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[Q] Still worth buying?

Hello all,
phone market is full of phones but only few out there ticks all the boxes I need and XT720 is one of them - aside of standard Android goodies I want a good and reasonable quick camera for daily use, nice big screen, FM, TV (HDMI) out. Also, it should be affordable
It has been almost a year since it came out. One FW update bumped CPU to 720 MHz, but folks are quite happy with OC results and that combined with powerful graphics chip should be very good. Officially it's still sitting on Eclair (just as my current Hero), but unofficially there are few custom Froyo ROM's that are worth using. There are rumors about official updates... but, ehm. Yeah. Moto is known to f*** with their customers, just like HTC. It's all good when you have upper class mainstream model. If not, tough luck
So, is it still worth buying? Are you still a satisfied user? What do you think - how will XT720 withstand another year?

Buy another model...
Like SGS or Nexus S...
XT720 currently r.i.p. by motorola... so...

yes in my opinion you shouldn't support Motorola anymore..they totally ****ed up

I would dump a platonic sugar daddy that gave me a Motorola phone.
...and I wouldn't even try to take the phone with me on the way out.

Never buy year old technology, and never buy motorola!

I love mine!
If I were you, I would buy two!

Whoa, didn't expect such lack of enthusiasm . Seems there are no Android phones that have all those features found in XT720, with price that doesn't require to sell a kidney or something. And in this case - it's not worth the $$$?
Only Samsung Galaxy S comes close, but has no camera flash.

Don't pick a phone based on whether it has a flash or not
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

Dac0908 said:
Hello all,
phone market is full of phones but only few out there ticks all the boxes I need and XT720 is one of them - aside of standard Android goodies I want a good and reasonable quick camera for daily use, nice big screen, FM, TV (HDMI) out. Also, it should be affordable
It has been almost a year since it came out. One FW update bumped CPU to 720 MHz, but folks are quite happy with OC results and that combined with powerful graphics chip should be very good. Officially it's still sitting on Eclair (just as my current Hero), but unofficially there are few custom Froyo ROM's that are worth using. There are rumors about official updates... but, ehm. Yeah. Moto is known to f*** with their customers, just like HTC. It's all good when you have upper class mainstream model. If not, tough luck
So, is it still worth buying? Are you still a satisfied user? What do you think - how will XT720 withstand another year?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
buy one join us and **** motorola

@ gabrialxue: In other words - buy that Samsung? it's not only about flash - and yes, it's essential for my next phone because Hero doesn't have it and is annoying to use as a camera - which is more often then I thought it will be.
As I said before, all Android phones offer similar things. Like wifi, bluetooth and so on. But it's hard to find one that has:
- 854x480 or like display, cca 3,7"
- good processing power
- FM radio and HQ sound output for earphones
- TV out (analog, HDMI or both)
- decent camera with flash
Those are features that I miss... and also I must say, XT720 doesn't look so boring like any other phone. It's all the same, almost everything else is based on iPhone, HD/HD2 or Desire/Nexus design. This one is different and I like it .
Of course that can't be a reason to buy it, it's just that I thought custom ROM's and OC really make a difference in this case.

The main drawback of the XT720 is just the 256mb ram, other than that XT720 is still one of the most feature packed android phone.
HDMI, FM RADIO, XENON FLASH 8MP with HD video recording, Exceptional build quality. You can't find these specs on other models at the same time for the same price.
Anyway, don't even consider who suggests SGS because it has the ****tiest display eventho people tell it's the best. Go to a shop, experience the XT720 then decide if you'd get it.
Semseddin.

Semseddin said:
The main drawback of the XT720 is just the 256mb ram, other than that XT720 is still one of the most feature packed android phone.
HDMI, FM RADIO, XENON FLASH 8MP with HD video recording, Exceptional build quality. You can't find these specs on other models at the same time for the same price.
Anyway, don't even consider who suggests SGS because it has the ****tiest display eventho people tell it's the best. Go to a shop, experience the XT720 then decide if you'd get it.
Semseddin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i agree ,same thought..we need better rom..

I love this phone. With Khal's ROM everything runs very fast and I have very little complaints about the phone. My only issues are:
1) HD recording is slightly laggy
2) Often (not always) shutter lag for the camera
3) Not a lot of RAM (though Khal's ROM has little issues for me in that regard - and I use the built in task killer often so it doesn't really impact me that much).
4) Phone freezes sometimes (most often when I'm using the camera - but I'm not sure that's happened since I've been on Khal's ROM as of 2 weeks ago or so).
Other than that I love the form factor of the phone - the only phones I could say has the same appealing look to me would probably the xperia arc, or droid incredible (but even then I'm not sure they have the same metal build I love here or if they have plastic). The phone runs very fast once you get the right ROMs on and set your OC and is more than sufficient for my needs. The Xenon Flash on the camera performs amazingly and makes completely dark rooms look completely lit (I tested a bunch and was impressed). I don't know if the camera is the best - but pictures for the most part look nice to me. The video recording is sufficient for me. The screen is nice and everything looks clear on it. And the price was very good for me - meaning I'm very satisfied with what I got. (And I bought this just in Febuary knowing full well that Moto had dropped support for it - though it looks like it might get an official update from CB now or something perhaps).

[REVIEW] The Xiaomi Mi 4 Review! After more than a month's usage

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I’ve been quite a fan of Xiaomi products ever since I used the awesome little Mi 2S. Till date, the phone is among the most favourite ones that I’ve ever owned!
Come 2014, and I was tempted by more releases… iBuyGou sent over a Xiaomi Mi 4, and although I got to use a lot of phones this year, the Mi 4 and the OnePlus One remain to be among my favourites. And I’m a littlleeee skewed towards the Mi 4 thanks to my preference for smaller phones. Basically, phones that fit in my pocket.
I do a lot of traveling on the motorbike and prefer to have the phone in my pocket than anywhere else. 5.5 inch phones haven’t gotten to a level where they’d fit (in thee sitting position), and therefore the Mi 4 pretty much hits the bullseye as far as size is concerned.
Unboxing video
Form factor… and feel
The Mi 4 looks a lot like another popular phone. The latest edition of that ‘popular phone’ is known for a very unique feature, i.e., bending. However, the Mi 4 looks more like a mashup of the previous versions of the phone. If you are a sucker for original design, you should totally stay out. If not… let’s talk!
The bezels are extremely thin, thinner than any other phone I’ve ever owned. This is really what makes the 5-inch phone in a pocket a possibility, really. A lot of other phones have slim bezels, but the top and bottom part of these devices really makes up with abnormally large chunks of bezel. The Mi 4 however doesn’t do anything of that sort, and offers a very one-handed-usable experience.
The edges on the device are chamfered… or tapered if you like to call it that. This is more noticeable on the part that blends into the front than the rear. Not only does it give the Mi 4 a lovely visual appeal, but also makes the device easier to use… and your hands harder to slit.
Xiaomi phones traditionally featured buttons on the right, with the ability to change the look and feel because they’re attached to the rear cover. This changed with the Mi 3, which didn’t offer a removable rear at all. The Mi 4 does a bit better and does give you the liberty of taking off the rear… if you have a suction cup handy. And even if you do, you do not have the ability to swap the battery which is a bit of a shame. A bit. User replaceable batteries are overrated!
The front of the Mi 4, as I said before, will remind you of ‘the other phone that shan’t be named’. On the top there’s the earpiece in a little slot of its own. I like it when earpieces are at the same level as the body, they otherwise tend to be dust magnets. Anyway.
On the left of the earpiece you see a little back spot which hides the proximity and light sensors, on the left to which sits the famous Mi logo. On the extreme right, you can see the impressive 8MP camera.
Below the screen, there’s the usual set of buttons -- overflow, home and back. Depending on what OS you’re running (MIUI V5 or MIUI 6), the leftmost button will act as either the menu button or the recent tasks button. In my case, it is the latter… because I love the look and feel of MIUI 6.
The chin of the Mi 4 makes home for the reinforced micro USB port and of course the machine drilled speaker grill. Before talking about the sound of it, let me tell you that it looks pretty kickass
Nothing on the left besides the camouflaged SIM slot. The right edge is where you access the power and volume buttons, all covered in great-feeling metal.
The top is where it gets interesting… because not only do you see the standard 3.5mm earphone jack here, but also an IR sensor which is a first for Xiaomi. It is extremely useful as a feature, but unfortunately the range isn’t as much as you’d have liked, on the Mi 4.
Display
Out of all the phones that I’ve had a chance to use and play with, the Mi 4 sits right on top with the other 5 incher… the OPPO Find 5. I totally loved that device but had to let go of it earlier this year to fund another purchase. Anyway, the Mi 4 does look as good as the Find 5 on screen quality terms. Like I’ve said before, 5 inches of screen is the maximum I can handle, and displays like the one used on the Mi 4 really make it worthwhile. I have another phone for YouTube and video, but that phone is increasingly becoming obsolete due to the presence of the Mi 4!
MIUI (6, in my case) lets you choose between 3 color modes and 2 saturation modes. I usually like to have a very balanced and consequently natural display, but on the Mi 4 it is the ‘cool’ color mode I use everyday. To be very frank, the ‘warm’ mode is on the verge of being called yellow; standard and cool are the only modes you will ever choose in between.
Saturation has a couple of modes -- Brilliant and Standard. The difference between these two modes isn’t as pronounced as the ones between the color modes. I use my Mi 4 in Standard mode, Brilliant gives it a tinge of warmness. Comes down to personal preference, imo.
Backlight bleeding is something Chinese phones have been suffering from for a long, long time. Thankfully, it isn’t the case here. Minus a little part. There’s a slight bit of backlight bleeding on the right edge (bottom), which is hardly noticeable and definitely QC-able. You can certainly live with it and it’s far from a deal breaker.
In a nutshell, I’d rate the display a healthy 9/10, at par with the OPPO FInd 5!
Camera
If anything, smartphones from 2013 to 2014 have progressed leaps and bounds on the camera front. There’s of course difference in performance, but it isn’t as significant as the difference (read: improvement) in camera tech.
I LOVE the Xiaomi Mi 4 as a camera phone. It might not have the most number of pixels, or even the most features (it lacks a substantial slow shutter mode, for one), but the Mi 4 does a very good job at capturing moments for you. It’s all about the right timing, and thanks to the super fast focus mode on the Mi 4, I am able to take a lot of pictures at the right time. On terms of camera performance, I would rate the Mi 4 second only to the mammoth OPPO Find 7 (which surprisingly uses the same IMX214 sensor as the Mi 4! But it turns out, there’s a lot more to picture quality than just the sensor )
The Mi 4 carries a lot over from the Mi 3. As in, it features the same ‘vivid’ sort of a picture tone with a little bit of exaggeration; but it’s definitely less than the Mi 3, making pictures seem a lot more real. MIUI 6 might also be a bottleneck as far as hardware performance is concerned, but even then I’m pretty satisfied.
During the initial days with the phone, it had a naggy issue where the camera wouldn’t focus during macro shot attempts. This has since been solved thanks to a multitude of OTA updates (the perks of being on a beta channel…)
The camera app does lack a bit of functionality though, which I hope will be added with future OTA updates. Xiaomi are usually pretty quick in pushing new updates -- weekly, most often.
The camera also does 4K, but it isn’t relevant to me. It isn’t to you too, if you don’t have a 4K aka UHD television!
Another interesting feature is 'Refocus'. As the name clearly suggests, it allows you to focus on parts of an image AFTER clicking. I'm happy to report that it works wonderfully well.
Curious, I wanted to know how it worked. Xiaomi advertised a 0.3 second focus duration, so it wasn't all that difficult. Snooping around the phone's file system told me that the device actually takes multiple photos (4 if I remember right) with different points in focus so that you're able to achieve the magical refocus feature later on. Intelligent, I must say! (HTC had to add a whole another sensor to achieve this )
Battery
I’m very satisfied with the battery life on the Xiaomi Mi 4. It isn’t as good as the OnePlus One, but it falls short only by a shade. On the upside, I get a display that’s way more vibrant and an absolute treat to look at. And according to Android, I look at it about 6 hours before it the phone needs another trip to the wall socket. Speaking of wall sockets, make sure you use the bundled Xiaomi Mi 4 charging adapter. Or be prepared to give it a good few hours of charging (4-5). The stock charger charges up the Mi 4 pretty darn fast; any other charger (even the 2A ones) take way way longer for some reason. Xiaomi don’t advertise anything like VOOC so I’m assuming its some secret tech they’re employing here to get the battery charged fast (unless it is Qualcomm’s fast charging, lol).
My usage often greatly varies from day to day. Most days, I’m left with a good 50% charge at the end of the day, with the phone unplugged for around 18-19 hours along with 3 hours of screen on time. I think this is pretty respectable for a small phone with a 5-inch display, and one that’s so bright.
It might be worthy to let you know about the apps that I use the most, so you get a clearer image about battery life: feedly, Chome, WhatsApp, Pocket, Gmail and a couple other apps that keep changing depending what season it is
All in all I’d give the battery a decent 9/10. Please keep in mind that it took the device a good few weeks before the battery life got to this point; it was far far worse when I started off with using the Mi 4. It could also be the MIUI 6 ROM, but I suspect it has got to do with the hardware itself.
MIUI 6
Its hard to miss what the Mi 4 runs on. Not only because its pretty beautiful and even more functionally useful, but also because of the fact that the media loves to hate the MIUI ROM; at least that section which hasn’t ever used a Xiaomi phone. And I don’t blame them for that. The MIUI ROM does leave an impression of being a bit of an iOS lookalike, but there’s much more to MIUI than that. Calling MIUI a lookalike of iOS is like speaking only one side of the story… if you know what I mean.
Controversy aside, MIUI is pretty useful and handy, but it takes a while to get used to. Especially when you’re coming from another Android smartphone that runs a more closer-to-vanilla ROM.
While I’m yet to come across any significant functional improvements on MIUI 6 compared to the previous iteration of the ROM, I do very much like the look of it. A lot of the settings previously near-unreachable are now easier to get to, which does leave a good impression in the mind of the user. You can now easily switch launchers and other default apps, in a very steamlined manner unlike earlier.
Conclusion
I’ve had the privilege of using a lot of phones this year, including the HTC One M8, OPPO Find 5, Find 7, Xiaomi Mi 3 and of course the OnePlus One besides this… but guess which phone I like the most? Yeah you got it right. Of course this is a very subjective topic, since a lot of smartphone users these days tend to pick phones with displays larger than 5 inches. But I guess I’m just too old skool.
The way the Mi 4 is performing for me right now, I think I would be happy to use it as my main phone for a good one year. Like I mentioned before, battery is a very important component on a smartphone for me, and the Mi 4 hits the sweet spot. It almost lasts as long as the Mi 2S with a 3200mAh battery! (keep in mind that the Mi 2S has only a 4.3 inch 720p screen).
Stuff like an IR sensor (which needs a decent English language app at the moment) make the Mi 4 a real worthy smartphone for the money. I'm waiting to see how it performs in the market when it's available in more countries than just China, especially India. Untill then!
I would like to thank iBuyGou.com for shipping the phone. Go get the phone from them!

A great review! Thank you for your effort. You described most aspects of the phone but everything you wrote was positive. I am iterested in buying that phone so I really need to know things that you disliked.
Usually people that buy a phone and will use it in their everyday life tend to "hide" the flaws so after ALOT of effort I concluded that the weak points of Mi4 is the camera and audio quality. You seem satisfied by the camera but what about the sound?
Thanks again.

mi4 Google
hello
I'm Abhi from mumbai, 00919867788773
I buy mi4 from china last month. All box pack from reputed internet website official paid money.
I have trouble that, I'm not able to start any Google application. Like no Google play store a gmaps and so not able to download any app.
it alwa'ys show warning
No internet access, and security warning that ur Not access to Google application.
I can receive emails And well connected withe wlan and also will sim data.
Have gone in mi market and done all download for Google by Eric...
Also installed all Google framework
But not able to start Google play store and any Google appilcation.
Please give the solutions , how do I star Google play store to download all Apps.

Uninstall and reinstall the play store. Or flash the international version of MIUI at Xiaomi.eu
Sent from my Xiaomi Mi4

ioannis_n said:
A great review! Thank you for your effort. You described most aspects of the phone but everything you wrote was positive. I am iterested in buying that phone so I really need to know things that you disliked.
Usually people that buy a phone and will use it in their everyday life tend to "hide" the flaws so after ALOT of effort I concluded that the weak points of Mi4 is the camera and audio quality. You seem satisfied by the camera but what about the sound?
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, thanks for the comment and sorry about the late reply.
The sound from the built in speaker is honestly disappointing. Other phones like the OnePlus One give a much better output. That said, the Mi 4 lacks mostly only on the volume. Quality is rock solid -- but volume is often insufficient.

@yash3339 how is the signal strength, 3g on the indian networks?

Good review!! :good:

I totally agree with this review cos I myself own a MI4 and its been one month since I'm using it and I can say its a power house without burning a lot of money... Outstanding phone... Can't wait for it to get the official Lollipop update

whosaysjohn said:
@yash3339 how is the signal strength, 3g on the indian networks?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Signal is perfect. Been using 3G on Airtel without any issues
Krahe8 said:
Good review!! :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! Glad it helped.
sidzcool said:
I totally agree with this review cos I myself own a MI4 and its been one month since I'm using it and I can say its a power house without burning a lot of money... Outstanding phone... Can't wait for it to get the official Lollipop update
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed, you got it spot on. Even without Lollipop MIUI 6 is plenty interesting!

I'm using the reliance network here and speed is not that bad... Battery life with wifi is superb
With 2g its almost similar but with 3g due to network strength theres a battery drain, this is a network issue though so its not the fault of the mi4. But hands down this the most powerful device available at this price range. Don't feel uncomfortable when ur friends say its cheap chinese. Just in case if ur friends make fun of ur device, jus laugh back at them cos they have no clue wat they r getting into ..
But Y these devices are priced so low is that ( this is jus my opinion) they dont sell much out of china and advertising is very minimal. yeah i know the mi3 and 1s got great ads in flipkart but stocks were limited and thats y the price is so low. U r paying for wat u actually want rather than wat the manufacturer wants.. But this is my opinion... opinions for me or against me are most welcome

sidzcool said:
I'm using the reliance network here and speed is not that bad... Battery life with wifi is superb
With 2g its almost similar but with 3g due to network strength theres a battery drain, this is a network issue though so its not the fault of the mi4. But hands down this the most powerful device available at this price range. Don't feel uncomfortable when ur friends say its cheap chinese. Just in case if ur friends make fun of ur device, jus laugh back at them cos they have no clue wat they r getting into ..
But Y these devices are priced so low is that ( this is jus my opinion) they dont sell much out of china and advertising is very minimal. yeah i know the mi3 and 1s got great ads in flipkart but stocks were limited and thats y the price is so low. U r paying for wat u actually want rather than wat the manufacturer wants.. But this is my opinion... opinions for me or against me are most welcome
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They have not launched Mi 4 outside of China as yet...xiaomi phones are always priced low...they dont make much from phone but make up through services...
---------- Post added at 10:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:40 PM ----------
yash3339 said:
Signal is perfect. Been using 3G on Airtel without any issues
Thanks, bought it a week back...working good so far...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

whosaysjohn said:
They have not launched Mi 4 outside of China as yet...xiaomi phones are always priced low...they dont make much from phone but make up through services...
---------- Post added at 10:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:40 PM ----------
yash3339 said:
Signal is perfect. Been using 3G on Airtel without any issues
Thanks, bought it a week back...working good so far...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to know its working fine for you
sidzcool said:
I'm using the reliance network here and speed is not that bad... Battery life with wifi is superb
With 2g its almost similar but with 3g due to network strength theres a battery drain, this is a network issue though so its not the fault of the mi4. But hands down this the most powerful device available at this price range. Don't feel uncomfortable when ur friends say its cheap chinese. Just in case if ur friends make fun of ur device, jus laugh back at them cos they have no clue wat they r getting into ..
But Y these devices are priced so low is that ( this is jus my opinion) they dont sell much out of china and advertising is very minimal. yeah i know the mi3 and 1s got great ads in flipkart but stocks were limited and thats y the price is so low. U r paying for wat u actually want rather than wat the manufacturer wants.. But this is my opinion... opinions for me or against me are most welcome
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, you got a point there... but I've been using Chinese devices long enough for my friends to truly realize their real value
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Hey I've been using device for 2 months and I feel that this device is worth its price.. Thats all..

Notification LED
Nice review Yash, addressed most of the queries the prospective users would have.
Hi MI4 users,
I would like to know if the MI4 has a notification LED.
In one review on youtube (I think, Ash's), he did mention that it has a notification LED which lights up to show the phone is charging.
What I want to know is if the LED blinks to notify unread notifications (missed calls, sms, emails, IMs, etc)? Is it a single color LED or does it light up in different colors as per the category of notification.
AP

Hi there,
The led does blink for notification such unread messages (texts, what's app, emails) calls even your clash of clan notification
Actually mi4's led does work as would work any regular led on other phones
Edit : it does light up in different colors as per category
Sent from my MI 4LTE using XDA Free mobile app

By the way, here's how my mi4 lte is doing on a French wireless operator using lte band 3 (1800mhz)
Sent from my MI 4LTE using XDA Free mobile app

This Device so far... is Awesome

Xiaomi Mi 4
Nice review indeed. Thanks a lot for sharing with us.
Recently xiaomi has released another great product xioami Note, which I personally think is cool and better than Mi 4 in many sense. Hope you will write a review on Mi note.

Any more comments on the Battery drain on 3G? I'm switching from a Nexus 5 to Mi4, I don't want to fall into the same low battery trap again :/

cyanide911 said:
Any more comments on the Battery drain on 3G? I'm switching from a Nexus 5 to Mi4, I don't want to fall into the same low battery trap again :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You'll be fine the mi4 has a much bigger battery. And my mi3 gets good battery life too : p
Sent from my MI 3W

UMI eMax with Custom MANOWARACERO Rom

This is my "quick and dirty" unedited video review of my UMI eMax with a custom MANOWARACERA rom from Spain. It has Installer Xposed and Gravity Box, many small but good improvements like battery life and speed, and it's very clean, not much if any bloat, nice. This also touches on how well UMI works with us modders with their excellent RootJoy flashing/backing up software. Nice to see the better China phones getting this level of attention.
For reference, here are the specs on the eMax:
5.5 inch IPS OGS capacitive screen, FHD 1920x1080 pixels, bright and high quality.
MTK6752 Octa Core Processor, 1.7GHz GPU:Mali-T760 MP4.
Android 4.4 OS (possible Lollipop 5.0 Update at the end of July 2015 according to UMI).
2GB RAM + 16GB ROM(one partition, not split up like many China phones, yay UMI!).
3500 mah Battery(real rating, UMI states 3750 mah).
Dual SIM card dual standby plus separate micro sim slot.
5mp front camera plus a 13mp (interpolated, it's really 8mp) back camera.
Support FDD LTE,4G,3G,GPS,wifi,bluetooth,Miracast included.
Networking: 2G(Note: the 1900MHz band works on T-Mobile as HSPA+ in most areas in the US) GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz, 3G WCDMA 900/1900/2100MHz, 4G: FDD LTE:1800/2600MHz(overseas only, not for US).
This is a very nice phone with great battery life even for a power user, a top notch FHD screen(blows the crappy, dim screen on my Zenfone 2 away easily..), stable software(4.4.4 KitKat for now), and a solid unibody build. The only real flaw with it is a not so great rear camera, but it's at least being steadily improved with software updates. There are also some nice accessories available for it for a very little cash, like a good quality gummy case, two different colored hard stick on case/stands, and tempered glass screen protectors. This is getting more common on the better selling China phones and it's a welcome addition for sure. This phone can be bought on many, many China dealer sites like Gearbest, ibaby888(DHGate), Pandawill, efox and more for around $150-160.00 US, a steal IMHO
Here's the link to the custom rom, first reported on here by @Tautologica on another thread(thanks again!). It works great!
http://www.movilesdualsim.com/tema/rom-mod-umi-emax-basada-kitkat-4-4-4-v04-19-6-15-por-manowaracero.106572/
And here is the link to my video review, hope you like it
https://youtu.be/XeDHIAPJXVk
P.S. If anyone can explain how to embed the video here, I'm all ears, thanks!

Nice review mate.
The screen brightness could be better. I am not saying it is bad but now that is summer and all, I would like to add a notch more brightness when using the phone outdoors.
And the camera is kinda bad if you try to take landscape pics. Closeups and videos are fine imo. And I use quite a lot the 120FPS video recording. Nice feature imo.
I am really happy with the phone. It is the cheapest MTK 6752 phone out there afaik and definitely worth the price.
Cos it is the cheapest there are downsides ofc. Umi had to save in something to bring the price down.
And props to manowarcero for the excellent custom rom. I am really happy with and i've xposed the hell out of emax now and it works great!

Tautologica said:
Nice review mate.
The screen brightness could be better. I am not saying it is bad but now that is summer and all, I would like to add a notch more brightness when using the phone outdoors.
And the camera is kinda bad if you try to take landscape pics. Closeups and videos are fine imo. And I use quite a lot the 120FPS video recording. Nice feature imo.
I am really happy with the phone. It is the cheapest MTK 6752 phone out there afaik and definitely worth the price.
Cos it is the cheapest there are downsides ofc. Umi had to save in something to bring the price down.
And props to manowarcero for the excellent custom rom. I am really happy with and i've xposed the hell out of emax now and it works great!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I couldn't agree more, for the price this is a steal, near flagship power for us budget minded folks
As for the brightness, I compared it to my Zenfone 2, which has a pretty dim screen even after I bumped it from it's preset 80% max default, so the eMax looks to me to have plenty of brightness compared to it. No problems outdoors for me at all. And I also love Xposed, makes this rom so much fun to play with for sure As for the camera....well I think some folks got a better lens than others, as it's simply not very consistent between reviewers I've noticed. Mine is definitely not good, even the slightest zoom in causes tons of noise, and all the different camera apps I've tried so far don't seem to be helping. But I have noticed a bit of an improvement with this rom, so not all hope is lost here. Here's hoping Lollipop can help even more. Been in contact with MANOWAR over on the DualSim forums and it looks like he may continue support for the next rom from UMI, we are all pushing for him to do so, and that can only be a good thing

dragon2knight said:
I couldn't agree more, for the price this is a steal, near flagship power for us budget minded folks
As for the brightness, I compared it to my Zenfone 2, which has a pretty dim screen even after I bumped it from it's preset 80% max default, so the eMax looks to me to have plenty of brightness compared to it. No problems outdoors for me at all. And I also love Xposed, makes this rom so much fun to play with for sure As for the camera....well I think some folks got a better lens than others, as it's simply not very consistent between reviewers I've noticed. Mine is definitely not good, even the slightest zoom in causes tons of noise, and all the different camera apps I've tried so far don't seem to be helping. But I have noticed a bit of an improvement with this rom, so not all hope is lost here. Here's hoping Lollipop can help even more. Been in contact with MANOWAR over on the DualSim forums and it looks like he may continue support for the next rom from UMI, we are all pushing for him to do so, and that can only be a good thing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just received my eMax today (1 month in transit, bought during flash sale, not yet opened lol), I pray to the gods of RNG that I get good lens. Also the reviewer at htcmania opened his eMax and found a 3500mAh TCL branded battery while a reviewer at gizchina.de opened his and found a 3500mAh unbranded battery from Shenzen. I dunno if there is a difference between the two but I expect the TCL one to have better quality control.

Chickens83 said:
Just received my eMax today (1 month in transit, bought during flash sale, not yet opened lol), I pray to the gods of RNG that I get good lens. Also the reviewer at htcmania opened his eMax and found a 3500mAh TCL branded battery while a reviewer at gizchina.de opened his and found a 3500mAh unbranded battery from Shenzen. I dunno if there is a difference between the two but I expect the TCL one to have better quality control.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the end, 3500mah is 3500mah...doesn't matter who it comes from, lol. But seriously, it's a very long lasting battery either way, and that's all that matters
Have fun with your new toy My fingers are crossed you got an acceptable camera, no joke.

dragon2knight said:
In the end, 3500mah is 3500mah...doesn't matter who it comes from, lol. But seriously, it's a very long lasting battery either way, and that's all that matters
Have fun with your new toy My fingers are crossed you got an acceptable camera, no joke.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Comparing mine to itxtutor's eMax samples, I'd have to say I got the bad one. But I guess I have to learn to live with it. Although the first impression with the battery is kind of not good. Also any one knows how to change the default settings on the camera so you don't need to tinker with the settings everytime you open the camera?

Chickens83 said:
Comparing mine to itxtutor's eMax samples, I'd have to say I got the bad one. But I guess I have to learn to live with it. Although the first impression with the battery is kind of not good. Also any one knows how to change the default settings on the camera so you don't need to tinker with the settings everytime you open the camera?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you charge the battery to full? It does take awhile with the stock charger. I don't use said charger because of the many issues I've heard about it, though(like buzzing and getting really hot). Try a different charger and you will probably get better results. As for the camera, use a different app like Google Camera, it remembers the settings you put in, at least it does for me. And the end results are the same either way, unfortunately...sorry you didn't get a good one

dragon2knight said:
Did you charge the battery to full? It does take awhile with the stock charger. I don't use said charger because of the many issues I've heard about it, though(like buzzing and getting really hot). Try a different charger and you will probably get better results. As for the camera, use a different app like Google Camera, it remembers the settings you put in, at least it does for me. And the end results are the same either way, unfortunately...sorry you didn't get a good one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't charged the battery yet, except when connecting it to the PC, I've just only used up the battery, my nephew used it to watch 2 videos from youtube while using WiFi, it used up around 20% in 30-35 minutes.

Chickens83 said:
I haven't charged the battery yet, except when connecting it to the PC, I've just only used up the battery, my nephew used it to watch 2 videos from youtube while using WiFi, it used up around 20% in 30-35 minutes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, charge it up then, it takes a bit for the battery to settle in, after three or so charges, you'll see better results. Plus take the time to "listen" to the included charger, if it starts buzzing or getting really hot, discard it and use another one. Lot's of low quality chargers sent out with the eMax.

dragon2knight said:
Well, charge it up then, it takes a bit for the battery to settle in, after three or so charges, you'll see better results. Plus take the time to "listen" to the included charger, if it starts buzzing or getting really hot, discard it and use another one. Lot's of low quality chargers sent out with the eMax.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I won't even try using the charger just to be safe. I'll just use my old one.

Chickens83 said:
Yeah, I won't even try using the charger just to be safe. I'll just use my old one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's good, play it safe, that's what I, and many others, did I just threw mine out,lol.

Has anyone here received their phone? If so, what are your thoughts?

As the title asks: has anyone here got the phone yet? What are your thoughts on it? I got mine yesterday. So far, I'm impressed yet slightly bored due to the lack of new features.
The phone itself is amazing, quick and beautiful. The fingerprint scanner is fast, the phone is comfortable to hold but lacks anything exciting from it!
Post some thoughts below!

Have you tested Displayport Alt? It's part of the USB 3.1 standard and any USB-C to HDMI/Display Port adapter should work, even if it's branded for a laptop for a laptop.

Sumenthus said:
Have you tested Displayport Alt? It's part of the USB 3.1 standard and any USB-C to HDMI/Display Port adapter should work, even if it's branded for a laptop for a laptop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I haven't tried that actually. I'll have to look it up and see if I can try it! I'll report back if I manage.

My immediate reaction is, I wish this thing was in the omnibalance design. It is too chunky for me, I don't like the curve of the back which is really quite thick in the middle. Very slippy as well, slips all over the place..
It is very quick, the screen is very nice and as usual, for me anyway, battery life is very good.....darn it, if only the XZ2 was a bigger screened version of the XZ1 form factor.

This phone needs a case - no doubt about it - it could be very slippery otherwise.
I've come from the Pixel 2 XL (due to Google's inability to code updates properly; luckily they refunded me even after 5 months!) - the XZ2 certainly is bigger and heavier but it fits better in my pocket...
There were nice things Google had done to Android that improves the user experience that the Sony like others will not have. Nothing functionally different just a bit 'dull' in terms of experience.
The camera of the XZ2 is not up to Pixel 2 standards but I've yet to play with it properly.
I like the XZ2 - I hope I feel this way in six months time.

murrayalex said:
My immediate reaction is, I wish this thing was in the omnibalance design. It is too chunky for me, I don't like the curve of the back which is really quite thick in the middle. Very slippy as well, slips all over the place..
It is very quick, the screen is very nice and as usual, for me anyway, battery life is very good.....darn it, if only the XZ2 was a bigger screened version of the XZ1 form factor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with the phone being slippery! I can't even hold it between my shoulder and ear without it wanting to fall within seconds! Also needs a screen protector which I've had no luck finding.
As for the form factor, it doesn't seem half bad in all honesty. I come from the HTC 10 so for me it feels nice to hold and I personally like the curve on the back!

smallfish82 said:
This phone needs a case - no doubt about it - it could be very slippery otherwise.
I've come from the Pixel 2 XL (due to Google's inability to code updates properly; luckily they refunded me even after 5 months!) - the XZ2 certainly is bigger and heavier but it fits better in my pocket...
There were nice things Google had done to Android that improves the user experience that the Sony like others will not have. Nothing functionally different just a bit 'dull' in terms of experience.
The camera of the XZ2 is not up to Pixel 2 standards but I've yet to play with it properly.
I like the XZ2 - I hope I feel this way in six months time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 for dull. That's the first thought I had after setting it up. I want to root/unlock the bootloader so I can put xposed on it for customisation but I don't want to lose the DRM keys either.

Love it! I came from Z3... Fast, good battery life in my opinion. Nice screen, doesn't feel that thick to me. The only thing I dislike is how slippery it is. Bought a Qi charger that I put it on first night I had it. Looked like It was laying still. 20 minutes later it woke me up when it had slid off and hit the floor ? it survived, but I instantly ordered a case for it.
I will charge it on the floor for now ?

Devzz said:
As the title asks: has anyone here got the phone yet? What are your thoughts on it? I got mine yesterday. So far, I'm impressed yet slightly bored due to the lack of new features.
The phone itself is amazing, quick and beautiful. The fingerprint scanner is fast, the phone is comfortable to hold but lacks anything exciting from it!
Post some thoughts below!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right the phone is a little boring but that's not a bad thing.. As it works as expected.
I got the s9 returned it now as couldn't make phone calls with it (a highly reported bug)
Also Samsung blocked call recording apps

pepzin said:
Love it! I came from Z3... Fast, good battery life in my opinion. Nice screen, doesn't feel that thick to me. The only thing I dislike is how slippery it is. Bought a Qi charger that I put it on first night I had it. Looked like It was laying still. 20 minutes later it woke me up when it had slid off and hit the floor it survived, but I instantly ordered a case for it.
I will charge it on the floor for now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is why Sony built Wireless Charging Dock WCH20 like this
https://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/accessories/wireless-charging-dock-wch20/

Great phone, snapy, it boots like a beast, camera is awesome and i think i will get used to the shape, it feels ok in hand, nice UI, bu unfortunately after i got it i realized botom speaker is making strange noises, allmost unberable, so i bring it back for exchange tomorrow, bought in Slovenia, seal was broke, so watch out for that

stipi69 said:
Great phone, snapy, it boots like a beast, camera is awesome and i think i will get used to the shape, it feels ok in hand, nice UI, bu unfortunately after i got it i realized botom speaker is making strange noises, allmost unberable, so i bring it back for exchange tomorrow, bought in Slovenia, seal was broke, so watch out for that
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! That's a really good tip, people need to ensure the device is new and the phone hasn't been used before! Sorry to hear it's making noises though. Good luck with getting a working version after exchanging!

Devzz said:
Thanks! That's a really good tip, people need to ensure the device is new and the phone hasn't been used before! Sorry to hear it's making noises though. Good luck with getting a working version after exchanging!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After couple of updates, reboots and full night charge speakers settled, it works o.k. I am buffled... I had an apointment today for immediate phone exchange but will cancel it leter, cause i cant be sure if that was software related between updates.
I tried so hard today in morning, max loudness and shaking etc, it performed flawlessly... So i keep it, if error reocurs i still have waranty ?
I encourage you all to buy it, it is a beast

The phone it's good, fast and stable. But sincerely if I could go back i buyed a pixel 2 xl. I've enabled volte but don't work, camera it's not impressed me also front camera it's average. Impossible to use without cover, i buyed a cover from amazon. For tempered glass i advice brotect airglass, it's the only with no halo and no brightness lost

Zazzinho said:
The phone it's good, fast and stable. But sincerely if I could go back i buyed a pixel 2 xl. I've enabled volte but don't work, camera it's not impressed me also front camera it's average. Impossible to use without cover, i buyed a cover from amazon. For tempered glass i advice brotect airglass, it's the only with no halo and no brightness lost
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only trouble for me with pixel us that call recording does not work on it otherwise I would have got one

After a few days of use, the phone is a solid choice.
Striking a good balance with a decent screen size & still manageable to use one-handed.
The display is plenty bright , even in sunlight outdoors, colors are excellent, right up there with the best AMOLED displays on the market.
Sound from the FF Dual speakers is plenty voluminous, quality is there as well, tweak with your music/equalizer app of choice or, as I do, use what's on board.
The addition of wireless charging is welcome, THX Sony!
Ditto for the US model having a working FPR.
I'd prefer a front or side-mounted FPR, but, use of the FPR is waaay down on my list of desired features, I can take or leave it, regardless of position, or, missing altogether.
Battery life, well, JMHO, you'd be hard pressed to find any phone that's not at least acceptable & this one is no different. The discussions on battery life are subjective at best & range to the ridiculous.
My 2¢ on the subject:
If you're employed/in-school, or otherwise engaged in activities that take priority over using your phone full time, odds are you can make it 1.5-2 days between charges on any phone. If you have more free time than that, YMWV.
No phone is perfect & this one, while I think is a keeper, has a few areas in need of improvement.
1) No 3.5 mm jack. While this is of no consequence to me, nevertheless, it was a boneheaded decision to drop the option, 'nuff said.
2) It's gotta be the slickest (read:SLIPPERY) phone I've ever used. If you're gonna use a case, this is moot, but, when I'm @ home, I like to shed the case for a more comfortable grip. The fit in hand is perfect, but, I do wish Sony woulda/coulda done something with the back glass to ensure a more secure grip. (Textured glass, a la Sandstone finish, just spit-ballin' here).
3) The super-sized vibration motor is, IMHO, total nonsense. The space it occupies would have been better utilized for the MIA 3.5 mm jack, larger battery, an I-R Blaster.
One or all of these would be welcome, compared to the gimmicky vibration motor.
4) No 6GB RAM option Stateside (possibly in other markets as well,worth looking into before buying).
I bought a 6GB RAM model on Swappa, but, having the different RAM versions, especially in the price range, is a head-scratcher.
Overall, a very nice phone for every day use. As for recent offerings (six months or so), I've used the following:
Sony Xperia XZ Premium
Note FE
Mi Mix2 (highly recommend)
Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Design
Note 8
Xiaomi Mi A1
RazerPhone
Moto X4 (Android One)
OnePlus 5T
Galaxy S9+
Huawei Mate 10 Pro
I'd take this one, the Sony Xperia XZ2, every time, without hesitation. Still have the Xiaomi Mi Note2 as a 2nd phone..........................,the Mi Mix2, OnePlus 5T & Samsung Galaxy Note FE were/are viable daily drivers,can't go wrong w/either one of 'em.
They're all great phones, but, for my use, the XZ2 is tops.
Put a stylus on your phone already Sony,& I'd probably never give the competition more than a casual glance....

I was going to send it back after a few days but it is growing on me, the screen is really really nice, with good deep blacks and superb brightness and clarity (it is hard to believe it is not a higher resolution), it is very fast and it has a very premium feel (if a little slippy). I also have the XZ1 and prefer the form factor of the XZ1 but the XZ2 has more going for it as an overall package. Some online reviews have been quite dismissive at times of this phone but it does have something, a bit of character?
Personally, I'd never buy a Samsung for a lot of reasons and I suppose you could call me a bit of a Sony fanboy in that I've owned lots of them down the years. This is the best Sony phone for a good long while, a great all rounder.
Very pleased with this one.

KOLIOSIS said:
After a few days of use, the phone is a solid choice.
Striking a good balance with a decent screen size & still manageable to use one-handed.
The display is plenty bright , even in sunlight outdoors, colors are excellent, right up there with the best AMOLED displays on the market.
Sound from the FF Dual speakers is plenty voluminous, quality is there as well, tweak with your music/equalizer app of choice or, as I do, use what's on board.
The addition of wireless charging is welcome, THX Sony!
Ditto for the US model having a working FPR.
I'd prefer a front or side-mounted FPR, but, use of the FPR is waaay down on my list of desired features, I can take or leave it, regardless of position, or, missing altogether.
Battery life, well, JMHO, you'd be hard pressed to find any phone that's not at least acceptable & this one is no different. The discussions on battery life are subjective at best & range to the ridiculous.
My 2¢ on the subject:
If you're employed/in-school, or otherwise engaged in activities that take priority over using your phone full time, odds are you can make it 1.5-2 days between charges on any phone. If you have more free time than that, YMWV.
No phone is perfect & this one, while I think is a keeper, has a few areas in need of improvement.
1) No 3.5 mm jack. While this is of no consequence to me, nevertheless, it was a boneheaded decision to drop the option, 'nuff said.
2) It's gotta be the slickest (read:SLIPPERY) phone I've ever used. If you're gonna use a case, this is moot, but, when I'm @ home, I like to shed the case for a more comfortable grip. The fit in hand is perfect, but, I do wish Sony woulda/coulda done something with the back glass to ensure a more secure grip. (Textured glass, a la Sandstone finish, just spit-ballin' here).
3) The super-sized vibration motor is, IMHO, total nonsense. The space it occupies would have been better utilized for the MIA 3.5 mm jack, larger battery, an I-R Blaster.
One or all of these would be welcome, compared to the gimmicky vibration motor.
4) No 6GB RAM option Stateside (possibly in other markets as well,worth looking into before buying).
I bought a 6GB RAM model on Swappa, but, having the different RAM versions, especially in the price range, is a head-scratcher.
Overall, a very nice phone for every day use. As for recent offerings (six months or so), I've used the following:
Sony Xperia XZ Premium
Note FE
Mi Mix2 (highly recommend)
Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Design
Note 8
Xiaomi Mi A1
RazerPhone
Moto X4 (Android One)
OnePlus 5T
Galaxy S9+
Huawei Mate 10 Pro
I'd take this one, the Sony Xperia XZ2, every time, without hesitation. Still have the Xiaomi Mi Note2 as a 2nd phone..........................,the Mi Mix2, OnePlus 5T & Samsung Galaxy Note FE were/are viable daily drivers,can't go wrong w/either one of 'em.
They're all great phones, but, for my use, the XZ2 is tops.
Put a stylus on your phone already Sony,& I'd probably never give the competition more than a casual glance....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the detailed feedback.
Does VoLTE work on T-Mobile?

dachao said:
Thanks for the detailed feedback.
Does VoLTE work on T-Mobile?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the H8296 model (non-US).
As for does it have VoLTE?
Short answer: Maybe?
Here's why I say that:
Using the search function in settings nets the following result:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
However,when navigating from that,I don't "see" it:
If I go here:
I get this:
When I select this option,I lose all APNs & have to manually enter the APN,wash/rinse repeat.
I do see the LTE+ icon in the status bar,not sure if that's related or not:
If you have a dialer code that might reveal hidden settings, that'd be awesome & I'll take a look...
Perhaps flashing US Firmware will show the settings,or,it's already active,but,the setting is unaccessible(?) (a future root solution,perhaps).
If you have a method/app to check/confirm VoLTE,I'd be glad to check it out & share the results ......... :good:
EDIT:
I used T-Mobile's BYOD App to verify VoLTE & judging by their wording, not definitive:
Could be B.S. to get you to buy one of their phones,T-Mobile US just got fined $40 MILLION USD by the FCC for being less than truthful regarding rural service connections/calls...........
https://www.tmonews.com/2018/04/t-mobile-pay-40-million-fcc-settlement-failed-rural-calls/
FWIW,T-Mobile's DIGITS app works just fine:

@KOLIOSIS
The settings are the same as the settings on my XZ.
I don't understand why Sony phones don't support VoLTE but most of the Chinese phones do.

Question Rogphone 5 or op9 pro

Hi guys,
I need to decide between those 2 devices.
I'm not a gamer but the Asus phone is really amazing piece of hardware .
In the other hand the camera is not good enough and it's quite important for me.
My question is if there is any way to make camera better , for example gcam and if it's really help?
Second thought
What you think about rog phone as non gamer phone?
Thanks

Rog 5 is great!!

ROG Phone 5 is great if you are heavy into gaming, need the added battery to still use GPS, and don't mind a few missed notifications or emails in the background.
OnePlus is better if you want to stay current on the latest software updates and security improvements, prefer a wider selection of or more affordable accessories, and value a larger community for support or development.
Further reading:
The ROG Phone 5 packages security updates into the firmware versions, so they are not released separately. This means they are a bit slower to arrive and tend to skip incremental versions.
GPS and 5G are expensive on your battery life and despite having a rather large battery and quick charging, gaming needs most of it. A lot of the ROG Phone 5 features for gaming include disabling background tasks and minimizing network traffic, which are hard to do if you actually need those.

Thank you all!
The battery is never been issue for me since I got available charger must of the day.
I'm not such a gamer honestly , but this phone is so cool that I just can't ignore it .
What about the camera ?
It's my main concern, is there any way to make it better with root ?

sagiag said:
Thank you all!
The battery is never been issue for me since I got available charger must of the day.
I'm not such a gamer honestly , but this phone is so cool that I just can't ignore it .
What about the camera ?
It's my main concern, is there any way to make it better with root ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. You can improve the perceptual quality, but the (lens) resolution won't actually change. It was silly to add that AR feature to Armory Crate knowing they cut corners on the camera because it only made it more obvious.

Got you .
So I guess I'll skip this one and choose the OP thanks guys

{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Personally I had the same dilema, I picked the rog phone 5. No regrets so far. The battery is so much better, I can make it last 2-3 days on a single charge. The screen is amazing. Speakers are literally among the best speakers on a smartphone, possibly THE best. Software is amazing too. I had an OP3T before and I loved oxygen OS more than stock android, unfortunately OnePlus is going in a different direction. Thanks to the cooling, performance is pretty darn great too, beats the OnePlus any day . ZenUI has almost all features of oxygen os and MORE. Design is pretty cool, and so is the camera if I'm being honest. Here's some photos that I took a couple of days back. Not really a huge sample but perhaps it'll help you. No editing or retouching was done.

After looking a bit deeper, it appears the OnePlus 9 camera is 50MP. Reviews keep saying how amazing it is, but its still a budget lens.

thejus44 said:
View attachment 5362951Personally I had the same dilema, I picked the rog phone 5. No regrets so far. The battery is so much better, I can make it last 2-3 days on a single charge. The screen is amazing. Speakers are literally among the best speakers on a smartphone, possibly THE best. Software is amazing too. I had an OP3T before and I loved oxygen OS more than stock android, unfortunately OnePlus is going in a different direction. Thanks to the cooling, performance is pretty darn great too, beats the OnePlus any day . ZenUI has almost all features of oxygen os and MORE. Design is pretty cool, and so is the camera if I'm being honest. Here's some photos that I took a couple of days back. Not really a huge sample but perhaps it'll help you. No editing or retouching was done. View attachment 5362947
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
have the photos been made in any mode, and in 64mp?

ChrisFeiveel said:
have the photos been made in any mode, and in 64mp?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No no, absolutely zero tinkering. Tried it using default settings. I took them in 64MP but had to downscale as XDA wasn't accepting higher resolutions. More than a couple of people have remarked on the camera quality so you should be perfectly fine in that regard.
Also btw, Asus actually won the MKBHD blind camera test of 2020 so camera quality wouldn't be an issue. The Sony sensor here is really good, I can confirm.

thejus44 said:
Also btw, Asus actually won the MKBHD blind camera test of 2020 so camera quality wouldn't be an issue. The Sony sensor here is really good, I can confirm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But the ZenFone 7 pro (the winner) doesn't have the same camera does it? At least my research revealed those are different one.

thejus44 said:
No no, absolutely zero tinkering. Tried it using default settings. I took them in 64MP but had to downscale as XDA wasn't accepting higher resolutions. More than a couple of people have remarked on the camera quality so you should be perfectly fine in that regard.
Also btw, Asus actually won the MKBHD blind camera test of 2020 so camera quality wouldn't be an issue. The Sony sensor here is really good, I can confirm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Results From This Blind Smartphone Camera Test Will Surprise You
Marques Brownlee, also known as MKBHD, hosted his third annual, 17-minute blind smartphone camera test featuring 20 new smartphones. The phones were
petapixel.com
Brownlee is using the default settings with no focus on still images.
What you can take from it is that on Twitter, Brownlee's followers chose the generic photos of the Zenphone 7 Pro. The second you click anything or the target begins to move, the results are obsolete.

Hi guys
Thank you all for your help!
I found out that the Sony IMX686 sensor is the sensor in the Zenfone 7 and also in the rogphone 5
It's a pretty decent sensor.
The issue is that I have kids and when I taking a pictures ia can't guarantee that they will stand still .
About night shot , must of my photos is in daylight or indoor so almost no nightshots in my case.

I would say if you really want decent photos - get neither of them and buy something that has a focus on cameras.
Sources told me OnePlus never had such a decent image quality (Cannot say for myself, I have a OnePlus but I could not care less about image quality nor do I even recognize "high/good" quality as good quality because they mostly look ugly to me compared to "lower" quality)
However if it's only between those two I would say buy an Asus - take some pictures and return it in case the quality is not good enough for you or take a look at reviews with their photos and decide if that's enough.
I wouldn't agree that gaming phones are only for gaming. They have decent hardware, large batteries and high display quality. If you care about those things - then even a gaming phone might be something for you.
They are still smartphones. you can call with them, chat with your friends/family and so on. Even GPS works and doesn't drain more battery than on average phones.
The only thing that might matter are updates.
If you care much about those things OP is better. It all depends on your needs and requirements. For example I don't care about manufacturer updates. The last one I installed was about 2012 before I started to flash my phones.

Anubarak16 said:
I would say if you really want decent photos - get neither of them and buy something that has a focus on cameras.
Sources told me OnePlus never had such a decent image quality (Cannot say for myself, I have a OnePlus but I could not care less about image quality nor do I even recognize "high/good" quality as good quality because they mostly look ugly to me compared to "lower" quality)
However if it's only between those two I would say buy an Asus - take some pictures and return it in case the quality is not good enough for you or take a look at reviews with their photos and decide if that's enough.
I wouldn't agree that gaming phones are only for gaming. They have decent hardware, large batteries and high display quality. If you care about those things - then even a gaming phone might be something for you.
They are still smartphones. you can call with them, chat with your friends/family and so on. Even GPS works and doesn't drain more battery than on average phones.
The only thing that might matter are updates.
If you care much about those things OP is better. It all depends on your needs and requirements. For example I don't care about manufacturer updates. The last one I installed was about 2012 before I started to flash my phones.
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Tnx bro .
Really appreciate your answer
Honestly I'm flashing my devices like crazy so OTA is not big deal for me .
I'm really disappointed with OP 8 can feel that they go to a very bad way oxygen OS have plenty of bugs and the product feels to me like not completed product.
Let's say that you have the option to choose any smartphone in the world.
What would you take?
Samsung is not an option btw

Well... I'm not the best choice to answer your question. In my opinions notches, punch holes, curved displays and no bezels are disgusting.
I hate none symmetrical phones so all those are totally a no go for me. Plus I mostly have my phone in my hands when I use it so small bezels / curved displays result in faulty touch recognitions.
That being said most phones in the world are nothing for me. Out of those I care about power and performance because I buy my phones for 4/5 years. An outdated chipset / lesser power might be a pain in the ass in 3 years when I still want to use chrome with my 30 tabs, play games simultaneously and write messages between loading screens by switching apps in <1s.
So currently my choice is the Asus cause it fulfills nearly all my criteria. If OnePlus had no Notches/Punch holes + a larger battery I would take those. I considered many other phones but all of them either look not so good and are weaker compared to Asus. Funfact: Buying a new Smartphone usually takes me around 4/5 months every 4/5 years

Shame Samsung isn't an option. The Note 20 Ultra takes great photos. The pinhole camera is a silly design, but at least they centered it. The raised camera lens is awkward, but easily fixed with a case.
I've taken pictures of people flying past that look like they stopped to pose. Samsung makes good cameras, so you may still want the lens inside someone else's shell.

Sometimes someone makes bad experiences with certain brands. Let it be customer support or defective devices.
I would never buy a Samsung device for myself as well because no other brand caused me so much trouble in the past. Let it be unlocking the bootloader or other related things.

Anubarak16 said:
Sometimes someone makes bad experiences with certain brands. Let it be customer support or defective devices.
I would never buy a Samsung device for myself as well because no other brand caused me so much trouble in the past. Let it be unlocking the bootloader or other related things.
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Fundamentally, the internals are only one of a couple sets each generation. Even the software and entire support staff are changed out. You may not want to support Samsung, but you did. Guess who made your display panel?

I never said I don't want to support or harm them. I know many use their panels.
It's the same for OLED TVs and LG.
Of course they may also change the software but I rooted several Samsung devices and except for my very first one (Galaxy s1) all of them were not as easy as OnePlus devices or Nexus.
It's a combination of many things together that disappointed me or friends - not only with phones It's the same with other devices. (I had to work with the software of their TV devices once and it was a pain in the ass compared to LG WebOS or Sony to make my software running).
I'm open to give them a chance again when I think it will become better (I highly doubt this will ever be the case since I guess I'm not their peer group) but until that day I won't buy devices directly from Samsung.
I don't just say "it's trash" for no reason or "hate" them or whatever... I keep in touch with the company and inform me about their products but mostly they don't suit my requirements