola rom was simply horrid (my second and final Motorola phone) and their locked bootloader made changing roms a bit sketchy at the least. I wound up with a tweaked version of Cyanogenmod 7.2 and it works fairly well, but not perfectly. Good enough to use, but buggy enough that I wish it was a fully supported device. If I had a fully unlocked device, I might try stock android and I might try a few other things, but overall I like the feel of CM combined with Go launcher and would be content with that combo if nothing else were available. Given my preferences, I'm hesitant to saddle myself to a locked bootloader again.
Price isn't really an issue, I'm not interested in saddling myself with a contract, so $50 difference isn't much. Part of me wants to vote with my dollar, but do I vote for unlocked bootloaders (that I feel every device should have) or do I vote for a very basic level of durability (that I feel every device should have)?
What does everyone think? Go with the open bootloader, buy an Otterbox Defender (or is there a better option?) and maybe give it the Neverwet treatement?
... or go for the Active that will maybe be a little tougher, but may never get the software support I want (and still get the toughest case I can and possibly give it the Neverwet treatment anyway...)?
...or live with my Defy a while longer to wait and see if anyone figures out an effective way around the bootloader on the Active?
If you're really looking for a durable smart phone, I think the only one is the Samsung Rugby Pro, but it doesn't compare to the S4 variants, so get that if ruggedness is most important, otherwise...
I went from the Samsung Galaxy Nexus to the S4 Active, and I can tell you that I absolutely love the Nexus line, with their quick updates, clean design, and general lack of goofy UI overlays and their compatibility issues. I honestly bought the S4A because I needed something to tide me over until the Nexus 5 (or whatever) comes out. I chose the Active because I didn't like the feel of the standard S4, and I love that I can see my screen in the brightest daylight. Other than these items, the camera (which I don't use that much) is the only real difference, so the S4 and S4A are about the same, and it's simply personal preference.
After playing with the S4A for awhile, however, I'm really digging some of the Touchwiz features, especially smart stay which keeps the phone on whenever you're actually looking at it. I can't tell you how many times my GNex shut off on me while I was using the phone, so I love this feature. Some of the others are gimmicky, so I can't say that Touchwiz is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but I can say that once you decide what features you like and shut off the rest, Touchwiz isn't so bad, and I'm finding that all the things that bugged me about my GNex simply don't with my S4A. The one negative here is the vast amounts of bloatware. My recommendation is to use Android 4.2's ability to disable the bloat, or better yet root and freeze (or even better, uninstall) them. Once you do that, the biggest negative is mostly nullified.
On the flip side, the GE phones have unlocked bootloaders, and no bloat, so that's a plus, but the biggest negative with the GE phones is that they're not truly Nexus phones. Their updates will come from Samsung (or HTC for the One), not Google. Nobody knows how long it will take these GE phones to actually get their updates, although it will probably be faster than Carrier-specific variants.
My suggestion: Get the Active. With a contract, it's under $200 (or maybe even $100 depending on how you're getting it), and once the next Nexus phone comes out, if you really miss the Nexus experience, buy that phone for the $300 or so it will cost, and you'll STILL spend less than you will for the far-too-expensive GE S4. I know you said you don't want a contract, so you could buy it, get it SIMM-Unlocked, and if necessary sell it to pay for your Nexus when it comes out... or at the very least, try the Active for 14 days and take it back. The return is going to be a heck of a lot less painful than the GE phones. I've heard they're kind of a hassle to return (although I have no direct experience there).
The active is water resistant and dust resistant, not rugged so you will still need a good case for it. Seidio is making the OBEX case for the S4 which should be out soon and is rugged. (for the S4 not S4A). I hear cases are not readily available for the Active yet. The S4 GE will fit all cases and accessories for the S4.
The S4 GE woulds give you the things you want on an OS and has a lot of accessories ready now. Plus Google Wallet which is something I liked using on my Nexus 4.
---------- Post added at 04:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:16 PM ----------
jt3 said:
If you're really looking for a durable smart phone, I think the only one is the Samsung Rugby Pro, but it doesn't compare to the S4 variants, so get that if ruggedness is most important, otherwise...
I went from the Samsung Galaxy Nexus to the S4 Active, and I can tell you that I absolutely love the Nexus line, with their quick updates, clean design, and general lack of goofy UI overlays and their compatibility issues. I honestly bought the S4A because I needed something to tide me over until the Nexus 5 (or whatever) comes out.
After playing with the S4A for awhile, however, I'm really digging some of the Touchwiz features, especially smart stay which keeps the phone on whenever you're actually looking at it. I can't tell you how many times my GNex shut off on me while I was using the phone, so I love this feature. Some of the others are gimmicky, so I can't say that Touchwiz is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but I can say that once you decide what features you like and shut off the rest, Touchwiz isn't so bad, and I'm finding that all the things that bugged me about my GNex simply don't with my S4A. The one negative here is the vast amounts of bloatware. My recommendation is to use Android 4.2's ability to disable the bloat, or better yet root and freeze (or even better, uninstall) them. Once you do that, the biggest negative is mostly nullified.
On the flip side, the GE phones have unlocked bootloaders, and no bloat, so that's a plus, but the biggest negative with the GE phones is that they're not truly Nexus phones. Their updates will come from Samsung (or HTC for the One), not Google. Nobody knows how long it will take these GE phones to actually get their updates, although it will probably be faster than Carrier-specific variants.
My suggestion: Get the Active. With a contract, it's under $200 (or maybe even $100 depending on how you're getting it), and once the next Nexus phone comes out, if you really miss the Nexus experience, buy that phone for the $300 or so it will cost, and you'll STILL spend less than you will for the far-too-expensive GE S4. I know you said you don't want a contract, so you could buy it, get it SIMM-Unlocked, and sell it to pay for your Nexus... or at the very least, try it for 14 days and take it back. The return is going to be a heck of a lot painless than the GE phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually the Google edition phones will get their updates from google. Maybe not at the exact time as the Nexus line, but they say right on the google play website that they will be updated directly from google.
Maybe you might want to wait for the S4 Developer's edition. Bootloader unlocked and basically the same as the S4, and then put a case on it.
planoman said:
The active is water resistant and dust resistant, not rugged so you will still need a good case for it. Seidio is making the OBEX case for the S4 which should be out soon and is rugged. (for the S4 not S4A). I hear cases are not readily available for the Active yet. The S4 GE will fit all cases and accessories for the S4.
The S4 GE woulds give you the things you want on an OS and has a lot of accessories ready now. Plus Google Wallet which is something I liked using on my Nexus 4.
---------- Post added at 04:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:16 PM ----------
Actually the Google edition phones will get their updates from google. Maybe not at the exact time as the Nexus line, but they say right on the google play website that they will be updated directly from google.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really?? I rember reading somewhere that google said they would still leave the updates ri the manufacturer...maybe things have changed...or maybe I never read that lol
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
planoman said:
Actually the Google edition phones will get their updates from google. Maybe not at the exact time as the Nexus line, but they say right on the google play website that they will be updated directly from google.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, I should probably clarify this. Google has gone back and forth on this point a few times, so the short answer is that we really don't know yet WHO will push the updates, but it's logical to assume that they'll come from Google. First, however, they'll be submitted by Google to Samsung (or HTC) for approval or modification (mainly drivers, supposedly, but again, nobody really knows). They are then returned to Google, who will probably need to review it to see what was done. This may go back and forth a few times (although not necessarily), until both parties agree on an update, when it will then be pushed out by Google.
In short, the updates COULD come out the same day, or at least same week, as the Nexus updates, or they may take months. Nobody knows, since it hasn't been put into practice yet. Carriers of the GNex all promised that it would be treated as a Nexus phone, and that updates would be timely, controlled by Google, and (at least in the case of Sprint and Verizon) only driver-specific changes would be made by the carrier, and we all know how that turned out. Granted, those were carriers not manufacturers, but until we see how the update process actually works, I wouldn't count timely updates as a benefit of the GE phones.
jt3 said:
If you're really looking for a durable smart phone, I think the only one is the Samsung Rugby Pro, but it doesn't compare to the S4 variants, so get that if ruggedness is most important, otherwise...
...
...My suggestion: Get the Active. With a contract, it's under $200 (or maybe even $100 depending on how you're getting it), and once the next Nexus phone comes out, if you really miss the Nexus experience, buy that phone for the $300 or so it will cost, and you'll STILL spend less than you will for the far-too-expensive GE S4. I know you said you don't want a contract, so you could buy it, get it SIMM-Unlocked, and if necessary sell it to pay for your Nexus when it comes out... or at the very least, try the Active for 14 days and take it back. The return is going to be a heck of a lot less painful than the GE phones. I've heard they're kind of a hassle to return (although I have no direct experience there).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rugby: too small and outdated, just like the G'zone smartphone. As to swapping the phones, I'm not a guy who likes to do this a lot. I'm fairly irritated to be phone shopping this soon and I wouldn't be if the Defy were just a little bit better at anything, but poor reception and poor performance are just too much to bear, plus I can't imagine it is very water resistant anymore, what with the cracks in the housing. The money just isn't that big a deal to me compared with having something I don't have to mess with constantly.
planoman said:
The active is water resistant and dust resistant, not rugged so you will still need a good case for it. Seidio is making the OBEX case for the S4 which should be out soon and is rugged. (for the S4 not S4A). I hear cases are not readily available for the Active yet. The S4 GE will fit all cases and accessories for the S4....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That OBEX case looks pretty sweet to me. That really may be the ticket, thanks for making me aware of it.
scott14719 said:
Maybe you might want to wait for the S4 Developer's edition. Bootloader unlocked and basically the same as the S4, and then put a case on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google edition / Developer edition: unless I'm mistaken, it is the same hardware, same price outright, and if the Bootloader is unlocked I'm sure I can flash either ROM to either phone long run.
I don't really see myself being too enamored of the Touchwiz interface, but I'm sure I can put it back on Google version if I feel inclined. Seems a bit gimmicky, but perhaps I'll have to stop by a store and play with one for a minuter or two.
Software updates are a bit of a non-issue to my mind, no matter who they come from. Like I said, I'll probably wind up with CM anyway.
jt3 said:
Okay, I should probably clarify this. Google has gone back and forth on this point a few times, so the short answer is that we really don't know yet WHO will push the updates, but it's logical to assume that they'll come from Google. First, however, they'll be submitted by Google to Samsung (or HTC) for approval or modification (mainly drivers, supposedly, but again, nobody really knows). They are then returned to Google, who will probably need to review it to see what was done. This may go back and forth a few times (although not necessarily), until both parties agree on an update, when it will then be pushed out by Google.
In short, the updates COULD come out the same day, or at least same week, as the Nexus updates, or they may take months. Nobody knows, since it hasn't been put into practice yet. Carriers of the GNex all promised that it would be treated as a Nexus phone, and that updates would be timely, controlled by Google, and (at least in the case of Sprint and Verizon) only driver-specific changes would be made by the carrier, and we all know how that turned out. Granted, those were carriers not manufacturers, but until we see how the update process actually works, I wouldn't count timely updates as a benefit of the GE phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True we do not know when, But I think it is agreed that Google will push them (at least Google Play says they will) The bottleneck is the carriers. I have owned an International model (OG Note) and it was updated all the time! I cannot say it will be the same as a Nexus but Samsung has a good record of updating their recent devices sans carriers...my opinion.
Please don't check "yes this is a question" if you are posting a POLL. As it puts a Q in the title and all Q's get moved to Q&A. Title edited.
FNM
Sorry, didn't realize. It was a question with a poll, so I said yes... Thanks for fixing it.
At the moment, I'm really leaning heavily toward the Google edition with one of those OBEX cases. It gives me a good deadline: wait until the OBEX is available, and see what develops for the Active in that time frame, whatever that may be...
Just found a buyer on Swappa for my VZW Galaxy Note 3, which I loved, but am selling cause I no longer want to be a part of Verizon and because I don't want to wait 6 months hoping and praying that the Note 3 gets it's boot-loader unlocked and in the meantime only be able to use a Safe-Strap workaround, which they haven't even gotten fully working yet from what I read the other day. For me rooting, flashing roms/kernels/tweaks, etc etc, and messing around with other mods and themes, is half the point of owning a phone. And the note 3 let me down big time.
Anyways, the point is. T-mobile, either the S4, G2 or N4, and most likely this is just temp til the Nexus 5 is in stock for them (which was the final straw for me with Verizon, I want that phone so damn bad and they of course don't carry it) I keep wanting to get the nexus 4, just to mess around with, cause I've never owned a nexus device before cause I've been stuck with Verizon, and when the G-Nexus came out I wasn't eligible for upgrade. But the G2 seems pretty much to just be a slightly bigger Nexus 5, the S4 is a great phone, but I am tired of Samsung. But then again, at least I know I am getting quality. Last time i had an LG phone was the Revolution 4G and i hate that thing sooooo much.....
So yea, I know my reasons for liking each one, but I wanna know, down to the absolute nitty gritty, which one should I go with. Obviously Mods/Roms is a important factor for me, so is smooth performance when using the UI, Chrome, Games, etc etc, Camera needs to be decent enough for me not too look at it and wanna retake the picture every-time. I am not a pro-photographer, i am just a musician, but I do take pics of friends and shows, and all that good stuff. And yea. that's about it for main things i look for, there are a lot of other points i look at, but that should be enough to help you guys help me lol. What do you guys think.
S4, G2 or N4. What shall it be
Hi guys
As some of you know I've been having problems with my lg g2 and i think I'm going to give up and buy a new phone.
I've narrowed it down to either a HTC M8 or a Samsung S5.
I know there seems to be an unlimited amount of reviews on the internet but you cant always go by spec alone and to be honest a lot of them seem a bit biased or favour the htc just because its not as popular as a Samsung phone.
I actually went out to a phone shop today to buy the S5 but they had sold out and while i was in there i had a look at the M8 and i was really tempted to go for it.
The pros on both phones for me are (so you can get an idea on what I'm looking for in a phone):
Samsung S5:
1. Camera (this is a big one for me).
2. Reputable brand with a lot of service centres should things go wrong.
3. Parts easy to get.
4. takes a micro sd card.
I'm not too fussed about the gimmicks such as the finger print scanner, heart monitor, water resistance.
Bad points:
1. feels a bit like cheap plastic to hold.
HTC M8
1. Feels nicer to hold.
2. Knock on feature.
3. seems faster than the s5.
4. Takes a micro sd card.
Not too fussed about the boom sound speaker as my phone is on vibrate most of the time and i don't walk down the street playing music out of my phone (why do kids do that...lol)
Bad points:
1. Camera (i use my phones camera a lot).
2. I noticed that the display model in store had a lot of paint chips (it was gunmetal grey) so I'm not sure if this phone will stay looking good.
3. doesn't have a removable battery
Another thing you don't hear about in reviews.......
I always stock root my android phones so what one is the easiest to root and unroot if i need to return it under warranty.
And i remember when i rooted a htc one mini, that there was problems every time htc pushed out an update, is that the same with samsung.
What do you guys think?
Inked_ said:
Hi guys
As some of you know I've been having problems with my lg g2 and i think I'm going to give up and buy a new phone.
I've narrowed it down to either a HTC M8 or a Samsung S5.
I know there seems to be an unlimited amount of reviews on the internet but you cant always go by spec alone and to be honest a lot of them seem a bit biased or favour the htc just because its not as popular as a Samsung phone.
I actually went out to a phone shop today to buy the S5 but they had sold out and while i was in there i had a look at the M8 and i was really tempted to go for it.
The pros on both phones for me are (so you can get an idea on what I'm looking for in a phone):
Samsung S5:
1. Camera (this is a big one for me).
2. Reputable brand with a lot of service centres should things go wrong.
3. Parts easy to get.
4. takes a micro sd card.
I'm not too fussed about the gimmicks such as the finger print scanner, heart monitor, water resistance.
Bad points:
1. feels a bit like cheap plastic to hold.
HTC M8
1. Feels nicer to hold.
2. Knock on feature.
3. seems faster than the s5.
4. Takes a micro sd card.
Not too fussed about the boom sound speaker as my phone is on vibrate most of the time and i don't walk down the street playing music out of my phone (why do kids do that...lol)
Bad points:
1. Camera (i use my phones camera a lot).
2. I noticed that the display model in store had a lot of paint chips (it was gunmetal grey) so I'm not sure if this phone will stay looking good.
3. doesn't have a removable battery
Another thing you don't hear about in reviews.......
I always stock root my android phones so what one is the easiest to root and unroot if i need to return it under warranty.
And i remember when i rooted a htc one mini, that there was problems every time htc pushed out an update, is that the same with samsung.
What do you guys think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you wanna root, Samsung is a no go because of Knox. But since you require a good camera, you might want to consider Sony (but their boot loader unlocking process might be a little troublesome).
I'm not sure about HTCs as I've never touched one before. The boot loader might trouble you too, as with Sony devices.
My personal recommendation is an Oppo Find 7 or a One Plus One. Their rooting process is quite simple and AFAIK Oppo doesn't void warranty if you root in some countries.
Hope you get a good phone
Sent from a Nameless fellow licking Lollipop.
Singaporean Oppo Find 7a
Click that "Thanks" button if I helped you!
Irwenzhao said:
If you wanna root, Samsung is a no go because of Knox. But since you require a good camera, you might want to consider Sony (but their boot loader unlocking process might be a little troublesome).
I'm not sure about HTCs as I've never touched one before. The boot loader might trouble you too, as with Sony devices.
My personal recommendation is an Oppo Find 7 or a One Plus One. Their rooting process is quite simple and AFAIK Oppo doesn't void warranty if you root in some countries.
Hope you get a good phone
Sent from a Nameless fellow licking Lollipop.
Singaporean Oppo Find 7a
Click that "Thanks" button if I helped you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply
I've not read up on knox yet but I've read a lot of people have rooted their s5 without any problems
Something else I need to consider between the s5 and m8 is heat.
I'm sure the root cause of the problems with my g2 was it heating up while being on it a long time or watching videos.
Do any of these phone have heat issues?
Also what one should get the latest android os for the longest (I think htc guarantee a minimum of 2 years) ?
You should wait for the m9. Samsung is a definite no go if you want to root. Build quality is also very good on the m8 and will most likely improve with the m9.
I would highly suggest waiting g for the m9 as HTC is dumping their ultrapixel technology and the camera will most likely jump ALOT. It is rumored to be announced within the next month, but if not, then it should be announced by, let's say, April or May. If you don't want to wait, try maybe an Lg G3 or even a Nexus 5.
Cheers and happy device hunting!
ANDR01DN00B said:
You should wait for the m9. Samsung is a definite no go if you want to root. Build quality is also very good on the m8 and will most likely improve with the m9.
I would highly suggest waiting g for the m9 as HTC is dumping their ultrapixel technology and the camera will most likely jump ALOT. It is rumored to be announced within the next month, but if not, then it should be announced by, let's say, April or May. If you don't want to wait, try maybe an Lg G3 or even a Nexus 5.
Cheers and happy device hunting!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really cant wait so it needs to be the s5 or m8.
I've lost trust in lg and the nexus doesn't have a sd card slot.
Im actually shocked that your all saying that I shouldn't get the s5 because of root (I thought it would be something like the build quality...lol) as ive read loads of people have rooted their s5's.
I think they use something called towelroot and oden pro to flash the firmware?
I've just read that you can uninstall knox, is this true?
No you cannot uninstall Knox. The issue with the s5 is that when you install a custom recovery, it tells Knox something is wrong and your warranty becomes PERMANENTLY voided. Knox is permanent whether you are running a Touchwiz ROM or a Stock Android ROM.
Trust me if knox was uninstallable I would've bought the s4 over my m7.
The build quality is OK on the s5 but the m8 outplays it by 5,000,000%.
ANDR01DN00B said:
No you cannot uninstall Knox. The issue with the s5 is that when you install a custom recovery, it tells Knox something is wrong and your warranty becomes PERMANENTLY voided. Knox is permanent whether you are running a Touchwiz ROM or a Stock Android ROM.
Trust me if knox was uninstallable I would've bought the s4 over my m7.
The build quality is OK on the s5 but the m8 outplays it by 5,000,000%.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok thanks
The m8 seems a lot easier to root as you can still use htcdev...etc the only thing im not sure about is what to do when htc update thing like sense...etc as I remember there being a problem with update as htc detect the custom recovery.
The things that are holding me back from the M8 are:
1. No removable battery.
2. The camera (4 ultra pixel).
3. htc as a brand compared with the likes of Samsung (devs do more for Samsung and there's more accessories for Samsung).
4. s5 has a LOT more features.
If I could get me head passed all that then I would go for it....lol
I would go for the Htc
I've been using the Htc for the past few years, I've got friends whose got the S5 and the M8.
Sadly my friend with the S5 was pretty disappointed with the phone( I'll get to know more about the trouble when i meet him on monday) But however my friend with the M8 which he had used it for some time now, he never complains about it in fact it runs pretty smooth, but the only problem with the phone is the battery, or otherwise it's a real good phone. On my point of view i trust the Htc since it's made in my country and the service here is excellent.
I hope you made up your mind soon and will be happy with your new phone
Cheers!! (And sorry for the bad English):good:
Inked_ said:
ok thanks The m8 seems a lot easier to root as you can still use htcdev...etc the only thing im not sure about is what to do when htc update thing like sense...etc as I remember there being a problem with update as htc detect the custom recovery.
The things that are holding me back from the M8 are:
1. No removable battery.
2. The camera (4 ultra pixel).
3. htc as a brand compared with the likes of Samsung (devs do more for Samsung and there's more accessories for Samsung).
4. s5 has a LOT more features.
If I could get me head passed all that then I would go for it....lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well yes when you enter the bootloader after installing a custom recovery it will show "TAMPERED" at the top, but unlike knox, this can be reset/removed with S-OFF
1)I dont see the point in a removable battery (the battery is actually really good despite the smaller size)
2)Yeah... it's not the best and definitely could be the worst
3)There are still ALOT of cases for the m8 (even dome dope ones not for the m7 )
4)Those extra features are more gimmic-y really IMO and it does in fact take up more RAM and in turn battery
(yes, I am an HTC fanboy :silly
@SinkRate
Thanks for your input and there's nothing wrong with your english
@ANDR01DNOOB
So do you have the M8 ?
I suppose the battery isn't such a big issue as a lot of phones come without removable batteries now.
I've been using the HTC one mini for the past couple of days ( a loan while i sort out a phone) and I'm not really taking to it very much and I'm thinking that the m8 would just be an upgraded version of this.
How do you go about putting the phone back to stock for warranty?
Also what do you do when htc push out an update to your rooted phone?
I remember htc detecting root (i think it was the custom firmware) and not allowing the phone to install the updates.
No actually I don't have an m8 but I have spent 3+ days with one
A long process, and it requires soff, which some m8s aren't capable of having. If you need soff that bad, Sunshine will probably work with a charge of $25
Usually when an update is pushed out, you can install the stock recovery and flash the ota.
No no you're probably thinking of something else.
ANDR01DN00B said:
No actually I don't have an m8 but I have spent 3+ days with one
A long process, and it requires soff, which some m8s aren't capable of having. If you need soff that bad, Sunshine will probably work with a charge of $25
Usually when an update is pushed out, you can install the stock recovery and flash the ota.
No no you're probably thinking of something else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So really both S5 and M8 can be rooted and both of them have their own problems when it comes to unrooting them for warranty?
That was the problem I had, I looked everywhere for the stock recovery but I couldn't find it anywhere.
All I found was replies saying to put the update on the ignore list....lol
Inked_ said:
So really both S5 and M8 can be rooted and both of them have their own problems when it comes to unrooting them for warranty?
That was the problem I had, I looked everywhere for the stock recovery but I couldn't find it anywhere.
All I found was replies saying to put the update on the ignore list....lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep... No phone is perfect.
Rooting the S5 does not necessarily trip KNOX. Stop that nonsense.
Installing a custom firmware or recovery trips KNOX. Not rooting, at least not all methods. You just need to do it before updating. The older the firmware, the easier it is.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/gal...2nd-method-t2843044/post54719865#post54719865
CF-Autoroot, however, does trigger it.
If you are in the EU KNOX is irrelevant.
Now, as for the rest.
A lot of people prefer HTC just because they have the desire to feel 'different' from the crowd, which they believe they can achieve by hating the largest brand. An ungodly amount of hipsters use HTC for that reason. This greatly affects people's opinions both here and in reviews. Samsung is starting to become what Apple is: hated for being popular.
Both phones will get warm. It's a powerhouse without any form of fan or heatsink. The cover is literally the only heatsink.
The M8 will get warmer because it's made of metal. That's the advantage of plastic. Plastic also dents and scratches a lot less. However, some have reported that the bezel of their S5 is loosing its metallic paint.
Personally I always use an otterbox case so I can't comment on the feel of the devices.
The camera on the S5 is much, much better.
The speaker quality of the M8 is enormously better.
The M8 is bigger and heavier, despite having a smaller screen size.
The S5 has an AMOLED screen. That means infinite contrast ratio, higher colour saturation (can be turned down), much better legible in direct sunlight and more battery efficient. (black=led off).
The M8 has an FM stereo. The S5 does not. If that matters (for many it does), keep that in mind.
The S5 has a lot of features, but nearly all of them can just be turned off with a simple toggle, or uninstalled/disabled even without root. My S5 uses about 800MB RAM without running apps. Not rooted. (did replace Touchwiz with Apex, saved me +-300MB) goes up to about 1.2GB when running Firefox, N7player, Facebook, Whatsapp and Gmail simultaneously.
The water&dust resistance is actually a useful gimmick in rainy countries.
You also need to physically look at the phones. Which one do you feel happier with just looking at it? Because if you truly don't like the look of one, you'll grow to dislike the phone itself eventually, regardless of its performance.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk 2
maybe you can get that HTC, or maybe samsung
from my opinion samsung sometimes got overpriced
about camera issue, maybe it can help with a little retouch with app like photoshop touch (just opinion hehe
I like the HTC M8 but I think you should go for Samsung Galaxy S5. As you said that you use camera a lot, so I think Samsung Galaxy S5 will be the best option for you.
Update.......
Before I start, I want to give a HUGE thanks to everyone that replied in this thread (if I haven't clicked you thanks button then let me know...lol)
I went with the S5 in the end and although its early days I've got to say im loving it so far.
I've put a tempered glass screen protector on it and im getting a case for it tomorrow.
Strange thing is that I've clicked manage apps and I cant see anything related to knox,.
Does this mean that I can safely root it and install custom recovery....etc without voiding the warranty ?
Inked_ said:
Update.......
Before I start, I want to give a HUGE thanks to everyone that replied in this thread (if I haven't clicked you thanks button then let me know...lol)
I went with the S5 in the end and although its early days I've got to say im loving it so far.
I've put a tempered glass screen protector on it and im getting a case for it tomorrow.
Strange thing is that I've clicked manage apps and I cant see anything related to knox,.
Does this mean that I can safely root it and install custom recovery....etc without voiding the warranty ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go to download mode and check if there's something like this:
Code:
Knox Warranty Void: 0x0
or something like that.
As @ShadowLea said, rooting won't void warranty but flashing a custom ROM/Kernel/Recovery will.
Inked_ said:
Hi guys
As some of you know I've been having problems with my lg g2 and i think I'm going to give up and buy a new phone.
I've narrowed it down to either a HTC M8 or a Samsung S5.
I know there seems to be an unlimited amount of reviews on the internet but you cant always go by spec alone and to be honest a lot of them seem a bit biased or favour the htc just because its not as popular as a Samsung phone.
I actually went out to a phone shop today to buy the S5 but they had sold out and while i was in there i had a look at the M8 and i was really tempted to go for it.
The pros on both phones for me are (so you can get an idea on what I'm looking for in a phone):
Samsung S5:
1. Camera (this is a big one for me).
2. Reputable brand with a lot of service centres should things go wrong.
3. Parts easy to get.
4. takes a micro sd card.
I'm not too fussed about the gimmicks such as the finger print scanner, heart monitor, water resistance.
Bad points:
1. feels a bit like cheap plastic to hold.
HTC M8
1. Feels nicer to hold.
2. Knock on feature.
3. seems faster than the s5.
4. Takes a micro sd card.
Not too fussed about the boom sound speaker as my phone is on vibrate most of the time and i don't walk down the street playing music out of my phone (why do kids do that...lol)
Bad points:
1. Camera (i use my phones camera a lot).
2. I noticed that the display model in store had a lot of paint chips (it was gunmetal grey) so I'm not sure if this phone will stay looking good.
3. doesn't have a removable battery
Another thing you don't hear about in reviews.......
I always stock root my android phones so what one is the easiest to root and unroot if i need to return it under warranty.
And i remember when i rooted a htc one mini, that there was problems every time htc pushed out an update, is that the same with samsung.
What do you guys think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s5_vs_htc_one_m8-review-1067.php
Here's a full comparrison.
The HTC One M8 has a pretty bad 4MP Camera Resolution which makes Low-Light photos actually better.
The S5 can take 4k-Videos higher than the M8's Maximum Photo Resolution.
But the M8 has a nice Aluminium Design and very good Stereo-Front Facing Speakers.
It also has blinkfeed, you can like it or not.
The Dual Camera of the M8 makes nice picture effects possible.
The S5 is Water-Resistant and has a slightly better processing power.
The M8 is NOT Water Resistant but maybe survives Toilet Crashes
I will never be buying a Samsung phone again after an amazing experience with the GS3. Locked bootloaders, KNOX. The physical form factor and LED technolog of Huawei and HTC has gotten good enough that the differences pereceived in phone quality screen, physical form factor is increasingly a non-issue. Ordered and had to return two gs5s due to lack of rootability. Will NOT be wasting my time buying another Samsung again...ever.
zetsui said:
I will never be buying a Samsung phone again after an amazing experience with the GS3. Locked bootloaders, KNOX. The physical form factor and LED technolog of Huawei and HTC has gotten good enough that the differences pereceived in phone quality screen, physical form factor is increasingly a non-issue. Ordered and had to return two gs5s due to lack of rootability. Will NOT be wasting my time buying another Samsung again...ever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad you saw the light. Many have already stopped using Samsung devices and many devs refuse to touch them now.
zelendel said:
Glad you saw the light. Many have already stopped using Samsung devices and many devs refuse to touch them now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am a student and wasted so much of my time just rooting/returning/mailing/packing this non sense. A full time dev/workload/engineer etc you would not have time for all this. AT&T phones all have locked bootloaders now, and Samsung just conforms to whatever they ask. Not worth it. They will see their stock continue to plummet.
Seriously, anyone else reading this, look at my posting history. 4 years of rooting/software dev experience. I am not touching one ever again. They killed a great line of phones for god knows what reason. Even if it has root, when you buy a used phone and they 'factory reset' it either you will lose root right then and there OR you lose it because of the automatic OTA service running in the background that upgrades the baseband on your phone.
Horrible. We need to organize a site wide veto until these guys get it
Ever since Updating to the official MM RUU posted in these forums I, and others are stating that they have been getting the following message:
Sending SMS messages
Message failed. Would you like to retry?
Deny Allow
(attached)
I aim opening this in an attempt to try and ascertain what the issue could be. As Nobody seems to have an answer in what limited fashion I asked.
This is on the Official firmware RUU by dottat ( http://forum.xda-developers.com/ver...pment/stock-m-firmware-nand-recovery-t3330972 ).
It was stated elsewhere that this matter was resolved by another dev, but am unable to determine how possibly that was done
This easily happens multiple times a day if I text frequently
carm01 said:
Ever since Updating to the official MM RUU posted in these forums I, and others are stating that they have been getting the following message:
Sending SMS messages
Message failed. Would you like to retry?
Deny Allow
(attached)
I aim opening this in an attempt to try and ascertain what the issue could be. As Nobody seems to have an answer in what limited fashion I asked.
This is on the Official firmware RUU by dottat ( http://forum.xda-developers.com/ver...pment/stock-m-firmware-nand-recovery-t3330972 ).
It was stated elsewhere that this matter was resolved by another dev, but am unable to determine how possibly that was done
This easily happens multiple times a day if I text frequently
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's odd.
That happened to me before I updated, updating with the ruu fixed it. That was my fix personally, maybe try redownloading the ruu and trying again? I used the first ruu posted by dottat when the marshmallow update dropped.
BadUsername said:
That's odd.
That happened to me before I updated, updating with the ruu fixed it. That was my fix personally, maybe try redownloading the ruu and trying again? I used the first ruu posted by dottat when the marshmallow update dropped.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did the RUU, and set it back up. Needless to say this permission garbage in MM is for the birds. I reverted to NEO's rom, and low and behold that message reared its ugly head again. I am beginning to think it is firmware related.
Since I am on my second and last M8 both due to charging port failures I have decided to abandon the M8 permanently, as it is at the end of its life anyways and not worth getting another, and MM has been a horrible experience honestly.. i thought windows 10 permissions were bad
Best Regards
carm01 said:
I did the RUU, and set it back up. Needless to say this permission garbage in MM is for the birds. I reverted to NEO's rom, and low and behold that message reared its ugly head again. I am beginning to think it is firmware related.
Since I am on my second and last M8 both due to charging port failures I have decided to abandon the M8 permanently, as it is at the end of its life anyways and not worth getting another, and MM has been a horrible experience honestly.. i thought windows 10 permissions were bad
Best Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya I'm not sure what to say, I replaced the charging port on mine myself, not a hard fix at all. $12 for the port, $5 for spudger, $9 for the all-in-one screwdriver, and $5 for antistatic tweezers. Though for approximately $40 it may not be worth it to you. I'm hoping the next htc phone has an IR blaster, so I'm going to run this device into the ground.
But I have no idea what could be causing your sms issues. My guess it would have to be firmware related, possibly area specific. On stock I haven't really noticed any problems.
BadUsername said:
Ya I'm not sure what to say, I replaced the charging port on mine myself, not a hard fix at all. $12 for the port, $5 for spudger, $9 for the all-in-one screwdriver, and $5 for antistatic tweezers. Though for approximately $40 it may not be worth it to you. I'm hoping the next htc phone has an IR blaster, so I'm going to run this device into the ground.
But I have no idea what could be causing your sms issues. My guess it would have to be firmware related, possibly area specific. On stock I haven't really noticed any problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The HTC 10 has no IR blaster.
I'm a bit upset myself about this but I honestly didn't use it much.
andybones said:
The HTC 10 has no IR blaster.
I'm a bit upset myself about this but I honestly didn't use it much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know it doesn't, I love my IR blaster, I hate having my normal TV remote and it's nice having sole access to my TV through my phone.
BadUsername said:
Ya I'm not sure what to say, I replaced the charging port on mine myself, not a hard fix at all. $12 for the port, $5 for spudger, $9 for the all-in-one screwdriver, and $5 for antistatic tweezers. Though for approximately $40 it may not be worth it to you. I'm hoping the next htc phone has an IR blaster, so I'm going to run this device into the ground.
But I have no idea what could be causing your sms issues. My guess it would have to be firmware related, possibly area specific. On stock I haven't really noticed any problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know I just want a phone that works. I never had issues with any of my other HTC phones and charging port failures. I know its easy, but why fool with it if HTC is not going to support their phones for more than 2 years?
I love HTC phones but their 2 year support life span, and slow updates is frustrating to me. its like dropping 300 to 400 or more every two years for a phone just to stay current with security issues/fixes.
carm01 said:
You know I just want a phone that works. I never had issues with any of my other HTC phones and charging port failures. I know its easy, but why fool with it if HTC is not going to support their phones for more than 2 years?
I love HTC phones but their 2 year support life span, and slow updates is frustrating to me. its like dropping 300 to 400 or more every two years for a phone just to stay current with security issues/fixes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand your point, but what phone do you know of that is supported over 2 years?
Hardware failures in my opinion simply happen. Wear and tear on a device takes its toll. The only phone that I know have that have better support is an iPhone. Even then, the device you purchase won't be supported after a few years at most. I've also seen some terrible hardware failures associated with them as well.
I understand not wanting to fix it, but after my charging port broke, I just figured it was worth it to me to replace it myself. I like everything about this phone.
BadUsername said:
I understand your point, but what phone do you know of that is supported over 2 years?
Hardware failures in my opinion simply happen. Wear and tear on a device takes its toll. The only phone that I know have that have better support is an iPhone. Even then, the device you purchase won't be supported after a few years at most. I've also seen some terrible hardware failures associated with them as well.
I understand not wanting to fix it, but after my charging port broke, I just figured it was worth it to me to replace it myself. I like everything about this phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All my devices I take excellent care of. Always cased, screen protectors, never; well extremely rarely dropped. If it was not for the lack of support, and red camera garbage i would still be using my m7 as it is still perfect, just no support.
As far as iphone goes. They have software support for 5 years on average, and they hold their value very well. i decided to go with an 6S and it is ungodly fast and responsive. I know some are going to curse me, but it is my choice. I got free WIFI calling and VOLTE. Anyways I got 12 more days to decide before the purchase is final. I understand certain things about it and was aware before I made my decision
I would have gone with the moto pure, however i do not want a phablet, I want something i can hold and work on in one hand. If the M7 was supported I would still be using it ( that damn red or yellow camera crap is annoying blunder that HTC seriously dropped the ball on ).
I would have chose nexus 5x but I found out the USC-C is 2.0 speed, and limited to 32 gigs
Anyways
carm01 said:
All my devices I take excellent care of. Always cased, screen protectors, never; well extremely rarely dropped. If it was not for the lack of support, and red camera garbage i would still be using my m7 as it is still perfect, just no support.
As far as iphone goes. They have software support for 5 years on average, and they hold their value very well. i decided to go with an 6S and it is ungodly fast and responsive. I know some are going to curse me, but it is my choice. I got free WIFI calling and VOLTE. Anyways I got 12 more days to decide before the purchase is final. I understand certain things about it and was aware before I made my decision
I would have gone with the moto pure, however i do not want a phablet, I want something i can hold and work on in one hand. If the M7 was supported I would still be using it ( that damn red or yellow camera crap is annoying blunder that HTC seriously dropped the ball on ).
I would have chose nexus 5x but I found out the USC-C is 2.0 speed, and limited to 32 gigs
Anyways
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, nobody is going to grill you for getting a 6s.
Yes, software support is definitely a reason to get an iphone. I just don't agree with their premium pricing for their handsets and their closed sourced software. Not much innovation going on there, but not everyone needs something that's more than that. I just think you're paying an absurd amount for something that you can't customize at all, not to mention lack of storage space and inferior specs compared to newer android models. And yes I know, specs aren't everything, but truthfully you're paying a lot more for a lot less.
Reasons to get an android revolve around customization and truly being able to change any aspect of your phone. I think with the new doze feature and the improvements google is probably going to make to it, it's going to blow apple out of the water in terms of battery life and overall efficiency. Pretty exciting stuff, it's nice being able to set my phone down at work, pick it up for lunch and having it at 90% battery, despite it being over 2 years old. It's also much easier to fix problems that arise with them, if you're having a problem with your iphone regarding anything related to this there is literally no way to fix it yourself. Take it to the apple store and have them tell you something along the lines of, "sorry, we're unable to revert your phone back to the previous version that worked, but I think we should try a factory reset, have you tried that yet?" like you have no idea how to operate it in the first place . It makes me laugh and frustrates me that there's literally no way to apply any of my knowledge regarding ADB and linux to fix an iphone. If someone comes to me about a problem with their phone, I always tell them, "Well, if you had an android I could probably fix that issue, but I can't fix an iphone."
The last thing I'd buy an iphone for is hardware quality. A friend of mine had a bent iphone 6, a few months ago. Apple refused to replace it for him even though the phone had no other physical damage to it. Now he's like "wow, you're phone is awesome and you can use it as a TV remote too, maybe I'll get an HTC instead next upgrade." It was bent due their manufacturing issues and quality problems after the initial launch, which to me was very well documented. That also would be something I would consider.
To each his own, however there really isn't much out there that's Verizon compatible that I would tell you to get instead. Main reason I'm not getting a phone this year is because nothing looks worth it in my opinion. Maybe LG won't make such an ugly phone, or HTC will put the IR blaster back and integrate their fingerprint scanner into the power button or something. I just won't buy an iPhone because I don't want to be like everyone else, and I don't want to support a company that locks and discourages development on their devices. If everyone had an iPhone this world would be a pretty sad place, a monopoly on a product that discourages creativity and imagination from the general public. Where would our smartphone technology be without android? I doubt we'd have NFC, IR blasters, HD screens, Micro-sd storage options, etc. Apple would have never put anything in because everyone will buy their phones anyway.
Anyway rant done, iPhone 6s is a good device for what it is. I don't think people here will grill you for getting one, they definitely have some advantages that are nice and that I think would be nice if Android wasn't so fragmented. But that's the price you pay for open source software and many companies making competing products. I wouldn't have it any other way.
BadUsername said:
Haha, nobody is going to grill you for getting a 6s.
Yes, software support is definitely a reason to get an iphone. I just don't agree with their premium pricing for their handsets and their closed sourced software. Not much innovation going on there, but not everyone needs something that's more than that. I just think you're paying an absurd amount for something that you can't customize at all, not to mention lack of storage space and inferior specs compared to newer android models. And yes I know, specs aren't everything, but truthfully you're paying a lot more for a lot less.
Reasons to get an android revolve around customization and truly being able to change any aspect of your phone. I think with the new doze feature and the improvements google is probably going to make to it, it's going to blow apple out of the water in terms of battery life and overall efficiency. Pretty exciting stuff, it's nice being able to set my phone down at work, pick it up for lunch and having it at 90% battery, despite it being over 2 years old. It's also much easier to fix problems that arise with them, if you're having a problem with your iphone regarding anything related to this there is literally no way to fix it yourself. Take it to the apple store and have them tell you something along the lines of, "sorry, we're unable to revert your phone back to the previous version that worked, but I think we should try a factory reset, have you tried that yet?" like you have no idea how to operate it in the first place . It makes me laugh and frustrates me that there's literally no way to apply any of my knowledge regarding ADB and linux to fix an iphone. If someone comes to me about a problem with their phone, I always tell them, "Well, if you had an android I could probably fix that issue, but I can't fix an iphone."
The last thing I'd buy an iphone for is hardware quality. A friend of mine had a bent iphone 6, a few months ago. Apple refused to replace it for him even though the phone had no other physical damage to it. Now he's like "wow, you're phone is awesome and you can use it as a TV remote too, maybe I'll get an HTC instead next upgrade." It was bent due their manufacturing issues and quality problems after the initial launch, which to me was very well documented. That also would be something I would consider.
To each his own, however there really isn't much out there that's Verizon compatible that I would tell you to get instead. Main reason I'm not getting a phone this year is because nothing looks worth it in my opinion. Maybe LG won't make such an ugly phone, or HTC will put the IR blaster back and integrate their fingerprint scanner into the power button or something. I just won't buy an iPhone because I don't want to be like everyone else, and I don't want to support a company that locks and discourages development on their devices. If everyone had an iPhone this world would be a pretty sad place, a monopoly on a product that discourages creativity and imagination from the general public. Where would our smartphone technology be without android? I doubt we'd have NFC, IR blasters, HD screens, Micro-sd storage options, etc. Apple would have never put anything in because everyone will buy their phones anyway.
Anyway rant done, iPhone 6s is a good device for what it is. I don't think people here will grill you for getting one, they definitely have some advantages that are nice and that I think would be nice if Android wasn't so fragmented. But that's the price you pay for open source software and many companies making competing products. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I understand all your concerns, and I am with you on the price, and it will be one of the deciding factors as well as Itunes which I am finding most frustrating to use to add files to the device. So i got a few days to think about it.