Just picked an iPhone 6 and... - General Topics

Holy bawlz is this screen bad.
SRS, first thing I noticed as soon as it booted.
How come people find this screen good? I'm not gonna say it sucks but it definitely doesn't feel top notch. Compared to the one on my Nexus 5 it looks sorta fuzzy. Now I do understand that the N5 has higher PPI, but come on now, I can see the pixels, retina my arse. And not only that, idk if it's the OS or something else but when scrolling up and down menus or notifications there's this weird motion blur effect, like it had a lower refresh rate compared to the N5. Even my good old Lumia 920 feels quicker when scrolling, it's like 50hz screen vs 60hz screen, if you're used to the latter you can't really go back without noticing.
Also scrolling in the browser is so slow it hurts. I do understand that iOS has a more controlled scrolling, but this is way too slow, WP8 style of scrolling is the sweet spot.
I also understand that maybe not many apps on the store are updated to the new res, but come on now, even the battery percentage looks blurry.
I reckon the i6 screen has better viewing angles than the N5 and has a higher max brightness, but I can't believe that Apple can get away with putting what still is a subpar panel on a 700€+ phone, and yet all the reviewers saying this screen is the best thing after sliced bread. Is this real life? Are these people blind or something?
Disclaimer: fortunately I bought this for my GF and not for me, still feel dumb for doing so doe.

Related

Captivate Screen Quality?

A user posted this in the galaxy s forums: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=727487
he states that in an all whitebackground a slight yellow line can be viewed on the left and a slight purp line is visible on the right edge.
is this anomaly visible on our captivate?
p.s. according to them this line is not part of the pixels and doesn't take up screen space.
I dont see any yellow or purple lines while viewing the white background of this forum.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Thats good I've had this suspicion that the captivate was cleaned up nicely for the U.S. compared to the Galaxy S. But then we get no front facing cam. lol
I agree. My captivate shows no such lines. The screen quality is amazing. It's better in sun light than regular AMOLED screens, but it could still be better.
LockeCPM4 said:
I agree. My captivate shows no such lines. The screen quality is amazing. It's better in sun light than regular AMOLED screens, but it could still be better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wont lie. In terms of sharpness, it isn't quite up to the iPhone 4's retina display. But this screen is down right beautiful. I showed it to my Fiancee since she's heard the whole drama of $350 vs. $500 and she didn't know I was going to get it today. The first thing she said was "oh my god, that screen is beautiful." She currently has the iPhone 3gs.
This screen is just flat out amazing.
Its a pentile matrix screen like the nexus one. Fuzzy edges on text.
I agree amazingly beautiful screen. AT&T rep let me walk outside with him and he was quite impressed (being the typical Iphone worshipper) he was incredily impressed as am I...12 hours I'll have one
I picked one up the instant that my local AT&T store opened today. The screen is good. I was coming from an older iphone so the screen is a step up, but compared side by side to the iphone 4 its not anywhere near as good. If the iphone 4 is a 10 out of 10 then this phone is probably a 8 out of 10. I would put my old iphone at a 6 out of 10 overall.
My screen has no lines in it or any stuck or dead pixels at all that I can see. So overall build quality is excellent in my book.
It's a subjective thing. I like the screen better than the iPhone4
in the store the screen looks really bright, contrasty and awesome
the only thing is for me if i hold it 8in or less (although who holds their phone that close anyway) from my face i can see the pixels moderately well.
still probably the next best thing from an iphone4 screen
Holding Captivate and Nexus one side by side , screen is definitely better on Captivate, same resolution , but brighter less reflective. A little bit bigger 4" vs 3.7''. I did not compare it to iPhone as i am only interested in Android OS, but it would be nice if resolution was 720p

Just for Vibrant user's, How many switched and why?

Just curious to know why you gave up on the Vibrant?
I bought the Vibrant on launch day - LOVED IT....
Then.... the GPS problems started... and seemed to get worse over time, to the point where the phone was rebooting itself when I used the GPS for more than just a few minutes (regardless of the app).
I updated to JI6 when it was released by Samsung since it was supposed to fix the issues, or at least make them a little better. HA! I used GPS that night on the way home, had a strong GPS lock... I was about half way home and looked down and it showed me in the middle of a river. What was truely laughable was that it was saying accurate to within 30 feet - and ever better was that the river it showed me in the middle of was over a mile away!
I swapped the Vibrant for a Nexus One, but after having seen the performance of the MT4G and the fact that everything I ever had rooted for before on other phones was right there ready to go stock-out-of-the-box on the MyTouch, I made the leap.
Something else that sold me - the screen. I can actually read the screen in sunlight better than I could the Nexus... Sure, the Vibrant was a little better in that area than the Nexus, but still not as good as this.
Oh yes - the front facing camera was a selling point as well. A lot of my friends (I say that term loosely since I dont like being associated with crApple fans!) have iphones and use video chat a lot via Tango - I just wanted to be part of the crowd without further lining Job's pockets and no way in hell was I going to AT&T.
30Glock said:
Just curious to know why you gave up on the Vibrant?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Led notifications, ffc, samsung, and one of the main reasons... The horrible plastic feel
Samshitty, need I say more? Hardware not in sync with software does no good at all. Myt4G= Latest operating system, better processor/hardware, ffc, desk clock(best), FM radio, Sense (Love it) pinch to zoom email, best browser, better gaming, Genius button, no lag, less expensive,wifi calling, More ram (768), best battery to date, everything just works and is included. Unlike the predecessors, no need for make-shifts to get the stuff we want. It is more of a complete package then any Android phone to date.
I'm gonna keep using both but the mytouch is the superior phone. For me, the overall function of the mytouch is the reason. There are some things that the vibrant does do better though - 1. The samoled on the vibrant is definitely better (I love the true blacks and contrast ratio on this thing) 2. The speakers are also noticeably better with richer and fuller sound 3. The GPU is also more capable 4. Audio quality for media is better (mytouch and HTC phones in general have too much bass and not enough detail) 5. The camera while lacking flash is more capable 5. The multitouch, responsiveness, and feel of the screen is better 6. And the last thing is the notification bar is the best I've seen on an Android phone (the ability to have those toggle settings, change brightness by swiping, and change music tracks are amazing). Everything else, the mytouch does better. 1) GPS is much better 2) Solid feel while the vibrant felt plastic and creaked 3)FFC 3. Camera flash 4. Froyo 5. Optical trackpad 6. Much better battery life 7. The user experience is buttery smooth with little or no lag on this thing 8. The notification led
Wow sorry for the essay guys, got a little carried away haha.
When you say the plastic creaked, were you handling the white one? Only the white one has all that plastic - the rest have hard rubber - no creaking involved!
JWhipple said:
When you say the plastic creaked, were you handling the white one? Only the white one has all that plastic - the rest have hard rubber - no creaking involved!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My bad man, I meant the vibrant felt plastic and creaked. I fixed it in my post. I have the black mytouch, feels really good with the rubberized plastic. You're right though, only the white has the plastic (main reason I chose the black over white, the other being a three-toned color setup for white which looks funny IMO).
I jumped ship tonight aswell. Main reason for me is because I love the widgets and the fact that I have a notification light after months of torture.
just picked up the mytouch 4g in plum color last night. will need to use this device for at least a few weeks to gauge whether i want to sell my vibrant or not. since i have two phone lines, as one phone is for my job, i will probably end up keeping both and just sell my hd2.
my opinion as it stands now, towards the vibrant, is that the vibrant can be the best android phone available if and when samsung fixes all the issues on the upcoming froyo 2.2 update. i.e., laggy rfs file system and persistent problems with gps even after the ji6 update.
I used the Vibrant from the first week's release. The Vibrant screen is way overrated. Sure, the blacks looks a thought they've been painted on the screen, but that's really how far I would go with its advantages. Readability on the MT4G is vastly better. And, the thing that made the Vibrant terrible was its color reproduction. White were blueish, and because the white balance was so off, all other colors were just completely off. This phone can show true whites. Another subtlety is the fact that varying brightness levels is oh so much smoother on the mt4g. You can't achieve that yet with SAMOLED, as brightness levels would go up or down in stages. I found it a little distracting.
The rfs file system was a main deal breaker to me. It got really annoying. Why did Samsung have to try and be different? It caused the majority of the lag in the phone in comparison to similar phones with the same specs.
For example, when I ran the Napster and Thumbplay apps on the Vibrant, it would take foreeeeever to load the album art and no other phones except Samsung phones have that problem apparently. On the mt4g, it loads instantaneously.
waiaung1 said:
I'm gonna keep using both but the mytouch is the superior phone. For me, the overall function of the mytouch is the reason. There are some things that the vibrant does do better though - 1. The samoled on the vibrant is definitely better (I love the true blacks and contrast ratio on this thing) 2. The speakers are also noticeably better with richer and fuller sound 3. The GPU is also more capable 4. Audio quality for media is better (mytouch and HTC phones in general have too much bass and not enough detail) 5. The camera while lacking flash is more capable 5. The multitouch, responsiveness, and feel of the screen is better 6. And the last thing is the notification bar is the best I've seen on an Android phone (the ability to have those toggle settings, change brightness by swiping, and change music tracks are amazing). Everything else, the mytouch does better. 1) GPS is much better 2) Solid feel while the vibrant felt plastic and creaked 3)FFC 3. Camera flash 4. Froyo 5. Optical trackpad 6. Much better battery life 7. The user experience is buttery smooth with little or no lag on this thing 8. The notification led
Wow sorry for the essay guys, got a little carried away haha.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may be long winded, but you said EXACTLY the reasons. I lived some things about my Vibrant that the mT4G just can't or doesn't do as well, but I swapped out for the 4G and an very happy I did so.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
I did it for the speed,ummm speed, and ummm speed..basically.
lghorn said:
You may be long winded, but you said EXACTLY the reasons. I lived some things about my Vibrant that the mT4G just can't or doesn't do as well, but I swapped out for the 4G and an very happy I did so.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
#4 reason is open to debate. Some say the GPU on myt4g is better than the Vibrant. I've used the vibrant rooted almost a month and I think myt4g GPU is better. Next G2 and then the Vibrant.
http://androidevolutions.com/2010/1...wervr-sgx540-hummingbird-in-samsung-galaxy-s/
The Hummingbird wins in one area of GPU only. in all other areas G2 wins. Which is slightly inferior to myt4g processor.
No more Sammy for me!
I had the same issues with the Vibrant as just about everyone else who has posted replies:
- unuseable GPS
- no camera Flash
- No notification light
- No FFC
- I hate capacitive buttons
- no trackpad
- no HSPA+
The only thing I liked better about the Vibrant is the screen...it is a beautiful screen that the MT4G can't compete with, but with all the other problems the Vibrant has, the screen is not enough to make me keep it.
I spent more time flashing ROM's on my Vibrant than actually using it...sure, it makes you feel cool for the first week when you are adding new features and trying new ROM's, but it gets very old very quickly when the UI changes, but the crappy hardware is still limited and there is nothing you can do about that except to buy a decent phone...for now, that is the MT4G.
floepie said:
I used the Vibrant from the first week's release. The Vibrant screen is way overrated. Sure, the blacks looks a thought they've been painted on the screen, but that's really how far I would go with its advantages. Readability on the MT4G is vastly better. And, the thing that made the Vibrant terrible was its color reproduction. White were blueish, and because the white balance was so off, all other colors were just completely off. This phone can show true whites. Another subtlety is the fact that varying brightness levels is oh so much smoother on the mt4g. You can't achieve that yet with SAMOLED, as brightness levels would go up or down in stages. I found it a little distracting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The main drawback to the Vibrant's screen, IMO, was the jaggy text. amoled and S-amoled screens use the pentile arrangement of pixels, which gives one less sub-pixel to each individual pixel (2 instead of 3). This makes text look pixelated.
Text looks very sharp and clear on the MT4G. Speed and good GPS are the two main reasons I switched. HTC just knows how to make android phones. Everything works very well on the phone and it flies!
kamasi36 said:
#4 reason is open to debate. Some say the GPU on myt4g is better than the Vibrant. I've used the vibrant rooted almost a month and I think myt4g GPU is better. Next G2 and then the Vibrant.
http://androidevolutions.com/2010/1...wervr-sgx540-hummingbird-in-samsung-galaxy-s/
The Hummingbird wins in one area of GPU only. in all other areas G2 wins. Which is slightly inferior to myt4g processor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could very well be correct but I kinda wanna see the tests once the Galaxy S phones get Froyo for a fair comparison. It is a known fact that Froyo adds somewhat of a boost to graphics performance seen by older Snapdragon processor phones performing better in graphics benchmarks after updating to Froyo. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I am right but from using both phones, it seems like the Vibrant is able to handle 720p HD videos and games a little better (the games could be due to devs not coding the games properly for the new Adreno 205). If you guys wanna see a comparison, I say you run the same games and HD videos side by side, and not rely too much on benchmark numbers. What I find interesting is that, the video frames are noticeably smoother on the Vibrant when running the Quadrant benchmark.
waiaung1 said:
You could very well be correct but I kinda wanna see the tests once the Galaxy S phones get Froyo for a fair comparison. It is a known fact that Froyo adds somewhat of a boost to graphics performance seen by older Snapdragon processor phones performing better in graphics benchmarks after updating to Froyo. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I am right but from using both phones, it seems like the Vibrant is able to handle 720p HD videos and games a little better (the games could be due to devs not coding the games properly for the new Adreno 205). If you guys wanna see a comparison, I say you run the same games and HD videos side by side, and not rely too much on benchmark numbers. What I find interesting is that, the video frames are noticeably smoother on the Vibrant when running the Quadrant benchmark.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Froyo does it no good as far as the GPU. It is designed to enhance optimize the CPU. JIT. Which is why even with JIT activated on the leaked froyo (att) it didn't improve in MFLOPS where the Qualcomm processors did. (5) times improvement. AS for games. I have been playing asphalt on the myt4G and it is a better experience then the vibrant. (butter)
The above poster is right when he says that HTC does better with Android then Samsung. All the Samsung Android devices had problems. Most notably, no support. HTC makes better Android devices. Period.
kamasi36 said:
Froyo does it no good as far as the GPU. It is designed to enhance optimize the CPU. JIT. Which is why even with JIT activated on the leaked froyo (att) it didn't improve in MFLOPS where the Qualcomm processors did. (5) times improvement. AS for games. I have been playing asphalt on the myt4G and it is a better experience then the vibrant. (butter)
The above poster is right when he says that HTC does better with Android then Samsung. All the Samsung Android devices had problems. Most notably, no support. HTC makes better Android devices. Period.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know JIT mostly improves CPU performance but phones such as the Nexus One did get a little bit of a GPU jump in graphics benchmarks after getting Froyo. The reason I think is because these graphics benchmarks are not 100% GPU only; a little bit of CPU is involved as well. An example of a CPU affecting graphics is the PS3, the CPU does wonders for it which is evident through amazing graphics in first party games like uncharted 2 because the system is being used more efficiently. Another thing that Froyo adds is better memory management (unlocks hi mem and manages it better) which should also affect these scores a little IMO. I just don't think it's a fair comparison until the Vibrant receives the actual Froyo update, that's all I'm saying. It could be the case that they are even or that the adreno 205 is better, we'll find out once Froyo arrives.
P.S I whole-heartedly agree with you two that HTC makes a lot better android phones, heck phones in general, than Samsung.

Do you like the One S display?

I just want to know if you satisfied with the One S pentile matrix screen. I have a Sam S2 and recently bought a One S (S3 chipset) and i noticed the lcd is very pixelated (if its a real word, sry for my English) compared with the S2's screen. Its not too bad but noticeable and a bit disappointing. How you live with this?
gszabi said:
I just want to know if you satisfied with the One S pentile matrix screen. I have a Sam S2 and recently bought a One S (S3 chipset) and i noticed the lcd is very pixelated (if its a real word, sry for my English) compared with the S2's screen. Its not too bad but noticeable and a bit disappointing. How you live with this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By not being incredibly picky. The phone wasn't cheap, so before I signed a contract, I made sure I was happy with every aspect of the phone. While I do agree it's pixelated, and that my Sensation had slightly better quality, I am incredibly happy with the screen. I'm rarely centimeters away from the screen so I can live with it especially because the color reproduction is amazing.
gszabi said:
I just want to know if you satisfied with the One S pentile matrix screen. I have a Sam S2 and recently bought a One S (S3 chipset) and i noticed the lcd is very pixelated (if its a real word, sry for my English) compared with the S2's screen. Its not too bad but noticeable and a bit disappointing. How you live with this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you just get used to it after a while. I couldn't stand the screen when I first got the phone, It stopped me using it regularly because I just used to get annoyed at the screen! (sad I know) But now I don't even think about the screen because I'm so used to it. I came from the Desire S which had a S-LCD display and a 480x800 display so that was a very good screen considering it was only 3.7 inches! I found the amoled colours of the one s to be extremely saturated. I didn't like the yellowish/blueish whites and the fact that every time you slightly changed the angle of the screen the colours would turn slightly blue. Text looked pixelated especially on a white background, that doesn't help considering a key part of sense 4 settings is all white background. It took me a good month to get used to the screen and 3 months in, I'm used to it Possibly getting the Nexus 4 soon so doubt I'll have much longer with this phone anyway.
Sorry for the little off topic might pickup a one s didn't want to start a new thread...
I saw the one s at my local fido store and damn its so snappy even whit sense !! But i tried the one x and it was somewhat slower is this normal ? Flicking through homescreens just werent the same..
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
I did notice it some when I first got it, but I really don't anymore at all, and like was said above, I'm never close enough to my display to really notice it. I think the screen is incredible, as is every other aspect of the phone. I LOVE my One S.
I thought it would annoy me, but the phone was free so I decided to bite the bullet. I've had the phone 6 months now, and I really don't notice it at this point.
I love the one S display, sure the screen isn't as sharp as the GN, GS 3 and one X etc. and you don't get as much screen real estate but everything else is just as good, if not better:
- one of the best screens in sun light, don't even have to put my screen above 70% brightness in direct sun light in order to be able to make stuff out easily and this is on a darkish background too, MUCH better than the GN and GS 2 in this area
- colour reproduction is superb, my screen is pretty much perfect, whites are super white, brighter white than my dell u2311h, iirc a review site stated that the screen is better calibrated than the GS 3 SAMOLED screen
- no tinting at all on mine, usually with AMOLED screens you get a blue or yellow tint, which is noticeable at angles on whites but not on mine (this varies with every single screen though)
- of course blacks are black and the viewing angles are superb
- high contrast ratio etc. so games and videos look great
I only notice the pentile when looking at white text on black backgrounds and a few icons, but only when I really look for it and have my face pretty close to the screen. I find the one S screen to be sharper overall compared to the GS 2 screen.
I have had the one S beside the GS 2, GN and GS 3 and personally I didn't like the GS 2 screen at all, res. is too low so things are huge (felt like an old man using a phone designed for people with poor eye sight ), colours are far too saturated/warm. The GN screen is nice and sharp but the colours aren't saturated enough, rather dull over all and plus both phones are poor in comparison to the S for view ability in the sunshine. The GS 3 screen is great, better than the GN, however, I think the one S screen looks better for colours.
Anandtech more or less summed up my thoughts:
What’s different, however, is how well HTC has controlled the color temperature and gamma compared to Motorola in the RAZR. As shown in the HCFR galleries below, gamma is pretty close to 2.2 until you get to the high end, and color temperature is pretty close to 6500K, except at the two darkest grey points. This is so much better than any other OEM calibration of an AMOLED panel I’ve taken a look at, which is rather humorous because the panel is undoubtably Samsung’s. HTC is also letting the panel go pretty bright, up past 350 nits, instead of clamping it way down around 200 (I’m looking at you, Galaxy Nexus) to save power. I also haven’t noticed blacks not being totally off on the One S like I have with some others. Of course, colors are still massively oversaturated if your source color space is sRGB.
I’ve griped about PenTile RGBG before on this panel and other SAMOLED displays, but I find the One S to be completely enjoyable in spite of having it thanks to two things. First, how well HTC has controlled the panel (no awful hues, weird white points, or dramatic shifts as you change brightness) - this is basically the best I’ve seen this particular panel, and until SGS3, the best I’ve seen AMOLED in general. Second, because HTC doesn’t appear to be applying any processing that applies sharpening (like Samsung’s mDNIe) to text.
How you feel about PenTile really is the final factor: it’s there, but I’ve slowly become accustomed to it after staring at it for so long. If you go back to the Nexus S days, I was one of the most outspoken critics because of how large those subpixels were. With small enough subpixels (below visual acuity), PenTile starts to make sense. In other news, HTC moving back to Samsung AMOLED for phones is an interesting move after supply issues forced HTC to SLCD with some earlier phones, here on the HTC One S however, it looks great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5868/htc-one-s-review-international-and-tmobile/6
My solution: Get old. You probably can't see all the minute issues you guys think matter, and you don't really care if you do. Every phone I've ever had has had a better screen than the previous and I think that's pretty nice.
I hate the screen, drives me nuts. I found that using a theme that mostly uses blacks and whites makes it more bearable though.
mbh87 said:
I hate the screen, drives me nuts. I found that using a theme that mostly uses blacks and whites makes it more bearable though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have to agree. Thing is apart from the screen it's a fantastic phone. It's so fast, battery life is great and the camera is great. I don't even think the screen would be that bad if it wasn't pentile it's just the fact that it's a pentile display it makes the phone look way more pixelated than it should be
I think I need to go to specsavers, I've never noticed a problem with the screen.
The screen on this is amazing. Don't notice any pixellation whilst on it . It's quite an improvement over my old Wildfires QVGA 3.5 inch 240x320 TFT display.
Sent from my HTC One S using Tapatalk 2
If you switched from Wildfire you cant see this but if you had any phone in the alike pixel density and resolution you can see the difference. According to others opinion its not bad, the perfect color saturation, contrast etc will eliminate the bad feeling about those subpixels.
HTC does calibrate their screens nicely
I suppose it depends on what you're used to. When you come from an iPhone or high-end LCD-screen you probably will get annoyed with this display. However, when this is your first touchscreen smartphone or when you had a smartphone with a low-end display before this one, you will probably be able to cope with the slight pixilation.
Personally, even with this being my first touchscreen smartphone and coming from an E72 with a PPI of about 170, the display of this device would be the only reason for me to buy a One X or Nexus 4. That being said; you don't buy a smartphone solely for its display, you buy it for the complete package (price, battery, design, display, size, cpu/gpu, storage, support, OS, cloud integration etc.). And for me, the package the One S offers is more compelling than that of most other smartphones one the market.
I compared the One S screen to that of my Galaxy Nexus and honestly, when it comes to clarity, there isn't much of a difference. If you are in your twenties with near perfect eyesight and able to hold the phone less than a foot from your face then you will probably see pixelation but at normal distances it isn't an issue. For me it seems that anything above 250ppi is fine - my original Galaxy S was less (I think 233ppi) and that display was pixelated to me, but then again it was an earlier generation screen, I'm sure there have been other refinements besides resolution since then.
One S 256 PPI
Sam Galaxy S2 217 PPI but looks sharper.
Its all about the pixel placement, pentile matrix is a pattern. This matrix gives us better colors because more subpixels. Google for it there are many info i cant explain it in english
I come from an LG Optimus 2x, 4'' ips display, 800x480, and I feel this display better IMHO.
Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app
gszabi said:
One S 256 PPI
Sam Galaxy S2 217 PPI but looks sharper.
Its all about the pixel placement, pentile matrix is a pattern. This matrix gives us better colors because more subpixels. Google for it there are many info i cant explain it in english
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I said Galaxy S, not S2.
Yes the S2 was/is superior despite the lower resolution thanks to the RGB arrangement (not pentile). The original Galaxy S was pentile, and not that great by today's standards.
It's okay, but I'm actually kind of unsatisfied with the blacks. I thought it would be completely black, but when I have a black picture shown on the phone in a completely dark room, the screen still lights up
Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app

First Impressions

I was so excited that my Pixel 4a arrived yesterday, been shopping for a new phone for quite some times. My old phone is HTC U11, which I still love a lot, but it's getting a bit unreliable, and the picture quality is a bit lacking compared with phones these days.
So, my first impressions:
1. It is so small, almost too small! It's good and bad. Screen size on paper is bigger than my U11, but Pixel 4a screen is narrower, so it's taking some times to get used to.
2. The screen color is a little warm (yellowish) to my taste... I hope there will be tweaks in the future to fix that. Also, the brightness of the screen is not as strong as my U11. I need to set it to around 75% even indoor...
3. The Android 10 gesture navigation needs some getting used to as well. I run an app called "All in One Gestures" on the U11, it allows me to launch 3 different apps of choice on both edges of the screen, swiping in at different directions. So, I don't want to use the Android 10 gestures which take up the side edges for "back" function. Anyway, "All in One Gestures" keep crashing on Pixel 4a, I think maybe it needs root access, or it just won't run on Android 10... I found another app that is similar in functionalities that seems to work ok for now, it can run 4 apps (2 on each side, depending on short vs long swipe). So, I still prefer the traditional 3 button navigation.
4. I wish they have in screen fingerprint sensor, or power button fingerprint sensor, I usually have my phone lay down on a table and I want to unlock it.
5. I miss the edge sense on U11 - squeeze to launch cam, squeeze again to take pictures. I am ok to work with double-tab power to launch camera, but then there is no convenient way to take picture (like squeeze), have to press the shutter on screen. (Edit: just found out can use power down button to take picture, seems quite convenient...)
So sounds like a lot of negatives, but after setting it up to my taste, I am starting to like it. Every good things you heard from the Internet are true. Night mode cameras are magic. I weighted camera as an important feature and so I am expecting that the good camera would greatly offset the other negatives I listed.
My only complaint is the screen brightness. Anything less than 80% and stuff just starts dissapearing on the screen. At the lower levels you can't even tell the screen is on. Just going to have to turn adaptive off and set it to 100% brightness full time.
hmm... Comin from a op7pro, the screen brightness to me seems totally fine out of the box really. maybe 10 or so percent higher than what I kept the 7pro on, ~60% instead of ~50% but don't need it maxed or anything crazy. High brightness is a bit less than HBM mode on 7pro but it works, I also like how they alter the screen colors to help visibility when in direct sunlight. The OP devices don't do that.
My 4a screen looks pretty well calibrated, doesn't look too warm or cold at all to me. No tint issues at low brightness.
Audio quality is actually pretty good, especially for such an inexpensive device, I was having flashbacks of nexus devices and no, this 4a is better than those.
Not seen any stutter or lag at all really, maybe 3 times for a split second during all of phone setup/installing ~80 apps.
Camera takes pics fast, no lag on snapping to seeing the pic. Haven't tried with HDR+ but regular HDR for sure is quicker than anything else but other pixels. The camera preview is indeed garbage, not so much in good lighting but especially in dark/night shots, the picture you get looks a million times better than what the preview showed before you took it.
I got my 4a on 20th, Aug.
I don't have enough time, I haven't tried much yet.
But it's very smooth and fast. Good for me.
I found a Bug(?), NFC cannot ON/OFF by pressing NFC icon in QS Panel.
(NFC can be turned ON/OFF by following the setting menu)
a few functions I've confirmed:
aptX music playback with Bluetooth Headset (w/ Shure RMCE-BT2)
LTE Carrier aggregation by "4G+" sign
VoLTE (call and receive)
I will try various things from now on.
First evening of using. I agree with points already mentioned. But the one thing bothering me most I'm noticing is the adaptive brightness constantly jumping around. Anyone else with adaptive brightness issues?
More thoughts after 1st full day of use (work from home due to COVID-19):
1. Battery barely lasted my full day at home. I think my phone usage is less while working from home compared to a"normal" day at work. So a little disappointed, probably need to charge mid day.
2. I love the call screen function, it's so useful, can read what the other party on the line has to say.
I think it's too early to decide/discuss battery life.
At this moment, as you say, it feels like "keep one day".
But I don't think it's right for now.
I think that Currently the "Screen On Time" is longer than in normal(usual) use.
my previous phone (Motorola Moto G5 Plus) was kept for about 3 days with one full charge.
I would like to expect the same for my 4a....
About "Adapitive Brightness"
no problems found. my pixel4a looks like working properly.
andyshinn said:
First evening of using. I agree with points already mentioned. But the one thing bothering me most I'm noticing is the adaptive brightness constantly jumping around. Anyone else with adaptive brightness issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes! This has been driving me crazy. I can't always reproduce it but it seems to be the worst in a dimly lit room.
I am loving the phone so far. I was previously using a OnePlus 3T so this is my first new phone in 4 years. It's much snappier than the 3T (obviously) and I'm not having any problems with the apps I've migrated over. The only complaint I have is a lack of a pulsing notification light. I've seen a few alternatives that add a ring around the camera but would prefer to wait for an official app made specifically for the 4a.
Quick question,
I have the pixel 3a XL. I am looking for an overall smaller phone, and do not use the phone for gaming, etc. Am an average user at best, really use the phone more as a phone than a multimedia unit, etc.
on paper, the pixel 4a seems to meet my needs and is an upgrade in ram / memory, etc. I enjoy the simplicity of the pixel experience and appreciate the security update schedule.
I did pre-order and still have two / three weeks before they start shipping in Canada so am tracking feedbacks and issues reported. My intention is not to cancel the order with Google, but.....
Based on first impressions - would anyone see an immediate reason to not go ahead with the purchase ?
thanks in advance,
Sent from my coral using Tapatalk
I gave the battery a good test today. Constant Spotify pass through to bluetooth + constant GPS program running and tracking movement for 7.25 hours. The screen was off for most of this time, though screen-on time was ~40 minutes. Battery was at 50% and 18W car charger then charged it at about 1%/minute. My previous phone, a OnePlus 5, with a slightly larger capacity and running at three-years old, exact same setup running A10 except for a custom kernel that underclocks the CPUs and GPU, was giving me about 35% remaining several weeks in a row under the same usage. So, Pixel 4A was draining at 7%/hr and the OP5 was draining at 9% with an underclocked kernel.
HolyAngel said:
hmm... Comin from a op7pro, the screen brightness to me seems totally fine out of the box really. maybe 10 or so percent higher than what I kept the 7pro on, ~60% instead of ~50% but don't need it maxed or anything crazy. High brightness is a bit less than HBM mode on 7pro but it works, I also like how they alter the screen colors to help visibility when in direct sunlight. The OP devices don't do that.
My 4a screen looks pretty well calibrated, doesn't look too warm or cold at all to me. No tint issues at low brightness.
Audio quality is actually pretty good, especially for such an inexpensive device, I was having flashbacks of nexus devices and no, this 4a is better than those.
Not seen any stutter or lag at all really, maybe 3 times for a split second during all of phone setup/installing ~80 apps.
Camera takes pics fast, no lag on snapping to seeing the pic. Haven't tried with HDR+ but regular HDR for sure is quicker than anything else but other pixels. The camera preview is indeed garbage, not so much in good lighting but especially in dark/night shots, the picture you get looks a million times better than what the preview showed before you took it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the 7 pro and thought about getting a 4a. Does the 4a feel more like a side step or an actual upgrade? I can't imagine it's faster than the pro, but Google support would be nice.
This is def an upgrade from my Pixel 3a and I loved that phone! I kinda like the smaller form and the display seems as good as or better than previous iterations. For the price point you really cant beat this phone.
I recently bought a op 7t for 400$ on sale. I really like the specs, os, and performance but prefer the headphone jack an smaller size of the 4a. How do you both devices compare in terms of performance and experience overall? I'm worried that the 4a would lag or whatnot due to its processor. What do you guys think?
nickster1 said:
I have the 7 pro and thought about getting a 4a. Does the 4a feel more like a side step or an actual upgrade? I can't imagine it's faster than the pro, but Google support would be nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Compared to the 7pro, the 4a is a downgrade in every way except for maybe the camera. And if the smaller size is a plus to you or not..
I made the switch for development as I'm tired of OP's crap sources and late af updates, in that regard, this phone is totally fine. But in no way does it feel like a side-grade much less an upgrade. It's a downgrade for sure, but you'll be on latest OS updates.. The phone is definitely worth it for the money though, no argument here.
I got a mi9t but it is too heavy and too big for me. Do you think performance and autonomy will be better with the 4a ? I got 8 hours sot with lineage actually..
andyshinn said:
First evening of using. I agree with points already mentioned. But the one thing bothering me most I'm noticing is the adaptive brightness constantly jumping around. Anyone else with adaptive brightness issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'm having the same issue. adaptive brightness seems to be wonky. hopefully they will have a fix for this.
btw, don't use blokada app! it tracks your data and it borks the keyboard (it bugs out the keyboard)
overall i like it. i'm using this as an extra 'just in case' phone if needed for certain trips or need a better phone than the xs max.
comparing xs max and 4a side by side, clearly the display is better on the xs max (less blue tint, more natural colors), and brighter.
photos are much better on the 4a obviously. i like the smaller form factor. its a no frills phone so i'm content with what it can do and okay with the limitations.
Front camera is a big negative on this phone,the selfies are very very soft even with outstretched arm over 16 inches as said by Google experts,don't know why no one is highlighting this issue,this has been going on from pixel 3a ,the lens is set to infinity focus and it's so wide that face will never be in proper focus unless you use a selfie stick to hold it way further
Delete, please

How important is display resolution to you?

I have a Pixel 2 XL, and I'll likely be getting the Pixel 5.
I usually upgrade every two years, but the 4 just didn't call to me. I've been holding out for wireless charging and I didn't want to give up my fingerprint reader. That and I've had a strong preference for the 'stock' Android that the Nexus/Pixel series gives you. So I waited last year. However, my battery is getting pretty poor so it's time to move on and the Pixel 5 seems to fit the bill for me.
However, there are a few drawbacks. It seems most of the gripes about the Pixel 5 seem centered around the CPU being somewhat mid-range. Coming from the 2XL, I don't really have any gripes about performance with what I already have for what I use it for. Why only real concerns are the screen and the speakers. I really like the front-facing speakers of my 2XL and sometimes will set my phone on its kickstand to watch a YouTube video with no headphones. (Not in public, I'm not a monster.) I feel like the 5 won't work as well in this scenario, but it's not a deal breaker.
The other drawback is the lower resolution screen. Honestly, I don't know if this is a big deal or not. How big a deal is the resolution difference? Noticeable to most? Would a higher refresh rate but a lower resolution be a net positive or net negative to most? I can't say I've ever felt like my screen was too laggy due to refresh rate but I honestly don't know if the bump down in resolution will slap me in the face or be a complete non-issue. I don't imagine I'd care or notice with video, but what about reading? Any advice from those with more experience in this area?
As long as you don't block the bottom speaker (lower right), you should be fine. Most of the phone stands I use don't block the speaker on my Pixel 3a XL now, so I don't see you having a problem with the Pixel 5.
If you pixel peep, then you will notice the lose of fidelity. Honestly with a screen this small (smartphone screens in general), it's not a huge deal for me. FHD+ is good enough. From experience, I do notice the loss going from higher density displays down to a 1080+ screen. Keep in mind, a higher resolution = less battery life. Takes more to drive that higher density screen. After a while, you won't notice it.
Thanks. I hadn't considered the battery life aspect of it. That's almost more important to me now, but that might just be because I'm running on a 3+ year old battery now.

Categories

Resources