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I feel like Android phone manufacturers are making so many new phones no one can even keep up anymore. (Unless you have thousands of dollars to invest into phones). I just bought a droid Charge in August 2011 and pretty much there are 3-4 phones out or that will be out that are better in the next 2 weeks.
Personally I think they are making to many phones to fast and they are not giving the older phones the updates they need. This could turn in to a major fail. Just wanted to hear some other peoples thoughts on this issue.
Riddlin said:
I feel like Android phone manufacturers are making so many new phones no one can even keep up anymore. (Unless you have thousands of dollars to invest into phones). I just bought a droid Charge in August 2011 and pretty much there are 3-4 phones out or that will be out that are better in the next 2 weeks.
Personally I think they are making to many phones to fast and they are not giving the older phones the updates they need. This could turn in to a major fail. Just wanted to hear some other peoples thoughts on this issue.
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get used to it br0. It's the cycle of technology. You can NEVER keep up. Just love what you have.
I do love what I had. That is why I just sold it on ebay. LOL I want the latest and greatest, but this is getting ridiculous. Who in the heck wants to hang with their old droid when there are 20 better phones out there within a year. Either Apple is on something or they are on to something. 1 new phone ever 6 months to a year and people go nutz for the fricking thing.
My advice evaluate the phone technology and its likelihood to be supported. These are the 2 most critical items to consider.
I have had a Galaxy phone since its release and I waited for it for 5 months before getting it............ because I knew it was going to have tech that would endure for a while. Now, we have the dual cores everywhere. Beware, just because it is dual core does not make it a great phone. Make sure to check everything out, and make sure it will be supported. Finally, As soon as you get a dual core in ........2012 there will be quad cores..........and so it goes...........
illuminarias said:
get used to it br0. It's the cycle of technology. You can NEVER keep up. Just love what you have.
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exactly the same goes for PCs
Riddlin said:
I do love what I had. That is why I just sold it on ebay. LOL I want the latest and greatest, but this is getting ridiculous. Who in the heck wants to hang with their old droid when there are 20 better phones out there within a year. Either Apple is on something or they are on to something. 1 new phone ever 6 months to a year and people go nutz for the fricking thing.
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Well, yeah. Then commercial groups offering spaceship travels for big money definietly shouldn't do it, but wait until everyone can afford it.
If only having the best phone makes you feel the best I feel sorry for you. : (
Riddlin said:
I want the latest and greatest
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Then the problem is clearly you and not the manufacturers. Ask yourself why you always want the latest and greatest. What significant and meaningful difference does it make in your day-to-day life.
Riddlin said:
I feel like Android phone manufacturers are making so many new phones no one can even keep up anymore. (Unless you have thousands of dollars to invest into phones). I just bought a droid Charge in August 2011 and pretty much there are 3-4 phones out or that will be out that are better in the next 2 weeks.
Personally I think they are making to many phones to fast and they are not giving the older phones the updates they need. This could turn in to a major fail. Just wanted to hear some other peoples thoughts on this issue.
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Click to collapse
The carriers will never update their phones as quickly as we would like, but we have CM7, Miui and other distributions to fix that.
Do you upgrade a laptop every 3-4 months? Likely not.
'phones' are becoming similar.
Also, Android being a powerful free OS allows many phone makers to get in on making a smartphone quite quickly. This is a good thing, not a bad one.
I dont go to the food store and complain there are too many different types of bread. Choice is a luxury.
/firstworldproblems
There is a problem.
The problem isnt choice or speed of new handsets. Its the fact these handset makers seem to be going out of there way to hold back features just to create more options.
Nearly every choice you make you sacrifice something that shouldnt be. This last year Samsung was incredibly guilty of that.
We shouldnt have to pick between the phone with the best camera or the best screen 3g or 4g when theyre released with identical specs within a few weeks/months of each other.
You end up with a situation where IMO since 3GS/NexusOne were both available at same time theres basically no best handset to get. They all have some glaring downside that often seems intentional. Nexus Galaxy having weak gpu/pentile screen/5mp camera for a flasgship phone is the calling card of this awful trend.
Hopefully Google buying Moto means a true flagship android phone will be out in the future. HTCs lousy digitizer selection , and Samsungs half assed approach really are getting on my nerves.
Win7 just needs more options PERIOD.
Actually I'm happy I'm a reviewer and I get all the newest models for a week only. I never have to regret my choice and invest in next generations and upgrades.
That's why I chose a mid-tier device - If review phones must be wiped, I can still keep my data on my Ace and customize how I want.
It's good that technology is moving so fast. You buy a thing, but there are many others that haven't bought this thing. If they were iPhoners, they would have to wait until June (or October in 4s case) till the next model.
But Androiders and WP7ists just go in the store and buy tech that is up to date, because it is released just weeks ago and so specs are always at its zenith.
Phone manufacturers are really going out of control. They produce phones with specs that are missing, then include them in their next offerings. but then they produce phones which are pretty much the same as the ones before except for 1 or 2 upgrades to increase sales.
They like to make their products 'diverse' but if you look on the bird's eye view of it. It becomes clear that they are just going for quantity without quality products.
Why don't they just drop down a killer phone whose specs will stay for at most 2 years?
Better buy a product which suits you for the next year or two
I think it's great, actually. People only THINK they need the latest and greatest device, when they don't. I rather have 5 new phones come out in a 2 week period than having to wait for something for a year or so. With android, there's little chance of you not finding the PERFECT phone for you. (Mines is the SK4G, I can care less about any other phone now)
The only problem I see with rapid phone releases is updates. I highly doubt the Sidekick 4G, even with it coming out earlier this year, will see ICS... let alone Gingerbread, because they're forgotten about/ not important enough.
Honestly, if you have a rooted GB device, and it runs how you like it, do you need to worry about the newer phones?
yujin_11 said:
Why don't they just drop down a killer phone whose specs will stay for at most 2 years?
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Because, short of Apple and their ability as a small company producing both hardware and software,there is not profit in that. Companies are out to make money, it is not their fault that the wealthy people of the world have decided that they must have the latest phone no matter what, that's on the consumer.
I bought a Nexus One in April 2010 and I've not felt tempted to replace it before now because it runs Gingerbread and newer phones didn't seem to offer that much more.
However, the release of the Galaxy Note with the stylus for accurate screen pointing and screen large enough and with sufficient resolution to display entire Web page makes an upgrade now worthwhile to me. Zooming and panning a small phone screen across a Web page to find specific points of interest is a pain and I look forward to leaving that experience behind.
zerocool79346 said:
Because, short of Apple and their ability as a small company producing both hardware and software,there is not profit in that. Companies are out to make money, it is not their fault that the wealthy people of the world have decided that they must have the latest phone no matter what, that's on the consumer.
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^What he said
yujin_11 said:
Phone manufacturers are really going out of control. They produce phones with specs that are missing, then include them in their next offerings. but then they produce phones which are pretty much the same as the ones before except for 1 or 2 upgrades to increase sales.
They like to make their products 'diverse' but if you look on the bird's eye view of it. It becomes clear that they are just going for quantity without quality products.
Why don't they just drop down a killer phone whose specs will stay for at most 2 years?
Better buy a product which suits you for the next year or two
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Click to collapse
Because if they play apple's game, they will lose horribly. Apple is apple, and apple is the standard whether you like it or not. When a average person compares a phone, what does he compare it to? The iPhone of course. So a manufacturer will not survive if they only release a oh so powerful phone every year or two, simply because they do not have nearly as much of a fan base apple has.
it's really awesome imo
always something to be excited about
I love waiting for a phone I've been wanting to drop in price, and while I wait, an even better phone gets released lmao
http://www.facebook.com/motorola?sk=wall&filter=1 click the link people like it and comment on it.
I have seen first hand proof of this working. I had an evo 3d. Htc decided all futre devices would have locked bootliaders well that made alot of people angry. Someone posted a thread on xda suggesting we let htc know that is not gna fly. So it turnd out thousands of people got on there facebook wall and twitter. Guess what the next day htc released a statement saying that they wanted too keep there coustamers happy and that the bootloader would be unlocked. They were. Id like to be able too have a device and not have too get a new one juzt because moto or htc or sammy wants too put them out constantly get people too buy them and then ditch them and out out another. The atrix is 100 percent capable of runing ics and theres no excuae for it l not too recieve it just because moto wants people too buy new devices every couple months. I know many many people feel the same way well as i said we have the power too change that if people would stop bickering and take it seriously. And also if moto started supporting devices longer not just bug fixes but the new android flavors. Id definately make my next device a moto it would do nothing but benefit them
Kailkti said:
Because if they play apple's game, they will lose horribly. Apple is apple, and apple is the standard whether you like it or not. When a average person compares a phone, what does he compare it to? The iPhone of course. So a manufacturer will not survive if they only release a oh so powerful phone every year or two, simply because they do not have nearly as much of a fan base apple has.
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I think it is this statement that sums it all up. Very well said.
Is it worth it to buy a P8 Max now in 2016 even though it came out in July of 2015 more than a year ago? What is your opinion? There does not seem to be much choice for smartphones at the 6.8 inch size. I had a 6 incher but now I know I need something bigger. Buying a more year old phone has advantages and disadvantages. The OS is old and may not get an update. Would it even be available in a new condition from a trustworthy source? ( My friend got burned by unknowingly buying a waterlogged phone off of Ebay). On the other hand the price should come down a lot because not many want it at that point.
It depends what you need it for and what amount you can get it for.
we got two of these in household and sofare very happy with them, one silver 64gb premiumversion purchased summer15 at BG 490US and the other late 2015 32GB titanium grey for 290US.
Im very fund of the camera in this fellow, and pretty amazed of the light its sensor contains, in fx putting on a tripod and nightsky and shutterfeatures. (it carries a 4 colored sensor, that includes white RGBW in regards to RGB for most) and handles it on dedicated socalled DSLR signal processor ' i for one ' like the result it performs.. the OIS is okay with 1.2 angle drift, not the best in class anymore, but at the time it was the double OIS effect of like contenders like Iphone+6 with 0.6 degrees, not sure how many axes the OIS is based on but will reckon its 2..
the overall-finish and thiness, its pretty outstanding.... its an fascinating piece of hardware.... -the battery shouldnt be that difficult to change if needed.. based on a few screws behind the bottomstrip on the back and cost around 16US for an original huawei 4230..
the GPU that Huawei suited this fellow up with is not flagship worthy, the CPU is pretty potent, but if you big 3dgamer on your mobile.. there is better alternatives, but overall at the release it was on par with the contenders, on stock non rooted tops out around 4175 in Geekbench3 32bit...
also cherise the landscape-homescreens based in thumps management, - and in my view is an quite impressiv quality-LTPS-fhd-panel they have suited in this fellow..
otherwise take an look at the Honor Note8. it aint 6.8 but 6.6 inch. it weighs the same as the p8max and is little thicker but seems to be an interesting fellow as of 3q 2016 with decent specs, and partically if your looking for an big screen mobile, but they are both on the emui4 as i recall..
DaneLaw,
Wow, nice post. Thank you for taking the time to respond. The Honor Note 8 does look pretty good but the 2/8 of an inch smaller screen might bother me. There is the Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra with a not so nice processor.
I just wish tablets could make phone calls. Then I would be all set. LOL.
The SD in the Asus is so much better than the Kirin if you wanna get the latest Android.
Personally, am a little irked that the P8Max has no NFC. Am actually thinking about switching to the Mate 8..
Not sure if it will be worth the change P8Max has a great screen size
Sent from my HUAWEI P8max using XDA Labs
eastcyber, once you go big you cannot go smaller. At least I would not do something like that.
DaneLaw, I wanted to buy the P8 Max when it came out but it was priced out of my budget. I ended up getting the Huawei Ascend Mate 7 a long while after it came out when the price came down. I really loved it. I have to say Huawei makes some great phones.
Hi! Here is ny take on the subject;
-If you just want a large phone and not that interested in rooting or customizing the ROM of your phone, then the Huawei P8 Max will be more than sufficient. Go and Get It I say! It has one of the best designs of recent times an has a very powerful audio setup. I am also using my at DPI 288 with TFS Launcher.
-If you want something more up to date with a CPU that does not lag when multiple apps are launching and you are looking for a bit of customization of the ROM and rooting etc…-lets say you are an advanced usur that wants to feel unique with his device, then stay away from P8 Max and consider the Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra, which is what I am looking to get soon but hard at work to get the 128GB version which is very rare to find or does not exist-wish any forum user from Taiwan could help help me buy it.
-Huawei to me makes great hardware in great designs but their painfully slow approach to updates and the lack of support for the developer community makes me think of it as the Apple of the Android world-a control freak that does not care about user satisfaction. I have the model DAV-701L and still waiting for Android 6.0 update. I have put my one on sale on ebay so if anyone is interested then you can PM me as this is the International model Google Play Services/Store are preinstalled and works on all European FDD-LTA bands unlike the China/Asia only version.
AWFRONT said:
Hi! Here is ny take on the subject;
-If you just want a large phone and not that interested in rooting or customizing the ROM of your phone, then the Huawei P8 Max will be more than sufficient. Go and Get It I say! It has one of the best designs of recent times an has a very powerful audio setup. I am also using my at DPI 288 with TFS Launcher.
-If you want something more up to date with a CPU that does not lag when multiple apps are launching and you are looking for a bit of customization of the ROM and rooting etc…-lets say you are an advanced usur that wants to feel unique with his device, then stay away from P8 Max and consider the Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra, which is what I am looking to get soon but hard at work to get the 128GB version which is very rare to find or does not exist-wish any forum user from Taiwan could help help me buy it.
-Huawei to me makes great hardware in great designs but their painfully slow approach to updates and the lack of support for the developer community makes me think of it as the Apple of the Android world-a control freak that does not care about user satisfaction. I have the model DAV-701L and still waiting for Android 6.0 update. I have put my one on sale on ebay so if anyone is interested then you can PM me as this is the International model Google Play Services/Store are preinstalled and works on all European FDD-LTA bands unlike the China/Asia only version.
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What's the argument with rooting and customizing? P8max can easily be rooted and customized. There is a lack of custom software support, but you can do a lot on your own, if you're an "advanced user".
I also experience no lag at all if I'm running multiple apps, Kirin is doing a great job here.
I'd go for a P8max again anytime. The only competitor I see is the Asus Zenfone Ultra, but I like the design of the P8max a lot more.
I'm pretty sure I'll keep this phone for a long time now.
Sent from my HUAWEI P8max using XDA-Developers mobile app
m00h, Huawei does make nice designs. I like how the bezel is small on such a big screen. It makes the phablet not as bulky. By the way guys, does it have a radio receiver to listen to local stations? I do not see that information listed on any website.
cryingthug said:
m00h, Huawei does make nice designs. I like how the bezel is small on such a big screen. It makes the phablet not as bulky. By the way guys, does it have a radio receiver to listen to local stations? I do not see that information listed on any website.
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Yes it do got an FM radio, like we often see' where it ask for headphones to be used as antenna, and with speaker symbol op left ' if you need its own speaker to carry the radiosound while headphones or just an jack-antenna is connected.
Don't fall into the Corporation/Media hype that you HAVE to have the latest and greatest otherwise you're left behind, especially when the phone is only a year old because this is how they get your money.
If you need to buy a phone right away just do it, but if you can wait there is no harm, but keep in mind as of right now there is no "P9 Max", only P9 Plus which is a 5.5" phone I believe, so if you need a big phone P8 Max is your best bet for sure.
I have done my research a lot recently before buying the P8 Max and I chose it because it had the best design and performance in the big phone class, it has an Octa-Core cpu which is already overkill and a really good battery, I would say go for it.
Also Note: If you do end up purchasing it, make sure you get the 703L, because they get updates often, I already have the Android 6.0 while the rest still don't have it.
Save $$$
Torguy said:
Don't fall into the Corporation/Media hype that you HAVE to have the latest and greatest otherwise you're left behind, especially when the phone is only a year old because this is how they get your money.
If you need to buy a phone right away just do it, but if you can wait there is no harm, but keep in mind as of right now there is no "P9 Max", only P9 Plus which is a 5.5" phone I believe, so if you need a big phone P8 Max is your best bet for sure.
I have done my research a lot recently before buying the P8 Max and I chose it because it had the best design and performance in the big phone class, it has an Octa-Core cpu which is already overkill and a really good battery, I would say go for it.
Also Note: If you do end up purchasing it, make sure you get the 703L, because they get updates often, I already have the Android 6.0 while the rest still don't have it.
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Thanks for the info Torguy. Buying a year old flagship will also save the user money, similar to buying a two year old car. This phone was super expensive when it first came out. I could not afford it.
cryingthug said:
Thanks for the info Torguy. Buying a year old flagship will also save the user money, similar to buying a two year old car. This phone was super expensive when it first came out. I could not afford it.
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Click to collapse
To be honest I was in the same boat as you until recently, I didn't buy it when it came out because it was like almost a $1000 after shipping and all, then ended up getting it for like $400.
Anyways good luck with whatever you decide or have decided!
Android 6.0?
Torguy,
Is the DAV-703L for Android 6.0 worth it? I saw an Ascend Mate 7 Android 4.4.4 get updated to Android 5.0.1 and did not really see a difference because EMUI covered most changes. I did not see the point in upgrading the OS. What do you guys think?
cryingthug said:
Torguy,
Is the DAV-703L for Android 6.0 worth it? I saw an Ascend Mate 7 Android 4.4.4 get updated to Android 5.0.1 and did not really see a difference because EMUI covered most changes. I did not see the point in upgrading the OS. What do you guys think?
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My apologies, I didn't iterate correctly when I said "I already have Android 6.0" in my prior post, I meant to say I already have the update available but have not downloaded it because I heard Android 5.1 is running much better.
I mean if it ain't broke why fix right, I will just leave it as is until there is ever any updates that really do require me to update.
What sucks for me now is that it turns out that my phone will not work for Wind Mobile, a Carrier I am switching to in Canada, due to the fact that 703L is kind of limited on supported networks, where as 701L has international supported Carriers and would work with Wind Mobile, so now I have to sell my phone soon which really really sucks
Torguy said:
My apologies, I didn't iterate correctly when I said "I already have Android 6.0" in my prior post, I meant to say I already have the update available but have not downloaded it because I heard Android 5.1 is running much better.
I mean if it ain't broke why fix right, I will just leave it as is until there is ever any updates that really do require me to update.
What sucks for me now is that it turns out that my phone will not work for Wind Mobile, a Carrier I am switching to in Canada, due to the fact that 703L is kind of limited on supported networks, where as 701L has international supported Carriers and would work with Wind Mobile, so now I have to sell my phone soon which really really sucks
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are you sure there isnt any international 4G'support.. we got two p8max in household (1silver premium 64GB-703L and 1xtitaniumgrey32GB-703L) both now takes 4G after latest EMUI 4.0 M6 and it works brilliantly..
Im left with the feeling that Huawei activated more of the phones 4G bands with EMUI4.0 like perhaps band20 since Im now got high 4G speeds n Copenhagen, that Didnt before.
Wrote about it here and the hardware on 703L hence 4g simply was software related and been acti´vated with latest upgrade.. we are getting solid 4G speed all the time now here in Scandinavia. / we didnt before on 703L.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/p8max/general/703l-4glte-support-emui4-0-android-6-0-t3444090
Android 6.0?
DaneLaw:
Are you running Android 6.0 on your P8 Max phones?
Moto germany , confirmed the delay in update scheme due to some last minute issues.
http://m.gsmarena.com/motorola_delays_nougat_update_in_germany-news-23150.php
Very disappointed as the phone is almost two years old but no major update was done. Google may release Android 8.0 by May.
ntkhoa said:
Very disappointed as the phone is almost two years old but no major update was done. Google may release Android 8.0 by May.
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5.1.1 to 6.0 wasn't a major update? I am not thrilled with the delay, but let's not forget how quickly the MXPE received Marshmallow. The Z line is their primary focus now, that's how it goes!
cool, only 3 months more to get already outdated 7.0 thanks lenovo
iks8 said:
cool, only 3 months more to get already outdated 7.0 thanks lenovo
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Yeah I know I love this phone but moving on to the OPO 3T because of this reason
zapty said:
due to some last minute issues. marketing.
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Fixed that for you.
So typical for moto. They're going to wait for us to do all the hardwork for them, and then roll out an update right around the time that its no longer needed by us.
As long as lineage keeps updating the phone I will use it until the phone dies but this will definitely be my last Moto phone.
Everyone is all pissed but Google just ended support at 2 years sharp on the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9. The manufacturers are still in a 2 year support paradigm related to contracts.
This is largely why I went to AICP with 7.1.1 and on-time monthly Android security updates. Plus, a lot more functionality and customization. The same was true with LiquidSmooth when Samsung stopped supporting the Galaxy S3 before. Every device ceases to be supported at some point. That's why we hang out here and work together to extend the life of our favorite hardware. I, too, and disappointed that Lenovo dropped meaningful support for the Pure 2015 last year, but AICP has gotten me over the sting.
I am betting Google's announcement about killing the Google now launcher factors into this. OEMs now have to build their own launcher
We could get 7.1.2 directly also... We never know what's gonna happen anyways but now I'm pissed off by this and I'm surely going to buy nokia phone next time... This is such a disgrace...
I would like to use linageos but rom without fully working moto display is not for me, I bought this phone for this function and stereo speakers. Im ok with android 6, I dont feel loosing some functionality.
Tapatapatap Moto X Style
gemtin92 said:
I would like to use linageos but rom without fully working moto display is not for me, I bought this phone for this function and stereo speakers. Im ok with android 6, I dont feel loosing some functionality.
Tapatapatap Moto X Style
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what is not working in lineage? what do you mean "not fully working moto display"?
I am at same situation, would like to use Lineage instead of orig. rom. thx
IMO the guy who has regularly said he doesn't think we'll ever get Nougat will be vindicated. The MXPE has been a commercial failure and retailers regularly have it on fire sale for $250 or less - they can't get rid of them. There's almost no chance Lenovo will go out of their way to continue spending man hours on the update this spring if they're "having problems" (more likely, they never started working on an update to begin with).
Purchasing this phone is certainly one of my bigger electronics regrets. If I could go back in time, I'd pony up the extra $100 for a 6P, no question. Now the price differential between a used MXPE and 6P is even bigger than that, which says a lot.
Commercial failure perhaps but that is Lenovo's fault. They incorrectly thought that the Moto name meant they had no need to advertise.
Won't wait. Will buy Mate 9
ominousnimbus said:
IMO the guy who has regularly said he doesn't think we'll ever get Nougat will be vindicated. The MXPE has been a commercial failure and retailers regularly have it on fire sale for $250 or less - they can't get rid of them. There's almost no chance Lenovo will go out of their way to continue spending man hours on the update this spring if they're "having problems" (more likely, they never started working on an update to begin with).
Purchasing this phone is certainly one of my bigger electronics regrets. If I could go back in time, I'd pony up the extra $100 for a 6P, no question. Now the price differential between a used MXPE and 6P is even bigger than that, which says a lot.
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It's always so interesting to see different peoples opinions.
I'm bought the 6P when it came out. It was a great phone, notice I said was. If you hit the XDA forums you will see loads of; bootloop of death, battery issues. It seems the battery is wearing prematurely and causing non repairable failures. This is the majority opinion of the reason for the failure, but again is only opinion. I kept my phone pristine and a few weeks ago got the dreaded BLOD. Huawei did send me a refurbished phone back; it was slightly dinged, but I sent them a 32gb and they sent me a 128gb back. They didn't offer a loaner, so I picked up a MXPE and have to say I like it so much when I got my 6P back and I've not bothered to do much with it.
jackpollard said:
It's always so interesting to see different peoples opinions.
I'm bought the 6P when it came out. It was a great phone, notice I said was. If you hit the XDA forums you will see loads of; bootloop of death, battery issues. It seems the battery is wearing prematurely and causing non repairable failures. This is the majority opinion of the reason for the failure, but again is only opinion. I kept my phone pristine and a few weeks ago got the dreaded BLOD. Huawei did send me a refurbished phone back; it was slightly dinged, but I sent them a 32gb and they sent me a 128gb back. They didn't offer a loaner, so I picked up a MXPE and have to say I like it so much when I got my 6P back and I've not bothered to do much with it.
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Well, this may be a case of "the grass is always greener" for me. I wasn't aware of widespread 6P issues, but a bit of research indicates they've sprung up over the past few months.
On paper, the 6P is a slightly faster version of the MXPE (plus fingerprint sensor) that still gets regular updates, whereas the MXPE was more or less abandoned in the software department within 6 months of release. The microSD slot was a big factor that swayed me at the time of purchase, but if I'd known how quickly support would be abandoned vs. 2+ years of continuous updates (even monthly security patches) on the 6P, it wouldn't have been enough.
Of course, if you end up with a bricked paperweight 6P, superior software support isn't going to do you much good. Sorry to hear about your experience.
I will add this: the icing on the cake with Lenovo's non-support is that they void your warranty for unlocking the bootloader and trying to stay up-to-date using custom ROMs. Given that I'm already on my second (RMA) MXPE, I don't trust the hardware enough to lose the warranty, so I'm stuck on Marshmallow forever most likely.
ominousnimbus said:
Well, this may be a case of "the grass is always greener" for me. I wasn't aware of widespread 6P issues, but a bit of research indicates they've sprung up over the past few months.
On paper, the 6P is a slightly faster version of the MXPE (plus fingerprint sensor) that still gets regular updates, whereas the MXPE was more or less abandoned in the software department within 6 months of release. The microSD slot was a big factor that swayed me at the time of purchase, but if I'd known how quickly support would be abandoned vs. 2+ years of continuous updates (even monthly security patches) on the 6P, it wouldn't have been enough.
Of course, if you end up with a bricked paperweight 6P, superior software support isn't going to do you much good. Sorry to hear about your experience.
I will add this: the icing on the cake with Lenovo's non-support is that they void your warranty for unlocking the bootloader and trying to stay up-to-date using custom ROMs. Given that I'm already on my second (RMA) MXPE, I don't trust the hardware enough to lose the warranty, so I'm stuck on Marshmallow forever most likely.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the well stated response.
I've not been a fan of Lenovo since the Superfish malware and the rest of the crap they install became public knowledge. But I kind of hoped they would of left Motorola somewhat autonomous but I see they did not. The lack of promised updates is inexcusable, it's a lie plain and simple. The whole bootloader thing, while I personally think is wrong, its my damn phone let me do what I want, at least they tell you up front and don't make you guess.
While not nearly as egregious the fact Google discontinued the whole Nexus line and has Pixel exclusive is somewhat annoying. I can almost understand it from a business standpoint, but you could of at least threw the Nexus crowd a crumb and kept say the unlimited photo thing as a Pixel exclusive and give us the Pixel experience. Honestly, the last rom I was running was 100% N and Pixel modded and I'm OK with MM and the Moto voice is pretty good. I did read rumor of N in May for the MXPE, so I hope thats true.
Some guy is on his 5th rma for his 6P! I'm not sure if he is throwing them out the window, but that's pretty sad.
I suppose bottom line is you can't go wrong with either, they both have pros and cons.
I bought this phone 15 months ago for 4 main reasons :
Larger secreen than my previous phone
stereo front-facing speakers
design
low price
During that time it hasn't given me any problems and has done everything I wanted from it.
So, OK, it hasn't got the very latest Android "upgrade", but if I was really that bothered I'd unlock the bootloader and install a custom ROM. (I'm out of warranty anyway). But why? The phone works perfectly fine.
To put this into context, I bought a £35,000 car last September. The 2017 models will now get Apple Carplay & Android Auto - but this will not be retro rolled out to my car.
And you guys are pissed off at no updates for a $300 smartphone?
Hi everyone,
My Xperia Z3 which I love is unfortunately dying and I need to replace it.
I'm buying either Honor 8 or Redmi Note 4 (if I decide to save some money - and also I like the big screen).
So, my question is: is Honor 8 still worth buying now around 320-330€? Is it worth double the price of the Note 4? I know it has no custom rom support, but:
-will it get Android O?
-how's the display in sunlight?
-how's the battery?
If the answer of all these questions is meh, I'll go with Redmi Note 4.
Thanks to everyone who will reply!
Yes still worth buying. Honor /Huawei have a sale on the Honor 8 if the phone fits your needs go for it.. It's a great device.. Just my 2 cents worth..
francesco_mnz said:
Hi everyone,
My Xperia Z3 which I love is unfortunately dying and I need to replace it.
I'm buying either Honor 8 or Redmi Note 4 (if I decide to save some money - and also I like the big screen).
So, my question is: is Honor 8 still worth buying now around 320-330€? Is it worth double the price of the Note 4? I know it has no custom rom support, but:
-will it get Android O?
-how's the display in sunlight?
-how's the battery?
If the answer of all these questions is meh, I'll go with Redmi Note 4.
Thanks to everyone who will reply!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Display in sunlight and battery, camera , average performance very good, things that i dont recommend this device to other probably low in loud speaker quality.
Rumor: There's going to be a new version announced/released in the next two to three months at an event in Taipei. I'd guess it'll have a Kirin 960 which has a much nicer GPU.
Huawei has been VERY bad with updates. I was using the B360 release until yesterday or the day before when B385 was pushed to me via OTA. A number of posters still haven't received that update and they're none too happy about it. B360 came out at the end of December 2016 and B385 just came out a week into May which is an unacceptably long time to be running months out of date security.
B385 may have introduced battery life problems I wasn't experiencing, but which others have been on B360. I have only been using it a day or two though, so it's hard for me to say for sure as of yet as my phone has spent most of its time on my PC or next to my bed charging.
Hopefully, the people who are still on B360 get B385 soon, hopefully the worse battery on my phone is just my imagination, and we'll get a timely update next month, but those things are all yet to be seen. If Huawei gets the update out to other Honor 8 owners within the next week, gets the May security update out in early June, and starts keeping up to date, then I'll be happy with the phone, but that remains to be seen.
It is a great phone, but if you buy one you may be stuck using 5 month out of date software indefinitely, and even if you get B385 right away we don't know that the next update will be out in a month. It could be not until November or never to get the update after it. Combine that with that a new version of the phone will probably be announced and available in a couple months and I'd say to wait. We don't know if or when Android O is coming to the Honor 8. As much as I like this phone I can't recommend buying it at the current time.
We still aren't getting any communication from Huawei/Honor as to what to expect as far as future updates. And that's really troubling.
I would suggest waiting for this years release which I would expect to be out soon or looking at the One Plus 3T. One Plus is rumored to be coming out with the One Plus 5 sometime soon too, so right now is not really a great time to be buying a phone if you can wait.
Thanks all for replying. Honor seems to be a big disappointment, it's good but something form Huawei is always lacking...
I can wait hoping that my phone survives until the summer one plus 3t is a bit too expensive, I'm still thinking of saving some money and go for Redmi Note 4 or Lenovo P2, even if I know Honor feels more like a "top phone".
If anyone will give some other opinion it will be so much appreciated.
Well, just to say my opinion
Fisrt of all, I had a lots of smartphones
Just the last 20 months I had more then 5 phones changed
The thing is, I am reading on xda for every phone the same like I wont buy LG or Sony or Samsung ever again.. its allways the same talk..
Like allways people searched for the best thing for the money and then got disapointed by something and than started like I wont buy LG anymore
Next thing thay do is buying something else.. the best for the money and again talk bad about it..
WHY??
Well, guys you must realize that the one usually are disapointed were looking for the perfect one for the money
Well, there is not evan one phone on the market wich is PERFECT FOR THE MONEY
Couse it always will be short on something
Like locked bootloader and no xda support or like no support from the manufacturer but then a bit of xda support or the build qualitie maybee good but then it is maybe fingerprint magnet..
Just be aware of that you will never get all for the money.. it is and will be allways like that..
So when you want to buy any phone be ready to be satisfide with it as is.. dont be wanting all of it for the money.. no phone has it
Soo, if you want now to consider things and this Honor 8 be prepared to like it in a way that allmost everything is ok.. allmost.. like awesome look.. premium feel but easy to scretch or be a fingerprint magnet.. able to unlock the bootloader and root and install twrp.. great battery like 9hours of SoT on B381.. great speed.. allmost perfect..BUT for now not much of custom rom support wich can change with getting the source code.. soo the best is yet to come
Soo, its almost perfect.. but dont look for perfect
You will never find it
Not evan iPhone is perfect
Look for something you will like it as is
And after like 20 smatphones I had this one is the best of it
In real world beating phones like double the priceed like pixel.. not benchmark numbers but real time speed of opening apps or things like that
Look on you tube real time speed and performance
You just can not go wrong with this phone for that money
Hope you will think about my advice
Not be looking for the best on the market
Evan samsung s8+ users are after one week of use complaining about things couse they also thought for that money s8 would be the best.. and that got dissapointed with it too..
I'll just leave this here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aypUksJ647c
Going back to the original question, it's a fantastic phone but you can try to get it for less than you mentioned. Don't know where you live but in the UK every now and then the price gets really good. The other day one of the supermarket chains was selling them for £200 and for that kind of money it's a no-brainer.
Bii @sysak
Thanks for the you tube link
That is what I try to say about this phone and real time performans.. ?
brljak83 said:
Bii @sysak
Thanks for the you tube link
That is what I try to say about this phone and real time performans..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on what you value.
It's a "value" phone so it sits on a sweet spot. If you value bug correction and updates, I would say definitely no. If you want a nice phone and are a basic user, then yes, get it.
Please just don't go on any trade-in program with Honor/Huawei. My Honor7 had zero scratches (always tempered glass and protective case) and after receiving my phone on their side, they lowered £10 on the evaluation. i rejected it in the 20th March. I haven't received my phone back yet. :crying:
The brand cares about new customers, not so much about existing ones (it's my 2nd Honor). Hence why the budget goes to advertisement and not to supporting developing community or regular updates/fixes.
Hii @zinko_pt
Thanks for the answer
And I must say I had evan phones wich were missing evan what we have right now with this honor 8
Couse this phone has some software support but its slow like for the ota updates
But had some cheaper phones from like LG wich were stuck at what came out of the box and that was it.. but then I had some phones like Samsung A5 2016 wich are the same price but are not evan close to this phone with its premium build and better support and for the same price evan better benchmarks.. so that is also for A5 2017 where you pay just the overpriced Samsung name..
So yes, it indeed is in some kind of price to value sweet spot..and I would recommend it evan now after one year.. so evan this year of 2017 it is a good phone to buy... Like an flagship for the midrange class
francesco_mnz said:
Hi everyone,
My Xperia Z3 which I love is unfortunately dying and I need to replace it.
I'm buying either Honor 8 or Redmi Note 4 (if I decide to save some money - and also I like the big screen).
So, my question is: is Honor 8 still worth buying now around 320-330€? Is it worth double the price of the Note 4? I know it has no custom rom support, but:
-will it get Android O?
-how's the display in sunlight?
-how's the battery?
If the answer of all these questions is meh, I'll go with Redmi Note 4.
Thanks to everyone who will reply!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just upgraded from the Z3 compact, and although the large format is hard to handle with one hand, mostly everything else about the phone is a huge step up from the Z3 series. The Honor's camera is very sharp with greater detail than the Z3 and at nearly half the price, it's hard to beat for the money. Like any phone in this price range, it's not perfect, but it's flaws are outweighed by it's value.
It doesn't hold charge while sleeping the way Sony does, but it sips battery while in use like a tiny bird. I easily get 6-7hrs of screen on time where I couldn't get more than 4 with the Z3C.
The single speaker is louder than the dual Sony speakers but won't win any awards for sound quality.
And though it has its quirks, EMUI is way more customizable than Sony ever could be, and I'm not talking about silly themes.
Finally, nothing beats this fingerprint reader.
Go for it! The Honor 9 might be better, but there's always something new coming out. If you really want to upgrade again, sell the Honor 8.
francesco_mnz said:
Hi everyone,
-will it get Android O?
-how's the display in sunlight?
-how's the battery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honor 6 was released with android 4 and later updated to 5.x and then to 6.0.x, if we are lucky, probably honor 8 will get O as well.
Display and battery are good.
Thanks to everyone. I don't know why, but the Honor 8 price is rising instead of dropping:/ a couple of months ago I could get it for more or less 320€, now it's like 345€:/
I'm in a very similar situation since I got my Honor 8 to replace a dying Sony Z2.
I really liked my Z2, and even being as old as it was, there is no phone out there that I would have voluntarily given up my Z2 for.
That said, I am happy with my H8, and I am not looking back.
In their times, the Z2 and Z3 were both high-end phones. I would call the H8 a mid-range phone.
If you are willing to spend upwards of US$500, then there are better phones out there -- Sony XZ, Huawei P9 Pro... etc.
Like a previous post said, the H8 does not have stereo speakers, but the sound from the single speaker at the bottom is better than my Z2 was. The Z2 had a specific problem with the speaker phone being low... I can now actually use my speaker phone.
The H8 also lacks the water proof feature of the high-end Sony's. While I never immersed my Z2, it seemed to die of something that could have been moisture intrusion.
Point is that I really do not miss either of those features in daily use.
Sony was excellent with updates. Only a Nexus device (or Pixel, or whatever) could have been better. I am hoping that Huawei supports this phone for a while, but I would have to say that IMHO expecting them to be as good as Sony was in this respect is not a reasonable expectation. Notice also that I said ..."as good as Sony was". Sony seems to be shrinking in the market, so going forward, they may not be as good as they were.
Camera: My Sony would shoot 4K video --- for about 30 seconds before it would either produce an file that ate all available storage, or it would over heat. I never used it. For anything other than comparing specs (anything practical) I think I can actually do more cool/impressive photography with the H8.
Speed: I have no speed complaints at all with the H8. I've never noticed a lag or anything happening at a speed that would even begin to cause frustration. Processor speed and cost caused the H8 to easily win out for me over the XZ.
Another thing that should not be ignored is Huawei's reputation for building better radios. With both this phone and an old Honor 2, I notice better signal (real, and number of bars) in fringe areas.
Lastly, the feel of the H8 must be mentioned. The feel/build quality/whatever you want to call it is better than any other phone in it's price class.
I agree with the other poster that said (as you mention -- especially in May of 2017) don't over pay for it. Today it should be viewed strictly as a mid-range daily use phone. Decide which range you are in and act/pay accordingly.
Sony have a great reputation for SW update. I've witness this. Z3C phone and tablet had update until 6.0.1, from a SD801. The only reason there is no oficial Nougat update is because Google doesn't want it to happen. But Z3C was beta for Nougat. I can't even remember how hold is my tablet but runs fantastic, zero bugs.
Now moving on to Huawei/Honor, Emui5.1 is coming out on new devices, not available on old.
P9 flagship is still Emui5. Not even mentioning 7.1.1 or latest security updates. When and if they're implemented, they're already outdated.
Honor7 got 1 OS version update and no Nougat. Not even the promised 2 year support.
If we take examples from other brands (OnePlus is also under fire due to false promises about software updates) software updates might be, if not are actually be, the number one thing users get disappointed.
There's definitely a trend amongst some manufacturers to drop support too soon for devices. Apple, very much bashed, is an example of OS support, which is sad.
I heard Honor US has promised to provide this region with two years of updated. Even if they don't, root.
Aside from being able to have exploits run that require root and breaking whatever OTAs we get It's unclear what the point of rooting would be on the Honor 8. There isn't much you can do unless I'm missing something.
Windvcloud said:
Recommend you consider the P10 lite
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
P10 lite instead of Honor 8?
P10 lite:
1. Micro USB
2. No IR
3. Kirin 658< Kirin 950
4. DDR3 RAM
5. Mali T830MP2 (40.8 GFlops)
Honor 8:
1. USB- C
2. IR blaster
3. Kirin 950> Kirin 658
4. DDR4 RAM for 4Gb version
5. Mali T840MP2 (122.4GFlops)
6. Fast battery charging
If you are concerned about constant update flagship phone are your best bet. Honor 8 is in a bad position because of it is a sub brand and has a smaller team you won't get update as often. However it is still a flagship of honor brand thus might qualify for 2 yr support. If you can buy it at the price of midrange phone like p10lite go ahead coz it's a capable phone you won't feel like it's a cheap phone performance wise come android O.
brljak83 said:
Hii @zinko_pt
Thanks for the answer
And I must say I had evan phones wich were missing evan what we have right now with this honor 8
Couse this phone has some software support but its slow like for the ota updates
But had some cheaper phones from like LG wich were stuck at what came out of the box and that was it.. but then I had some phones like Samsung A5 2016 wich are the same price but are not evan close to this phone with its premium build and better support and for the same price evan better benchmarks.. so that is also for A5 2017 where you pay just the overpriced Samsung name..
So yes, it indeed is in some kind of price to value sweet spot..and I would recommend it evan now after one year.. so evan this year of 2017 it is a good phone to buy... Like an flagship for the midrange class
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It all comes down to promises: if a brand makes a promise to support a device for 2 years and release the source code, and then disregard them, it makes untrustworthy. Simple.
---------- Post added at 11:55 ---------- Previous post was at 11:53 ----------
Rommco05 said:
Huawei have allready implemented features from 7.1.1 they dont need this update (except security patch). P8lite rollout with EMUI 4.0 and after some time was updated to EMUI
4.1. Its true Honor and users was confused with Nougat updates, but now start (slowly) pushing realy good updates... In my opinion, one time push to our devices EMUI 5.1 and maybe Android O...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That "except" is the tricky part isn't it? It's security, something with you should roll your dices and see how it goes. We can discuss features but not so security. And Huawei/Honor is always way behind schedule to release security patches. Just not acceptable.
I'm impressed with all video reviews about the Mate 9 and I was about to buy one for myself but I read by coincidence that the Mate 10 with EMUI 6 & Android O on board, hopefully, is on its way so probably I'll buy this model instead but one issue is bothering me with Huawei & their update policy. They said that their phones will get updates every 3 months approximately for the 1st year, then they will stop pushing EMUI updates but they 'll pass on security updates in the 2nd year. Source: http://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/news/huawei-commits-to-24-months-of-security-software-updates-for-its-devices-875550
& tons of people are complaining everywhere about very slow updates and/or being left behind even with costly phones they bought few months ago!!
The question is: if they stop EMUI updates after 1st year for Mate 10, do they mean I won't get OTA updates for EMUI 8 & Android Q in 2019?
i.e. Can i still be able to visit their site and download official updates & install it myself manually through some official software? or they mean there will be NO updates at all? (i.e. I'll have to go through all the hassle of unlocking, rooting and installing a custom ROM?)
Let use as an example the LG V20 "The first device with Android 7.0" released October 2016, And it's still on Android 7.0
LG G6 and G5 still on 7.0
Samsung S7 and of course S8 still on 7.0
unless you're using a Pixel/Nexus don't get your hopes up of timely updates from any OEM.
With that said, I'm confident the Mate 9 will get "O" but who knows when. Well I hope....
oh and wrong forum...
by something else
anything
Do not worry about it. There are several ways to update your ROM. But my suggestion is that if your current ROM works well,
then no need to update it. Every update brings trouble to user, data loss, not smooth, bug, etc. so the best way is to find a
ROM work well, then keep it, do not update any more. The fact is the newer ROM, worse using experience. I do hope to
downgrade my Mate 9 to be Andriod 6, so I can install Xposed Frame, which is very powerful.
Anyway, Mate 9 is the best phone at present, it worth to buy. Do not be hestiate.
luyongfeng said:
Do not worry about it. There are several ways to update your ROM. But my suggestion is that if your current ROM works well,
then no need to update it. Every update brings trouble to user, data loss, not smooth, bug, etc. so the best way is to find a
ROM work well, then keep it, do not update any more. The fact is the newer ROM, worse using experience. I do hope to
downgrade my Mate 9 to be Andriod 6, so I can install Xposed Frame, which is very powerful.
Anyway, Mate 9 is the best phone at present, it worth to buy. Do not be hestiate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Newer update should not make the device worse. And if it does, the OEM f***** up big time. And in my past experience Huawei is doing exactly that.
Both ridiculous advice.
Not updating your phone is bad from a security perspective, and blindly doing so without taking a full-backup is also suicidal.
This should be in the Q&A section.
Pretty much all Android manufacturers will be too slow to update.. or probably never will.. exception is Nexus/Pixel..
Had a Xiaomi Mi Max before.. the STABLE update is stupid slow.. DEVELOPER one is weekly basis, usually on latest version.. but can be buggy..
Bought the Mate 9 3 weeks ago.. and loving it so far.. especially its superb camera (which i feel is better than S8 ones and definitely better than Mi 6 which i returned after 2 days).. and big battery.. also its fast, comparable to Snapdragon 835 (on the Mi 6)..
If you got a good deal, go for it.. in my case, retail price was RM2699 (approx USD620) and i got it for MYR1905 (approx USD440) with free original flip case and glass protector and free shipping..
The Mate 9 is the best phone on the market atm, it doesn't have wow factor when you see it, but it will WOW you after you'll use it.
However, on recent updates(weren't approved by Huawei as far as i know, but released through Firmware Finder) the phone became laggy af, chrome and web browsing is slow and can't play tekken 6 at all, i had to go back to the safest and most stable update, B181.
As far as phone goes, it never slows down and it does everything just perfect, the battery is great at all times, as for updates don't expect much, though it isn't exclusive to Huawei, if you care a lot about updates, buy Pixel XL.
I have to agree. My Mate 9 is absolutely amazing. Coming off the 3t and Pixel, I knew development would be next to nothing in comparison and was comfortable with that. As another user stated though, it's the security updates Im worried about. I'm still on April security patch. Other than r YouTube but I can't shake, the phone is flawless and the learning your habits feature is great! Here's hoping they don't skimp on the ir blaster for the 10!
ikenvape said:
I have to agree. My Mate 9 is absolutely amazing. Coming off the 3t and Pixel, I knew development would be next to nothing in comparison and was comfortable with that. As another user stated though, it's the security updates Im worried about. I'm still on April security patch. Other than r YouTube but I can't shake, the phone is flawless and the learning your habits feature is great! Here's hoping they don't skimp on the ir blaster for the 10!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's funny, because they actually release updates each month for almost all different regions. BUT they don't approve peoples IMEI so they never get the updates...
ante0 said:
It's funny, because they actually release updates each month for almost all different regions. BUT they don't approve peoples IMEI so they never get the updates...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey if use vpn change region can get update ? My mate 9 l29c636b181 check np update always
nchmaster said:
hey if use vpn change region can get update ? My mate 9 l29c636b181 check np update always
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you need to use a sim for that region (Asian in this case, not sure if it has to be any specific).
I bought my phone in Germany so I think I'd need to use a German sim to get updates. I always use the Hwota method to update though.
Mate 9 was never released in Sweden so I don't think I'll ever get OTA updates.
This question is almost a month old now, but I'd like to put in my 2 cents in case someone else's wondering.
At the time of this writing, Mate 10 is supposed to be launched on the 16th of October and expected release is late October or November. If I was deciding between the two phones, I would wait a bit after the phone is available to see feedback on hits and misses, that's at the very least a month or two after release. So that effectively puts it at December / January for me. Other current factors for deciding between 10 and 9 is price as well how easy it is for you to resell should you decide to buy the Mate 9 now and upgrade later. I expect the Mate 10 to launch at a higher price than what you can get the Mate 9 for at the moment.
Huawei's marketing is promising big things for the Mate 10, even saying it'll be better than the upcoming iPhone, but I have a feeling that we've been through this before in the past and that we'll believe it when see it (not holding a breath here).
The rumours so far point towards improved, bezel-less display with slightly higher resolution, improved battery life and charging, as well as the possibility of seeing a new processor.
I would love too see a more globally available 128GB version (and to a lesser extent, a 256GB option). Speaking of internal storage limitations, it would be nice at the very least to have a dedicated SD card slot, making it easier to run a dual SIM setup without affecting storage capabilities. I'm not sure the Mate 10 would be addressing this. Waterproofing would be nice. I was a big fan of AMOLED in the past, but I think I may be leaning a little bit towards LCDs after using the Mate 9. Let's see what the 10's display is going to be like. I hope that Huawei doesn't go for a massive increase in resolution, in order to up their marketing game, as I'd hate to see it impact performance and battery life. I know all of you VR users would not like that, but the Mate is all about productivity and battery life for me. It would be nice if we can have higher, 4k resolution output to external displays though.
Now about the updates concern, I think it's a very valid question. And it does seem double-edged as some of the users have pointed out. I haven't had my Mate 9 for long (only a few days), but judging by what I read here, some firmware releases seem to have affected battery drain, although it's not clear to me whether this was caused by firmware approved by Huawei for mass-release or by users forcing installations of unapproved firmware.
On the other hand, security patches are important, and if downgrading was easy or straightforward, I would have said upgrade immediately and then roll-back afterwards if needed. Unfortunately, from what I can tell so far, it's not that straightforward. Nontheless, and regardless of how easy or difficult the process is, a good, validated backup is a must before any firmware upgrade or downgrade, and Huawei makes it relatively easy to backup using the built-in app which worked very well for me. I can very easily backup app data without the need for rooting (or enabling debugging), something that makes life very easy when upgrading and migrating.
To the user who said that it's messed up that a company would release a firmware that introduces bugs, I would say that the unfortunate truth is that many other companies are guilty of the same. Google is the first one that comes to mind, with long-standing and well documented issues on their Nexus line, particularly with battery drain and Bluetooth connectivity. So in my opinion, I wouldn't single out Huawei.
I do however feel that Huawei is, or at least was, very slow with major firmware upgrade releases, probably the slowest of all the major players. You can look up manufacturers track records for previous and current devices and draw your own conclusions (I get the impression that besides Google, HTC and Motorola lines are not so bad in contrast to Huawei, but that's just my uneducated impression). In the case of the Mate 9 though, looking at the firmware release history (check Team MT), I can see that the European (C432) and global Asian (C636) 'brands' are getting regular updates (almost monthly?). Although not all of those listed updates are necessarily approved for public release, it nevertheless does show evidence of active development. On the other hand, other regions such the US C567 and the Middle East C185, seem to get less frequent updates.
On the topic of major updates, we know it will get Android O. I have no idea whether it will get the next major update after it. My Mate 7 went through two major updates from Kit Kat to Marshmallow. of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that it'll be the same case with the Mate 9.
I wish major manufacturers would be more willing to release source code for drivers (and not just abide by the minimum source-code release requirement). It would definitely prolong the life of perfectly good hardware. If you take a look at Samsung, the situation is not that much better in terms of drivers' code release. Still, I would say custom firmware development on Huawei has got to be the worst among all the major vendors, with very little community backing. This could change seeing how some initiatives are picking up steam (see Openkirin work for other Huawei devices), but I would definitely not bank on it.
On the other hand, and as others have mentioned, the current firmware releases are solid and don't leave much to be desired, and I personally don't feel much of a need to root or mod the current state of this phone. I do run Nova launcher instead of EMUI, and phone seems to play nicely with it.
I was put off upgrading to the Mate 9 after the UFS 2.1 advertising scandal and waited as long as I could before deciding I can't live with the limitations of my previous device. Ended up going for a Mate 9 after all. Looking back, I wish I had gone for it much earlier as it's really a great phone and a pleasure to use.
Edit:
I forgot to mention that my device came with Toshiba UFS 2.0, not 2.1.