Hi everyone,
I'm currently on the lookout for a new Phone, and want one with Stock Android. Currently, I own a Galaxy S4 i9505 and have flashed it with a GPE ROM (since I live outside the US...). I can't imagine going back to some bloatware overloaded ROM, so I need something similar as my new device.
Sadly, it seems that GPE devices are already dying out. Sony only ever made one, HTC did two ( last addition the M8 in spring) and Samsung seems to have dumped their GPE support after one try. The long-rumoured S5 GPE never happened.
Motorola made one attempt, and LG launched a Tablet, that's all there ever was.
Now, what do you think, will there be a revival of this line, or was it DOA? Is it worth waiting for something like a new Samsung GPE, or even Sony, or will I have to start looking for alternatives, that don't really look great?
Moto X 2014 has a small battery, dim screen and not-so-great camera, Nexus 6 is just a little too large for me...and the Droid Turbo will probably never reach Germany and might not be as good (but much more expensive) than the Galaxy S5 or S5+? Apart from the Software, because we all know how great TouchWizz is...
Let me know what you think!
Thanks.
Sadly it seems you share my pessimism...
Related
Hello,
I'm looking for a specific information on the forums but can't find it... i mean, i read something on a topic and the total opposite on another so I thought i could open a new thread to ask it simply...
Birthday of my brother-in-law is getting close and he own a Galaxy Gio for the last year. He was very hostile to smartphones and especially touch screens (as he never used a capacitive before that) and is very pleased with it, despite the fact that internal memory is so poor that he constantly have to uninstall apps to try new ones... App2SD is not working for everything...
Now is the time to buy a new one... budget is 300€ max and after looking a lot of videos on YouTube, HTC One S seems the right choice, despite the fact it is getting "old". HTC One SV which is more young is, imho, not as good and the back design is not elegant like the One S.
First difficulty is to find the S4 version... but i know they have different references and clock speed of the CPU is also different so it is not that hard to know what you buy before you buy.
I'd like to know what is actually the latest stock version of Android available from HTC. Personally, i don't mind tricking my own smartphone, unlock bootloader and install custom roms to find which one suits the best to me (i have a Galaxy Nexus so getting the latest Android version is not really a problem) but my brother-in-law is definitely not a geek and won't even consider doing it. I wish he could experience the JB experience (butter project, ...) with the One S and wonder if both models (S3 and S4) already have an official JB update... and, if positive, which version is it ?
Last but not least, do you think HTC is going to provide an additional update in the future for this One S... and, if positive, what could be given ? Maybe Sense 5.0 ?
Thank you for taking the time to answer me !
The S4 runs on 4.1.1 currently.
HTC has gone on record to say that One S will receive the Sense 5 update is expected sometime in July. HTC hasn't specified whether that'll be 4.1.2 or 4.2, although 4.2 is more likely.
I'm in the market for a new phone and I've simply had enough of the ****ty Apple experience. I'm still using an iPhone 4, though the thing gets so hot when I'm on a phone call I almost feel like Apple should replace for free.
So i'm convinced that I don't want another apple phone. I have the Nexus 7 tablet and absolutely love it. I would love to have a device running stock android (or close to it) that also makes phone calls.
The one criteria: I have to maintain Verizon as my cellular carrier for the time being.
The two phones I'm looking at are the upcoming Moto X and HTC One.
It looks like the GSM variants of the HTC One can easily be rooted to run the goodle play rom, but does that mean the CDMA will also quickly get the same treatment?
So far, everything I see from the Moto X looks pretty good though I'm a bit disappointed in some the crap-quality photos it takes.
I'm hoping there's someone out there that can help with my analysis paralysis and point me in the right direction here. Big thanks!
Hi there quick questionif anyone can help I'd be so so grateful.
1:So I know a lot of this is subjective, but I'm in the very fortunate position of having an HTC One M8 and the Mate 7. I like them probably equally in terms of all of the things I have access to now, but I'm someone who is on Android for control and support (from XDA!)
I've noticed there's very very little about the Mat e7 on XDA, and Huawei in general to be honest. is this because they're still relatively new? Would it be fair to expect new roms/kernels lollipop etc to eventually come to this device? Or is the mate 7 a far more niche and limited device, and I'd be better off with my HTC in that respect? (For example, it feels like developers rush to make things work for popular devices, eg when the HTC M9 comes out Cyanogenmod, Carbon Rom etc will all be working on a veri=sion for that straight away, but the Mate 7 might not get that kind of attention?)
I'm very happy with the M8, it's just the fingerprint scanner and mega battery life are lovely on the Mate 7. I suppose basically the question is, is this a phone I can put my faith in enough to sell my HTC? I've barely even heard of Huawei :s If someone is either able to reassure me OR tell me I've got plenty to be worried about, either would be fantastic!
And maybe if anyone is able to comment on which phone they would choose, that might help me even more!
Cheers
For dev support, you can always rely on big names as samsung, lg, sony, motorola and htc. What you said is true -- there is little to no dev attention to the likes of huawei, lenovo, etc.
That said, I came from samsung tab and samsung note 2. The dev support was overwhelming. I flashed differnt custom rom every week just for the fun and thrill of using something new. But I got tired too.
Then I got the lenovo vibe z2 pro-- a relatively new monster of a phone too! But it does not even have a separate thread here in xda, and I could not even get a phone case locally! Lucke enough, my brother got my vibe z2 pro coz he loves the aluminum build so much and he will just continue to pay for it.
I have been eyeing the mate 7 since it was announced. Loved the unibody design, the humongous battery and the fastest fingerscanner in android! So when it was launched in the philippines about 2 weeks ago, I preordered and was the first owner officilaly in thr philippines! Thats how excited I am!
I was looking to have the silver color though, but only the gold one was released locally. Also the silver one is the 16gb/2gb combo. So for the future, its nice to get the 32gb/3gb combo.
I think it is somewhat guaranteed that the mate 7 would receive the loliipop update considering its the new flagship of huawei. I just dont know when.
Do I miss my old note? You bet I am! Inspite of touchwiz being bloated, there is so much you can do with it! Plus the spen has a while wide use and functionality I have never found in any phone!
For now, I am contented with my mate 7, unlocked and unrooted. I guess its the thrill of using something new. And for its many features, its definitely value for you rmoney.
Hello Slim ROM fans. I've got a tough choice to make. I currently have a Galaxy S3 (i747m) which is running Slim LP 5.1.1 beautifully. I love this ROM. I recently flashed the S3 back to the stock touchwiz and instantly missed the Slim ROM. It has become a major factor in the purchase of my next phone.
Anyways, my contract has expired and I figure that since I am going to keep the same plan that my last contract had, I might as well resign and get a cheap / free upgrade to a new phone. My biggest problem is which phone to pick...and most importantly, make sure there is a Slim LP ROM for it...or at least in the works. I have tried Slim Kat and Bean but I prefer LP. Also, installing Kat or Bean is difficult now because any new phone comes pre-loaded with the latest bootloaders which apparently will not boot the older versions of Android, so I'm pretty much stuck with Slim LP....not that I mind tho. So here are my choices.
Galaxy S4 (i337m)
Galaxy S5 (not sure which model exactly, but its from Fido so Canadian version Im sure)
LG G3 (D852)
Sony Xperia M4 Aqua (unknown model)
So what do you all think? I am biased towards the Samsungs for the better contrast screens (super AMOLED) and extra buttons so keep that in mind.
Wow, no thoughts on this eh?
Nexus line maybe a good line to follow
Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk
You have to be careful when buying a carrier branded phone because they often come with locked bootloaders which can be difficult to unlock, if an exploit even exists. You're best bet is pay the extra money and get a dev edition device that has an easily unlockable bootloader.
Interesting post and way to choose your next phone.
But I totally understand.
The last couple phones I chose, the Slim was no longer being developed for.
And with Slim being my favorite base ROM, upon which several other VERY cool ROM's are based, it meant my phones were very limited in ROM choices.
After some [very] quick research, it seems Slim has been on the down-low for awhile now and may still not be developing much until after Marshmallow hits.
So, as mentioned above, a Nexus device is likely your best bet.
And if you're not on T-Mobile or Sprint, then totally forget about Samsung. Because AT&T and Verizon Samsung are totally screwed with the locked bootloaders.
One phone to keep an eye on is the relatively new unlocked (for all carriers) Motorola Moto X Pure 5.7" device.
As of yet, there are no ROM's. But development for prior generations appears to have been pretty decent. And this phone will have an unlocked bootloader on all carriers.
My beloved N5 has been acting wonky the last couple weeks and I need to consider a replacement, as my new job doesn't leave much time for troubleshooting. Could I get some informed opinions on the best Android phone currently on the market to replace my N5?
My two must-haves are:
1) Must be able to root at least as easily as N5. Again, I'm time-pressed and can't spend hours fussing over it.
2) Must have a removable/user-replaceable battery -- the REGULAR kind, where you don't have to disassemble the phone to replace it. That's my biggest gripe about the Nexus.
Otherwise, N5-level specs or better are fine.
Thanks in advance!
Really depends on how much you want to spend but the LG G3/G4 or Samsung S5 may be a good choice.
audit13 said:
Really depends on how much you want to spend but the LG G3/G4 or Samsung S5 may be a good choice.
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Thanks. I was thinking about the G4, but with the G5 supposedly out in 45 days, I wonder if I can milk my N5 that long? Wonder how long it will take people to develop a rooting mechanism? Seems like a quarter of my apps need root access.
IMO, this phone ran A LOT better on Lolipop than it does on M. Maybe that's my problem...
I like mm better than LP on the n5. I am currently using a stock s4 at the moment. I got it really cheap and want to make sure it functions properly before passing it on to a family member.
Xiaomi MI5
Posté depuis Nexus 5 / Miui7 by Miui-France
I'm in the same boat. My N5 is about done. Already replaced the charging port thingy but now the mic is going out and it needs a new battery badly.
I was hoping I'd be able to limp along till the new Nexus with an 820 but it doesn't look like I can last another 6 months. The LG G5 looks promising and I'm gonna try to wait till it comes out.
You can really get some good deals on the LG G4 if you shop around right now. Sure it's coming up to a year old, but it's still a fantastic phone with a removable battery. It doesn't feel too sluggish and you can probably find a nice ROM to put on there. The LG G5 is dope. It's much easier to replace the battery on this model and would be nice to have. It's also apparently slightly smaller so I'd enjoy that more. I expect it to be quite expensive though as it launches later this year.
Personally for me, I'm falling in love with the Galaxy S7. I know it doesn't have a removable battery, but it has a Micro SD card slot, sensible size and features Samsung Pay arriving in the UK this year. Ultimately though, there's still nothing wrong with my Nexus 5, so I've no sensible reason as of right now to upgrade.
Choose wisely!
OnePlus X if ASOP is your style.. LG G5 if your wallet permits..
im planning also to replace my nexus 5.
my 1st choice is the Lenovo ZUK Z1 (cyanogen OS) and the other would be 1+2 or LG G4.
I have replaced my nexus 5 with a LG G4 two months ago and I absolutely love it. Awesome camera, great battery life and a really nice screen. Rooting my G4 was simple to, but keep in mind that the non European versions don't have an official bootloader unlock and an unofficial unlock may never come. But if you have the European version like me than you won't have problems with rooting and flashing custom roms. If you like really active development than maybe the G4 won't be the best choice for you due all other versions of the G4 can't be unlocked...
Lim Wee Huat said:
OnePlus X if ASOP is your style.. LG G5 if your wallet permits..
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Are the One Plus phones easily rooted and bootloader unlocked?
I thought the G4 was locked down tight if you wanted one with a US warranty?
Not really looking at these devices from tweakers' point of view.. Actually ever since after KK, there ain't much more to do with LP or the current MM. Its BETTER NOT to tweak/root them. If you're into Android dev, stay in KK.. I am..???? If you have noticed, much of the popular devs have already long left the Android development scene..
Lim Wee Huat said:
Not really looking at these devices from tweakers' point of view.. Actually ever since after KK, there ain't much more to do with LP or the current MM. Its BETTER NOT to tweak/root them. If you're into Android dev, stay in KK.. I am..???? If you have noticed, much of the popular devs have already long left the Android development scene..
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I root and unlock the bootloader mostly to use utils like Titanium Backup and TWRP.
Maybe I should just buy a 6P and a spare battery while the latter are still available? Is the 6P easily rooted and bootloader unlocked, or is that screwed down tight?
Not really sure about the 6P.. I'm still using my Nexus 5, 7 (2012) and 10.. Multirom with several 4.4.4s.. With and without GApps. Dalvik is still the best.