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So for the past few weeks I have been lurking the forum and such, and only just got around to registering.. and this is my first post.. so bear with me
It's my birthday in about 3 weeks, and I'm somewhat tempted to spend the money I get on an Android phone, to replace my dying iPod Touch 2G and also my crummy £10 phone.
So, what I could say I need in a Android phone is -
Value for money.
Decent music playback (Minimal hissing etc. I understand that the default music player at the moment is crap, but with Gingerbread should come a much improved one).
Nice touchscreen.
And if at all possible, an official or unofficial upgrade to 2.3 or well, updates in the future. I would hate to buy a phone which suddenly was dead in the water after 2 months!I understand it can depend on the phone and such as well. I do understand that unofficial updates depend on the model and such etc.
Unlockable.
I originally looked around and saw the ZTE Blade, I was really surprised at the value for money and huge amount of unofficial development in terms of updates.. and it looked perfect! But I heard it's music playback leaves much to be desired sadly.
If anyone could reccomend an Android phone which you think would fit my needs, I would really appriciate it to be honest haha
I would say my budget is £150 or so.
Thanks in advance, and a (somewhat) belated happy new year ,
KILLTHATWHA.
Other details -
From what I have looked at.. the HTC Wildfires resolution was really low, which put me off that model..
The camera can be terrible for all I care, I have a decent Pentax one which I use..
Gaming ability isn't really a huge thing for me either, but a decent CPU would be a bonus, since it would means the can potentially get more updates.
I would say get an HD2. They have an 1 GHz Snapdragon processor and a hefty 576MB of RAM. Even though it's not actually an Android phone, you can easily turn it into one.
little13193 said:
I would say get an HD2. They have an 1 GHz Snapdragon processor and a hefty 576MB of RAM. Even though it's not actually an Android phone, you can easily turn it into one.
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Click to collapse
As awesome as that phone is.. it costs a hefty £300-£350! That over double my budget :/
You can grab an used HD2 for a decent price, not much more than a ZTE blade (unless you are in the UK and can buy directly from Orange).
But if you are looking for a new phone the ZTE really looks great for its price.
Faenad said:
You can grab an used HD2 for a decent price, not much more than a ZTE blade (unless you are in the UK and can buy directly from Orange).
But if you are looking for a new phone the ZTE really looks great for its price.
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Click to collapse
I am in the UK haha, so I would be buying it directly from Orange probably So would you say the \ZTE is my best option?
Your really low price seriously limits your options (for buying new, anyway).
I was looking at budget Android devices (sub £200) recently for the ladyfriend, and the only real options I could find were hTC Wildfire, LG Optimus GT540 & SE Experia Mini.
Having played with a friends WF I can tell you that the screen is - as feared - shockingly bad, but quite responsive (it's pushing less pixels after all).
About Android's music player, someone has rebuilt it with a slightly improved UI and a couple of new features (appropriately dubbed 'music mod'), it's quite nice, can't comment on sound quality unfortunately.
As for the blade, if you can get one it doesn't seem like a bad way to go. You do get a nice screen (as opposed to WF), but only 256mb of RAM which is a *serious* issue (WF has 384mb). They have the same CPU but the blade has a marginally higher frequency.
for your budget id reccomend rhe oeange san francisco. scout around and you can pick it up for about £100, and unlock it for free at modaco. then have. look at movin to giffgaff for the cheap internet
killthatwha said:
I am in the UK haha, so I would be buying it directly from Orange probably So would you say the \ZTE is my best option?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, for the price it's an awesome deal. And the community support and interest seems decent.
ZTE Blade does seem like the best option but as Android upgrades begin to utilise more system resources older phones will be left behind. Just consider that you are buying a *first generation* device, those specs were impressive on the Droid a year ago, but not so today.
So I currently have a Huawei U8100 from WINDMobile. It's a good starter android (at a good price) but it's not much more than that and I want something better. I dislike how small it is and how slow it can be at times (as well as jam up and reboot), and it doesn't have a great list of features. Getting my hands on an unlocked good android in Canada (at a decent price) doesn't seem to be so easy, but WIND does carry the XT720. My first impressions from checking it out a bit online is that it looks very nice (I really like the glass screen and unusual design) and that it has some pretty good specs, as well as a high quality camera and video recording. And the price of $400 is not too hefty. So, basically it's something I'm considering.
Here are my questions though:
Updates: So this is stuck at 2.1 from Motorala, which is something that initially turned me away from this. But apparently, this forum has decided to hire a dev to get 2.2 on it (something I find very cool btw). So it seems that this will have 2.2 sometime in the near future (I hope?). That increases the appeal for me significantly. I was wondering though, hypothetically are the development of future updates (2.3, 2.4 etc...) possible to bring to the XT720 like 2.2 is being brought? I'm trying to think long term here and figure out if I want a phone that will never go higher than 2.2 (and if that's true), or if I'm fine with that.
Speed: One of the biggest drawbacks for me and my Huawei U8100 is the speed of it. It's just not very fast. I do have it overclocked and it works a bit faster, but it's just not that fast even after that. The XT720 seems to be at 550mhz (which isn't much faster from the standard U8100 speed) but I read that Motorala released an update that overclocked it to 720mhz. But what I read seemed to imply that it was only for UK and some other place (i.e. not Canada). Does that mean I won't have that update if I get the phone? Even if that's the case, there are ROMs for the phone that will allow me to overclock to that and be stable? Will the dev who is making 2.2 for this allow overclocking in his build? Additionally even though it comes at 550, I read that Motorala's enhancements (??) make it feel fast. Is that true? Is the XT720 a fast phone?
Camera/Video: No question that it takes good pictures. How's the video though? I use a flip Mino for all my video recording needs and while it works, the screen is tiny and the resolution isn't the best (nor is it HD). Does the XT720 have a better camcorder then my flip Mino?
Screen quality/sound: How does the actual graphics and display look? Is it very clear? And how is the sound quality? As well, the U8100 has a resistive touch screen that isn't very responsive (though it works), how's the touch on the XT720?
Your general opinion: How do you, as a owner feel about the XT720? Do you love it? Do you just consider it a decent phone? Do you just want it for it's camera? Do you not recommend it? What is your opinion about this phone in general?
Also, if you're from WIND and had a U8100 and got an XT720, please say so (just for curiousity's sake ).
Also, one more thing, not really related to this subforum, but more of a general question. My U8100 is rooted with the popular The Celestial Teapot. Does rooting your phone take down the value of resellability? If I try to sell the U8100 on let's say ebay, would people want to stay away from rooted phones? If so, is there a way to "unroot" the phone?
Any help and clarity is appreciated. Thanks
But apparently, this forum has decided to hire a dev to get 2.2 on it (something I find very cool btw). So it seems that this will have 2.2 sometime in the near future (I hope?). That increases the appeal for me significantly. I was wondering though, hypothetically are the development of future updates (2.3, 2.4 etc...) possible to bring to the XT720 like 2.2 is being brought?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Currently there is no chance of getting 2.3 or 2.4 without Motorola's help. The 2.2 we're talking about actually comes from Motorola. Motorola released 2.2 for the Korean XT720 in December, but won't release 2.2 in any other region. We're hoping Dexter can help us figure out how to run the Korean 2.2.
I am super disappointed about the locked bootloader. It would be bearable if Motorola intended to actually support the phone, but Motorola has officially announced that 2.1 is the end of the line. I will never again purchase a phone with a locked bootloader. I chalk that up as a learning experience.
As far as speed goes, I've only used an XT720--it's my first smartphone. It seemed faster than the Palm III I used for years . Eventually I came to feel it was unbearably slow in its "official" form. After rooting, applying the all-in-one optimizer, and replacing the class 2 sd card with a faster one, I'm pretty happy.
I don't use the camera much at all, though, and the few times I've tried to use it, I've been frustrated with the shutter lag (even with a class 10 card). There may be camera tweaks I don't know about, it's not been a priority for me.
maybe this topic will help
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=892703
many have already replied to similar questions there
If you unroot it and wipe the files on the SD, any ordinary person shouldn't be able to tell if it was rooted before.
re: rooting
any one who wants good android experience will root the phone
so, no worries about resale value there
re: video
there are plenty of apps in the market with better quality, just try them out, most of them are free anyways, see which one you like best
re: speed
the phone is stock at 720, not 550, only old ROM will still be there
the update is OTA, as soon as i turned on my new phone, it asked me if i wanted to update, and it was done, that was with the stock ROM, no root, no nothing
also, the CPU spec (manufacture spec of the chip) is actually rated for 1000 Mhz
it was actually under-clocked to 720 (550) mostly to save battery power
re: Froyo 2.2
yes it's true we might not see anything better than 2.2
but that is more than enough to bring out the full power of the phone
re: general
this phone is awesome, comparable to the latest stuff available, just the battery is a bit on the shy side 1390 mAh... which will get drained very quickly if you leave your phone running at 1000 Mhz all the time, reason why i speculate it was released at as a 550, and then updated by Moto to 720 to bring a happy medium for speed vs. battery life
it can run smoothly any of the latest 3D games that work on the other phones
it's one of the rare phones that have a true authentic Xenon flash, and not a LED light for "falsh"... i meant "flash"
re: sound
simply the better one of all the phones i have
re: screen
is a normal TFT LCD, no much you can expect from it.... that's comparing it to a SAMOLED display, there's simply no comparison
Hi, I am windmobile user with XT720, previous phone was Nokia 5230. XT720 is definately an upgrade compare to the Nokia, however, if you compare with other Android AWS phones, such as Galaxy S, Nexus One, Nexus S, it is a little behind. Consider I paid $250 for it (450 -$50 discount, - $150 windtab), it is actually a good deal for this phone.
RE Update:
With JIT enabled, App2SD, new Golauncher, it is acceptable without Froyo/Gingerbread. The down side is Flash 10.1, but the youtube app fixes it.
RE Speed:
JIT actually enhances the overall performance by a noticable amount, with slightly OC from 720Mhz to 850~900Mhz you could eliminates the lack in most game. Note worth: the default speed is [email protected], but I could actually achieve [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], much of a performance boost w/o killing battery life.
RE Camera/Video.
XT720 is absolute awful when it comes to camera/video. the image quality is worst then my Nokia N73 (3.2MP). 720p video recording is terrible, laggy as hell, i rather record at SD resolution. If you plan to do alot of Photo/Video, you better go for X10i AWS, but X10i has a lot of problem of its own, but photo/video is definitely much superior to XT720
RE Screen.
it is a good size, not much to complain, nothing much too special either.
Re General Opinion.
for $250 (as i paid), i am cool with xt720 as an Android phone, but if you going to pay $400 brandnew for it, I suggest you get an lightly used Galaxy S from Kijiji or Craiglist or RFDs, probably around $480 ish. little more pricy but much better IMO.
RE U8100
I don't think U8100 is capable of providing user the full Android Experience, XT720 does however.
PM me if you have specific questions. Hope this helps you a little bit.
AllGamer said:
maybe this topic will help
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=892703
many have already replied to similar questions there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, checking it out
AllGamer said:
re: rooting
any one who wants good android experience will root the phone
so, no worries about resale value there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, but considering the U8100 is like an entry level phone, I was worried that people unfamiliar with android would be scared off. Though I suppose I should check around and see what's selling on ebay
there are plenty of apps in the market with better quality, just try them out, most of them are free anyways, see which one you like best
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean it just utilizes the hardware better than stock app?
re: speed
the phone is stock at 720, not 550, only old ROM will still be there
the update is OTA, as soon as i turned on my new phone, it asked me if i wanted to update, and it was done, that was with the stock ROM, no root, no nothing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh good.
also, the CPU spec (manufacture spec of the chip) is actually rated for 1000 Mhz
it was actually under-clocked to 720 (550) mostly to save battery power
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This phone can be safely overclocked to 1GHz? If so, that really increases the appeal for me.
re: Froyo 2.2
yes it's true we might not see anything better than 2.2
but that is more than enough to bring out the full power of the phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, froyo seems to add a lot over most other updates.
re: general
this phone is awesome, comparable to the latest stuff available, just the battery is a bit on the shy side 1390 mAh... which will get drained very quickly if you leave your phone running at 1000 Mhz all the time, reason why i speculate it was released at as a 550, and then updated by Moto to 720 to bring a happy medium for speed vs. battery life
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What does very quickly mean? I'm fine charging my phone every day (like I do now).
re: screen
is a normal TFT LCD, no much you can expect from it.... that's comparing it to a SAMOLED display, there's simply no comparison
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does look better than my current though I think.
teruyume said:
Consider I paid $250 for it (450 -$50 discount, - $150 windtab), it is actually a good deal for this phone.
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Click to collapse
Heh. I think I misunderstood how Windtab works. I'll have to check into it more.
RE Camera/Video.
XT720 is absolute awful when it comes to camera/video. the image quality is worst then my Nokia N73 (3.2MP). 720p video recording is terrible, laggy as hell, i rather record at SD resolution. If you plan to do alot of Photo/Video, you better go for X10i AWS, but X10i has a lot of problem of its own, but photo/video is definitely much superior to XT720
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I looked at some examples posted in someone's review and I thought they looked decent. I guess it's not actually . Whatever the case, camera/video isn't a major feature for me, but a nice one.
Re General Opinion.
for $250 (as i paid), i am cool with xt720 as an Android phone, but if you going to pay $400 brandnew for it, I suggest you get an lightly used Galaxy S from Kijiji or Craiglist or RFDs, probably around $480 ish. little more pricy but much better IMO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
/goes to check out Windtab some more
PM me if you have specific questions. Hope this helps you a little bit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks.
So I'm going to check out that link Allgamer posted, check out WindTab options some more (is it only for new customers?) and then see if I can figure out what I'm doing.
Are there any estimates for when the 2.2 will be ready? (And is it basically confirmed that it will happen?)
Thanks for all the help guys
The screen is actually much more beautiful than a AMOLED, but that is just my personal opinion.
And am I the only one who thinks this camera is NOT crap? Image quality here is more than fine and video @720p isn't laggy AT ALL. Note that overclock is needed to record in 720p, else the camera app will crash. But I don't care about that. Once overclocking is enabled, it runs really, really great
So I think many of you need to stop complaining. Or am I really the only one who is actually very happy with this camera?
i really like the camera as well, it is very good, it's great phone for taking picture
I suggest you stick with your current phone and buy a new phone from eBay which is compatible with WIND. Yu should get a Google phone at least you will always get the latest for it unlike us who are stuck with what is given. Unlike an Apple product you can easily watch others surpass you while you are stuck running old version of your software.
Sent from my Milestone XT720 using XDA App
the top choices right now that are AWS (1700+2100) compatible are only this phone XT720 and Nexus S
the XT720 can be found for less than $400 new on phones stores, and are unlocked
the Nexus S, average street price is $700 to $800
unless you can travel to the USA and buy one yourself for $530+tax +GAS or plane ticket
the XT720 is subsidized by WIND & MobilityCity if you buy through them, so it's cheaper than $400
What AllGamer said. Nexus S isn't as easy to get my hands on. And to be honest I do really like the design and features of the XT720.
I think what I need to do in order to figure out more about it (especially since I'm getting mixed reviews about the camera/video) is to check it out for myself. Which is precisely what I'll be doing when I head to a WIND store today or tomorrow. Hopefully they can also clear up the deal with WINDtab for me (I don't think I can use it since I'm not a new customer but who knows, they might be nice lol).
What versions are compatible with WIND? Here's international version on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-MILE...BJC8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1296432364&sr=8-1 and it's new for $70 cheaper than WIND (and with Warranty). Compatible with WIND? Is there anything different from this and the one WIND sells? I'm just wondering why Motorola is selling it for $70 cheaper lol.
Thanks
Guys is it worth it to switch from Samsung wave to Motorola xt720? thanks
So after playing around for a bit, my first impressions: (granted, I didn't play around with it for very long)
Touch - Way better touch reaction than my U8100
Look/Design - Looks better (and much thinner) in real life. Really like the look.
Sound - Didn't get a chance to test.
Camera - I didn't play around with it for very long, but my first impressions were that the camera quality was very very nice.
Video - Also. I don't think I was even using the higher settings and I think this is better than my dedicated camcorder (flip mino - which does happen to be over 2 years old.)
Display - Very roomie (as opposed to the U8100), very visual.
Speed - Didn't get good oppurtinities to test with.
Anyways, I was overall impressed with it and I'm leaning towards buying it. They said that WINDtab is only for new activations, but I could just create a new account and get it for $250 ($150 WINDtab). WINDTab does expire on the 31st though which is like... tomorrow. XD
I think it makes more sense to get from Amazon though (provided that works with WIND). It will take quite a while to get $150 paid on WINDtab (with WIND's cheap plans). Additionally, if I make a new account I lose my current benefits of my special plan (which saves me $5 a month until September - i.e. $35 ). Through Amazon I save $70 and keep my $35 + I'm not forever stuck on paying off WIND.
My one major concern before making a purchase is if 2.2. doesn't get released (by Dexter) for this, but it does seem likely that it will be.
Anyways, if anyone could clear up the deal with Amazon (does it work with WIND?) as soon as possible (so I can figure out if I should buy from WIND), that would be a great help.
Thanks for all the help from you guys.
syrenz said:
Anyways, if anyone could clear up the deal with Amazon (does it work with WIND?) as soon as possible (so I can figure out if I should buy from WIND), that would be a great help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It works on WIND.
my XT720 is international, not Wind model, but using it in Wind
and it's a shame to say, the XT720 works better (as a phone & camera) than the Nexus S
See now you people were able to easily answer that question while when I asked on WIND community no one could give me a straight answer... (worst comes to worst there is Amazon's 30-day return policy)
Anyways, think I'm going to get this.
----
Time to check around these forums and figure out all the rooting stuff. (though I may just wait until Dexter does his thing before rooting)
syrenz said:
Time to check around these forums and figure out all the rooting stuff. (though I may just wait until Dexter does his thing before rooting)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
easy root http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=887416
The situation is similar at Cincinnati Bell. The XT720 is much cheaper upfront than the Nexus S so that definitely tips the scales. It's pretty nice after rooting and optimizing and it is worlds better than the Nokia 6010 I was using previously. Plus, I like to ***** about multinationals. Win win.
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).
Hi today I bought a new phone called xiamoni redmi note 2 32 gb. And it took my breath away for real, it's so good, so pretty, so functional, and what's more important it's so well developed, many custom roms, so many people every second discuss something about the phone and for such a cheapest price, around 150$. To my mind, Sony, Samsung, Apple should nervously smoke aside having such a rival.
And what upsets me most is knowing that xiamoni produces tablets as well. Just look at that, xiamoni mipad 64gb. Both windows 10 and android.
Of course it has worse resolution, don't have lte and no slot for external sd card, but take a look at the price.... so testy..
Speling: Xiaomi Redmi 3
http://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_redmi_3-review-1368.php
Interesting price/performance
burned - I always look for waterproof devices
no scratch resistentent front glass
in 2016 ...
After MM update my sony xperia z4 lte is great device. Can't think any bad things about it.
For me a device without SD card slot isn't worth anything. I buy Sony because I like Sony just like the reason people buy Apple etc end of the day you pay for the name and while people are paying for their name why would they care about mediocre cheaper rivals? As mentioned waterproof my z4t has 4g it's lightweight has SD card slot and good resolution. So price wouldn't tempt me at all tbh
Sent from my Xperia™ Z5 using Tapatalk
zippy01 said:
For me a device without SD card slot isn't worth anything. I buy Sony because I like Sony just like the reason people buy Apple etc end of the day you pay for the name and while people are paying for their name why would they care about mediocre cheaper rivals? As mentioned waterproof my z4t has 4g it's lightweight has SD card slot and good resolution. So price wouldn't tempt me at all tbh
Sent from my Xperia™ Z5 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
I completely agree. The other rival of the Z4 tablet are the Samsung Tab S2 and the Sony Z2 tablet (in term of 10 inch with micro SD card). The battery of the z4 just amazed me. 7 hours of screen of time with Youtube for 2 days.
I agree with the other commenters, the Z4T is a great device. Light, up-to-date, microSD, great resolution, etc.
The Xiaomi may have more development for it, but that doesn't tell anything about system stability. The previous and other devices I own all have quite some ROMs for it, but many stuff is unstable as hell.
A stable, debloated stock ROM with functional root and Xposed is all I need. CyanogenMod may have more features, but unless the ROM build is super 'dedicated'/supported, you're going to suffer in the battery department and possibly functionality and stability.
Kinda strange being angry with a device/manufacturer based on how large the modding community is.
First of all, it's a tablet, they have a smaller community of modders than phones have.
Second, it's a "premium device" which then costs a bit more, hence there will be a smaller amount of people buying it since people tend to think of their economy a bit more coming to tablets than phones.
If you're going for a premium device price usually doesn't matter. If price matters, you're going to miss out features and that is also fine.
Also, remember that we "enthusiasts" that mod our stuff don't even make 1 % of all the users buying devices.
jelbo said:
I agree with the other commenters, the Z4T is a great device. Light, up-to-date, microSD, great resolution, etc.
The Xiaomi may have more development for it, but that doesn't tell anything about system stability. The previous and other devices I own all have quite some ROMs for it, but many stuff is unstable as hell.
A stable, debloated stock ROM with functional root and Xposed is all I need. CyanogenMod may have more features, but unless the ROM build is super 'dedicated'/supported, you're going to suffer in the battery department and possibly functionality and stability.
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I was testing it over three days, and it's stable as atom clock. Moreover xposed background YouTube module works without stops on xiaomi whereas it stops after some time on tablet z4. A don't know what cause the problem, rom, xposed framework, kernel?. But that's the fact.
To my mind, more expensive, does not mean better at all. For example, apple tells us that their osx better than windows as we make not only software but also hardware. And they mean that windows is a really buggy system. I used osx over two years, it's also can be unstable and later went back to windows again...Personally, I think apple products are no more than brand and it's a great solution for housewife's and some other people. IPad pro costs two times expensively than our tablet. And does it mean it's better? You should pay for every app even if it can be bad, no way to customize your system, no jailbreak, and having such a expensive devices you'll be forced to watch YouTube with advertisements, and no way to disable it and many more disadvantages.
Of course, z4 tablet is good device but if I had the chance to buy a tablet again, I would prefer xiamoni tablet. Expensively does not mean better. Their devices are cheap cause they release them almost at cost price.
Edit 1 I don't agree a little bit, if the tablet community is small, so there is less maintance by free developers. Z5 phone users don't break through much ahead than we. They also doesn't have a custom rom. Unfortunately, free xperia team stopped cooking aosp roms too. So that's a bad sign that it might be a very long time before we meet cyanogenmod, for example((
Fellow members check out my video below, please share it and enjoMod Edit
Thanks for making this video.. but sorry I just dont agree with your opinion on choosing and buying a device based on its SoC, which in turn , basing it on benchmarks.... IMO its a miserable way to buy a phone, the Ultra is a beautiful phone with a lovely big clear screen.. its shipped with Android N in the box.. which means HTC will support it throughout Android N and into O, so your looking atleast 1 year, maybe even 18 months... You should buy a phone based on how the experience is for YOU, if you pick it up in a shop.. and you love it.. Buy it because of what the phone means to you.. not for its SoC.
If you flash custom roms and "cook" kernels... yes ok, the SoC and ram is important but for 90% of the buying public.. they like the asthetics, the cosmetics of a device and if it runs their favorite apps, music and their media life.. then theyll buy it.
The 821 SoC has been shown to be a very efficient and battery friendly chip... Samsung have laid claim to the 835 for the S8, which means they will set the bar for huge prices because its the latest and greatest SoC, so other Devs will charge huge prices for an 835 SoC phone because itsa the latest and most costly chip to date... and, well.... Samsung did it and sold thousands..
Give me an Xperia XA Ultra any day.. because it runs smooth, fast and has a great loudspeaker.. with a great camera and SONYs UI is almost stock yet it only has a Helio P10 Mediatech chip and 3GB ... IMO, people who choose that device purely based on SoC and ram are chasing rainbows and will never ever be happy with anything they buy and are setting them selves up for a life of misery that their friends phone may be faster than theirs after the latest OTA or Custom rom .... with benchmark and constant speed testing all the time.... and who wants that.. Not me.
NightOrchid said:
Thanks for making this video.. but sorry I just dont agree with your opinion on choosing and buying a device based on its SoC, which in turn , basing it on benchmarks.... IMO its a miserable way to buy a phone, the Ultra is a beautiful phone with a lovely big clear screen.. its shipped with Android N in the box.. which means HTC will support it throughout Android N and into O, so your looking atleast 1 year, maybe even 18 months... You should buy a phone based on how the experience is for YOU, if you pick it up in a shop.. and you love it.. Buy it because of what the phone means to you.. not for its SoC.
If you flash custom roms and "cook" kernels... yes ok, the SoC and ram is important but for 90% of the buying public.. they like the asthetics, the cosmetics of a device and if it runs their favorite apps, music and their media life.. then theyll buy it.
The 821 SoC has been shown to be a very efficient and battery friendly chip... Samsung have laid claim to the 835 for the S8, which means they will set the bar for huge prices because its the latest and greatest SoC, so other Devs will charge huge prices for an 835 SoC phone because itsa the latest and most costly chip to date... and, well.... Samsung did it and sold thousands..
Give me an Xperia XA Ultra any day.. because it runs smooth, fast and has a great loudspeaker.. with a great camera and SONYs UI is almost stock yet it only has a Helio P10 Mediatech chip and 3GB ... IMO, people who choose that device purely based on SoC and ram are chasing rainbows and will never ever be happy with anything they buy and are setting them selves up for a life of misery that their friends phone may be faster than theirs after the latest OTA or Custom rom .... with benchmark and constant speed testing all the time.... and who wants that.. Not me.
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Well said I LOVE this phone. Came from a Pixel XL and a OnePlus 3T.
joeyac02 said:
Well said I LOVE this phone. Came from a Pixel XL and a OnePlus 3T.
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Yeah me too.. Ive had my U Ultra for about 4 days now.. and I love it.. just so smooth.. and it looks gorgeous... to be honest, I went into the store to get either a 3T or a Pixel XL with my Upgrade, but I saw the ultra (which was cheaper per month and upfront cost than the XL) tried the new Sense and Android N... . Camera is stunning and after 15 mins of testing.. I was sold.. took my Upgrade there and then, . Im happy it has 64gb of Storage & an SD., although I wouldve bought it if it had 32GB.
My only SMALL gripes are: theres no USB-C > 3.5mm jack converter in the box and also I think the bass (bottom) and tweeter (ear piece), while VERY VERY Loud and sound fantastic.. For me, dont sound as rounded and full and lack just a LITTLE bit of Mid-Range and less bass as the HTC 10 or even M8 speakers do., but thats just me
I am curious though, Why did you swap your XL and 3T for the Ultra?
I've now had my Ultra for a full day and find it to be a most excellent device. HTC continues to marry all the facets of an Android better than all but Google.
My OnePlus 3T is going to my uncle tomorrow, or Swappa Tuesday. I really appreciate what OnePlus does and their relationship with customers but in daily use, for me, the 3T reveals itself to not be a flagship. My number one gripe is poor touch response.
I always maintained that if HTC made and sold a phablet in the US again, I'd buy it. The design and aesthetics are just beautiful. I've always enjoyed HTC's software and it remains stellar.
Charliebill33 said:
I've now had my Ultra for a full day and find it to be a most excellent device. HTC continues to marry all the facets of an Android better than all but Google.
My OnePlus 3T is going to my uncle tomorrow, or Swappa Tuesday. I really appreciate what OnePlus does and their relationship with customers but in daily use, for me, the 3T reveals itself to not be a flagship. My number one gripe is poor touch response.
I always maintained that if HTC made and sold a phablet in the US again, I'd buy it. The design and aesthetics are just beautiful. I've always enjoyed HTC's software and it remains stellar.
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I get bored honestly the 3T was nice but I didn't get that wownfactor and the camera was doodoo to me. Same thing with the pixel just was a meh phone. I also think I have come to figure out that I need/want a bigger device I think 5.7 is a great size maybe even 6.
Loving the ultra but getting used to size even coming from Pixel XL which was big as well. I feel the included case makes it more clumsy to handle and without the case is great to handle. But man I'm scared that I'm going to drop this off I use without a case.
My last HTC was the M7. After, was on a LG G3 and I wanted to buy the LG G6 but when I saw the U Ultra, I jump on it. Have it since a week now. Love it. The screen is beautiful, the camera give me some good shot.
I don't regret my choice buying an HTC u ultra despite of an LG g6.
Just don't buy it.
Wait for better and cheaper phones.
Anybody coming from a samsung device? Curious how the display is conpared to amoled screens? Does the ultra u seem washed out compared to the super amoled screens
recepo1 said:
Anybody coming from a samsung device? Curious how the display is conpared to amoled screens? Does the ultra u seem washed out compared to the super amoled screens
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Yes it does, I have many devices and the u ultra screen is not bright enough
ramheer said:
Yes it does, I have many devices and the u ultra screen is not bright enough
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Thanks i am to going to see what else the year has to bring before pulling the trigger on the Ultra
recepo1 said:
Thanks i am to going to see what else the year has to bring before pulling the trigger on the Ultra
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Samsung s8 plus will have a great screen and maybe even the new Sony xz premium coming out in June
ramheer said:
Samsung s8 plus will have a great screen and maybe even the new Sony xz premium coming out in June
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Yea the s8 im leaning towards
NightOrchid said:
Thanks for making this video.. but sorry I just dont agree with your opinion on choosing and buying a device based on its SoC, which in turn , basing it on benchmarks.... IMO its a miserable way to buy a phone, the Ultra is a beautiful phone with a lovely big clear screen.. its shipped with Android N in the box.. which means HTC will support it throughout Android N and into O, so your looking atleast 1 year, maybe even 18 months... You should buy a phone based on how the experience is for YOU, if you pick it up in a shop.. and you love it.. Buy it because of what the phone means to you.. not for its SoC.
If you flash custom roms and "cook" kernels... yes ok, the SoC and ram is important but for 90% of the buying public.. they like the asthetics, the cosmetics of a device and if it runs their favorite apps, music and their media life.. then theyll buy it.
The 821 SoC has been shown to be a very efficient and battery friendly chip... Samsung have laid claim to the 835 for the S8, which means they will set the bar for huge prices because its the latest and greatest SoC, so other Devs will charge huge prices for an 835 SoC phone because itsa the latest and most costly chip to date... and, well.... Samsung did it and sold thousands..
Give me an Xperia XA Ultra any day.. because it runs smooth, fast and has a great loudspeaker.. with a great camera and SONYs UI is almost stock yet it only has a Helio P10 Mediatech chip and 3GB ... IMO, people who choose that device purely based on SoC and ram are chasing rainbows and will never ever be happy with anything they buy and are setting them selves up for a life of misery that their friends phone may be faster than theirs after the latest OTA or Custom rom .... with benchmark and constant speed testing all the time.... and who wants that.. Not me.
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You just spoke my mind O' wise one! Kudos
Looks like its a "NO".
There is a SD835 phone coming in just a month.
I'm using this phone since 1 month and I'm very satisfy with. Its design, Its body, clear screen, many HTC personal touch and customizations. Very small details that will always make me come back to HTC. After using a One Max for years now and still rocking, I was patiently waiting for HTC to come with another phablet. Meanwhile I used many phone but I always come back to my One Max.
Yes, The Ultra is expensive, but I don't mind as my One Max is still rocking with Android Nougat and still impress me after so many years.
I was a bit afraid about the battery life due to 3000mah and such a large screen but the battery optimization app clear all my doubts, after tweaking it as per my needs, It radically change the battery life. No overheating or whatever.
My cons about Ultra are: no 3.5 jack adapter in the box. The stock earphone is of good quality, the sound clear and sounds very good but not so loud for me. The secondary screen lacks. They should have implement more options and customization. I'm waiting for a good custom ROM to fix some of these.
In general, I love this phone and I don't think anyone could change my mind about it. This phone makes me gain more trust in HTC and If another phablet will be out from them, I'm sure I will go for it even if its expensive.
NightOrchid said:
Thanks for making this video.. but sorry I just dont agree with your opinion on choosing and buying a device based on its SoC, which in turn , basing it on benchmarks.... IMO its a miserable way to buy a phone, the Ultra is a beautiful phone with a lovely big clear screen.. its shipped with Android N in the box.. which means HTC will support it throughout Android N and into O, so your looking atleast 1 year, maybe even 18 months... You should buy a phone based on how the experience is for YOU, if you pick it up in a shop.. and you love it.. Buy it because of what the phone means to you.. not for its SoC.
If you flash custom roms and "cook" kernels... yes ok, the SoC and ram is important but for 90% of the buying public.. they like the asthetics, the cosmetics of a device and if it runs their favorite apps, music and their media life.. then theyll buy it.
The 821 SoC has been shown to be a very efficient and battery friendly chip... Samsung have laid claim to the 835 for the S8, which means they will set the bar for huge prices because its the latest and greatest SoC, so other Devs will charge huge prices for an 835 SoC phone because itsa the latest and most costly chip to date... and, well.... Samsung did it and sold thousands..
Give me an Xperia XA Ultra any day.. because it runs smooth, fast and has a great loudspeaker.. with a great camera and SONYs UI is almost stock yet it only has a Helio P10 Mediatech chip and 3GB ... IMO, people who choose that device purely based on SoC and ram are chasing rainbows and will never ever be happy with anything they buy and are setting them selves up for a life of misery that their friends phone may be faster than theirs after the latest OTA or Custom rom .... with benchmark and constant speed testing all the time.... and who wants that.. Not me.
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Have to add another "Well said!" post to this thread. I've been using the U Ultra for 5 days now and I'm very happy with this phone. The 821 is indeed a very good at power management, as I've been able to get 36+ hours between charges with 3+ hours screen on time, mostly spent playing games and browsing the web.
This video is the best ever: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFbixkBiwAw
I love my U Ultra .. but what Im finiding annoying, is that everyone, including reviewers, love bashing HTC at the moment for their "wasted space"... but I ask... did anyone bash Google for the ugly wall brick sized chins on their £800 ($950) Pixel XL .. which has No stereo speakers, Or Apple.. for their wasted chin space on iPhone 6S Plus / 7 Plus.. No, they didnt.. however, I was annoyed that HTC left out the 3.5 mm Adaptor then forced me to pay £10 for one...
And they critisise HTC for "stealing" LG V10/20 2nd'ary screen... but lets take a look here...
HTC were first with Outboard antenna lines for better signal reception..
HTC were first with "real" Stereo speakers
HTC were the first to use 1.55 micron pixels on their camera "Ultra Pixel".. allowing for lower light photography at lower resolutions, opening the way for better mobile photography..
HTC were one of, if not the first dev to make a full all round metal body phone
HTC (and SONY) were one of the only devs to push the boundries with development of the LCD display instead of always falling back to AMOLED
So yeah, sort that one out Apple / Hauwei / Motorola.. and everyone else..
Thing is, HTC make some of the best and most beautiful phones around.. yes theyve made mistakes.. but I dont think they deserve the bashing theyre getting..
Oh and finally.. i was chatting to one of the staff in Carphone Warehouse (UK) and she said theyve sold 100s of U Ultras and U Plays, so good to hear from a support and OTA
updates perspective
I just wish "Sense Companion" worked better here in the UK
Just my thoughts. anyway