THE AOKP FROM 6-6-15 I NEVER RELEASED
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=62933436&postcount=2372
Link to NK3 newest firmware on sammobile http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/download/39984/G386TUVU1ANK3_G386TTMB1ANK3_TMB.zip
best practices for flashing this rom: give thanks to: @cragains (post #666)
please do a back up in twrp no matter what. Since there isn't a 100% stock rom that has wifi calling working. If you don't do a back up and want to have a 100% stock rom again you'll have to to flash the firmware to do so.
1.Factory reset (you dont have to but I always do)
2.Put in Download Mode
3.Flash ANK3 firmware via Odin
4.DL Mode again
5.Flash Root via Odin
6.DL Mode once more
7.Flash TWRP via Odin
8.Boot into TWRP factory reset (no need to wipe internal storage)
12/13/2014 UPDATE: We have a TWRP recovery!! follow this link: http://androidforums.com/threads/twrp-2-8-1-0-afyonltetmo.887861/ and please thank shabbypenguin.
10/28 UPDATE: We have Root !!!
Please if you just joined the thread be polite and read through the pages before asking questions that have been asked and answered several times in the thread, this is good forum manners.
Instructions:
1. Go to website: autoroot.chainfire.eu
2. Download package for SM-G386T (donate to be a community member)
3. Unzip it.
4. Open Odin3-v.07 on computer
5. Turn off phone.
6. Hold Down Vol, Home, and Power, simultaneously.
7. Press Up Vol to accept
8. Connect phone to computer via USB
9. Confirm that the message in Odin says "Added"
10. Check box for PDA and click on PDA, to select the file "CF-Auto-Root...." that is in the unzipped folder
11. Click Start
12. It'll restart the phone on its own. Odin should say "Pass!" on the upper left.
13. When phone on, download Root Check and run it to confirm that its been rooted.
Thank you all for keeping the thread going and being perseverant at getting a root solution, a custom recovery and a custom Rom. I will keep an eye on the thread and put updates here on the begining to make it easier for everyone. :good::good:
____________________________________________
I got the galaxy Avant two days ago from Tmobile.So far I am very happy and impressed, I compared the screen with the S5 side by side, the Z1s, the HTC one M8, the I phone 5s and the LG G2 and I must say that for not being HD it is impressive. at full brightness both the s5 and the Avant with the exact same web page open both screens displayed the exact same content even though the Avant fonts were a bit smaller, however the background white was whiter on the Avant and a bit more yellowish on the S5, then all other phones I compared had whiter whites in the background but the content was very different some showing more and some showing less content ( I can recall which is which.. sorry).
Please share your reviews on the new phone, I think it has impressive specs for a mid range at such a low price. I got mine from T carrier at only $120 with their summer special. With 1.5 Ram, 1.2 quad-core snapdragon 400, 16 GB internal memory plus external micro Sd for up to 64 additional Gb, kit kat 4.4.2 right off the bat plus an unlock app,and full 4G LTE capability this phone has potential for some major development. the camera even only a 5 megapixel takes very decent photos and has nice features like panoramic, shot and sound, sport mode, and a couple more..
By the way... Does anyone know how to root the new Galaxy Avant?
So.. let's talk about this phone and see how good it is and how much better it can become. Thanks.
theemaster said:
[/COLOR]
It's not user error.. it's not willing to be patient.. or just ****ty programming.. "whathaveyou?"
Anyway since my phone came back from the "no phone calls" dead.. I'll just wait it out... or play with the settings until it's fixed..
i just checked.. I still can't dial out.. so now I'm gonna play with wcdma/gsm.. because it did seem to start working after I did that...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Total user error just call them and tell them you were playing with network setting because you have no clue what you're doing and they will walk you through it to fix it. Easy is that. You're phone isn't bricked because you messed with network settings
Sent from my Nexus 7 2013 using Tapatalk
I picked one up for my daughter without much thought. I can't imagine buying a phone that doesn't have expandable storage or replacabe battery. She's really happy with it, coming from a hand-me-down iPhone 4and has already had fun laughing at small iPhone screens with me.
It's got a good enough proc and memory to run touchwiz I guess, but I'd LOVE to run some AOSP on the for her so she can see what android is really about.
So far I'm excited and happy I bought her this phone and would love to see it get some attention on xda.
Just ordered a few mins ago, I'm on tmo prepaid so no discount.. How ever ordered it threw best buy for 200 and tax, compared to prepaid site which is 256 not including tax.., I'm coming from a lg optimus l9 (which I'm gonna sell and recoup some of the cost)
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I don't have this phone, but I am interested in it. If we can get a small developer community around this, that would be even better... at least get us root (I wonder if it's too new/been patched for TowelRoot to work?)
I posted a request for a forum to be created here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=54777893&postcount=15177
I ordered one today and I'm also interested in a developer community around this device.
I'm a Linux user/coder myself, but still a little behind the curve on Android. I'll certainly be trying the known root hacks for similar Samsung devices as soon as I get mine.
So glad this phone is finally getting some attention. I switched from my galaxy s2 skyrocket to this one. Although it runs touchwiz its pretty stable with rare hiccups. Its a speedy slick phone. The only drawbacks so far for me have been the camera, 5mp is too low for a new phone. Skyrocket had 8mp. And the screen. Coming from a super amoled to this one the colors are kinda washed out and the white looks kind of blueish. Aside from that root on this phone will get rid of all the bloat and samsung crap and speed it up nicely. So far so good. Must note that this phone is lacking some pretty basic stuff like auto brightness, a dedicated button to turn off data on notification bar, multi window support, the volume is low. On the other hand the minimized call screen widget that appears when pressing home button during a call is a jice addition, along with the ability to quick reply messages similar to how AOSP does it. Hope we get root soon!
allroy1975 said:
I picked one up for my daughter without much thought. I can't imagine buying a phone that doesn't have expandable storage or replacabe battery. She's really happy with it, coming from a hand-me-down iPhone 4and has already had fun laughing at small iPhone screens with me.
It's got a good enough proc and memory to run touchwiz I guess, but I'd LOVE to run some AOSP on the for her so she can see what android is really about.
So far I'm excited and happy I bought her this phone and would love to see it get some attention on xda.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did the same. I bought it for my son he loves it i had bought the Galaxy Light for him unfortunately 4gb of internal storage is not enough. The problem he had was even with an external 32gb not all the apps can be moved but with the Galaxy Avant has enought space and is big enough for him to enjoy so he is happy so am i. btw you can install the Google launcher from the store makes it alittle better with Google now everywhere.
hiryusama said:
So glad this phone is finally getting some attention. I switched from my galaxy s2 skyrocket to this one. Although it runs touchwiz its pretty stable with rare hiccups. Its a speedy slick phone. The only drawbacks so far for me have been the camera, 5mp is too low for a new phone. Skyrocket had 8mp. And the screen. Coming from a super amoled to this one the colors are kinda washed out and the white looks kind of blueish. Aside from that root on this phone will get rid of all the bloat and samsung crap and speed it up nicely. So far so good. Must note that this phone is lacking some pretty basic stuff like auto brightness, a dedicated button to turn off data on notification bar, multi window support, the volume is low. On the other hand the minimized call screen widget that appears when pressing home button during a call is a jice addition, along with the ability to quick reply messages similar to how AOSP does it. Hope we get root soon!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am also a big fan of the Galaxy S2 from T mobile, awesome custom Roms I have enjoyed that phone until the sim card reader gave up, but I felt it needed a bit more Ram...
About the camera on the Avant, we cannot expect a top end camera in a super budget phone that already has other great specs and quite honestly, after I took a few pics with the camera already and I have nothing to complain; sure not as great as the higher end phones but the pics I took today at a restaurant of my girlfriend with the beauty face mode came out perfect!! I got tons of likes in Facebook.
The screen... it is not as bright and over exposed as the AMOLED ones but... I put it side by side with the galaxy S5 at T-mobile store, opened the exact same web page.. and it blew my mind the fact that the background on this phone's screen had a nicer white/ blue tone rather than the yellowish tone of the S5 and there was a difference in detail but not that huge...
Today I have been all day under the sun in Houston and I was amazed that I had no problem seeing the screen when set at almost full brightness and... the battery... after 22 hours with still 34% left... not bad at all.
So... back to the topic, for me this is like a Galaxy S2 minus camera and screen but with more Ram (1.5 Gb) and more processor Power (quadcore 400 snapdragon 1.2 Ghz), 16 Gb internal memory and up to 64 gb with micro SD, Kit Kat 4.4.2, great size for one hand use, super light; once they get some great roms for this phone optimizing battery, processor and Ram, this phone will be a beast and at the best price in the market!! $216 dollars it is a steal. So this should be candy for the developers to create all kinds of awesome Roms.
I don't think you can expect more for the money... the perfect back up phone if you have a higher end phone as well... Let's hope more people get excited about The Avant...
I just got mine for $120 in the summer special as well. I almost got the LG L90 for $48!!! but its screen has poor viewing angles though it can be rooted now. The Avant is mostly equal to the L90 except a slight smaller screen(4.5 vs 4.7) but the same resolution and the Avant has more memory, internal storage and not only supports LTE but it appears the new 700Mhz LTE spectrum which means even more coverage than most other T-Mobile phones.
I only tested it out in store but plan to open it up tonight and give it a go...
I too want to see this thing at least rooted in the near future.
Anyone unlocked this phone yet without using the unlock app?
I'm looking to buy those phone for my 13 year old brother .. He currently has an iphone 5c but wants an android phone when I switch him to tmobile
anybody try towl root?, what happened if ya did?, I would try but my phone is about to die and im trying to charge it right lol, also anyone know what the software update includes.. Im not gonna apply it till I know
If you are still paying for the phone via extended payments t he only option to unlock is temporary. I believe once you paid off t he phone you may have permanent unlocking.
Towelroot V3: " This device isn't currently supported"
PS. Even then phone is payed off, only temporary unlock is possible (30 days) ?
newappz said:
Towelroot V3: " This device isn't currently supported"
PS. Even then phone is payed off, only temporary unlock is possible (30 days) ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dang.. go figure, might be able to reconfigure it though... ill have to look into it..
The Avant is the replacement for the Galaxy Light T399. I got the Light shortly after switching to T-Mobile from Verizon and needed something cheap but decent to tide me over until I could get a "real" phone (which, at that time, was going to be a OnePlus One, but not anymore). My feelings on the Light are very mixed. In some ways it performs very well. I get a screaming LTE signal at home (not as good at work, but far better than I did with VZW). I like the small size in the pocket but hate the small screen when using it. It does well on benchmarks, but in real use feels like it's just a bit underpowered, and has some severe lag at times.
The Avant seems to address most ofl the qualms I have with the Light. Bigger screen (but not a huge phone), more internal storage, FM radio. I always felt like the Light could use just a wee bit more RAM to run TouchWiz, and the Avant has that extra RAM. Almost everything about the Avant makes me wish it was available in March when I switched. Then again, I only paid $120 for my Light.
The rear camera on these 2 phones is the same, and I think the 5mp camera takes pretty decent pictures for what it is. Up close it takes great pictures. But farther away, it sufferers simply because of the lack of pixels. Perfectly useable for pics of friends or things to upload to Facebook, but obviously not great for scenic vistas or stuff in the distance. The 2mp front facing camera is obviously an upgrade over the .3mp of the Light, but I never cared about the FF camera.
I do find it curious that it not only supports T-Mobile's band 4 (which AT&T also uses), but also AT&T's bands 1, 2, and 5. Probably the same reason they released that unlocker app, but what that reason actually is, I have no idea.
Although I'm not in the market for this phone (I have a Nexus 4 now), I'm still very interested in it, at the least for recommending to others. On a payment plan, it's the best budget choice phone T-Mobile has. The Galaxy Light and the LG L90 can be had for $100 right now. The Light has LTE, but it's dinky. The L90 is bigger, but limited to HSPA+ 21.1Mb/s speeds. There's the Alcatel Onetouch Fierce, but you don't want that POS. Above that, you're looking at flagships or refurbs for a few hundred bucks more. The only thing in between that's new is the Avant or the Lumia 521 or 635, but who the hell wants a Windows Phone?
Off contract, the obvious alternate choices are the Moto G LTE from wherever or a Nexus 4 off eBay. The Nexus 4 is without a doubt the best spec'd hardware-wise, especially if you're willing to hack it for LTE and play around with custom ROMs and kernels, and can live with 8/16gb storage. Between the Avant and the Moto G LTE, it's a complete toss-up for me. The Moto G has the better screen, but the Avant has a removable battery. I don't consider the extra .5gb RAM an advantage for the Avant since TouchWiz needs it to compete with the minimal needs of the nearly-stock Android on the Moto G. The Avant can support a 64gb microSD card, whereas the Moto G can only take a 32gb (unless you format it to FAT32 and are OK with not having files over 4gb).
BTW, where are people seeing that this phone has a Snapdragon 400? I can't find actual confirmation of the processor anywhere. Both T-Mobile and Samsungs pages on this phone simply list it as a quad-core 1.2GHz. CPU-Z only lists it as quad core ARM Cortex-A7 at 300MHz - 1.19GHz (link).
Hopefully, especially being usable on AT&T's network, this'll become a popular low-mid end phone and will receive more development attention that the Galaxy Light has.
Planterz said:
The Avant is the replacement for the Galaxy Light T399. I got the Light shortly after switching to T-Mobile from Verizon and needed something cheap but decent to tide me over until I could get a "real" phone (which, at that time, was going to be a OnePlus One, but not anymore). My feelings on the Light are very mixed. In some ways it performs very well. I get a screaming LTE signal at home (not as good at work, but far better than I did with VZW). I like the small size in the pocket but hate the small screen when using it. It does well on benchmarks, but in real use feels like it's just a bit underpowered, and has some severe lag at times.
The Avant seems to address most ofl the qualms I have with the Light. Bigger screen (but not a huge phone), more internal storage, FM radio. I always felt like the Light could use just a wee bit more RAM to run TouchWiz, and the Avant has that extra RAM. Almost everything about the Avant makes me wish it was available in March when I switched. Then again, I only paid $120 for my Light.
The rear camera on these 2 phones is the same, and I think the 5mp camera takes pretty decent pictures for what it is. Up close it takes great pictures. But farther away, it sufferers simply because of the lack of pixels. Perfectly useable for pics of friends or things to upload to Facebook, but obviously not great for scenic vistas or stuff in the distance. The 2mp front facing camera is obviously an upgrade over the .3mp of the Light, but I never cared about the FF camera.
I do find it curious that it not only supports T-Mobile's band 4 (which AT&T also uses), but also AT&T's bands 1, 2, and 5. Probably the same reason they released that unlocker app, but what that reason actually is, I have no idea.
Although I'm not in the market for this phone (I have a Nexus 4 now), I'm still very interested in it, at the least for recommending to others. On a payment plan, it's the best budget choice phone T-Mobile has. The Galaxy Light and the LG L90 can be had for $100 right now. The Light has LTE, but it's dinky. The L90 is bigger, but limited to HSPA+ 21.1Mb/s speeds. There's the Alcatel Onetouch Fierce, but you don't want that POS. Above that, you're looking at flagships or refurbs for a few hundred bucks more. The only thing in between that's new is the Avant or the Lumia 521 or 635, but who the hell wants a Windows Phone?
Off contract, the obvious alternate choices are the Moto G LTE from wherever or a Nexus 4 off eBay. The Nexus 4 is without a doubt the best spec'd hardware-wise, especially if you're willing to hack it for LTE and play around with custom ROMs and kernels, and can live with 8/16gb storage. Between the Avant and the Moto G LTE, it's a complete toss-up for me. The Moto G has the better screen, but the Avant has a removable battery. I don't consider the extra .5gb RAM an advantage for the Avant since TouchWiz needs it to compete with the minimal needs of the nearly-stock Android on the Moto G. The Avant can support a 64gb microSD card, whereas the Moto G can only take a 32gb (unless you format it to FAT32 and are OK with not having files over 4gb).
BTW, where are people seeing that this phone has a Snapdragon 400? I can't find actual confirmation of the processor anywhere. Both T-Mobile and Samsungs pages on this phone simply list it as a quad-core 1.2GHz. CPU-Z only lists it as quad core ARM Cortex-A7 at 300MHz - 1.19GHz (link).
Hopefully, especially being usable on AT&T's network, this'll become a popular low-mid end phone and will receive more development attention that the Galaxy Light has.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the samsung avant doesnt have FM radio do not go by the sites.. I have it right now and there is no FM radio app.., this phone also supports the upcoming band 12.. , this phone is fast ive had it for 3 days now and it runs everything like butter even touchwiz, under system on cpu-z the app is saying its system board is a msm8226 which is qualcomm snapdragon 400
ill post a pic here in a min
Here we go
Sent from my SM-G386T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Cobra11Murderer said:
the samsung avant doesnt have FM radio do not go by the sites.. I have it right now and there is no FM radio app.., this phone also supports the upcoming band 12.. , this phone is fast ive had it for 3 days now and it runs everything like butter even touchwiz, under system on cpu-z the app is saying its system board is a msm8226 which is qualcomm snapdragon 400
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome, thanks. I've been wondering this since it came out. It strikes me as odd that they wouldn't advertize that it sports the SD400/Adreno 305. Bummer about the FM radio though.
How about an Antutu score?
Planterz said:
Cobra11Murderer said:
the samsung avant doesnt have FM radio do not go by the sites.. I have it right now and there is no FM radio app.., this phone also supports the upcoming band 12.. , this phone is fast ive had it for 3 days now and it runs everything like butter even touchwiz, under system on cpu-z the app is saying its system board is a msm8226 which is qualcomm snapdragon 400/QUOTE]
Awesome, thanks. I've been wondering this since it came out. It strikes me as odd that they wouldn't advertize that it sports the SD400/Adreno 305. Bummer about the FM radio though.
How about an Antutu score?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
antutu score was 17000 something, ill do it again real quick and post for ya
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Related
When I get back around beginning 2013, what is your speculation of the phone I will be to get.
Ie: I'm feeling I will be able to get a phone with a 4.8 inch 720p screen, quad core, 1.5gb ram. It will have 64gb internal memory (because as nice as the cloud is, it does NOT work in all the places the military works.)
It will have a sd card slot, 3000mhz minimum battery, and will feature actual stereo speakers (on the back in landscape mode)
I honestly do not care about the thinness, but hopefully around the same thickness as a Droid Charge.
A small Bezel on top and bottom, (for holding) and a minimal Bezel on the sides. The camera won't have more than 10mp, but will be better engineered to not suck ass. The FFC will be 5mp.
Soft keys only on the screen, and there WILL be an actual camera button with 2 stages.
Bootloader will be un encrypted (because that's the problem).
Also, will be a Verizon device.
What are your hopes for an actual early 2013 device?
Not sure. Just wanted to say stay safe and thanks for your service.
we all wish that type of phone could come out, 3000mah ? noway the manufacturers dont care. it will probably have some newer screen like that does a whole load of things we dont need. octuplet core or even more.. in reality phones will have less features we need like improved battery and more things we dont like extra processing power.
There's only 1 phone that fits most of your needs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBTc3gn7jBE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6r_RqSYxTwE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rrh_EwFaZ7I
Q3 of this year will have a version with LTE service and the Krait S4 Pro quad core chip, not that that actually matters performance wise. -shrug-
Phone is 64gb, 1 microSD slot, 1 SD slot, 2 usb ports
Total of 103 hours of talk time
1 sim card, 1 media sync, 1 contract and data plan. 3 devices.
Good luck on your deployment and be safe.
Thank you for your services. As far as phones go, the HTC One X/S will be out
The X will be sporting a quad core processor. Though, by the time you get back there will probably be more with it lol
Don't worry about the phones mate. Stay alive and stay mentally healthy and XDA will be here waiting for you to greet you when you return.
I think when you return, the new Nexus might be out. Who knows what it'll sport? Also look forward to the next big update for Windows Phones (i.e., sporting 4 resolutions support, etc).
I don't know what it is like to be in the military, but thank you for your service.
PoisonWolf said:
Don't worry about the phones mate. Stay alive and stay mentally healthy and XDA will be here waiting for you to greet you when you return.
I think when you return, the new Nexus might be out. Who knows what it'll sport? Also look forward to the next big update for Windows Phones (i.e., sporting 4 resolutions support, etc).
I don't know what it is like to be in the military, but thank you for your service.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the support. This will be deployment number three, first to Afghanistan.
I have my safety as my first priority, but would like to hear all thoughts on what will be out Q1 2013.
As to the new Nexus, I just hope big V gets it again.
And it has a camera button.
Sent from Eclipse 2.0 Droid Charge on Tapatalk.
Most awaited Galaxy S3 Is hopefully coming next month...
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
Hey,
i am currently galaxy S4 owner. I am interested in buying nexus 5 black 32GB model. If i order now, has the manufacturing improved with regards to microphone issue, speaker issue, and some buttons rattling? I am more concerned about microphone and speaker though. My friend has N5 and there is a microphone issue - no one can really understand him .
Also, any improvements over galaxy S4? I am using cutomized TW 4.3 UEML6 (got updated from samsung two days ago), so its pretty good so far. I just have storage issue with S4 and having snapdragon 600. battery life is medicore, i mean everything is debloated - no samsun crap, not much google crap except gmail and youtube and google settings. GPS + Location is always off. i pull 23 Hours on avg with 2 hrs 58 minutes on screen time. This is when almost everything is off, and usage is few youtube videos (10 minutes) HD, web surfing, texting, and 20-40 min HSPA+ calls.
Is it really worth switching?
I am not having loss going to N5, i mean i dont have to input extra money.
Note: I am a university student that commutes a lot : trains and buses. Also, my carrier uses HSPA+ AWS band (1700/2100) so i am not sure if that has any influence over the battery performance..
Thanks!
LimitsX said:
Hey,
i am currently galaxy S4 owner. I am interested in buying nexus 5 black 32GB model. If i order now, has the manufacturing improved with regards to microphone issue, speaker issue, and some buttons rattling? I am more concerned about microphone and speaker though. My friend has N5 and there is a microphone issue - no one can really understand him .
Also, any improvements over galaxy S4? I am using cutomized TW 4.3 UEML6 (got updated from samsung two days ago), so its pretty good so far. I just have storage issue with S4 and having snapdragon 600. battery life is medicore, i mean everything is debloated - no samsun crap, not much google crap except gmail and youtube and google settings. GPS + Location is always off. i pull 23 Hours on avg with 2 hrs 58 minutes on screen time. This is when almost everything is off, and usage is few youtube videos (10 minutes) HD, web surfing, texting, and 20-40 min HSPA+ calls.
Is it really worth switching?
I am not having loss going to N5, i mean i dont have to input extra money.
Note: I am a university student that commutes a lot : trains and buses. Also, my carrier uses HSPA+ AWS band (1700/2100) so i am not sure if that has any influence over the battery performance..
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
id say if you really want it go for it, the nexus 5 is great and i have a nexus 5 i think its the 11k build the newest one is 12k and i have no issues so far my mic sounds fantastic and when i call my other friends on T-Mobile HD voice kicks in and boy does it really sound great
the battery life is not bad about the same as your s4 perhaps better with the location power savings android 4.4 brought. so if you got the money for it might aswell get the latest and greatest from google
LimitsX said:
Hey,
i am currently galaxy S4 owner. I am interested in buying nexus 5 black 32GB model. If i order now, has the manufacturing improved with regards to microphone issue, speaker issue, and some buttons rattling? I am more concerned about microphone and speaker though. My friend has N5 and there is a microphone issue - no one can really understand him .
Also, any improvements over galaxy S4? I am using cutomized TW 4.3 UEML6 (got updated from samsung two days ago), so its pretty good so far. I just have storage issue with S4 and having snapdragon 600. battery life is medicore, i mean everything is debloated - no samsun crap, not much google crap except gmail and youtube and google settings. GPS + Location is always off. i pull 23 Hours on avg with 2 hrs 58 minutes on screen time. This is when almost everything is off, and usage is few youtube videos (10 minutes) HD, web surfing, texting, and 20-40 min HSPA+ calls.
Is it really worth switching?
I am not having loss going to N5, i mean i dont have to input extra money.
Note: I am a university student that commutes a lot : trains and buses. Also, my carrier uses HSPA+ AWS band (1700/2100) so i am not sure if that has any influence over the battery performance..
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the GS4, the Nexus 5 is a vastly superior device. As far as the defects are concerned, they aren't as widespread as people make them out to be. Keep in mind that nobody rushes to post "My N5 has no defects!" threads. Mine was a launch day model and it is absolutely flawless. No mic issues (people often think I'm on a landline), no power button rattling, and the speaker volume was fixed with one of the OTA updates. It's MUCH louder now. Battery life is also pretty good, I average between 4-5 hours of screen time. I was 16 hours off charger today with over 2 hrs screen time and about 45 min of calls and I was only down to 55% before I tossed it on the charger. Not quite as good as my Moto X, but still better than pretty much every other android phone I've owned. If it's within your means, I'd say go for it. Nothing beats the stock android experience.
I wanted to buy the S4 but by the time I could save up enoughf money. The nexus 5 came out.
So I purchased it.
The latest and greatest form Google.
Nexus 5.
All I can say is that it been a royal disappointment. Heck Id swap you my N5 for your S4. If I could.
I will not get into the details. Cause I find that the few who have spoken out about the N5 short comings. Have been baned or kicked off XDA.
If a senior member is willing to let me talk. Im willing to have a detailed Technical Debate on why its the worst phone ever made.
RonChinoy said:
I wanted to buy the S4 but by the time I could save up enoughf money. The nexus 5 came out.
So I purchased it.
The latest and greatest form Google.
Nexus 5.
All I can say is that it been a royal disappointment. Heck Id swap you my N5 for your S4. If I could.
I will not get into the details. Cause I find that the few who have spoken out about the N5 short comings. Have been baned or kicked off XDA.
If a senior member is willing to let me talk. Im willing to have a detailed Technical Debate on why its the worst phone ever made.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need a senior member's permission to speak your mind. Just be respectful and be prepared for some backlash from some of the less mature posters here. I for one would love to hear your opinions. I think it's a great phone, though it certainly isn't the magical unicorn phone that some people make it out to be. I do like it a lot more than I did my S4, though I prefer my Moto X.
I came from the s4 prior to my n5 and haven't regretted the UPGRADE for a second. Battery life is the same for me. No Samsung Knox crap to worry about, unlocked from the get go, early aosp roms run great compared to early aosp based roms for Samsung... and you are always running the latest version of android vs what Samsung is on and my favorite n5 feature... no waiting for carrier branded updates.
Sent from my manta
I came from a S4. I had a AT&T S4. I was lucky enough to have received mine with AMDL firmware so I could still use Loki to flash firmware. However it was always a big pain when I had to odin/flash back to stock, I had to remove SIM card and not connect to wifi to make sure it didn't even attempt to download the OTA Update that broke loki and made custom firmwares a thing of the past with its locked bootloader.
Also the S4 had so many bugs with any custom firmware. It was normal to get reboot hands where it got stuck on the S4 logo on boot and you would have to turn the phone on and off sometimes 5 times for it to boot. So annoying.
On top of that, the Camera sucked. Not sure if it was just the firmware ,or the camera itself. My S4's Camera (13MP) took worse photos than my iPhone 4S (8MP). In turn, my Nexus 5 now takes WAY BETTER photos than both phones even though it's only 8MP. The focusing, contrast and brightness and shutter speed adaptation is perfect (after 4.4.1 update which included a camera firmware update). HDR function actually works as well. The S4, in both Samsung based ROMS and AOSP roms would always take blurry junky HDR photos and I could never leave it on. Nexus 5 i have no problem taken HDR shots even from a moving car.
Overall I find the Nexus 5 to be a MUCH MUCH better phone than the Galaxy S4. For AOSP / Custom Rom support its hands down better, and camera. It's also slightly faster. (Talking 300mhz..not much). The only downfalls are:
1. Non removable Battery. I loved this on the S4. I had 3 batteries, one would be on a charger, and i'd carry a spare with me and just swap it out when needed so I never had to charge the phone. I could start out each morning with a fresh 100% charge without worrying about plugging in my phone at night.Battery life is the same as the S4. Just I liked that feature.
2. No SD card. Not a huge problem. I had a 32gb S4 and a 64gb microSD card. I thought I couldnt live without it but its fine. I just backup my phone to my PC once every few days just in case something happens. (I liked microSD so if the phone died, I still could get my photos). I got this, the Meenova USB OTG card reader. http://www.meenova.com/st/p/m3r.html Works great! I use it for TWRP backups / nanoids. I also use it to store seasons of TV shows, then copy them over to my phone half a season or so at a time as needed so I dont have to fill up my phone. Very handy.
3. Hardware buttons. I liked the S4's hardware buttons. I've gotten used to not having them, just a preference thing really.
4. Screen. The screen is the same resolution. You will get the same detail on it. However, you're comparing AMOLED to a regular LCD. The AMOLED on the S4 has more "vibrant" colors. It also had a slightly better viewing angle, and higher brightness and contrast in comparison to the S4 screen. Nothing major, however you will notice it if you're a detail freak.
That about sums it up.
All in all, I'm very happy with my switch from my Galaxy S4 to the Nexus 5 and I would do it again given the choice. Never buying another Samsung phone ever. Sticking with Nexus phones from now on.
WoodburyMan said:
I came from a S4. I had a AT&T S4. I was lucky enough to have received mine with AMDL firmware so I could still use Loki to flash firmware. However it was always a big pain when I had to odin/flash back to stock, I had to remove SIM card and not connect to wifi to make sure it didn't even attempt to download the OTA Update that broke loki and made custom firmwares a thing of the past with its locked bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sounds awful, my buddy has the s4 and he said that he had to be careful flashing stuff because theres so many variants as well
I've kept my eye on the G pro 2 for a while (was about to get the original O G pro, but waited for this to come out). So I'm well aware of the specs, features, reviews, etc. But what I want to know is a real world user's opinion of the device.
Is the phone pretty decent? Any frustrations or quirks to know before trying to get one?
Key questions:
*How is the Mic/voice quality? (sending and receiving during a voice call)
*How is the battery life(I know it depends on usage and habits of the user, but just overall, how would you rate it personally, compared to other current/comparable Android phones)?
*Is it relatively stable and responsive?
*What bothers you about this phone?
*Would you buy it again if you were in the market for a new phone right now?(tells me that you like the phone and are overall happy with it)
I plan on getting a F350(a bit confused with the S/L/etc. acronym endings, can any one shed light?) I want to use it on at&t's network. On paper, and seeing professional reviews, the G pro 2 seems like my phone (1080p 5.9" screen, expandable memory via microsdhc, user replaceable battery, decent camera, etc.) But I want to know, if in practice, the phone is stable/frustration free(relatively speaking), decent real world battery life (if it's competent/comparable at least.. ), hoping that this is not one of those, "you have to root it and install a custom rom in order for this phone to be bearable"- type thing.
My other considerable is the Sony Xperia Z2 (prices are right, even though the screen is smaller and the battery isn't "replaceable"). I didn't want the Samsung Galaxy series due to the smaller screens and bloatware they put on there(note's a great series, but simlar.. bloatware, plus really expensive).
Thanks! I appreciate any input!
these are my questions too..
I came from a Samsung S3 (running CM).
first impressions were: Nice clean looks and lines, it's big (but it's not unwieldy). my wife has a Note 3 and it's about the same. the curve along the back sides makes it more comfortable to hold. Obviously, it's a heavier phone due to size, so your hand might get tired if you're one to use your phone lying down or something.
Screen is fantastic. I have no problems with colour issues with the screen and it's bright enough for me, even outdoors.
Battery life is good. standby can last more than a day. in usage, i was a bit busy yesterday and didn't use it too much, but from 0700 to 2300, i had 63% before i plugged it in. on a more typical day, I'd probably have around 40%. mainly a mixture of whatsapp, a few blogs, games and some TV show watching at lunch.
Camera is decent and acceptable auto focus speed. not a lot of bloatware.
I'm running 10e firmware due to bugs in 10f and waiting for lollipop. 10e is stable. not had problems with it.
problems: it's not widely available and the user base is small. so don't expect any fancy mods/firmwares or anything like that. as such, there's not a lot of accessories for it either outside of LG's own stuff.
My friend has the Z2 (not looked, but isn't the Z3 pricing nearly the same now?), and his camera is better and the battery life is longer due to Sony's Stamina software. display is about the same. If you want a big, stock phone, the LG is great. if you want to play around and like to customise your phone, then i'd go with the Sony.
Thanks for your input Ray-Lee .
I'm on the fence between the two phones, I like the bigger screen on the G pro 2, I haven't held one yet in person, but I don't think I"ll be bothered by it at all. Only thing that really entices me for the Z2 are the current prices for it right now.. for relatively similar specs, smaller screen, but better camera compensates. Honestly, I want the device to work well out of the box.. this is xda and I do play with custom firmwares and roms, but that's more of a result than a mission for me these days.. as in, if the unit runs better/faster/more stable compared to stock(or.. if stock is so horrendous that it must be rooted and flashed to be "decent").
ssnova said:
Thanks for your input Ray-Lee .
I'm on the fence between the two phones, I like the bigger screen on the G pro 2, I haven't held one yet in person, but I don't think I"ll be bothered by it at all. Only thing that really entices me for the Z2 are the current prices for it right now.. for relatively similar specs, smaller screen, but better camera compensates. Honestly, I want the device to work well out of the box.. this is xda and I do play with custom firmwares and roms, but that's more of a result than a mission for me these days.. as in, if the unit runs better/faster/more stable compared to stock(or.. if stock is so horrendous that it must be rooted and flashed to be "decent").
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ive been using this phone pretty much since it came out (D838 rooted stock) and the stock Performance is fantastic if im honest it really doesn't need a custom rom unless you want to "mod" alot of things and even then as long as your careful theres still alot you can do with just root, i love this phone so much and its modified enough for my liking without a rom, its fine right out of the box and if you can live without a custom rom (which is really doesnt need that much) i think you'll be as happy as i am with this phone on stock with or without root.
But yes if you do like to flash and mess about alot go with the z2/note3 as there is more options there but this is still a brillant phone.
bjscott55 said:
Ive been using this phone pretty much since it came out (D838 rooted stock) and the stock Performance is fantastic if im honest it really doesn't need a custom rom unless you want to "mod" alot of things and even then as long as your careful theres still alot you can do with just root, i love this phone so much and its modified enough for my liking without a rom, its fine right out of the box and if you can live without a custom rom (which is really doesnt need that much) i think you'll be as happy as i am with this phone on stock with or without root.
But yes if you do like to flash and mess about alot go with the z2/note3 as there is more options there but this is still a brillant phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot for the assurance. I'm still bouncing around phone options, I guess it just comes down to price (best bang for buck, with expandable memory at least). I'm still considering the G pro 2, but I saw how the GS note 3 has come down a lot in price.
Thanks again!
ssnova said:
Thanks a lot for the assurance. I'm still bouncing around phone options, I guess it just comes down to price (best bang for buck, with expandable memory at least). I'm still considering the G pro 2, but I saw how the GS note 3 has come down a lot in price.
Thanks again!
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Click to collapse
I've had both and granted you can mess around with roms and stuff but for pure joy in use i much prefer the g pro 2 its a really really good phone and for the low price you really cant beat it in my opinion unless this phone gets a good recovery and cm11 ill never bother with costom roms ect. For me its perfect on stock the peformence is amazing, to date (about 6 months of owning this phone) the battery still amazes and im yet to see any lag ever!! The ui is amazing, for a phone out of the box you cant beat it if you like music it outputs brillantly im just in love so maybe im a little one sided but i hope whatever you do you will be happy! Let me know!
bjscott55 said:
I've had both and granted you can mess around with roms and stuff but for pure joy in use i much prefer the g pro 2 its a really really good phone and for the low price you really cant beat it in my opinion unless this phone gets a good recovery and cm11 ill never bother with costom roms ect. For me its perfect on stock the peformence is amazing, to date (about 6 months of owning this phone) the battery still amazes and im yet to see any lag ever!! The ui is amazing, for a phone out of the box you cant beat it if you like music it outputs brillantly im just in love so maybe im a little one sided but i hope whatever you do you will be happy! Let me know!
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Click to collapse
I only can agree with that!
I did get mine last week and i am very happy with it! Came from Galaxy Note 2 wich i liked very much but i dont trust Super Amoled Display technology since noone grants you that it will operate more than 3 years with heavy use. I chose this device because it has similar dimensions as the Note 2, stronger hardware, bigger 1080p reliable IPS LCD screen and fabulous 3200 mAh battery.
It's a must have for phablet lovers that want to have a good performing phone with large screen.
After just a few days of use this is my opinion. On software side is everything ok, just the usual Kit Kat problem that bugs lots of users out here, tha lack of having permissions for apps to write to sd card. That was the only thing that bothered me, but thats on Google side. This phone is truly amazing!
Hope that helps the peple to choose the best device for their specific needs. I found mine definitely.
Thank you for the input bhun and derbyshire! I really like the phone and want to get it, but for me the G pro 2 shipped from Asia to the US (I need the F350 model for LTE compatibility), it's about $600, I'm going to wait out just a little longer, it's a bit out of my budget (was hoping to score a phone for less than $450.. Sony Z2 and ZU did fit that for me, but not anymore either, haha).
I'm glad to hear that it's a great phone though(G pro 2), hopefully the prices will come down a bit for the F350 model and I can obtain one soon. Thanks again to all who have contributed!
bhun said:
I only can agree with that!
I did get mine last week and i am very happy with it! Came from Galaxy Note 2 wich i liked very much but i dont trust Super Amoled Display technology since noone grants you that it will operate more than 3 years with heavy use. I chose this device because it has similar dimensions as the Note 2, stronger hardware, bigger 1080p reliable IPS LCD screen and fabulous 3200 mAh battery.
It's a must have for phablet lovers that want to have a good performing phone with large screen.
After just a few days of use this is my opinion. On software side is everything ok, just the usual Kit Kat problem that bugs lots of users out here, tha lack of having permissions for apps to write to sd card. That was the only thing that bothered me, but thats on Google side. This phone is truly amazing!
Hope that helps the peple to choose the best device for their specific needs. I found mine definitely.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The things that bother me about this phone are the poor wifi signal, I can be within a meter of my router and it still fluctuates between 3 and 4 bars. Any less than 4 bars wifi signal seems to have a noticeable impact on browsing performance. I also find the mobile data hotspot a pain, every so often the connection would hang and you would have to turn data off and back on again to get it to work. It seemed to do that every hour or so. Also if the phone gets even minutely warm, the brightness level will restrict itself to between 80% and 90%. I have had 3 LG G Pro 2 and they have all been the same. I also notice some flickering at times, especially when there is a white background on a webpage. I am almost fed up of mine and looking at selling it soon. It does have the potential to be a good phone, and I think all the faults I mentioned could be fixed with a decent firmware update.
I agree with you on wifi reception, its been the worst amongst all the phones i have owned
Sent from my LG-D838 using Tapatalk
Good Buy
It's a good buy switching. Switched from GS5 to this
It's such a shame that the K Zoom never really took off. I owned one for about 6 months and loved it. I only changed it when the Note 4 was released. But during my time with the KZ I found the camera produced amazing photos with its 10X zoom and Xenon flash. The phone part was very capable too with a good sized high resolution screen, along with a decent amount of power. I also thought the price tag on this device was very reasonable too.
So why did it fail? Well I am guessing on a few theories. Firstly, maybe that it looked too much like the Galaxy S5 and although I personally don't think either the S5 or KZ look bad at all, a lot of people do. Samsung was getting a lot of criticism for their lack lustre designs and maybe it was released at the wrong time. Another theory would be that it was bulky. Though less so than its predecessor the Galaxy S4 Zoom. Maybe some weren't sure about a hybrid device, especially when cameras on phones in general were exceeding the quality of standalone cameras.
But I am a firm believer that one of the reasons these niche devices fail, is because Samsung just don't develop or support them once they are released. I mean development for their flagship phones doesn't exactly impress, so what chance does a less popular device get? Take the Galaxy Camera and the Galaxy Camera 2. Both great and revolutionary devices at the time but they just didn't get any proper updates. Both stuck on Jelly Bean and both having issues that a firmware upgrade could have cured. The K Zoom would have benefited from some firmware update love and an upgrade from KK 4.4.2 too was much needed.
I have always wanted to be able to afford to keep certain phones I buy in an archive. But due to the cost I tend to trade everything in to get the latest devices. If I had to choose which ones I would keep, then the K Zoom would be one of them. It is a great phone hybrid, it's a shame it didn't sell well and it's sad there is no successor in the pipeline.
So, why do you think the KZ didn't do so well?
I love the Kzoom - i will never be getting rid of it
I have a few fones , my main driver is zen2 4gb ram 64gb 64 bit SoC .
The kzoom is too luxurious to carry around , mainly for special events
The little development that has been, is enough for me -- its a special device and always will be in my eyes
The only fail is people just want the latest and thats not always the best !
Perhaps Samsung should consider aggressively supporting custom ROM development for the device?
I still use my KZ SM-C111 & take it everywhere I go, I think it's the best android smartphone ever. The only downside is no real support from Samsung.
I just wish anyone successfully make Lollipop Lite for KZ since it came with only 8GB capacity :crying:
it's big, it's heavy, it doesn't have enougth memory, the camera is not dust proof, the battery is too small, but I cannot find any other smartphone with a 10x zoom !
Hello, I really love my k zoom. The pictures are beautiful and the phone is absolutely not to heavy. Soon I can pick another phone but what about the motorola x style?
The fact its big and heavier than normal are exactly the reasons I was seriously considering getting one for my mum who has problems with her hands. The weight and size would be easier for her to hold, modern phones are too small and light that she would just drop them.
The fact its stuck on KitKat is a problem though as I worry about any security holes left in the OS due to no updates.
Love it!
:good:
I've got the K-Zoom from the time it just got out and love it.
The only thing that really suck is the way Samsung has been treating its customers with their crappy update policy but one cant blame the phone for that
The main reason the phone never really 'took off' is in my opinion:
Lack of publicity in Europe.
I havent met anyone in Europe who knew the phone. Everyone who sees it and whom I inform about its specs is interested. Especially in its camera's capability's. The huge lens that appears out of the phone amazes everyone as well as the quality of the pictures. Havent had any negative remarks about the looks or its weight. In fact I've had countless requests of people who wanted to buy it from me.
The name should have been S5 zoom to like the S4 zoom which was more of a camera that could make calls.
I only found out about the K-zoom after intensive search for a good camera phone. Most people don't take that time but after calling/messaging, making pictures/videos is the biggest thing on smartphones so the problem want lack of interest.
Sure there are better phones and better cameras but who wants to pack both all the time?
I love my K Zoom but I wish Samsung (or an XDA developer) would support Marshmallow on it and allow apps to be transferred to the SD card.
The K-Zoom is not dead...
It just has been copied:
http://www.droid-life.com/2016/08/31/first-look-hasselblad-camera-moto-mod/
ROTFL!
rin67630 said:
It just has been copied:
http://www.droid-life.com/2016/08/31/first-look-hasselblad-camera-moto-mod/
ROTFL!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
copied? its a moto mod not a phone unlike KZ.
I love my K Zoom
apprentice said:
It's such a shame that the K Zoom never really took off. I owned one for about 6 months and loved it. I only changed it when the Note 4 was released. But during my time with the KZ I found the camera produced amazing photos with its 10X zoom and Xenon flash. The phone part was very capable too with a good sized high resolution screen, along with a decent amount of power. I also thought the price tag on this device was very reasonable too.
So why did it fail? Well I am guessing on a few theories. Firstly, maybe that it looked too much like the Galaxy S5 and although I personally don't think either the S5 or KZ look bad at all, a lot of people do. Samsung was getting a lot of criticism for their lack lustre designs and maybe it was released at the wrong time. Another theory would be that it was bulky. Though less so than its predecessor the Galaxy S4 Zoom. Maybe some weren't sure about a hybrid device, especially when cameras on phones in general were exceeding the quality of standalone cameras.
But I am a firm believer that one of the reasons these niche devices fail, is because Samsung just don't develop or support them once they are released. I mean development for their flagship phones doesn't exactly impress, so what chance does a less popular device get? Take the Galaxy Camera and the Galaxy Camera 2. Both great and revolutionary devices at the time but they just didn't get any proper updates. Both stuck on Jelly Bean and both having issues that a firmware upgrade could have cured. The K Zoom would have benefited from some firmware update love and an upgrade from KK 4.4.2 too was much needed.
I have always wanted to be able to afford to keep certain phones I buy in an archive. But due to the cost I tend to trade everything in to get the latest devices. If I had to choose which ones I would keep, then the K Zoom would be one of them. It is a great phone hybrid, it's a shame it didn't sell well and it's sad there is no successor in the pipeline.
So, why do you think the KZ didn't do so well?
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Click to collapse
I love my K Zoom. Was definitely not advertised enough/properly. After I Rooted my phone (My first Rooted phone) I was able to transfer all apps to the external 64gb SD & I mean all (Games, applications, etc)
The only reason that I want to change my phone is its lack of Mirrorlink support that my new vehicle has.
Great camera, good battery life
I even have my LG Optimus 3D because of its 3D camera & glasses free 3D content.
Its for keeps...
[email protected] said:
I love my K Zoom. Was definitely not advertised enough/properly. After I Rooted my phone (My first Rooted phone) I was able to transfer all apps to the external 64gb SD & I mean all (Games, applications, etc)
The only reason that I want to change my phone is its lack of Mirrorlink support that my new vehicle has.
Great camera, good battery life
I even have my LG Optimus 3D because of its 3D camera & glasses free 3D content.
Its for keeps...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are lucky if you can afford to keep them. I had a HTC Evo 3D and I loved it. But 3D never took off sadly, the novelty factor was awesome but like most novelties they fall out of favour. This is another phone I would like to have kept in my little phone museum!
rin67630 said:
It just has been copied:
http://www.droid-life.com/2016/08/31/first-look-hasselblad-camera-moto-mod/
ROTFL!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I disagree. This is just a bolt on to a phone, it's not the true hybrid device of the K-Zoom or S4 Zoom. It looks like Samsung don't have plans to produce another phone like this (though you never know)
G33RT. said:
:good:
...
Lack of publicity in Europe.
I havent met anyone in Europe who knew the phone. Everyone who sees it and whom I inform about its specs is interested. Especially in its camera's capability's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here I am from Rome, I quote everything you say. Now I'm just waiting my other phone (P9) to come back from service due to a broken (insured) glass and I'll send there my KZoom to change and clean the lens. This is the only drawback of such a good phone and such an extraordinary camera (I took some wonderful night pictures in Pisa, couldn't believe my eyes). As soon as it will be back I will root it and try to swap memorys.
Salva con nome said:
Here I am from Rome, I quote everything you say. Now I'm just waiting my other phone (P9) to come back from service due to a broken (insured) glass and I'll send there my KZoom to change and clean the lens. This is the only drawback of such a good phone and such an extraordinary camera (I took some wonderful night pictures in Pisa, couldn't believe my eyes). As soon as it will be back I will root it and try to swap memorys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recently damaged my screen with some water. Got me a S5 mini. These are rather cheap and are quite good actually as well as water resist
Its 8mp cam doesn't perform al that bad but it doesn't compare to the K-zoom which i'm definitely going to get fixed!
Our K-zooms are going to be collectors items since there have only been made and sold few of them i believe :good:
Samsung K Zoom was the king once
Bought this phone (CM 115) for my wife the other day since it was on special and she has always wanted one ever since it was released almost two years back. She absolutely loves her new K Zoom and it's so sad to see how such a powerful phone camera is being ignored by it's developer Samsung.
This phone is amazing with how smoothly it integrates with that camera on board. Just also hope that one day there might be a little bit of something coming from Samsung for this phone in terms of OS that might make this phone more current.
I too own the Galaxy K Zoom, it's a bit...damaged - but otherwise works fine
Got it super cheap due to the digitizer being cracked near the bottom, and thought it was the greatest thing ever with that massive camera!
Played around with it for a while and yeah, it's a great phone with reasonable specs, looks like an S5 (Which never bothered me), and was the perfect blend of a "Camera Phone".
For use as a phone - perfect. In your hands it feels just like that era of Samsung Devices, then go into Camera Mode and it becomes like one of Samsungs flagship cameras. It's amazing how that switch is so well thought out.
Hex-Core, 2GB RAM, 4G/LTE etc. At first I thought it has to be more powerful, logically than the S5 but I think I maybe wrong.
Probably due to being on 4.4.2 and my S5 being on 6.0.1, there's a noticeable difference in speed and all that. The S5 is snappy whereas the K Zoom is a bit laggy.
Camera - I used it a lot for some great photos of close ups of electronics, PCBs etc. Then I kind of got a little iffy with the battery draining quick when taking a decent amount of photos and with the whole phone getting pretty warm and went to my S5 again and was happy with it.
So for 6 months it's been in my DroidDraw, (I have a lot of unusual Android based phones in there) and this was hidden at the side along with my other camera based phones like my HTC Evo 3D and Sharp Aquos 3D Camera phone (SH16?), anyway, got the K Zoom out and really made me think why did this phone fail. It is a great phone but for consumers, being bulky, looking like a reused design, an old OS etc. I think it all attributed to it becoming just one of those fad phones.
Whatever, I appreciate it for what it is. Samsung need to do another phone mix up one day. They can do it. Just need the demands for it I suppose.
So nobody made Lolipop for this phone ? How come ?
For $150 how is this phone really? I am looking to buy it for my mother who of course doesn't care about specs.
Her current phone is an HTC desire 610(Snapdragon 400, 1 gb ram, and 8 GB storage with a 2040 mah battery) and it is really showing its age.
She doesn't care about the latest updates and likely doesn't notice lag.
For her, this phone would be used for
-Photos out with friends
- Social networking(FB, Instagram, etc etc)
-texting and of course calling
Do you recommend it for a mom?
Also **Is the screen really that fragile**
I like the phone and I don't know anyone that has managed to crack the glass or damage the screen.
Gee,
was really hoping to find more thoughts about this phone. I just discovered and was seriously considering picking it up since my Note 4 is DEAD (NO MORE SAMSUNG FOR ME EVER!!! My S3 crapped out and I had to force Samsung to give me another even though my warranty had passed).
I just bought one for me last month to replace a Galaxy S4 that went smashy. I'm happy with it. Coming from an S4 the Idol 3 is clearly an inferior device in every category. But it's still a very strong phone, and for $150 you can't really go wrong. When I compared 'darn good phone for $150' to 'massively impressive phone of the gods for $650' I chose the Idol.
The one drawback on the Idol 3 (And Idol 4 / BalckBerry DTEK 50) is the camera for indoor shots. The camera isn't strong in low light. It's okay. It's not awful. But it's not fantastic. For outdoor shots in daylight, it's a fine camera. So if a great camera is a must, the Idol 3 is going to disappoint. If you need a great camera, you might consider the LG4. It's got a STUPIDLY IMPRESSIVE camera and the price on those is dropping fast. It's still more than the Idol 3, but it's almost worth it for the far superior camera.
As for getting Samsung to replace an S3....really? A 4 year old phone conked out on you and you're shocked and ready to give up on Samsung because of it? Seriously? These things are built with a 2 year life expectancy.
I also had Samsung s4, Samsung Note 2, and Nexus 5. I would not say the Idol 3 is inferior in every way, just some. That being said, the lack of bloatware, MM, and a nice screen make up for a lot of its shortcomings.
I've had the phone for more than year and like it a lot. I paid $200 at prerelease. The screen is excellent and not fragile. Get a good case for it and you will be happy. i have a leather folio type case with a cover that closes and protects the screen. the front dual stereo speakers are loud and great for music. Allcatel has been pretty good about O/S updates. The camera isn't great in low light but very good with both photos and video is bright light. You can't really go wrong for the price.
Izaya Orihara said:
For $150 how is this phone really? I am looking to buy it for my mother who of course doesn't care about specs.
Her current phone is an HTC desire 610(Snapdragon 400, 1 gb ram, and 8 GB storage with a 2040 mah battery) and it is really showing its age.
She doesn't care about the latest updates and likely doesn't notice lag.
For her, this phone would be used for
-Photos out with friends
- Social networking(FB, Instagram, etc etc)
-texting and of course calling
Do you recommend it for a mom?
Also **Is the screen really that fragile**
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I would no longer recommend getting an alcatel phone. Period. They have provided 0 support..they in fact have made things even more difficult by taking away features such as fastboot which makes NO sense in a product being sold unlocked with no carrier hooks. The development is minimal and the majority of the devs are working on other devices although they may still provide some idol3 support it won't be a daily thing. Finally the stock rom's for the idol3 have serious deficiencies....you have terrible lag for 5.0.2 and very short screen on time for marshmallow. Additionally occasionally it just flat out has to be rebooted to get things working right or free up memory.
For $150 there are many other options available now...heck I just purchased a refurbished T-mobile LG V10 for $210 and the specs are MUCH better than the idol3. If the $150 price range is important consider the moto g4.
the device is a great buy and no the screen is not fragile(or mine isnt).
my phone survived a heart stopping 6 foot drop not a scratch.
i was harmed more than the phone