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Hello community,
I have an Atrix, and it is quite old now... I want a larger screen
Planning to get a Sensation to replace it, and i have some questions to ask about it:
1. How is the battery life?
Would it get very hot while using?
2. How is the build quality? ie. any chance to be easily broken?
I havd my Atrix repaired several times because of digitizer.
3. Are the current ICS roms stable enough?
And, does unlocking bootloader/flashing a custom rom easy?
How about gaming?
4. Sensation's spec better than Atrix or not?
I mean, for normal web or apps using, 768MB ram is enough?
Thanks for any advices.
tennyleaz said:
Hello community,
I have an Atrix, and it is quite old now... I want a larger screen
Planning to get a Sensation to replace it, and i have some questions to ask about it:
1. How is the battery life?
Would it get very hot while using?
2. How is the build quality? ie. any chance to be easily broken?
I havd my Atrix repaired several times because of digitizer.
3. Are the current ICS roms stable enough?
And, does unlocking bootloader/flashing a custom rom easy?
How about gaming?
4. Sensation's spec better than Atrix or not?
I mean, for normal web or apps using, 768MB ram is enough?
Thanks for any advices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok so not biased answer it worth it but if you can expand your budget little bit more might aswell get a galaxy nexus however for your question :
#1 : battery life is pure crap on stock battery unless you get an anker otherwise you can get more then 1-2 hours screen on time..
It depends how you use your phone if you game alot alot ot heats up easily but i do normal use sometimes it gets hot but overall it isn't that bad..
#2 : build quality is quite good feels good in the hand it isnt easily breakable but keep in mind if you drop your sensation there is always a chance of cracking the screen...
#3 : yes ics roms are really stable most of the have 90% of the things working there is some small issues such as on aosp roms or cm9 wiping sd card will hard brick your phone otherwise things like camera and so on works...
i cant really answer to this one as my phone was already s-off unlocked bootloader but from the forums it seems quite hard...
Gaming is good if you'd ask me but it still lags a little bit on gta 3
#4 : yes specs are better and ram is plenty enough on sense rom i always have 250mb free and on aosp roms about 340mb free..
But as i said having a anker is a must if your an moderate user !
Sent From My Sexy Sensation.
tennyleaz said:
Hello community,
I have an Atrix, and it is quite old now... I want a larger screen
Planning to get a Sensation to replace it, and i have some questions to ask about it:
1. How is the battery life?
Would it get very hot while using?
2. How is the build quality? ie. any chance to be easily broken?
I havd my Atrix repaired several times because of digitizer.
3. Are the current ICS roms stable enough?
And, does unlocking bootloader/flashing a custom rom easy?
How about gaming?
4. Sensation's spec better than Atrix or not?
I mean, for normal web or apps using, 768MB ram is enough?
Thanks for any advices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. decent/average.. and yea it gets hot.. depends on your kernel setup too
2. there are several hardware defects that affect random people. digitizer, deathgrip, low speaker quality, etc.. mines been fine so i cant really add much to this. pretty solid build though, sort of typical of HTC
3. 90-99.9% stable, still a few things here and there.. not necessarily to do with our phone but with ICS in general. VERY easy to unlock and root and get s-off.. but ive been doing this to htc phones for years so i guess experience counts. gaming is as it should be. some games might not work with certain sense 4.0 or other ICS roms for some. everything works for me though
4. yes. especially if you decide to do the CM/MIUI/AOSP/AOKP route (aka sense-less, lol) youll have more than enough free memory
shahkam said:
#3 : yes ics roms are really stable most of the have 90% of the things working there is some small issues such as on aosp roms or cm9 wiping sd card will hard brick your phone otherwise things like camera and so on works...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The bug about it reformatting the NAND and not the SD card has been fixed and is no longer present in the current ASOP or AOKP builds, but to be safe I recommend only using AOSP or AOKP builds from April to current. But the rest of the info you gave is pretty spot on,
Also the current method of S-off for Hboot versions 1.21.0000 and up is Juopunutbear S-off is a little tricky because you have to use the wire trick. But if you follow the guides that are in this forum you should not have to much trouble.
T-Macgnolia said:
The bug about it reformatting the NAND and not the SD card has been fixed and is no longer present in the current ASOP or AOKP builds, but to be safe I recommend only using AOSP or AOKP builds from April to current. But the rest of the info you gave is pretty spot on,
Also the current method of S-off for Hboot versions 1.21.0000 and up is Juopunutbear S-off is a little tricky because you have to use the wire trick. But if you follow the guides that are in this forum you should not have to much trouble.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah forgot that vorbeth fixed it in his cm9 build sorry so now what we are close to like a 95% working ice cream sandwich rom?
Sent From My Sexy Sensation.
Ok, thanks for informations.
A Sensation in Taiwan now is priced about 280~300USD, just fit my budget.
I'm reading the s-off guide... somewhat complicated than motorola devices, but I think I can make it.
How about the battery life on ICS roms vs. GB roms?
I have a Htc Senseation and ive had heaps of phones, battery life for me..is okish with screen brightness lowered but i would like to get a anker battery,
The ICS Roms are really Good for me i love the Team PKMN with the little tweaks makes it very more..my own
Ive only had about 3 issues, 1 Boot looping..and that was due to my own fault.
2 a Camera issue with a rom but that was due to my own error
3 a couple of random shutdowns from something but again..my own fault.
Basically i have Setcpu , System Tuner , And cputuner running
im 18 and i was able to root it so if you have any experience rooting..you should had NO issues, just post and ask around most people are very helpful to guide you with a how to So Far my fav phone.
tennyleaz said:
Ok, thanks for informations.
A Sensation in Taiwan now is priced about 280~300USD, just fit my budget.
I'm reading the s-off guide... somewhat complicated than motorola devices, but I think I can make it.
How about the battery life on ICS roms vs. GB roms?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On stock GB & battery I was getting 12hrs life with only 1 or 2hr screen time, with ICS (VI ROM) and Anker battery I get between 1 and 2 days life and up to 9hrs screen time.
Everyone's usage is different but there's nothing wrong with the hardware.
The only limitation is the custom ROM scene, most developers bypassed or moved on from the Sensation. Custom ROMs are miles better than stock, but development is pretty static now.
Based on my personal experience, I will not buy a HTC phone again. This is a shame considering I have the Desire as well.
I have been plagued by the following problems:
death grip ( i know most phones experience this at some point, but this is no excuse )
missed calls - even with a full signal strength, my phone would not even ring
reboots at random intervals
HTC do make good phones, but apparently the One X on the Vodafone UK network is also plagued by signal loss.
I love my sensation!
Yes its worth getting! battery life can be worked with I got a long lasting battery it makes a huge difference! Rooting can be difficult depending on your h boot version but I promise its well worth it and very do able. Just follow the guide to s off and rooting. You will do fine. Ice Never had problems with my device and I flash a lot. Mine has proven sturdy and solid. I have no complaints. I really enjoy everything about my device! Ics custom roms have proven to be more stable than stock roms! ice never got a reboot on a custom ROM and ice tried several, even sense 4. I can honestly say I'm still enjoying my device! Thanks to the developers here at xda. If your rooted you make your device rudely your own. if you don't like something just change it. the customization is wonderful! You can create a device thats truely yours with the help of rooting, roms, kernels, and mods! Its always fresh never boreing! I think you will be completely happy. I know I am! Your not stuck with something you don't like because you change and modify it to what you want. I don't understand how anyone can complain about that! You have the ability to change it on the deepest levels. My advice is to try many roms until you find what suits you! Then you can change kernels and mods and really customize your device. Warning its highly addictive lol. bottom line IM still happy after a year. I think you will be also. I must say rooting is a must! Also s off. Then you will be on your way to making your device custom AND TRUELY your own creation! Enjoy every step of the way! I think you will love it! I know I do. Best of luck and have fun!
Sent from my Sensation using xda premium
boomboomer said:
On stock GB & battery I was getting 12hrs life with only 1 or 2hr screen time, with ICS (VI ROM) and Anker battery I get between 1 and 2 days life and up to 9hrs screen time.
Everyone's usage is different but there's nothing wrong with the hardware.
The only limitation is the custom ROM scene, most developers bypassed or moved on from the Sensation. Custom ROMs are miles better than stock, but development is pretty static now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your not getting 9h screen on time no matter what post some pics! I the sgs3 which has 2100mah cannot achieve that...
By the way add like 40$ more and you can get the galaxy nexus off the market place here on xda really at that price it doesn't worth it...
Sent From My Sexy Sensation.
tennyleaz said:
And, does unlocking bootloader/flashing a custom rom easy?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to chip in here, I'm a complete noob at this stuff but a few days ago I just followed this guide and went from stock ICS to rooted with a custom ROM in only a few hours, and much of that was spent waiting for files to download. I highly recommend you follow it, and if you do, modify step 4b a little bit. Everything Superwipe does can be done by a 4EXT wipe, so replace step 4b with:
Download the custom ROM you want, you don't need Superwipe
Place the zip on your sd card
Reboot into recovery
Perform a full wipe ("wipe | format" --> "format all partitions (except sd card)")
Enable smartflash ("tools" --> "enable 4EXT SmartFlash")
Flash the new ROM ("install from sd card" --> "choose zip from sd card" --> select zip)
And once you're rooted you can repeat this process as many times as you want each time you want to try out a new ROM
HTC sensation is worth every penny. I am inloved with this phone. I have been using one since January. I rooted it and installed a custom ROM on it. The phone fits perfectly with my needs. It is fast enough, nice design, good material quality so, yeah, I reccomend it.
Now, is it possible for me to downgrade 4est recovery from v2.... to v.1 and stuff RC?
The damn speaker is so awesome, I've made a conscious decision not to buy a HTC phone again. Galaxy s 3 or the eagerly awaited Google nexus with jelly bean should be a wise choice.
Sent from my HTC Sensation using xda app-developers app
What do you guys think about the dude claiming 9hrs of screen on time ?
Sent From My Sexy Sensation.
I would suggest a Nexus instead. Google has decreased $50 off the original price, so that's $350 for an unlocked phone, with superior specs than the Sensation, for pretty much a similar price and priority OTA updates from Google. It'll be getting JB anything now.
ungraph said:
I would suggest a Nexus instead. Google has decreased $50 off the original price, so that's $350 for an unlocked phone, with superior specs than the Sensation, for pretty much a similar price and priority OTA updates from Google. It'll be getting JB anything now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+infinite
Sent From My Sexy Sensation.
ungraph said:
I would suggest a Nexus instead. Google has decreased $50 off the original price, so that's $350 for an unlocked phone, with superior specs than the Sensation, for pretty much a similar price and priority OTA updates from Google. It'll be getting JB anything now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"superior specs than the sensation" LOL
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=4219&idPhone2=3875
the slight ram increase is not worth anything, the typical end user will find no difference with the CPU and GPU differences, and not many people even care to use the front facing camera or require HD quality..
other than that, its a downgrade to get the nexus.. its not like we wont get a JB version ROM lol devs are always hard at work
also... sense > any other UI including stock
DonDizzurp said:
"superior specs than the sensation" LOL
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=4219&idPhone2=3875
the slight ram increase is not worth anything, the typical end user will find no difference with the CPU and GPU differences, and not many people even care to use the front facing camera or require HD quality..
other than that, its a downgrade to get the nexus.. its not like we wont get a JB version ROM lol devs are always hard at work
also... sense > any other UI including stock
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hows that super gorgeous screen a downgrade ? And rom developement is crazy aswell + really light device which suits me better personally..
Sent From My Sexy Sensation.
DonDizzurp said:
"superior specs than the sensation" LOL
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=4219&idPhone2=3875
the slight ram increase is not worth anything, the typical end user will find no difference with the CPU and GPU differences, and not many people even care to use the front facing camera or require HD quality..
other than that, its a downgrade to get the nexus.. its not like we wont get a JB version ROM lol devs are always hard at work
also... sense > any other UI including stock
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent From My Sexy Sensation.
since there is pretty much only 1 stable rom on here, was is it worth unlocking to use it? would you suggest unlocking to use it?
lets here it.... i see the log for zeus but im just not sure if its worth it yet.
vegandroid said:
since there is pretty much only 1 stable rom on here, was is it worth unlocking to use it? would you suggest unlocking to use it?
lets here it.... i see the log for zeus but im just not sure if its worth it yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally, I'm waiting on Jelly Bean before i unlock. Not worried about warranty since i have best buy protection plan.
I too will wait for JB before i unlock.
jrc27 said:
I too will wait for JB before i unlock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 when I get mine
sounds like what ive been doing. i think im going to wait before i unlock as well.
why not unlock now? only take few seconds, then try out Zeus' Rom and use it as a reference (best rom). Later when you got the JB, you can compare to this rom to see if JB indeed faster or better? we maybe surprising.
buhohitr said:
why not unlock now? only take few seconds, then try out Zeus' Rom and use it as a reference (best rom). Later when you got the JB, you can compare to this rom to see if JB indeed faster or better? we maybe surprising.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 to this. I too thought about waiting for the JB Rom to unlock then thought the following:
1. While the OTA for JB will only work if you have not unlocked, I have never had a device (phone or tablet) where the latest update wasn't made available by the dev community pretty darn fast for people that had done things that turned off OTA. And by fast I mean usually before the OTA was even available for devices in my area.
2. Moving now to Zeus gives me more benchmarks by which to measure the JB ROM, which also is not a bad thing
3. I know I am going to unlock anyway, so why pretend I am not, or set myself artificial barriers
I had a Samsung gs2 and now a gs3. I always put on them custom roms without bricks and I'd buy a tablet that can give me the same freedom in changing roms, kernels and recovery without bricking. But here in this forum I read some threads about bricks and dead tablets so I'm thinking about buying this tablet or a Samsung tab, also If no one of them have fullhd display
I'm too scared about putting custom roms because I don't want a €500 heavy paper..
mouse100 said:
I had a Samsung gs2 and now a gs3. I always put on them custom roms without bricks and I'd buy a tablet that can give me the same freedom in changing roms, kernels and recovery without bricking. But here in this forum I read some threads about bricks and dead tablets so I'm thinking about buying this tablet or a Samsung tab, also If no one of them have fullhd display
I'm too scared about putting custom roms because I don't want a €500 heavy paper..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I agree with you, but fear not with Zeus rom. It's very close to STOCK with performance tweak/battery life saver, he tried to keep it as close as stock as possible that's why it's bug free and very stable. His I/O on this rom is sick = 20, while I don't think Jelly Bean can beat this. If you talk about performance, the only advantage of JB over Zeus rom is 60fps and probably smoother overall GUi experience. I'm waiting for Zeus for the JB then if Zeus rom stills better then I will unlock the bootloader. Currently I only root, but my tab is running pretty fine, thanks to browser2ram, force 2D render and I/O scheduler SetCPU.
Don't forget about the stock deodexed + tweaks rom.
I'm running that one over zeus as it just seems more stable and smooth.
I unlocked within a week.
**** it... zeus, here i come!
I got a Nexus just over two weeks ago, I used to be a pretty big fan of rooting and trying out different kernels and ROMs back when I had an HTC Explorer.
I got a Nexus 5 here in Pakistan without warranty so if I end up bricking the device, I ain't getting a new one. The day I got it, I rooted it and installed a Snapshot build of Cyanogenmod(weird that they didn't have a stable build).
I must admit that while performance was pretty much the same, the camera shutter speed became much much faster. But this came at the expense of two things.
First of all I lost HDR mode and second I lost face detection. So I reverted back to Stock, and later realized that the latest version of Google Camera also removes face detection. Someone also told me that HDR was dependant on what kind of GAPPS you used.
I also heard of more ROMs like LiquidSmooth, AOKP, Paranoid Android, that I was told to try out.
But anyways there we're a dozen other camera improvements and mic distortion fixes that I am tempted to try. But I hate moving my data and it's especially difficult because I don't have a SD Card on Nexus.
Are the ROMs and kernels worth it? Oh and what about the camera, video and mic improvement fixes are they worth it or did Google add all those features into Android 4.4.4?
Thanks for any help I receive!
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
salmanahmad22 said:
I got a Nexus just over two weeks ago, I used to be a pretty big fan of rooting and trying out different kernels and ROMs back when I had an HTC Explorer.
I got a Nexus 5 here in Pakistan without warranty so if I end up bricking the device, I ain't getting a new one. The day I got it, I rooted it and installed a Snapshot build of Cyanogenmod(weird that they didn't have a stable build).
I must admit that while performance was pretty much the same, the camera shutter speed became much much faster. But this came at the expense of two things.
First of all I lost HDR mode and second I lost face detection. So I reverted back to Stock, and later realized that the latest version of Google Camera also removes face detection. Someone also told me that HDR was dependant on what kind of GAPPS you used.
I also heard of more ROMs like LiquidSmooth, AOKP, Paranoid Android, that I was told to try out.
But anyways there we're a dozen other camera improvements and mic distortion fixes that I am tempted to try. But I hate moving my data and it's especially difficult because I don't have a SD Card on Nexus.
Are the ROMs and kernels worth it? Oh and what about the camera, video and mic improvement fixes are they worth it or did Google add all those features into Android 4.4.4?
Thanks for any help I receive!
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. you do not need root to try different roms and kernels. all you need is a custom recovery(unlocked bootloader).
2. all root is is the permission to change system files. without root, you cant do it.
3. and all your is it worth it questions.. is it worth it to YOU? to someone its worth it, to someone else it is not. you decide.
4. get it out of your head that cm is the "best" rom. cm is just the most well know, thats it. its far from anything called the best.
If you've rooted before, then you already know your answer.
For CyanogenMod, snapshot is basically the new stable BTW. You only lost those HDR+ and face unlock because you must have flashed a GAPPS package that didn't contain those; not the fault of the ROM at all. Custom ROMs and kernels are worth it if they provide features that you want. I don't think there's much wrong with camera, video and mic currently.
To become a happy flasher on XDA!
korockinout13 said:
For CyanogenMod, snapshot is basically the new stable BTW. You only lost those HDR+ and face unlock because you must have flashed a GAPPS package that didn't contain those; not the fault of the ROM at all. Custom ROMs and kernels are worth it if they provide features that you want. I don't think there's much wrong with camera, video and mic currently.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I find nothing at all wrong with the camera, it's quite stellar actually.
But having used the increased shutter speed on Cyanogenmod I was really impressed by the hidden potential.
Have any of you flashed the mic distortion, camera and video improvements made by someone with the name of Jishnu?
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Why root? How about root to enjoy 100%the potential of your device
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
I think OP got his question reversed. Should be:
"Why buy a Nexus 5 if you're not going to root?"
:angel:
Lethargy said:
I think OP got his question reversed. Should be:
"Why buy a Nexus 5 if you're not going to root?"
:angel:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Answer: just to troll you
Because google screwed up the stock ROM that comes on the nexus 5
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Rooting means installing a new kernel, right ?
I want to change the font of my nexus 5.
Sagar Khanapurkar said:
Rooting means installing a new kernel, right ?
I want to change the font of my nexus 5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. Rooting means rooting. Installing a new kernel means installing a new kernel.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk < Yes, I want you to know that I'm using a mobile client
You root to grant yourself... Root. Not sure it gets more simpler than that. You shouldn't own a development device if you're not interested in Android development.
TheLastSidekick said:
You root to grant yourself... Root. Not sure it gets more simpler than that. You shouldn't own a development device if you're not interested in Android development.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Nexus line is certainly no longer considered solely a development series of devices. Its a consumer device with enhanced development capabilities. So to suggest that those thousands of customers who have no intention of developing are wrong to own a Nexus product is nonsense.
Bilhouse said:
The Nexus line is certainly no longer considered solely a development series of devices. Its a consumer device with enhanced development capabilities.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is a consumer device, because anyone who purchases it.. Is considered a consumer. However, the device is tailored to developers. Even allowing the bootloader to be unlocked and Google essentially handing you the keys to do so.
TheLastSidekick said:
It is a consumer device, because anyone who purchases it.. Is considered a consumer. However, the device is tailored to developers. Even allowing the bootloader to be unlocked and Google essentially handing you the keys to do so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. Not everything sold through an open channel is considered a consumer device. Its considered a consumer device because its main product positioning now is to offer an affordable, carrier unlocked device with high spec hardware. Actually the Nexus tablets illustrate my argument perfectly as they are heavily advertised and offered through a larger retail presence.
The ease of unlocking the bootloader, rooting and flashing on Nexus devices as well as delivering new versions of Android certainly are an important aspect in regards to its use in Android development. But its no longer the only key focus.
Heck if we base it on those principles than the OnePlus ONE is even more of a 'development device' than the Nexus. Not only does it feature CM11S, it is also easy to unlock, root and flash other custom ROM's. In fact unlocking the bootloader is clearly stated NOT to void your warranty, whereas with the Nexus it is stated in more ambiguous terms that it 'may' void your warranty.
But those 400-500,000 people waiting for an invite for a OnePlus sure aren't intending to develop on it for the most part. Just like the Nexus line they are after a cheap, high powered, unlocked handset.
Regardless, my initial point was to address your nonsensical elitist attitude when making the statement that the OP shouldn't own a device if he isn't intending to develop on it or isn't an Android developer in the first place. That my good Sir is a crock of bull****.
I would like to root my nexus 5, but I want Android L, which means I have to un-root it again just to get Android L.
Right ?
Sagar Khanapurkar said:
I would like to root my nexus 5, but I want Android L, which means I have to un-root it again just to get Android L.
Right ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it means you have to flash the developer preview.
Lethargy said:
No, it means you have to flash the developer preview.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want official Android L. Is it possible to receive official Android L while my phone is rooted ?
Sagar Khanapurkar said:
I want official Android L. Is it possible to receive official Android L while my phone is rooted ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can receive OTA when rooted. Read "OTA Help-Desk" thread, which you can get to via my signature.
There is NO official Android L at this time.
Hi everyone!
I am currently looking to replace my slightly broken Google Nexus 5 with a Sony Z3 and as per usual I checked the XDA for common issues or anything that I may need to be aware of before purchasing one... So whilst I was here I decided to look through the ROM's / Kernels and these is a huge lack of ROM's for this phone...
What are the reasons behind this? Is this a pure lack of developers willing to spend their time on it? The source code not being available easily?
Is there a logical explanation for this?
I had two ROM's a while back for five different phones (links are below probably) and I was thinking of getting back into it again and being a Sony phone I thought "I have done it once, I can do it again!"
Any help / guidance / explanation will be great, looking forward to reading through the replies and hopefully purchasing my phone later this week
apmartin1991 said:
Hi everyone!
I am currently looking to replace my slightly broken Google Nexus 5 with a Sony Z3 and as per usual I checked the XDA for common issues or anything that I may need to be aware of before purchasing one... So whilst I was here I decided to look through the ROM's / Kernels and these is a huge lack of ROM's for this phone...
What are the reasons behind this? Is this a pure lack of developers willing to spend their time on it? The source code not being available easily?
Is there a logical explanation for this?
I had two ROM's a while back for five different phones (links are below probably) and I was thinking of getting back into it again and being a Sony phone I thought "I have done it once, I can do it again!"
Any help / guidance / explanation will be great, looking forward to reading through the replies and hopefully purchasing my phone later this week
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The reason rom development is so slow is because of the DRM issue that no one can get passed, the vast majority of Z3 owners still have a locked BL, you can google search and read up that unlocking the phone's BL causes plenty issues, specially camera related. Until a root exploit is found i am afraid it will carry on being this slow..
corpsegrinder62 said:
The reason rom development is so slow is because of the DRM issue that no one can get passed, the vast majority of Z3 owners still have a locked BL, you can google search and read up that unlocking the phone's BL causes plenty issues, specially camera related. Until a root exploit is found i am afraid it will carry on being this slow..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did indeed have a quick google and I read about the issues you explained, all about DRM issues with Camera and a few other things.
Many thanks for your reply, hopefully they will remove some of this with android L.
I'm pretty sure the DRM can now be restored with a unlocked bootloader
CameronBanna said:
I'm pretty sure the DRM can now be restored with a unlocked bootloader
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not possible. The only thing possible is restore some features that you lose when you unlock the bootloader.
apmartin1991 said:
Hi everyone!
I am currently looking to replace my slightly broken Google Nexus 5 with a Sony Z3 and as per usual I checked the XDA for common issues or anything that I may need to be aware of before purchasing one... So whilst I was here I decided to look through the ROM's / Kernels and these is a huge lack of ROM's for this phone...
What are the reasons behind this? Is this a pure lack of developers willing to spend their time on it? The source code not being available easily?
Is there a logical explanation for this?
I had two ROM's a while back for five different phones (links are below probably) and I was thinking of getting back into it again and being a Sony phone I thought "I have done it once, I can do it again!"
Any help / guidance / explanation will be great, looking forward to reading through the replies and hopefully purchasing my phone later this week
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The main reason there are no roms for the devices at this point is NOT due to the DRM issues. The phone is easily unlocked and rooted - there's instruction all over google...it's actually due to the Xperia Z3 being a very new phone arriving right around the time that Lollipop hit the shelves on Nexus devices. DEVs are busy updating their ROMs to be based on the Lollipop platform. This is of much more importance to them as it gives them much more rep, than them wasting time on a new phone. As they say... being first in the game is a lot easier than working your ass off to catch up.
In my opinion, I think you should jump on the Z3. It's a great phone. Kick ass battery. Great stock rom, and google lollipop update coming soon, which will kick out a lot of the needs for a custom rom for day to day usage + Nova Launcher does a kick ass job filling in a few holes. I'm waiting until DEVs get the lollipop based roms ready and then you can be sure the Z3 will have plenty of custom rom options. For the same reason above, root w/ Locked BL (liked the Z2) probably won't be available for a while as well...but...
The DRM keys that are lost when unlocked, mainly affect the camera (night shots). That said though... it really doesnt. I've done quite a bit of testing in different low light conditions using the Sony Camera app, and using the Google Camera app (cause I love photosphere). The SOny camera app uses the algorithms locked in the DRM keys, while the google camera doesn't. The low light photos, in my opinion, have very minimal difference, unless one is taking a twilight shot using a tripod stand for the phone... in which case they deserve to be hit across the head with a bat.
As for the competition... I tried the Nexus 6 and it's simply too big. The Samsung S5 is nice... but just not sexy enough and the battery is not as good and touchwiz is not really all that great.
munsabin said:
The main reason there are no roms for the devices at this point is NOT due to the DRM issues. The phone is easily unlocked and rooted - there's instruction all over google...it's actually due to the Xperia Z3 being a very new phone arriving right around the time that Lollipop hit the shelves on Nexus devices. DEVs are busy updating their ROMs to be based on the Lollipop platform. This is of much more importance to them as it gives them much more rep, than them wasting time on a new phone. As they say... being first in the game is a lot easier than working your ass off to catch up.
In my opinion, I think you should jump on the Z3. It's a great phone. Kick ass battery. Great stock rom, and google lollipop update coming soon, which will kick out a lot of the needs for a custom rom for day to day usage + Nova Launcher does a kick ass job filling in a few holes. I'm waiting until DEVs get the lollipop based roms ready and then you can be sure the Z3 will have plenty of custom rom options. For the same reason above, root w/ Locked BL (liked the Z2) probably won't be available for a while as well...but...
The DRM keys that are lost when unlocked, mainly affect the camera (night shots). That said though... it really doesnt. I've done quite a bit of testing in different low light conditions using the Sony Camera app, and using the Google Camera app (cause I love photosphere). The SOny camera app uses the algorithms locked in the DRM keys, while the google camera doesn't. The low light photos, in my opinion, have very minimal difference, unless one is taking a twilight shot using a tripod stand for the phone... in which case they deserve to be hit across the head with a bat.
As for the competition... I tried the Nexus 6 and it's simply too big. The Samsung S5 is nice... but just not sexy enough and the battery is not as good and touchwiz is not really all that great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats a precise answer! Thank you for that. I would like to back it again that the low-light performance is really minimal at most. I'm definitely considering unlocking the bootloader now even to achieve root. Do you know if the D6653 and the D6603 are 'cross-compatible' with custom ROMs?
corpsegrinder62 said:
The reason rom development is so slow is because of the DRM issue that no one can get passed, the vast majority of Z3 owners still have a locked BL, you can google search and read up that unlocking the phone's BL causes plenty issues, specially camera related. Until a root exploit is found i am afraid it will carry on being this slow..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Should probably edit / delete this post since it's not really correct and you're essentially driving people away from a great phone. DRM is not really an issue if you do some more research, unlocking the phone is easy and info is all over google, and rooting the phone; same story.
Reason no ROMs are available is b/c Xperia Z3 and Lollipop hit the shelves around the same time. DEVs are working to get lollipop based custom ROMs out, not ROMs based on old OS for a new phone.
---------- Post added at 08:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:23 PM ----------
squabbi said:
Thats a precise answer! Thank you for that. I would like to back it again that the low-light performance is really minimal at most. I'm definitely considering unlocking the bootloader now even to achieve root. Do you know if the D6653 and the D6603 are 'cross-compatible' with custom ROMs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No clue. I'm sure when custom ROMs will be available; that info will be clearly mentioned.
munsabin said:
Should probably edit / delete this post since it's not really correct and you're essentially driving people away from a great phone. DRM is not really an issue if you do some more research, unlocking the phone is easy and info is all over google, and rooting the phone; same story.
Reason no ROMs are available is b/c Xperia Z3 and Lollipop hit the shelves around the same time. DEVs are working to get lollipop based custom ROMs out, not ROMs based on old OS for a new phone.
---------- Post added at 08:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:23 PM ----------
No clue. I'm sure when custom ROMs will be available; that info will be clearly mentioned.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whilst i do agree to your point, my point of view of the post is not exactly inaccurate but rather a different point of view to yours, think of it like this: many users start developing because they start to tinker with their new amazing device, many users themselves apart from developers try at developing aswell, and this all ads to rom and kernel growth as well as bug/beta testing which developers obviously need to keep developing, whilst yes Lollipop is a great thing and yes many devs are trying to get lollipop working instead of modding kitkat, there are still plenty users that will prefer kitkat over lollipop. The vast majority of users and devs are first working on a root exploit cause 80% (give or take my best guess here) of users are now frustrated from buying a device they cannot unlock or develop with unless they willing to risk their warranty or destroy 30% of the phone's functionality included by sony which we all love and taking such a risk knowing you got only one try to get it right, this is tricky.. so if you think of lets say 30 000 users on xda owning a z3, i can bet you not even 2000 of those are unlocked yet, and therefore slow development happens because all focus is taken to finding an exploit, which is great, i cannot wait for the day my Z3 can get unlocked when we can backup DRM. Im not disrespecting anyone here fyi, im just posting my opinion.
CameronBanna said:
I'm pretty sure the DRM can now be restored with a unlocked bootloader
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most DRM is not restorable, although it can sometimes be backed up and then restored with various other phones.
iFlasher said:
It's not possible. The only thing possible is restore some features that you lose when you unlock the bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is correct from what I hear.
munsabin said:
The main reason there are no roms for the devices at this point is NOT due to the DRM issues. The phone is easily unlocked and rooted - there's instruction all over google...it's actually due to the Xperia Z3 being a very new phone arriving right around the time that Lollipop hit the shelves on Nexus devices. DEVs are busy updating their ROMs to be based on the Lollipop platform. This is of much more importance to them as it gives them much more rep, than them wasting time on a new phone. As they say... being first in the game is a lot easier than working your ass off to catch up.
In my opinion, I think you should jump on the Z3. It's a great phone. Kick ass battery. Great stock rom, and google lollipop update coming soon, which will kick out a lot of the needs for a custom rom for day to day usage + Nova Launcher does a kick ass job filling in a few holes. I'm waiting until DEVs get the lollipop based roms ready and then you can be sure the Z3 will have plenty of custom rom options. For the same reason above, root w/ Locked BL (liked the Z2) probably won't be available for a while as well...but...
The DRM keys that are lost when unlocked, mainly affect the camera (night shots). That said though... it really doesnt. I've done quite a bit of testing in different low light conditions using the Sony Camera app, and using the Google Camera app (cause I love photosphere). The SOny camera app uses the algorithms locked in the DRM keys, while the google camera doesn't. The low light photos, in my opinion, have very minimal difference, unless one is taking a twilight shot using a tripod stand for the phone... in which case they deserve to be hit across the head with a bat.
As for the competition... I tried the Nexus 6 and it's simply too big. The Samsung S5 is nice... but just not sexy enough and the battery is not as good and touchwiz is not really all that great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for a brilliant reply, I am waiting for CES to finish this week and then if nothing major is announced I will be buying a Z3, as soon as lollipop is out and in a good state I will make a ROM if I have the time
squabbi said:
Thats a precise answer! Thank you for that. I would like to back it again that the low-light performance is really minimal at most. I'm definitely considering unlocking the bootloader now even to achieve root. Do you know if the D6653 and the D6603 are 'cross-compatible' with custom ROMs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They may need different drivers as they have a slightly different chipset in them, most devs should be able to account for this
munsabin said:
Should probably edit / delete this post since it's not really correct and you're essentially driving people away from a great phone. DRM is not really an issue if you do some more research, unlocking the phone is easy and info is all over google, and rooting the phone; same story.
Reason no ROMs are available is b/c Xperia Z3 and Lollipop hit the shelves around the same time. DEVs are working to get lollipop based custom ROMs out, not ROMs based on old OS for a new phone.
---------- Post added at 08:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:23 PM ----------
No clue. I'm sure when custom ROMs will be available; that info will be clearly mentioned.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He should not delete his answer, his answer was a good one albeit not as detailed as the rest. DRM is an issue to contend with as some users like it and want to keep it.
corpsegrinder62 said:
Whilst i do agree to your point, my point of view of the post is not exactly inaccurate but rather a different point of view to yours, think of it like this: many users start developing because they start to tinker with their new amazing device, many users themselves apart from developers try at developing aswell, and this all ads to rom and kernel growth as well as bug/beta testing which developers obviously need to keep developing, whilst yes Lollipop is a great thing and yes many devs are trying to get lollipop working instead of modding kitkat, there are still plenty users that will prefer kitkat over lollipop. The vast majority of users and devs are first working on a root exploit cause 80% (give or take my best guess here) of users are now frustrated from buying a device they cannot unlock or develop with unless they willing to risk their warranty or destroy 30% of the phone's functionality included by sony which we all love and taking such a risk knowing you got only one try to get it right, this is tricky.. so if you think of lets say 30 000 users on xda owning a z3, i can bet you not even 2000 of those are unlocked yet, and therefore slow development happens because all focus is taken to finding an exploit, which is great, i cannot wait for the day my Z3 can get unlocked when we can backup DRM. Im not disrespecting anyone here fyi, im just posting my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a good answer too, and your bang on, not everyone wants to lose DRM keys or risk losing stuff they like. I will be patient until I start ROMing myself again or until someone manages to hack around this known issue. Sony have always been tight arses with ROM developers...
@apmartin1991 - root w/ locked BL is now available. No need for custom roms IMO when you've got xposed framework available. Xblast Tools will give you a LOT of what you'll find on custom roms, plus you'll be running on stable stock rom. Kernels can be modified once you've rooted your phone with locked BL, saved TA partition (for future), and unlocked bootloader. But unlocking bootloader will kill camera night shots.
I have some questions: Does the camera gets worse in custom ROMs or after unlocking the bootloader? Will it have good comunity support, AOSP roms etc? I would gladly spend more on this phone than on a S7 if I know it will have a long life with comunity support.
ygorvaz said:
I have some questions: Does the camera gets worse in custom ROMs or after unlocking the bootloader? Will it have good comunity support, AOSP roms etc? I would gladly spend more on this phone than on a S7 if I know it will have a long life with comunity support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Community support = Yes
Camera Worse on custom Roms = Yes
Camera Worse after unlocking Bootloader = Yes but can be fixed using any Kernel with DRM fixes.
ygorvaz said:
I have some questions: Does the camera gets worse in custom ROMs or after unlocking the bootloader? Will it have good comunity support, AOSP roms etc? I would gladly spend more on this phone than on a S7 if I know it will have a long life with comunity support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
since android came to the stage, my first phone was sony Xperia X8 and after that, I got Xperia Z and now i have the XZ
with the X8 and the Z the support from both Sony and the Community is great it's active until now man ) about the camera i had no issues what so ever with the stock Rom and the other Roms. except that, you Can't use the camera when the battery is low.
the Volume on the Xperia XZ is loud enough for me also so I've no problems with this device, and i believe that very soon someone will be able to find out how to root the Stock Kernel so everything will be even greater with Xposed and Root !! go ahead and get it btw i have the Forest Blue color and it looks so elegant (Y) the charge is fast as well and it will last at least 1 day with heavy usage of gaming, messenger and instagram )
I unlocked the bootloader, flashed Androplus, flashed romaur for xz and no DRM function is lost, camera and everything seems to be working perfectly thanks to Androplus' DRM patch.
I was afraid to unlock the bootloader in case of DRM loss, but every xperia phone from now on will have some workaround for it, by unlocking the bootloader of this great phone you only gain benefits.
Custom roms are not needed and they suck, the best roms for sony phones are based on stock+custom enhanced kernel, sony has always done a good job balancing their stock releases so it's good to use them, don't even bother trying CM.