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EEK! There's a monster coming straight for us... and its called the Optimus G Pro

Engadget: LG Optimus G Pro coming to AT&T on May 10th
Not only does it have a removable battery and SD card slot (same as the Galaxy S4)... but it also has:
- IPS LCD display for better sunlight visibility than AMOLED
- 32 gb of internal memory standard for the lowest model
- A programmable "q button" that allows you to map any function you want to have happen when you press it
And of course all the basics of a high end superphone nowadays
- 5.5 inch 1080p display
- 3140 mAh battery
- Snapdragon 600
- 13 mp camera
- IR Blaster
- 2gb RAM
- LTE
Here's a video I found from ATT :
#%&! ... I'm not sure which one to order now

ap3604 said:
Engadget: LG Optimus G Pro coming to AT&T on May 10th
Not only does it have a removable battery and SD card slot (same as the Galaxy S4)... but it also has:
- IPS LCD display for better sunlight visibility than AMOLED
- 32 gb of internal memory standard for the lowest model
- 5.5 inch 1080p display
- 3140 mAh battery
- 13 mp camera
#%&! ... I'm not sure which one to order now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Techradar did a feature on it and found it to be a bit of a tacky version of the note.
Concerning IPS, I much prefer amoled now that it's avialable with more accurate colours. Before, IPS had the advantage but now the colour accuracy on the galaxies (e.g.movie mode) is good enough. Combine that with the beautifully inky blacks, and I never want another IPS display again. (except the one on my macbook

Except the rip off design and the lack of Spen on that big screen, anything on Optimus G Pro is great.
______________
Edit: Oh, I forgot about the horrible update from LG

Personally, I won't go anywhere near LG devices unless it's Nexus to be honest. And it's a competitor to Note II (or rather Note III) than S4.

tuxonhtc said:
And it's a competitor to Note II (or rather Note III) than S4.
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Click to collapse
I personally don't care what someone says its a competitor for.
With those specs it's simply a competitor for best phone of early 2013, which is what I care about.

ap3604 said:
I personally don't care what someone says its a competitor for.
With those specs it's simply a competitor for best phone of early 2013, which is what I care about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jesus Christ it's a 5.5'' phone, hence it's a competitor for the "phablet" (hate the term, but whatever) category rather than ordinary smartphone. Hence my comment.

tuxonhtc said:
Jesus Christ it's a 5.5'' phone, hence it's a competitor for the "phablet" (hate the term, but whatever) category rather than ordinary smartphone. Hence my comment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jesus Christ all flagship phone screens are starting to be at least 5+ inches anyways, hence every smartphone is turning into a "phablet" (I hate the term too). So no, it simply is competing with all the other giants of 2013... including the Galaxy S 4.

ap3604 said:
Jesus Christ all flagship phone screens are starting to be at least 5+ inches anyways, hence every smartphone is turning into a "phablet" (I hate the term too). So no, it simply is competing with all the other giants of 2013... including the Galaxy S 4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really. they have 5.5'' screen and the flagships are </=5 inch. Big difference. The target audiences are different. Anywho, whatever.

LG is mostly known to be great regarding its swift updating policy

gee2012 said:
LG is mostly known to be great regarding its swift updating policy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see what you did there...
As for the android version, it comes with 4.1.2 and while I'm sure both Samsung and LG are going to make it a point to try and update handsets to the latest android versions... I really don't care as that's the whole reason I come on xda anyways (so I don't have to rely on the manufacturer for updates)

i'll be sticking with the s4.
thinner, lighter, still an enourmous battery. dont need all that size in the screen.. although the LCD would be an upgrade if u ask me. AMOLED is nice, but i prefer the brightness for sun viewing.

Don't get neurotic about having the absolute "best" phone, ferchrissakes. Guess what? That bling new piece of latest and greatest shiny you just plunked down your cash for? It's always going to be second best in a few months. Use your device and enjoy it, and maybe learn to not give a rat's ass if it isn't the absolute newest on your block.

burhanistan said:
Don't get neurotic about having the absolute "best" phone, ferchrissakes. Guess what? That bling new piece of latest and greatest shiny you just plunked down your cash for? It's always going to be second best in a few months. Use your device and enjoy it, and maybe learn to not give a rat's ass if it isn't the absolute newest on your block.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed.
I'd actually go one further and say the tell-tale sign that you're 'with' the right device is that you're NOT that desperate to upgrade as soon as something new comes out. During my iphone-phase I was always excited when the new model came out - I know now it was partly due to the marketing and partly because I was never completely happy with them.
Even when better phones than the gs3 were coming out I was happy sticking with it until an upgrade that REALLY appealed to me came along (s4).

fade2green514 said:
... although the LCD would be an upgrade if u ask me. AMOLED is nice, but i prefer the brightness for sun viewing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a preference for LCD over AMOLED as well (although both can be great). The outdoor visibility is a big deal for me so I'm not sure which one to get
Also the 32 gb of internal memory on the standard lowest $199 w/ 2-yr contract model isn't too shabby
burhanistan said:
Don't get neurotic about having the absolute "best" phone, ferchrissakes. Guess what? That bling new piece of latest and greatest shiny you just plunked down your cash for? It's always going to be second best in a few months. Use your device and enjoy it, and maybe learn to not give a rat's ass if it isn't the absolute newest on your block.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have an upgrade coming up so of course I'm going to chose the best phone for me at the time.
1) Removable battery
2) Outdoor screen visibility
Those are the top 2 features I'm looking for in my next phone and I'm not sure which phone to go with yet (LG Optimus Pro or Galaxy S4).

tuxonhtc said:
Not really. they have 5.5'' screen and the flagships are </=5 inch. Big difference. The target audiences are different. Anywho, whatever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. It's so cool that Samsung was able to push the max screen size to 5" in basically the same package as the SIII. But the jump to a 5.5" screen is a big overall package jump. To me, that's just no longer a phone, but falls firmly in the phablet market.
Not putting down the phone, or what features are important to individual buyers. But it's not in the same place in the market as an S3/S4, HTC One is, IMO.

The Optimus G Pro is competition for the Note series, not the S series.

ap3604 said:
I have an upgrade coming up so of course I'm going to chose the best phone for me at the time.
1) Removable battery
2) Outdoor screen visibility
Those are the top 2 features I'm looking for in my next phone and I'm not sure which phone to go with yet (LG Optimus Pro or Galaxy S4).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What makes you think that Optimus G Pro has better outdoor visibility? S4 has great outdoor visibility from what I gather. And even Note II scores better than G Pro when it comes to outdoor visibility. Although Note II isn't bad when it comes to outdoor visibility, S4 kicks Note II up the butt and is just marginally worse than the One. Brightness is not the only thing that's a decisive factor in outdoor visibility.
Here's the outdoor visibility chart:
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s4-review-914p3.php

ap3604 said:
Jesus Christ all flagship phone screens are starting to be at least 5+ inches anyways, hence every smartphone is turning into a "phablet" (I hate the term too). So no, it simply is competing with all the other giants of 2013... including the Galaxy S 4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
competing by the specs yes
by the sales heck no
by the updates ultimate no

fade2green514 said:
i'll be sticking with the s4.
thinner, lighter, still an enourmous battery. dont need all that size in the screen.. although the LCD would be an upgrade if u ask me. AMOLED is nice, but i prefer the brightness for sun viewing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, brightness is ONE of the factors that helps in outdoor visibility. AMOLEDs have higher contrast ratios, so despite much lower brightness, it can still have good sunlight visibility. Not HTC One good obviously, but still good.
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tuxonhtc said:
Again, brightness is ONE of the factors that helps in outdoor visibility. AMOLEDs have higher contrast ratios, so despite much lower brightness, it can still have good sunlight visibility. Not HTC One good obviously, but still good.
[/IMG]
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well this is good news, i'll have to take a look at it when i get it. DAMN SUN! lol
oh and +1 thanks!

[Q] Why is the Nexus so Slow.

The only reason I purchased the Nexus 5 was because it uses the same processor as the Note 3. So was expecting it to be on par with the note 3.
Also as it had kitkat expected it to be much faster than the Note 3.
But every single bench mark. (And i am talking about those that do not cheat).
Shows that the nexus is no where near the speed of the Note 3.
Hell its even slower than the S4. Which is a crying shame.
On digging futher. I traced the problem back to the speed governors and thermal management on the nexus 5.
There are quite a few articles discussing how the Note 3 CPU throttling differs from the Nexus 5.
Hell some benchmarks report that the nexus 5 is even slower than the nexus 4.1
WTF Google all this noise about Kit Kat and you get blwon out of the water by older slower phones.
Is there anyway for us to fix this.
Is there anyway for us to use and load the Note 3 system UI and Kernel on the nexus. As they both have identical CPU and GPU.
Please somebody come up with a fix for this.
I tried one of the Kernels on here that claimed to solve this problem But it resulted in frequent hangs and black screens.
Had to reload factory image just to boot.
Why is the Nexus 5 development laging so bad when say compared to the Samsung Phones.
My 2 cents never buy a google phone. Buy a Samsung Phone. Hell my S2 could run its dual core at 1.4 all day without a single problem.

Hi,
If your concern is only about bench, flash this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2537299, then take a look here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2506965...
Stock is slow in bench (compared to other devices) right, but not in general UI...
For the other parts of your post... No comment . One thing is, I think, you should read and learn a bit more... and have a different approach in your reasoning...

I, on the other hand, will comment on your reasoning: you think that benchmarks show real life performance of a device? You have no idea what you're talking about, and exposing your ignorance in such a post is not very wise.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

So... Even when the phone performs extremely and blazing FAST (because it does and you know it) you are calling it slow because of benchmarks results. When, by the way, samsung CHEATS in benchmarks It's proven that they push the CPU and the GPU to clock speeds that are never used when you actually use the phone, and lock them there, but only during the benchmark. When you exit the benchmark, the phone returns to a normal state. That's called CHEATING you know.
https://www.google.es/search?q=sams...7&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8
And you want the sluggish samsung UI in your nexus? You, sir... You... No, I just can't understand you

benchmarks are not real life usage. I had to come to that same realization as well. Who cares if your phone can score 30k+ on antutu or whatever if it lags and stutters on anything else. What matters is all around scrolling fluency,speed of app open,performance in games etc. not a number on a list

LOL, this has to be trolling, you cannot be for real. Thanks for the good laugh :laugh:
If, by the slight chance you are serious, I must ask what apps, etc you use that are "slow" and/or causing lag??
What do you wish was faster?

Ha ha. Holiday chuckles. Thanks for this
-----------------------
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I do NOT reply to support queries over PM. Please keep support queries to the Q&A section, so that others may benefit

RonChinoy said:
The only reason I purchased the Nexus 5 was because it uses the same processor as the Note 3. So was expecting it to be on par with the note 3.
Also as it had kitkat expected it to be much faster than the Note 3.
But every single bench mark. (And i am talking about those that do not cheat).
Shows that the nexus is no where near the speed of the Note 3.
Hell its even slower than the S4. Which is a crying shame.
.
.
.
Why is the Nexus 5 development laging so bad when say compared to the Samsung Phones.
My 2 cents never buy a google phone. Buy a Samsung Phone. Hell my S2 could run its dual core at 1.4 all day without a single problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7384/state-of-cheating-in-android-benchmarks

Oh no....not again.

the nexus 5 in no way is slow. not even in benchmarks. maybe you dont know how to benchmark properly, maybe the reviews that you read the people dont know how to benchmark properly. but slow and nexus 5 do not go together. besides for benchmarks, which should mean absolutely nothing to you, its the fastest device out there in user experience as well, which is way more important than a benchmark.. oh, btw, i run my nexus 5 at 2880mhz without a single problem.
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I learned this too the Nexus 5 if you're on 100% Completely stock doesn't give its 100% percent effort
using an app such as System monitor with the floating window, my nexus 5 clocks @ 1.7ghz - 1.4Ghz and it only uses 2 cores for the entire benchmark
I look @ my cheating S3 and once i opened the app the CPU was reved up to 1.5Ghz and stayed like that entire benchmark

RonChinoy said:
The only reason I purchased the Nexus 5 was because it uses the same processor as the Note 3. So was expecting it to be on par with the note 3.
Also as it had kitkat expected it to be much faster than the Note 3.
But every single bench mark. (And i am talking about those that do not cheat).
Shows that the nexus is no where near the speed of the Note 3.
Hell its even slower than the S4. Which is a crying shame.
On digging futher. I traced the problem back to the speed governors and thermal management on the nexus 5.
There are quite a few articles discussing how the Note 3 CPU throttling differs from the Nexus 5.
Hell some benchmarks report that the nexus 5 is even slower than the nexus 4.1
WTF Google all this noise about Kit Kat and you get blwon out of the water by older slower phones.
Is there anyway for us to fix this.
Is there anyway for us to use and load the Note 3 system UI and Kernel on the nexus. As they both have identical CPU and GPU.
Please somebody come up with a fix for this.
I tried one of the Kernels on here that claimed to solve this problem But it resulted in frequent hangs and black screens.
Had to reload factory image just to boot.
Why is the Nexus 5 development laging so bad when say compared to the Samsung Phones.
My 2 cents never buy a google phone. Buy a Samsung Phone. Hell my S2 could run its dual core at 1.4 all day without a single problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I buy a phone to play benchmarks too! They're pretty fun... I can't enjoy my phone unless the numbers that benchmarks show me are higher than other peoples numbers.

If you didn't know already, other phones that aren't a nexus will automatically force the processor to run at max speed whenever a benchmark app is opened. Therefore, there is no throttling when the benchmark is running. On nexus devices it won't do that and it'll just regulate the processor speed according to what it needs (most of the time it won't even use all 4 cores). This is why other phones will seem to get a higher score than the n5 when it comes to benchmarks.

Ha... Obviously your OP is a joke. I gave my son my Note3 and had the S4 before that since it came out and I can assure you my Nexus5 is quicker in every way for day-to-day usage.
I'm not dogging the Samsung phones because they are awesome but your statement about the N5 being slower is false.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

mmmmBACON said:
Yeah, I buy a phone to play benchmarks too! They're pretty fun... I can't enjoy my phone unless the numbers that benchmarks show me are higher than other peoples numbers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samezies

why caring so much about benchmarks?
the actually performance is great, i have no complaint

I can't believe that people are still getting hung up on benchmark scores. It's such a relic from the early days of Android when usability was terrible and pulling down 1000 on Quadrant actually kind of meant something. It's totally irrelevant now. Whenever I read a phone review on a mainstream tech site (other than AnandTech and Ars Technica) that goes into benchmark scores, I just want to puke because they place way too much emphasis on scores over usability.
Bottom line - the N5 is fast. Really fast. Period. I don't care if your benchmark scores are too low for your liking out of the box.

aooga said:
Oh no....not again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First thank you to the first guy who responded with two helpful links.
The rest of the comments where childish and immature.
Must be an age thing. Im 45 and have been compiling linux kernels since the early 90s.
First off Samsung are not cheating. They sold you a phone rated to X Mhz. And when they detect a bench mark test they let you have that speed.
The only reason they can let you have that speed is because its a well designed phone. face it.
Their thermal management is better. Why are Nexus owners so anal ? About facing facts.
Its a bit like buying a car. You see the engine configuration. 4 LTR V8. 500 BHP.
But oh wait you really cant put your nexus on a Dyno. Because it wont be able to give you 500 BHP without blowing up. Or getting damaged cause its thermal management is so bad. I don think custom Roms or kernels are the solution. The real solution is better thermal management.
The Samsung on the other hand you can put on the Dyno. And it will show you 500 BHP. Oh wait thats a bad word here.
Nexus 4.1 outperforms it.
But I understand that this is a soft spot for you guys. So lets just compare the Nexus 5 to the Nexus 4.1.
The Nexus 4.1 is faster in some bench mark tests ?. I see no way in hell that should happen.
We are coming in 5th and 6th behind some really dated and slower phones.
Forget bench marks. I am seeing that my apps are slowing down because of the heat issue. Hell my old s2 could hold a better clip and run better. Without over heating and ****ting it self like this.
Glad to see in the links provided that some people at least have acknowledged what Im saying.
1. The Thermal Throttling on the N5 out of the box is absurd.
2. The Thermal management on the N5 is seriously lacking. This is the real issue. This is why they have to be absurd on the thermal throttling. Cause heat dissipation or the basic design is lacking.
What do I need the speed for ?. Well that is my business. Its a bit like asking what do you need 500 BHP for ?. I paid for it. Im expecting it.
And if you must know
I need to sample sensors, GPS and OBD data from a race car while shooting a video. And our in car Temps are over 60c.
And yes when you Quad core Snap dragon 800 is performing slower than a 4.1 Nexus 600. I think its an issue. Weather you want to accept it or not.
Glad to see some people have already accepted that we got short changed by Google or Nexus. And we have to now resort to bumming stuff off the Moto X is just hilarious. So much for having state of the art Kit Kat LOL. Now we have to start bumming files off the moto x. That was the low point for me.

I'm assuming you haven't found a fix/mod with N5 thermal management?
Would love to have an app that let me switch to performance mode so I can play games and watch 1080p 10bit videos without being throttled.

Momotani-Hitoshi said:
I'm assuming you haven't found a fix/mod with N5 thermal management?
Would love to have an app that let me switch to performance mode so I can play games and watch 1080p 10bit videos without being throttled.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you have root, jist disable it. many custom kernels allow for this.

[Solved] Please help me choose between: G3/Z2/S5/M8 to replace S4.

I've had my SGS4 for over a year now.. and lets just say.. I'm not satisfied with it. I never really have been. I've supported Samsung from having the Galaxy S+ right now up to the S4. Samsung almost lost my support after the design and performance of the terrible S3, however after seeing and hearing of the improvements of the S4 I decided to give them one last chance. Lets just say that they blew that chance and now I want another phone.
In my country of Finland only these top phones are currently available (listed in absolutely no order of preference):
Sony Xperia Z2
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Pros:
Large Battery
3GB RAM
MicroSD
20.7MP Camera
Cons:
Non-removable battery
Slightly slower clocked Krait 400 CPU (2.3Ghz)
Camera quality lacks definitive sharpening (everything looks like paper)
GUI looks terrible
No MicroUSB 3.0
No Infra-red port
Samsung Galaxy S5
Pros:
Best quality camera and video by far, best sharpness and detail but is there an issue with some colours? (shown here)
MicroUSB 3.0
Dust & Water Resistant
2.5 GHz Krait 400
Undoubtedly the best contrast/quality screen in a smartphone
Large removable battery and supposedly good battery life
Infra-red port
Cons:
It's a Samsung phone... and I'm not keen on supporting them again after all the issues I've had with the S3 and S4
Plastic design again, and even uglier backplate this time
2GB RAM vs. 3GB RAM on the Sony Z2 and LG G3
Galaxy S5 Prime / Galaxy F around the corner?
TouchWiz sucks elephant pole
LG G3
Pros:
QHD 1440 x 2560 Display
Good visual look
3GB RAM with the 32GB version
GUI Looks pretty nice
2.5 GHz Krait 400
Large removable battery
Infra-red port
Cons:
Overkill with the Display size? Heat / Lag issues? / Battery life? / Not 'that' stunning?
It's still plastic even if it doesn't look like it
Camera and video quality isn't that amazing and tends to sport a lot of those typical 'squarey' textures in photos
It's reportedly bigger, borderline 'phablet' (tbh I think my Galaxy S4 is large enough)
LG's first attempt at trying to compete with the big boys... ergo. lack of experience in the field?
No MicroUSB 3.0
HTC One M8
Pros:
That awesome design look, by far the most appealing/premium feel
Stereo Speakers that are apparently good
Front facing 5MP camera over all the other's 2/2.1MP
Infra-red port
Cons:
Abysmal camera that is overexposed and etc in regular light, depth stuff doesn't make up for the lack of Megapixels even if low light shots are good. Also the video isn't remotely as good as the other phones
Slightly slower clocked Krait 400 CPU (2.3Ghz)
Smaller non-removable battery
No MicroUSB 3.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All of them in Finland are priced around the same amount. €640 - €660. I have to get the phone on a plan and these are the only 4 that I am really considering. I am not interested in Apple phones at all. Terrible iOS, 8MP cameras and smaller non-full HD screens do not remotely interest me. Especially for the premium price tag and ease of smashing them if they drop. But lets not get started on that. In addition I am not interested with Lumia phones at all.
What I use my phone for mostly (in this oder):
Taking many pictures and videos and using the front camera for video & skype
Whatsapp and Viber
Music music and more music
Some small gaming
Maps and GPS use
Email and Web browsing
Youtube and other video stuff
Modding, and stuff I am not supposed to do. dSploit and etc.
My most important things (all of these are top-priority):
I have no interest on getting a proper DSLR/Point-and-shoot camera so I want my phone to have a good camera.
It needs to be lag free, I am paying a premium price
I want the colours and pictures to just jump out at me like WOW
I don't want the company/brand I buy it from trying to make things like modding/xposed/rooting etc. progressively harder for me
Connectivity. Good signal strength, no lags on 3G or 4G
That if it falls, it will not just smash/screen crack on the first mistake
What is not so important:
Battery life, unless it's got a non-removable battery (which I usually auto-hate) because I will just buy another spare battery (if I can)
Warranty options and Customer support (only in the sense of warranty and troubleshooting)
Stuff like fingerprint scanners and heartrate monitors, barometers etc. I don't really care about
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So guys any suggestions? It would help if you do own/have owned the phones I am talking about. I can only get these phones that I have listed so I am not interested in any others. Do you think there is a phone there that would fit the things that I am looking for? Or do you think that I should seriously wait for the Galaxy S 5 Prime / Galaxy F (or whatever it will be called) and then see what differences to the build design/material and hardware there are and make my decision then? Do you think the release will be close by, or are we looking at something like late September (maybe too far away for me).
Sorry for a long thread and hopefully this can help more than one person !
P.S. I've read many reviews and watched many videos on all of the phones listed but they do not constitute really in my opinion 'real world use' that is what I seem to get from XDA forum members. In that we all share the same experiences and problems which is why I am asking here.
Thanks again!
P.S. If a mod thinks that this is in the wrong section or that it should be merged with a larger thread then feel free to do so. I couldn't find really anything using the search option

For me, the short answer is that Sony Z2 is the overall best device (feature wise) of 4 of them.
Based on the facts and your needs:
- You should not choose G3 because it has a QHD display that you will not need. And believe it the screen brightness and quality doesnt look as good as S5 from user reviews.
- You should not choose S5 because its not that pretty and overrated
- You should not choose M8 because simply the only thing is better from other 3 is the astonish aluminium design
On the other hand i will agree on the cons of Sony Z2 you mention but i believe there are minor based on the other 3 devices and your needs. I also dont like the huge bezels in Z2 but this is something i can leave with it. Note that you will hold on your hand a device that is as huge as Lg G3 but is 5.2 inches instead of 5.5
Final words, there is no such a thing as best device. But based on what you wrote Z2 is the overall best for you since it has the greatest camera, very good design, performance and of course dont forget that is waterproof and dustproof device.

lakiscy said:
For me, the short answer is that Sony Z2 is the overall best device (feature wise) of 4 of them.
Based on the facts and your needs:
- You should not choose G3 because it has a QHD display that you will not need. And believe it the screen brightness and quality doesnt look as good as S5 from user reviews.
- You should not choose S5 because its not that pretty and overrated
- You should not choose M8 because simply the only thing is better from other 3 is the astonish aluminium design
On the other hand i will agree on the cons of Sony Z2 you mention but i believe there are minor based on the other 3 devices and your needs. I also dont like the huge bezels in Z2 but this is something i can leave with it. Note that you will hold on your hand a device that is as huge as Lg G3 but is 5.2 inches instead of 5.5
Final words, there is no such a thing as best device. But based on what you wrote Z2 is the overall best for you since it has the greatest camera, very good design, performance and of course dont forget that is waterproof and dustproof device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for such a detailed reply. The Z2 camera doesn't look as good as the S5, and I think that Sony has definitely just tried to push the Megapixel limits without really giving much thought to anything else. The ISO seems to be so much lower in all of the pictures, and all of the colours are very washed out. I could use software on the computer to add more colour to the pictures, but that's kind of time consuming and annoying. In addition to this a lot of people have said that the triluminous display is very flawed in that it glares so heavily in the light and that the screen is riddled with dead pixels and has inherent flaws that cause the screen to deteriorate after even a short time. The lack of removable battery is a let down too and the GUI is terrible and it definitely doesn't feel very comfortable in my hand, though it doesn't feel big either. These are the main reasons why I wasn't really considering it at all. And also why I think I have narrowed it down to just the S5 or the M8.
S5 for the best possible camera for pictures and videos.
I can still get a metal case to hide its ugliness.
Good battery life and power saving modes.
It does the best for what it is, camera is very refined, shooting modes are great and it's blisteringly fast if you get rid of TouchWiz.
It has by far the best screen of any smartphone.
MicroUSB 3.0
Removable battery
M8 for the fact that it looks and feels like a million dollars
It's not a Samdung phone
The Ultrapixel camera would come in handy for certain types of shots and indoor/low light pictures
Lack of removable battery means less messing around with external batteries (still I would prefer removable)
It's lightning fast, charges quickly and the UI looks amazing (but I'd probably still use Themer)
Could be nice to just finally change brands after the long haul of Samsung phones
This is why I lean more to the S5 even though I am really, really put off by Samsung these days.
Otherwise I really, seriously appreciate you taking the time to suggest the Z2. Especially as your first post on the forums.
Thanks so much

leijonasisu said:
Thanks for such a detailed reply. The Z2 camera doesn't look as good as the S5, and I think that Sony has definitely just tried to push the Megapixel limits without really giving much thought to anything else. The ISO seems to be so much lower in all of the pictures, and all of the colours are very washed out. I could use software on the computer to add more colour to the pictures, but that's kind of time consuming and annoying. In addition to this a lot of people have said that the triluminous display is very flawed in that it glares so heavily in the light and that the screen is riddled with dead pixels and has inherent flaws that cause the screen to deteriorate after even a short time. The lack of removable battery is a let down too and the GUI is terrible and it definitely doesn't feel very comfortable in my hand, though it doesn't feel big either. These are the main reasons why I wasn't really considering it at all. And also why I think I have narrowed it down to just the S5 or the M8.
S5 for the best possible camera for pictures and videos.
I can still get a metal case to hide its ugliness.
Good battery life and power saving modes.
It does the best for what it is, camera is very refined, shooting modes are great and it's blisteringly fast if you get rid of TouchWiz.
It has by far the best screen of any smartphone.
MicroUSB 3.0
Removable battery
M8 for the fact that it looks and feels like a million dollars
It's not a Samdung phone
The Ultrapixel camera would come in handy for certain types of shots and indoor/low light pictures
Lack of removable battery means less messing around with external batteries (still I would prefer removable)
It's lightning fast, charges quickly and the UI looks amazing (but I'd probably still use Themer)
Could be nice to just finally change brands after the long haul of Samsung phones
This is why I lean more to the S5 even though I am really, really put off by Samsung these days.
Otherwise I really, seriously appreciate you taking the time to suggest the Z2. Especially as your first post on the forums.
Thanks so much
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello, It is my first post because i was searching the same thing on the web and came to your post lol.
It seems that you have already make up your decision and you just need confirmation for it
I dont want to debate on Z2 but most of your points might be special cases but mainly they are all wrong.
While you have narrow your results to S5 and M8 i would just say if you are going to use a case on your phone then just get the S5

[Solved]
I don't think the issues with the Z2 are special cases. Yeah it might have 3GB of RAM. But it also has no Infra-red device. Read the XDA forums, a lot of people have returned 3 devices in a row for dead pixels and other screen issues. Triluminos doesn't hold a candle to AMOLED anyway. The camera really isn't all that special at all. It might take the biggest pictures, that look really nice zoomed out but the colours are so, so so washed out compared to other phones. It's a fact. Also it feels uncomfortable in my hands, I can't remove the battery. The GUI really actually IS BAD.
In terms of the camera quality. Check this page:
http://www.gsmarena.com/piccmp.php3?idType=1&idPhone1=6144&idPhone2=6033&idPhone3=6294
Then move to the 'colour poster' and look at the difference. The camera has such a low level of sharpness and finite detail to things like hairs and leaves. Namely edges really don't show up at all, it makes the whole picture look like there's absolutely 0 depth what so ever. It looks like a paper print out. That isn't to say that it is a bad camera. It's just not as good as the S5. Images on the Z2 might look a lot more smooth but they are also a lot more washed out in terms of colour.
I really don't like the idea of the S5 at all and I don't want to really support Samsung but I am not paying a premium for a phone that I feel doesn't match the money that I am spending on it, just because I have personal issues with the brand, I'm just speaking on facts in this case. :/
Thanks though, I really appreciate it and I am happy that you seem to have found what phone you want.
EDIT: I got the S5 and I have never been happier, it's improved on every aspect of the S4 that I hated. Just wish it had more RAM.

Dude hi im really happy for you getting the S5. I also decided not to buy Z2 and got G2 because i couldnt resist on the low price of it (270 EUR).
Wish you the best

leijonasisu said:
I don't think the issues with the Z2 are special cases. Yeah it might have 3GB of RAM. But it also has no Infra-red device. Read the XDA forums, a lot of people have returned 3 devices in a row for dead pixels and other screen issues. Triluminos doesn't hold a candle to AMOLED anyway. The camera really isn't all that special at all. It might take the biggest pictures, that look really nice zoomed out but the colours are so, so so washed out compared to other phones. It's a fact. Also it feels uncomfortable in my hands, I can't remove the battery. The GUI really actually IS BAD.
In terms of the camera quality. Check this page:
http://www.gsmarena.com/piccmp.php3?idType=1&idPhone1=6144&idPhone2=6033&idPhone3=6294
Then move to the 'colour poster' and look at the difference. The camera has such a low level of sharpness and finite detail to things like hairs and leaves. Namely edges really don't show up at all, it makes the whole picture look like there's absolutely 0 depth what so ever. It looks like a paper print out. That isn't to say that it is a bad camera. It's just not as good as the S5. Images on the Z2 might look a lot more smooth but they are also a lot more washed out in terms of colour.
I really don't like the idea of the S5 at all and I don't want to really support Samsung but I am not paying a premium for a phone that I feel doesn't match the money that I am spending on it, just because I have personal issues with the brand, I'm just speaking on facts in this case. :/
Thanks though, I really appreciate it and I am happy that you seem to have found what phone you want.
EDIT: I got the S5 and I have never been happier, it's improved on every aspect of the S4 that I hated. Just wish it had more RAM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know every time I see someone bashing the z2's camera it always turns out that they get their info from gsmarena. No wonder you've always gone with Samsung. They're notorious Sammy promoters. There are a lot of other techblogs, pocketnow, CNET, android authority, the verge, etc that all preferred the z2's camera.
For as long as you keep relying on gsmarena, you'll always stick to Samsung
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app

Hehehe you're hacker
You should go for HTC M8 !
2,3 Ghz is enough for a CPU
Sent from my beastly SM-T320

OnePlus One 64GB Sandstone Black Global version - Review

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OnePlus One – Review
The OnePlus One is without a doubt one of the most anticipated mobile devices of 2014, thanks in part to it’s awesome hype campaign. Despite over promising and under delivering in regards to availability the device is still very sought after. When you look at the fact that OnePlus are a startup company (yes, with some help from Oppo), it really is amazing the amount of attention they garnered.
So after much waiting I finally have a OnePlus One in my possession. Will it live up to it’s hype or fall flat on it’s face? Let’s have a look at the device and see what it can do.
Unboxing
I received my invite and was informed I had 24 hours to use it or it would be gone. Needless to say, I used it as soon as I got home. Ordering from the site was easy but to my dismay the only shipping option was DHL. Sure DHL are fast, but I always get rather large additional charges from them. With no other choice I put the order through knowing that it would arrive with money owing to the carrier.
Just as expected the device arrived within several days as it shipped out of California and arrived in Canada. Also as expected there was money owing. $61 to be exact. Keep in mind that this is on top of the almost $30 I paid for DHL shipping. So realistically my $349 flagship killer had jumped to almost $449. Still a good deal? Keep reading to find out.
The parcel was in a simple thin bubble wrap envelope. Luckily the actual box and packaging on OnePlus’ part is solid so the device arrived in mint condition. When I opened the box I noticed that they had not cheaped out on the appearance and the presentation gives you the feeling of a quality company and device. The wall charger came boxed separately to ensure you recieve the proper one for your region. In side was the device, a micro USB cable, instructions and a SIM tool. Also included was a wall charger but like I mention that had it’s own box.
So far so good.
You can check out the unboxing video here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg9H5daxRpc
Specs
5.5″ 1920 x1080 display with 401 ppi and Gorilla Glass 3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 clocked at 2.5 Ghz
3GB of RAM
64GB storage
3100 mAh battery
5 MP front and 13 MP rear camera
LTE
Android 4.4.2 via Cyanogenmod 11S
Check out the full video review here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbExjYSpKIY
Physical features
The OnePlus One measures 152.9 x 75.9 x 8.9 mm and weights 162g. Despite the 8.9mm thickness the nice contour on the back of the device make it very comfortable and feel much thinner than it actually is. It’s also worth noting that the back is textured and gives it a nice slightly granular feel.
On the bottom of the phone is the micro USB port and speakers.
On the left is the volume rocker and SIM slot (It’s a micro SIM).
The right hand side has the power button.
The top has the 3.5mm headphone jack.
The front facing camera is on the top left of the device.
The rear camera and dual LED flash is located on the top center.
Impressed so far? I am, let’s turn it on.
Display
The OnePlus One carries the typical 2014 Chinese flagship display size of 5.5 inches. The display is 1080p with a 401 ppi and is very crisp. I can’t really complain about anything in regards to the screen. It’s bright, clear, crisp, responsive and solid. Many early customers were complaining about yellowing on the display, I can say my device did not have any of those issues. Either it was just a small number of devices or they fixed it. +1 for the One.
Software
The OnePlus One being sold outside of China is running Cyanogenmod 11s which is based on Android 4.4.2 KitKat and was designed specifically for the device. It retains enough of a stock feel that users won’t feel completely lost but does have customization available. Themes, font, icons etc are all interchangeable, some for free, some for a cost. Everything runs buttery smooth with no real lags, no freezing, and thus no need to change out the launcher unless you simply want to. All apps I tried were compatible and it is important to note that Google apps including the Play Store were already loaded on the phone.
The only thing I didn’t like was the base layout and method of customizing the pulldown menu for quick access to things like wi-fi, bluetooth,gps, etc. It didn’t have all the standard icons available and was overly complicated to adjust.
The boot time was an average 28 seconds.
Wi-Fi
I have recently moved so the layout of my testing grounds has also changed. Where I use to have a main floor, an upstairs, and a basement, I now have just a main floor and basement but they larger. I mention this just in case you are comparing these results to ones from my previous reviews as they will differ.
The OnePlus One has 5 Ghz and 2.4 Ghz Wi-Fi so I tested both.
5 Ghz
Router (basement) = 82.61 mbps
Main floor =38.55 mbps (I got to the halfway point of this level and the signal went from around 40mbps to no signal within a couple of feet. This was at one level up and 24 feet from the router.
2.4 Ghz
Router = 47.84 mbps
Main floor = 16.31 mbps at the furthest point of this level, which is one level up and about 48 feet from the router.
Even at the furthest point of the house the OnePlus One had fast enough 2.4 Ghz Wi-Fi for any streaming and or browsing I needed.
Good Wi-Fi results.
Call Quality
The OnePlus One did a very good job with the calls I made. Volume was good on both ends as was the clarity. If you are a talker, you shouldn’t have any issues with what the OnePlus One sounds like.
Speakers
The speakers are located on the bottom of the device as opposed to the back which many companies seem to favor. In general the bottom location is much better because the speaker doesn’t get muffled if you put the phone down on a surface. The only time it ends up being a hindrance is if you play a lot of video games. Then it can easily be muffled by your hand when holding the phone sideways. So it really does depend on how you use your phone.
Location aside, the sound that comes from the OnePlus One is very nice. It’s loud, and capable of impressive sounds in all scenario’s, whether it’s video games, hard rock, dance, dialogue in movies or special effects in movies, it sounds great. It was definitely more than what I was expecting.
Video Playback
I tested the phone using the stock video player as well as VLC. Video playback was fantastic regardless of format. In addition to the SD video’s, and online media, I tested it with some HD movies in various formats and all played equally well. If you like to watch media on your phone, the smooth playback, beautiful screen, and clear speaker quality will certainly impress.
Web Browsing
Stable ROM, 2.5 Ghz Snapdragon 801, and 3 GB of RAM… you can see were this is going. Web browsing, even with multiple windows open is a breeze for this handset. As would be expected, browsing is awesome on the phone. All actions respond quickly, pages load within a short period of time, and the overall feel is snappy.
Cameras
The OnePlus One has a 5MP front camera and a 13MP Sony IMX 214 that promises to give us some pretty good photography for a phone. The 6 lens optics and f/2.0 aperture make it a standout in todays market.
The front facing camera is crisp and perfect for video calls and those that love the selphie. The rear Sony camera doesn’t disappoint and delivers far above average shots. Regardless of environment the camera was consistent and delivered good pictures. The dual LED flash works well and buyers shouldn’t have any fear of low lighting situations. Are there phones that do photography better than the OnePlus One. Certainly. But the One can hold its own with the upper part of the market.
GPS
The GPS on the device is fantastic. The first lock was done outdoors in airplane mode and took less than 5 seconds. Locks after that where almost instant. I tested the handset with Navfree that doesn’t use data and with Google Maps and Waze that use data to assist. In both scenarios the GPS was flawless and quick to adapt. One of the better GPS’ I have used recently.
Benchmarks
With a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 and 3 GB of RAM I think it’s safe to say that most people would expect the phone to score well. The question is “How well?”
Let’s take a look at the results.
Antutu
38,823
That’s enough to take out the best of the best.
Nenamark 2
61.4 fps
CPU Prime
7259
Vellamo
Vellamo has changed recently, and have added a multicore test into the mix.
Metal
1719
Multicore
1864
Chrome Browser
2772
As you can see the OnePlus One holds it’s own and slightly edges out the best phones on the market in the overall picture.
Battery
The battery was my only area of real concern. I know that a 3100 mAh battery was included, but would it play nicely with the ROM and actually last. I put the OnePlus One on auto brightness and used VLC to test the phone on a video loop. The phone lasted a staggering 10.5 hours!
The lower end of the battery actually runs down very smoothly and slower than the top part. I was left with 3% on the phone and am certain it could have lasted another 15 minutes of playback.
Very nice results.
Gaming
I’ve used Qualcomm 800 processors in the past and know they do very well with gaming thanks to the Adreno 330 GPU. The Snapdragon 801 is no exception and the handset played everything very well. Crisp, smooth gameplay with max resolution settings. Add in the beautiful screen and great speakers and you have a winning combo. The only thing I want to mention is the location of the speakers. While great for music and media, having them located on the bottom of the device does make it much easier to muffle them with your hand while playing games that require the screen to be held sideways. Can you work around it? Sure. It’s just your hand location is the last thing on your mind while you are being horded by a half dozen zombies and you are fighting for your life….or something like that.
Final thoughts
Pro’s
Comfortable, stylish design
Nice screen
GPS works well
Cameras are very good
Cyanogenmod 11s is stable and customizable with Google Play Store already installed
Plays media and games with ease
Powerhouse device that doesn’t drain the battery
4G
Con’s
Hard to get an invite
Shipping is expensive due to additional fee’s
Non -removable battery
No expansion slot so make sure you get the model that truly has the storage you need
Wow….this device really delivers. Even with the extra shipping costs the phone is still almost half the price of it’s rivals. Considering this is the first phone from a startup company, I’m really interested in seeing what they release next. With all the hype I was waiting for the phone to fall flat on it’s face and really under perform. That did not happen at all.
Are there better devices on the market right now? I believe so, but they aren’t much better. You just need to decide if they are worth double to cost.

Development [GS101|GS201] Google Tensor G1 and G2 In-Depth

Hello everyone,
This thread will be used as a hub where I share some discoveries/observations which I stumbled upon mostly during working on my kernel projects.
I´ll clone the same thread over to the Pixel 7 forum as well. So without much further ado let´s just dive right into it.
A year ago everyone was excited for the Google SoC called Tensor 1 called GS101. One year later there is Tensor 2 called GS201.
I suggest to read about the differences, updated modem, ISP, TPU and GPU in various tech related articles.
Here´s a table so everyone gets up to speed on cores used, max freqs and other details:
View attachment 5744229
But how does that translate on the devices?
There were quite a few rumors before the actual release of the Tensor 2 SoC being manufactured on 4nm Samsung node instead of 5nm. However that was just wild speculation and unfortunately turned out to be not accurate. Tensor G2 is still manufactured in the 5nm process as confirmed by Google. This was quite a negative surprise to myself, as I don´t have good experiences from SD888 that´s also being manufactured in Samsung 5nm node and is quite a hot chip. While the switch to Samsung 4nm node, wasn´t all that great either (check sd8 gen1 on samsung 4nm vs sd8+ gen1 on tsmc 4nm) it would still have been an improvement.
While I was very excited for the Tensor G1 when the Pixel 6 devices launched, that excitement ebbed down the work I worked on the Pixel 6 series. The more I learned about the source, the more I stumbled upon Exynos driver over exynos driver, some are just left exactly like on Exynos device, some were "re-branded" by Google. Some Google did customize, but most of the drivers are just very much Exynos.
So all in all the following excerpt from Andrei Frumusanu´s article here sums it up pretty fitting:
While Google doesn’t appear to want to talk about it, the chip very clearly has provenance as a collaboration between Google and Samsung, and has a large amount of its roots in Samsung Exynos SoC architectures.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The same is true for the Tensor 2, despite minor upgrades there. As I learned over the time, Tensor shares a lot of Exynos characteristics, one of those is performance vs thermals as hinted by in the linked Anandtech article. So let´s just jump into that first topic I want to cover.
I will cover more topics, those will also be probably interconnected to each other, but we have to start somewhere.
Thermals, Thermal Ceiling, Exynos Roots and Maximal Performance
To start things of: Thermals is a term that actually sums up a few mechanisms. Lets split this into two main areas.
The thermal ceiling (let´s call it that) that´s being implemented in the kernel, as the maximal temperature the SoC is allowed to be operated at.
The thermal-hal uses combined sensors, also virtual sensor, and restricts different subsystems, based on the temperature of those sensor. Those can be called skin temps, shell-temps, battery temperature, modem temperature etc.
First let´s explore the thermal ceiling on the two SoCs:
GS101 on Pixel 6 devices is allowed to be operated at 90°C. GS 201 on Pixel 7 devices raised the thermal ceiling by 10°C to 100°C.
If changes to the internal design allowed them to raise this, without further increasing heatup of the device, or if they just applied changes to the thermal-hal to better keep this in check I don´t know at this moment.
Let´s get back to the Exynos characterstics. I talked to a few other developers I met along that way with Exynos "experience". Exynos SoCs reach the thermal ceiling extremely quickly, as I learned. This means, the SoC can´t keep its max CPU freqs for more than a few seconds without touching the thermal ceiling and getting restricted. This is in a way also the case for other SoCs, but Exynos is very extreme in this regard. But it´s just the characteristics of the SoC, like previously mentioned.
That means in turn: The thermal ceiling is setting the maximal performance allowed, to a great extent. If the thermal ceiling is raised, the maximum performance can be held longer.
Here´s a demonstration of this:
Pixel 6 Pro in its default configuration running at 90°C temp ceiling:
New video by freak 07
photos.app.goo.gl
Pixel 6 Pro with temperature ceiling raised to 100°C, instead of 90°C running at Pixel 7 Pro clocks
New video by freak 07
photos.app.goo.gl
That´s the Pixel 7 Pro, with the default configuration of 100°C
New video by freak 07
photos.app.goo.gl
Now what´s interesting, the big cores get the hottest at the quickest rate. Once the ceiling is reached, the max performance drops, as maximal performance will be restricted by restrict max cpu freqs.
That´s the case after a few seconds on both SoCs, in typcial Exynos fashion.
Let´s make the next connection:
Although I´m not necessarily a friend of benchmark apps, how does that change the results of a CPU oriented benchmark like Geekbench you might ask yourself. There are other benchmarks, but I want to keep this simple for now.
The answer is: The Pixel 6 Pro with GS101 gets pretty close to the results of the Pixel 7 Pro with GS201.
So for comparisons sake:
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On the left Pixel 6 Pro in its default configuration running at 90°C temp ceiling.
On the right Pixel 6 Pro with temperature ceiling raised to 100°C, instead of 90°C running at Pixel 7 Pro clocks.
The kernel used was the same, no changes to anything that could impact performance.
The left screenshot above was taken from the Pixel 7 Pro review from XDA, while the right one was taken on my Pixel 7 Pro running my kernel.
Please don´t start benchmark contests now, It´s just for comparisons sake.
It makes sense for single-core to be less impacted, as single core benchmarks don´t put as much thermal pressure on the SoC -> not touching the thermal ceiling as much and therefore no cutback are applied.
Geekbench applies a series of short benchmarks to the device. Usually not longer than 3-8 seconds, which is ideal for a SoC like the Tensor. Short bursts with max performance, so it can run "nearly" without touching the thermal ceiling.
If a benchmark is structured differently, like the CPU stress test you will see QCOM SoCs holding their max-freqs for minutes, instead of seconds.
Well that´s the first part. More to come. I hope everyone enjoyed this little writeup so far.
I wish everyone a nice evening.

Thermal Ceiling/Maximal Performance - A comparison between QCOM Snapdragon and Tensor
Now you might ask yourself, how does QCOM´s Snapdragon behave in the little test we conducted above.
You can find the answer below.
For this a Zenfone 9 with the Snapdragon 8 + Gen 1 is used.
Pixel 6 Pro in its default configuration running at 90°C temp ceiling:
New video by freak 07
photos.app.goo.gl
Pixel 7 Pro, with the default configuration of 100°C:
New video by freak 07
photos.app.goo.gl
Asus Zenfone 9, with the default configuration of 110°C temp ceiling:
New video by freak 07
photos.app.goo.gl
As you can see the Zenfone 9 with SD 8+ Gen 1 can hold the max-freqs for minutes. It doesn´t touch the thermal ceiling when running under max load for a minute, while Tensor immediately scratches the ceiling.
I´m not a SoC expert and I think only engineers with insider knowledge know the exact reason why Exynos based SoCs behave that way. They just seem to work totally different in that regard.
Another point is, since the SoCs are different we can´t compare the temperatures one to one. There´s no way for me to know the exact placement of the temperature sensors, all I can say for sure is the SD 8+ Gen 1, does not touch the thermal ceiling in this test and there seems to be a lot of headway after one minute of maxed out CPU.
In the end the result will be the same. After a while the device will heat up and the thermal-hal will throttle the ZF9 back as well, as with only passive cooling that´s inevitable.

this one as well

this here too

and this one here as well

last one

Glad to have same phone as you good work

Freak07 said:
I hope everyone enjoyed this little writeup so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am! This is very cool; thanks for doing this! Most of us (myself included) don't have the knowledge to do (or interest in doing) this ourselves, but enjoy learning more. Thank you for all that you do, both this writeup and your kernel (which I've used since the Pixel 3 days).

@Freak07 Interested in your thoughts on this CPU 'Power Efficiency' comparison. Seems a very well thought out review, although only compares the G1 Tensor.

updated the second post, with a comparison between QCOM´s Snapdragon and Google´s Tensor

Google never intended Tensor to be a flagship SoC, it was just meant to have bursts of flagship-level performance. I haven't had any complaints about the day to day or demand performance honestly, it's been WAY smoother than my OnePlus 9 with the SD888 that almost sent me back to Apple, but I will confirm that I ran the full 15 minute test when I first got the phone and it throttled to 78% near the end.

P7 also appears to stop charging, or charge at 500ma once the battery reaches 40c, which is a concern since high drain situations are usually the time where you want to have the device plugged in.
There's also not much headroom since normal temp alone when charging with no load is around 37c.
One thing I haven't noticed is throttling, this phone gets hot and is inefficient, but I haven't experienced any throttling on any day to day use.
My S22U is ice cold when playing media and quickly becomes a dumpster fire once you load up a game. The p7p runs hot when playing media and barely loses performance during gaming. It's weird.

Agenesis said:
The p7p runs hot when playing media and barely loses performance during gaming. It's weird.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What media were you running out of curiosity?

EtherealRemnant said:
Google never intended Tensor to be a flagship SoC, it was just meant to have bursts of flagship-level performance. I haven't had any complaints about the day to day or demand performance honestly, it's been WAY smoother than my OnePlus 9 with the SD888 that almost sent me back to Apple, but I will confirm that I ran the full 15 minute test when I first got the phone and it throttled to 78% near the end.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What really defines a flagship SoC?
For me tensor pretty much is a flagship SoC. Not necessarily ẃhen chasing the highest benchmark scores.
I´ll link my post from the p6 pro thread here.
Agenesis said:
P7 also appears to stop charging, or charge at 500ma once the battery reaches 40c, which is a concern since high drain situations are usually the time where you want to have the device plugged in.
There's also not much headroom since normal temp alone when charging with no load is around 37c.
One thing I haven't noticed is throttling, this phone gets hot and is inefficient, but I haven't experienced any throttling on any day to day use.
My S22U is ice cold when playing media and quickly becomes a dumpster fire once you load up a game. The p7p runs hot when playing media and barely loses performance during gaming. It's weird.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Charging while the device is hot is not good for battery health. Don´t charge while your device is under load as well. Both are detrimental to battery health.
Charging is done, so it usally reaches close to, but doesn´t cross 40°C if you don´t touch the phone.
I don´t have that at all. Watching streams, youtube videos the device doesn´t get hot. Maybe a bit warm, especially if I load a few apps in between, but not hot.
I don´t game much though, so I can´t comment much on this matter.
I played a bit of this game and the device didn´t get hot as well. Though I guess you can´t really call that a demanding game. Maybe it´s also optimized quite well for android.

i dont understand obsession on benchmarks for phones.
these are not PCs lol
as long as the phone does not lag or slow down when doing everything you need then its fine

Freak07 said:
What really defines a flagship SoC?
For me tensor pretty much is a flagship SoC. Not necessarily ẃhen chasing the highest benchmark scores.
I´ll link my post from the p6 pro thread here.
Charging while the device is hot is not good for battery health. Don´t charge while your device is under load as well. Both are detrimental to battery health.
Charging is done, so it usally reaches close to, but doesn´t cross 40°C if you don´t touch the phone.
I don´t have that at all. Watching streams, youtube videos the device doesn´t get hot. Maybe a bit warm, especially if I load a few apps in between, but not hot.
I don´t game much though, so I can´t comment much on this matter.
I played a bit of this game and the device didn´t get hot as well. Though I guess you can´t really call that a demanding game. Maybe it´s also optimized quite well for android.
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The Tensor is definitely meant to be upper midrange with bursty performance rather than a flagship with steady high performance. I mean Google could have gone to Samsung 4nm and chose not to while being totally aware of the peak performance issues with the first gen Tensor and even bumped the clocks so it seems to me they aren't really unhappy the position of the Tensor chip relative to everything else. It's going to be a distinctly midrange chip compared to the 2023 flagships if the rumors about the gains Qualcomm got from switching to TSMC end up panning out.

EtherealRemnant said:
The Tensor is definitely meant to be upper midrange with bursty performance rather than a flagship with steady high performance. I mean Google could have gone to Samsung 4nm and chose not to while being totally aware of the peak performance issues with the first gen Tensor and even bumped the clocks so it seems to me they aren't really unhappy the position of the Tensor chip relative to everything else. It's going to be a distinctly midrange chip compared to the 2023 flagships if the rumors about the gains Qualcomm got from switching to TSMC end up panning out.
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Click to collapse
I have a theory I've mentioned before that since Google depends on Samsung for so much, you have to consider that Samsung doesn't necessarily make the best of the best available for Google to purchase at a reasonable price since Google's products effectively compete with Samsung's own, and Samsung has Google more "over the barrel" than Google does Samsung.

roirraW edor ehT said:
I have a theory I've mentioned before that since Google depends on Samsung for so much, you have to consider that Samsung doesn't necessarily make the best of the best available for Google to purchase at a reasonable price since Google's products effectively compete with Samsung's own, and Samsung has Google more "over the barrel" than Google does Samsung.
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This is certainly possible. I also think that Google is pretty happy with Tensor overall. They have never marketed this phone as the top performing device but the performance it does have is pretty solid. Until I installed the beta, I hadn't even seen any random lag, which is amazing to me coming from the mess that was the OnePlus 9.

Thought this might be a good place to share this...
Chip chat! And not the cool ranch kind. In the fourth episode of the #MadeByGoogle podcast, our host Rachid Finge speaks with Monika Gupta, Senior Director of Product Management for Google Silicon Teams, about the Tensor G2 chip in Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. Monika and Rachid discuss Google’s AI first approach, how Tensor got its name, its role in our favourite speech and camera features, and why classical benchmarks for chips don’t always tell the whole story.
Episode 04 – Chip Chat
Chip chat! And not the cool ranch kind. In the fourth episode of the #MadeByGoogle podcast, our host Rachid Finge speaks with Monika Gupta, Senior Director of Product Management for Google Silicon Teams, about the Tensor G2 chip in Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. Monika and Rachid discuss Google’s AI...
made-by-google-podcast.podigee.io

This thread still alive/relevant? 'Cause I've been looking for information on how to access the TPU on the Tensor chip and didn't find anything
My dream is to be able some day to run LLaMA on Tensor's TPU via ggml/llama.cpp - but for that you'd need to know how to access the TPU directly and that doesn't seem to be possible in any way... or may be I missed something?