Database Info

Been through 4 Galaxy S4's already. I think I need to move on now

I have never had this much bad luck with a smart phone before. I don't know whats going on. But i've been though 5 Galaxy S4's and every single one had some soft of issue.
1. bought the S4 from Telus: The phone had wifi connectivity issues. It would drop wifi and reconnect constantly. Returned to Telus.
2. Exchanged S4 from Telus: The phone had scratches on the right bezel and my OCD kicked in. This time I got a refund.
3. Bought S4 from EZ Connect (wholesalers): I bought the black version and immediately noticed a gap on top of the phone, between the screen and the bezel. wide enough to slide a card between. Returned
4. Bought S4 from EZ Connect again: The bezel on right wasn't flush to phone. There was a sort of bump near the power button.
So I don't know if All S4's have some small quality issue - or maybe EZ Connect wholesalers are selling faulty batches. I am at a loss

I wouldn't be surprised. But honestly, if build quality is that important to you over features, then I sincerely believe you'll prefer the HTC One.

Errr No. Ridiculous to think that all S4's have defects. There are millions of S4's dude, not all have issues. Mine is flawless. Sounds like you have some issues lol But seriously, any phone can have defects and I've seen posts just like yours with various different phones right down to iPhones. People going through like 5 or more phones because of a small nick here and there.

Well I do have OCD issues. I guess I expect a brand new phone to be in perfect condition. No nicks, scratches on bezels, uneven casing...

I think you should go with htc one if you are so worried with this details
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda premium

intolaomair said:
Well I do have OCD issues. I guess I expect a brand new phone to be in perfect condition. No nicks, scratches on bezels, uneven casing...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is perfectly fine. I have been through 4 google play edition galaxy s4's. All had issues that bothered me. Luckily my last one is good. For the insane prices phones go for these days, or having to chain up to a 2 year contract, You should not expect anything less than perfect.
All those "defective" returned devices supposedly hurt the merchant or manufacturer, and that is fine because eventually it leads to samsung learning they are losing cash with people returning many devices due to their poor quality control.

The One has build and quality control issues as well, maybe even more than the S4 coz HTC has QC issues. So do inspect the phone properly when you buy. The One has had issues like gaps in the body and construction between plastic and metal, metal and screen, scratches coz its a metal body, etc

intolaomair said:
I have never had this much bad luck with a smart phone before. I don't know whats going on. But i've been though 5 Galaxy S4's and every single one had some soft of issue.
1. bought the S4 from Telus: The phone had wifi connectivity issues. It would drop wifi and reconnect constantly. Returned to Telus.
2. Exchanged S4 from Telus: The phone had scratches on the right bezel and my OCD kicked in. This time I got a refund.
3. Bought S4 from EZ Connect (wholesalers): I bought the black version and immediately noticed a gap on top of the phone, between the screen and the bezel. wide enough to slide a card between. Returned
4. Bought S4 from EZ Connect again: The bezel on right wasn't flush to phone. There was a sort of bump near the power button.
So I don't know if All S4's have some small quality issue - or maybe EZ Connect wholesalers are selling faulty batches. I am at a loss
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never buy and accept a brand new phone if the case stickers are teared.

every brand has this sort of thing, its always about luck with these devices
Sent from my GT-I9500 using Tapatalk 4

You're just simply unlucky.
Chances are, they aren't giving you new sets. It's common for retailers to repackage returns and sell them as new. A shady practice but still widespread. This is why most retailers always make a point to check that an item is resalable when you return stuff.

intolaomair said:
3. Bought S4 from EZ Connect (wholesalers): I bought the black version and immediately noticed a gap on top of the phone, between the screen and the bezel. wide enough to slide a card between. Returned
4. Bought S4 from EZ Connect again: The bezel on right wasn't flush to phone. There was a sort of bump near the power button.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The i9505 I got from Clove had the bump near the power button too. Took a loss and sold it.
Visited lots of Futureshop, Bestbuy, Telus, Rogers, Bell and Wireless Waves stores. Perfect units were few and far between. Most units I saw have gaps between the screen and bezel on the side. The Fido i337m I have now, the gap's bigger on it than the phone I had before. It is what it is.

Z3 Display Glass instable

I recieved my Z3 10 days ago.
It's superfast and the batterylife is awesome.
But 2 days ago, i noticed a damage in my Screen.
It's not big, but you can feel and see it..
I never dropped the phone, i even didn't use it often, because actually it's my secondary phone.
I never put it in my pocket with keys or money or anything.
So this morning i noticed a crack in the screen.
It's not big, too. But you can see it..
It looks like the screen is to big and instable and cracked.
This happened over night without any external influence.
Anybody got this too?

maybe it was the neighbors cat? never heard of a phone that screen mysteriously cracks itself. any pics?
.

Actually, the screen of the Z2 cracked spontaneously over the night some people. (From one corner to another.) Sony is not using Gorilla Glass but the Dragontrail, idk how good it is.

tft said:
maybe it was the neighbors cat? never heard of a phone that screen mysteriously cracks itself. any pics?
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will upload pics tomorrow..
Sent from my D6603 using XDA Free mobile app

Another one of those my screen mysteriously cracked for no reason thread.... I'm not sure what to make of these on XDA?

The amount of complaints are growing so quickly, all the chances of my buying a Z3 are fading.
I think it's time for a recall (that they will never do).

rdosti said:
The amount of complaints are growing so quickly, all the chances of my buying a Z3 are fading.
I think it's time for a recall (that they will never do).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel the same way.. I went ahead and ordered an iPhone 6 plus to hold me over until I make up my mind and Sony decide to release price and availability on T-Mobile.

So here are some pictures.
It's a very small crack, it doesn't disturbs me but i think it isn't waterproof anymore...
Sent from my D6603 using XDA Free mobile app

I have an idea what can cause the crack.
When i hear Music with the speakers and full volume, the display vibrates a bit.
Can this be the reason?
Sent from my D6603 using XDA Free mobile app

tft said:
maybe it was the neighbors cat? never heard of a phone that screen mysteriously cracks itself. any pics?
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, it happens when the glass is under pressure / stress.
Gave my mum my Galaxy Nexus a half year ago. A week ago she put it in a stacker in the car with much space, but rubber on the ground. We drove an hour on the Autobahn, not even fast, suspension doesn't even move much because it's so flat.. still it broke into 100 pieces, I've never seen a cracked screen like that. It didn't even move. But to be fair, it fell to the ground very often. Like 20 times, without any damage. I guess it was a bit under stress / pressure and cracked at the slightest touch...
If the glass from the z3 is under stress because it's a faulty unit, it may even crack because of a fast changing temperature. Out of your pocket --> cold table? Could happen imo. That should be covered by the warranty imo. But that depends on the country where you live in.. In germany for example we have a relatively strong consumer protection. If you have absolutely no scratches on the phone, it should be obvious that this is not your fault.

paysen said:
Actually, it happens when the glass is under pressure / stress.
Gave my mum my Galaxy Nexus a half year ago. A week ago she put it in a stacker in the car with much space, but rubber on the ground. We drove an hour on the Autobahn, not even fast, suspension doesn't even move much because it's so flat.. still it broke into 100 pieces, I've never seen a cracked screen like that. It didn't even move. But to be fair, it fell to the ground very often. Like 20 times, without any damage. I guess it was a bit under stress / pressure and cracked at the slightest touch...
If the glass from the z3 is under stress because it's a faulty unit, it may even crack because of a fast changing temperature. Out of your pocket --> cold table? Could happen imo. That should be covered by the warranty imo. But that depends on the country where you live in.. In germany for example we have a relatively strong consumer protection. If you have absolutely no scratches on the phone, it should be obvious that this is not your fault.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had enough phones to know, they don't break from forces of nature or on their own. Hot to Cold, Cold to hot, faulty or not, doesn't happen.

Jonathan-H said:
I've had enough phones to know, they don't break from forces of nature or on their own. Hot to Cold, Cold to hot, faulty or not, doesn't happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You had some phones and they didn't break? Wow.
I had some cars that didn't break in years of usage. So cars can't break from forces of nature or on their own.
When there is constant pressure on the glass from the frame itself, it will break much faster or with less force.
But keep ignoring the facts and please, please never read this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spontaneous_glass_breakage
OP should read this, Sony repaired several Xperia Z1 phones for free:
http://www.nextpowerup.com/news/520...cked-glass-sony-might-repair-it-for-free.html

I've put together a Google forms survey to collect some objective breakage data:
Sony Xperia Z3 / Z3 Compact - Glass Survey
Please take some time to complete the survey whether you've experienced a breakage or not, it's important to have a complete set of data. You will be able to view the survey results after submitting the form.

cschmitt said:
I've put together a Google forms survey to collect some objective breakage data:
Sony Xperia Z3 / Z3 Compact - Glass Survey
Please take some time to complete the survey whether you've experienced a breakage or not, it's important to have a complete set of data. You will be able to view the survey results after submitting the form.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I answered all the questions.
@paysen
Ich bin deutsch
So i have to send my device to Sonys repair center.
There is nothing more on it.
It's just like a new Z3 wich was taken out of the box 5 minutes ago.
Sent from my D6603 using XDA Free mobile app

There is no pressure from the frame, the glass fits inside it and rests on a lip. Hence why people have "gap issues". The actual frame puts no pressure on the glass under normal use as far as I can see. Unless of course the frame warps slightly, then I could see pressure building up at corners.
Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk

Sorry - problem confirmed !
shook187 said:
Another one of those my screen mysteriously cracked for no reason thread.... I'm not sure what to make of these on XDA?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I thought, too. And I had the same ideas like that famous "neighbor's cat", didn't take it for serious.
Till this morning, when I found a nice crack in the screen after charging the Z3 over night, listening to music prior to sleeping.
Crack starts at the right side if the upper speaker, extends down to the lower left edge of the phone. You can see and feel it, touchscreen still working, but with problems.
No drops, no weight placed on the Z3, no famous cats, not even mice.
Reason ? Unknown.
A bold guess: Vibrations. Z3 was resting with it's lower edge against a metal bar of the little table next to my bed, I had music playing quite loud. As the upper speaker causes the phone to vibrate noticeably, the constant vibrations plus the metal bar preventing the Z3 from moving might have caused the issue. And it's the upper speaker where the crack starts.
Oh, oh, Sony...
UPDATE
Just had a call with Vodafone Germany - they told me it's a KNOWN problem many users experienced. They also revealed it's a manufacturing fault, and there's an agreement with Sony regarding repair or exchange of affected devices.
Passi1909: Du bist also nicht allein.
Oh, oh, Sony...
UPDATE 2
Just had a chat with Sonymobile. Unfriendly as ever. OF COURSE they don't know anything about the problem. OF COURSE there are no manufacturing defects. OF COURSE they don't know anything about agreements with Vodafone.
So it's the typical Sonymobile Germany habit. (They also completely ignored thousands of bent Z2 Tablets a few months ago.)
Presently, I am speaking with Vodafone Germany again to find a proper solution. But I guess I'll say goodbye to the Z3, don't want to risk another failure.
Aha, interesting. NOW Vodafone Germany (different agent) claims there are NO agreements with Sony.
Strange world.
Trying the Sony repair service, now.

I can foresee a nice class lawsuit headed their way. Sony might go bankrupt in a couple of years the way they have lost the walkman wars (audio wars), and forget about Video wars too - Samsung and LG are really getting in there, and mobile wars - gone are the days where the P800, P900, P1000 (??) were the best phones ever to the fact that Apple now has a clear dominance there and Samsung has literally taken Sony out when it comes to Android.
I can imagine that it might be time to teach Sony a lesson of cheating people with 6 monthly devices that are "downgrades" in terms of "life".
Chefproll, start recording your calls and get things documented.

I wanted to finally buy a sony Smartphone on christmas, in this case the z3, but after I've heard a lot worse problems from this, I can probably forget it. pity, because i thought that the sony xperia z3 is the most prettiest and best Smartphone on the market

tamilplaya98 said:
I wanted to finally buy a sony Smartphone on christmas, in this case the z3, but after I've heard a lot worse problems from this, I can probably forget it. pity, because i thought that the sony xperia z3 is the most prettiest and best Smartphone on the market
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a nice, cute device which is real fun to play with.
But I just cannot live with the subzero camera - and with a crack in the display. Device now is unusable, touchscreen now behaves totally erratic.
I just ordered a Samsung Galaxy S5. I NEVER EVER wished to buy another Samsung device. But after my experience with the Z3's camera, the cracked screen (don't listen to music) and the attitude of the Sonymobile staff - goodbye, Sony.

Chefproll said:
It's a nice, cute device which is real fun to play with.
But I just cannot live with the subzero camera - and with a crack in the display. Device now is unusable, touchscreen now behaves totally erratic.
I just ordered a Samsung Galaxy S5. I NEVER EVER wished to buy another Samsung device. But after my experience with the Z3's camera, the cracked screen (don't listen to music) and the attitude of the Sonymobile staff - goodbye, Sony.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i will buy a htc one m8 or a nexus 5.
i cannot believe this ****...

Busted Screen...Design flaw?

:crying:
LONG VERSION:
Well when I first got my idol 3 on May 23rd the first thing I did before turning it on was to install a cheap plastic screen protector. I then turned it on, played with it and poured over the outside of the phone. Build seemed good. The only area I genuinely disliked was the design choice laying the glass screen on TOP of the frame/bezels. It looks nice but I thought at the time, 'makes me worry about dropping it, even with a case'. I always use TPU cases with no problems and installed it on the idol. Today my screen shattered. I did not drop the phone (haven't dropped it once in the 3+ weeks I've owned it). I did not bump into anything. The phone was in my side pocket of my work pants (not 'skinny' jeans I wear loose pants/jeans. Side rant: no disrespect to the hipsters but skinny jeans are not in my vocabulary, I don't know anyone that looks good in them ) while I drove from work around the corner to Wegmans (grocery store). Got in the store and pulled out my phone only to see a shattered screen. I thought it was my tempered screen protector ( I put that on a few days after getting the phone once they were in stock) until I noticed I couldn't use the bottom 2/3 of the touchscreen. Digitizer was shot. Ugh. Looking back the only point I can think of where any pressure was applied to the screen would be when I got out of the car and my pants probably tightened when pivoting off the seat. Seriously. That's it. I must have done the same thing 2 dozen times as I almost always go to Wegmans after work and since it's so close I leave the phone in my pocket (loose pockets!!). Afterwards while driving home I always put the phone in it's holster on the dash. I got home and pulled the tempered glass off (incidentally the glass protector is fine..) and took a closer look. Remember "Bendgate" with the 6-plus? Yeah my phone is also ever so slightly bent as well. I baby the hell out of my phone, not a scratch or nick anywhere on the body. I'm so disappointed. I absolutely love this phone and yesterday I would rate alcatel/the phone a 4.5 out of 5 for a stellar product with few issues (obv. the pervasive DT2W issue). But after today I strongly believe they messed up their design by putting the glass on top of the frame and not embedded within the bezels like almost every other phone out there. I'm preparing my email to alcatel now in hopes I get something from them but I know they have no reason to believe my story as to how this happened. I don't believe my actions were a result of misuse by any means as I've owned plenty of smartphones without ever breaking one. I don't expect anything from Alcatel but I seriously hope their next iteration of this phone will be better protected. I'm creating this thread as a warning to all the other owners out there that you need to be very careful handling this phone, If a simple motion such as this can result in a broken screen then I'm sure that a drop will be just as bad even with a tempered glass protector. So everyone PLEASE be careful! Personally I am distrustful of the device's build quality now and will hang on to this until I can buy a replacement screen/digitizer and attempt to replace it myself ( a review on Amazon a few days ago mentioned that screen replacement costs $150, almost the price I paid for the thing) though I will wait to hear back from Alcatel. I'll try to upload a couple pics of the phone, but really all you'll see is an otherwise pristine phone with a broken screen and the leftover residue from my tempered protector (now removed). Ugh, this sucks
Short Version:
My screen broke while in my pocket from minimal to barely moderate pressure and is also now bent, ala #Bendgate. WTF

I can't believe this phone broke that easy, it was either a defective phone or its just fragile. I'm really thinking of returning this phone since it has so many things to it.
Sent from my 6045I

I hope it was just a dud for everyone else's sake, problem is I don't expect Alcatel to replace it under warranty and I'm not willing to spend 75% of what I paid for it on a new screen. THe other issues are minor to me personally, with DT2W being the biggest annoyance. I barely get any lag with animations on top speed and nova launcher and I'm satisfied with the camera for the price point. My previous phone, the HTC One m7 was great until it got the lollipop 5.02 update and then lagged like crazy so I truly believe performance issues will be resolved with an update/root. I'm really devastated this broke so easily as the screen size/front speakers were exactly what I wanted in a phone, not to mention the great battery life I get vs. old phone.

Dang I have a tpu case and tempered glass but I'm scared now lol thinking of returning and getting a OPO
Sent from my 6045I

I seriously considered the opo but for me band support was paramount. I wonder if a hard case would be better for this phone, I know they're harder on the body but would presumably give a bit more structure for the phone. OT, I finally have a use for the reversible feature as it allows me to type on the phone and open most apps flipping the thing upside down over and over :/

Hopefully its not a defect to all phones. I only have till Monday to figure out if I want to return it
Sent from my 6045I

psu2fan said:
I hope it was just a dud for everyone else's sake, problem is I don't expect Alcatel to replace it under warranty and I'm not willing to spend 75% of what I paid for it on a new screen. THe other issues are minor to me personally, with DT2W being the biggest annoyance. I barely get any lag with animations on top speed and nova launcher and I'm satisfied with the camera for the price point. My previous phone, the HTC One m7 was great until it got the lollipop 5.02 update and then lagged like crazy so I truly believe performance issues will be resolved with an update/root. I'm really devastated this broke so easily as the screen size/front speakers were exactly what I wanted in a phone, not to mention the great battery life I get vs. old phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you approached Alcatel to see if they will replace the device/display under warranty? Clearly you did not do anything out of the ordinary - drop it to knock it against something - so they *should* replace it, and if not, you should be able to take it up with your credit card company. I feel sorry for your situation. I got my phone for $200, have no problems except the lag ( and more recently more frequent d2w issues ) - and I am waiting for something like you to happen to me. At that time I will have to take it up with Alcatel , because I certainly want to keep the device, for its bright screen and loud speakers alone, for the $200 I paid.
Electronics are not flawless articles - but my suggestion would be give Alcatel support a chance. This will also tell all of us, how good their support really is. Abt 4 years back, I was one of the lucky ones that got in on the $99 HP Touchpad sweepstakes - and right after I got it, the display panel started malfunctioning. So I took it up with HP and they sent me a prepaid box - and had me ship the tablet back to them - and returned it to me after replacing the display. Since that day, that device has been a workhorse for me - Best $90 I ever spent on a piece of electronics. So my point is - sometimes - your immediate experience will be negative - but it is worth give it another chance. And these days, usually your CC company will come to your rescue in such matters.

Oh absolutely. I guess I wasn't very clear about that but I'm retelling my story with them. I certainly hope they do something about it, I just have my doubts.I'll have to read through the terms on my credit card, can't remember if I used Amex or Discover for it.. but I thought you just got an extended warranty through them, no?

Ok I sent out my lengthy email to Alcatel just now, so I'll update this thread when I hear back from them. Also I looked into my purchase and I did use Discover which includes 90-days device coverage including broken screens so I'm covered in case Alcatel doesn't come through. Thanks stl1859, I would not have remembered that if you didn't mention it.

psu2fan said:
:crying:
Short Version:
My screen broke while in my pocket from minimal to barely moderate pressure and is also now bent, ala #Bendgate. WTF
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
many of todays phones has this 2.5D corners, so bad luck...it happens. I got ZTE V5, felt many times so i bought screen protector shield (plastic, not foil) and rugged back cover...anyway felt from 50cm to the ceramic tiles and got broken screen..it happens ...**** happens. Hope you will get osme satisfactory. And minimal to barely moderate pressure, really? Do you think that his would someone believe?

DallasCZ said:
many of todays phones has this 2.5D corners, so bad luck...it happens. I got ZTE V5, felt many times so i bought screen protector shield (plastic, not foil) and rugged back cover...anyway felt from 50cm to the ceramic tiles and got broken screen..it happens ...**** happens. Hope you will get osme satisfactory. And minimal to barely moderate pressure, really? Do you think that his would someone believe?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know it's hard to believe, I have a hard time believing it. Which is precisely why I posted about this. And yes it was minimal to moderate pressure. I did not drop the device, it was in my pocket and I didn't bump into anything. The only pressure exerted was from my pants as I shifted to the left to get out of the car. I've certainly been fortunate over the years to have never broken a screen; I've dropped my previous phones a handful of times, even rolled over one while it was in my pocket. If any of those things would have happened and resulted in a broken screen/bent phone I wouldn't be posting here.. I expect that outcome in those situations. Also no I don't expect Alcatel to believe me, which is why I was so worried about spending my money on a device only to have it fail in this manner. Thankfully due to the suggestion of another member I will be covered thanks to my CC company.

You are still going to try getting a replacement from Alcatel, right ? I am really interested in knowing how efficient they are in handling repair/exchanges.

stl1859 said:
You are still going to try getting a replacement from Alcatel, right ? I am really interested in knowing how efficient they are in handling repair/exchanges.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I'm currently waiting on them. Since I submitted the support email going into the weekend I'm giving them through Monday to reply before I start calling them.

Well, As expected.. BTW the phone number listed is not valid. Had to initiate claims online at alcatel.finetw.com Customer care didn't care (haha) how the phone broke, though I wouldn't expect them to. I'll include a copy of my original email with the phone so that hopefully the tech at least takes a look at the strength of the phone.
Dear xxxxxx,
Thank you for getting in touch with us. We understand your concern and we will be happy to assist you. Unfortunately with physical damaged the warranty gets void, so you can contact the repair center and ask how much they will charge you to fix device, the phone number is 496-484-6610..
Best regards,
ALCATEL ONETOUCH

First, that is a pathetic response. With that kind of attitude, they are not going to gain many customers. Second, I don't think that is a valid statement at all. Defects can cause 'physical damage'. It is a piece of electronics after all . If they are not covering 'physical damage' - what are they covering - emotional damage !!!
They probably meant physical *abuse* - which in your case - there was none. So I do not think they have grounds to decline warranty. It appears that they are simply assuming there was 'physical abuse' . Let me ask you - did you explain the incident - to the level of detail that you did over here ? ( meaning how it was in your pant's pocket - and how there might have been some pressure when you tried to get out of your vehicle , etc etc. ) - Or did you simply tell them that you discovered the screen to be shattered one fine day when you took it out of your pocket ?
Are you still engaging with them, or are you going to go to your CC company now ? I am disappointed with their support. Clearly, the only way they can sell anything if they keep pricing their products dirt cheap. Even then, I would think twice before buying from them.

I'm just thinking that this is going to be my last Alcatel product if I even decide to keep it. This support is pretty bad.
Sent from my 6045I

I keep mine in jeans, including skinny jeans and don't have these issues. It doesn't have much give so I have to position it in the pocket with the least pressure points. I would expect screen separation before screen cracking since it is plastic. I have had issue when its hot the double tap to wake will turn on the lock screen and dial contacts if the pocket is big enough for it to move around. So far I am impressed with dragontrail being less prone to fingerprints, but I do everything to avoid scratches and cracks short of a screen protector so take that into consideration.

i dont think any brand will buy your story even if its true. any physical dmg will become a user end fault no matter which product you purchase since theres no way to prove its their manufacturing fault when its physical defect and the end user is using it.
Sent from my 6045I using XDA Free mobile app

This is really the crux of it. And why I said I did not expect them to do anything. The only way to uncover a design flaw IMO is if this starts happening a lot (like bendgate.. well maybe not a lot in that case but some people showing on video how easily it bent). Also yes I went into great detail about the when/where/how the device broke. I also included the details with the phone, imploring the tech to at least look at the device to determine if there's a structural weak point or something. Sorry I took so long to reply, I've been getting my backup device (LG Leon.. ok phone for price but slooooow) setup and haven't been to the site in a few days.
gavolo said:
i dont think any brand will buy your story even if its true. any physical dmg will become a user end fault no matter which product you purchase since theres no way to prove its their manufacturing fault when its physical defect and the end user is using it.
Sent from my 6045I using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Yeah I'm going through the CC company now. Interestingly I had to pay $40 to send the device back listing the screen as broken, so maybe (knock on wood) it won't be as expensive after all

I'm out. I'm done with Essential

Edit at end of post.
This all goes back to before I even ordered the phone. I wanted the grey one. I emailed twice about it. They kept telling me it will be released soon and to watch their social media accounts to find out when it will be released knowing full well they weren't releasing those. This was months ago and those additional colors are still not out. So that was deceit #1. My last phone was an S6. Its connector was so loose a charging cable wouldn't stay in. Coupled with a diminished battery capacity, I needed a phone and I didn't want another Samsung.
I decided to go ahead and order the black one. As soon as I completed the order, I got a message asking if I wanted to know when the phone is certified by Verizon. Wait, what? At no point was that knowledge made public before my purchase. Android Authority put something out the next day or so. That was deceit #2.
About that time, the bandwagon of bad reviews based solely on what the PH-1 didn't have as well as the crappy camera app hit the media. I don't consider any of those things essential to a phone. I actually thought it was good to omit them and I didn't really care about the camera app. I'll admit, I defended Essential...a lot. I'm eating crow right now.
It arrived and the first thing I noticed was how freaking slippery this thing was. Unless it was on a perfectly horizontal surface, this thing was sliding off.
The second thing was the rough, fine sandpaper like plastic around the screen. I don't like the feel, at all, of that plastic. More importantly, why wasn't the entire side titanium? That's what was advertised. All I heard about is how durable the ceramic and titanium combination was. The drop test animation on their website show there phone hitting at a perfectly perpendicular angle to the surface. That was deceit #3. More on that later.
I put in the Verizon sim from my S6 and saw that my phone now had half the reception of my S6...half. Sitting next to my wife with her S6, she's pulling 4G and in out of 3G and 1X. All the settings were correct according to Verizon. I am in a weak cell area, yes, but never dropped calls. Calling now is virtually impossible without calling over WiFi...which brings me to the next issue. I'm with Verizon, so natively I have no WiFi calling or visual voicemail and whatever other features Verizon has limited me from using. There's even less signal in my area with AT&T so I'm stuck with Verizon. Wonderful. With some help from an XDA member, I was able to get Hangouts set up for WiFi calling but now I'm using two dialers.
Why is the charger USB C? Why not USB to USB C like every charger I've had in the past? Are other companies doing this, too? I have only one cord that works with that charger and that's the one that came with the phone.
After one week, rub marks began to appear on the ceramic back of the phone. I ordered a skin to cover it up.
After 3 weeks, rub marks appeared on the screen! Listen, I am extremely anal about the care of my phones. No keys, no coins. The only thing that goes in my left front pants pocket, ever, is my phone. So, apparently cloth takes it's toll on this phone.
My phone was one of the ones with the cheap paper mesh over the ear speaker (really?). That thing is pretty much non-existent at this point. They wouldn't replace my phone for that like they did for everyone else before me but that's fine, they offered to repair it for free which I declined. I didn't want the hassle of being separated from the phone that long.
My phone freezes occasionally, like completely freezes, unable to even turn off the phone until it restarts itself after about 30 seconds or so.
The screen off wake up or whatever it's called never works when I pull my phone out of my pocket. I have to shake it to see the time - pointless, since, at that point, it's easier to just fingerprint unlock than to shake it.
Many screen touches don't register, this is probably the most annoying thing overall about this phone.
The camera is really laggy, but everybody knows that.
And then the thing happened, I dropped it. From pocket height, I dropped it and it hit on the Achilles heel of the phone, the edge of the screen. Remember that plastic? Well, that thin plastic curves up to the edge of the phone. It gets thinner and thinner towards that top corner of the screen and it doesn't protect anything, especially the weakest part of gorilla glass, the edge. It cracked the corner of the screen. If that edge is not protected that will be a deal breaker on all future phones. That edge was supposed to be covered with titanium, damnit.
It still works but it's an eyesore and every time I look at this phone, I feel taken. I feel like a fool for buying this phone. It is a very aesthetic but poorly designed cheap ass phone sold at a premium price. They literally cut corners on this build. They owe me some titanium and whole slew of accessories, btw, but they can keep it all. I'm not even going to buy another one for $450 which I think is the going price now.
Anyway, thanks for letting me rant. I was thinking maybe the Pixel 2, but it appears they have issues of their own....maybe a flip phone.
Edit 12/28/2017:
In order to get data working after being connected to any WiFi, a restart is required. After a restart, I'm connected to LTE+ or whatever is actually available. This is true every time after being connected to WiFi. Credit to another user in these forums.

The one I just got from best buy about 3 weeks ago is a very noticeable difference. I know what you mean and I also had 3 returns but the latest one after reading the comments on xda really led me to believe there is a bad batch. So before I left the store I inspected it and hand weighed it. Even asked the rep to hand weigh it and there was a difference. right now I have no problems to report and I'm quite happy.
Even the signal issue that is claimed I haven't experienced because it's on par with my m9 and assumably my x pure.
Honestly... I know your stuck with your rant... But give it the final xda try. Inspect it before leaving the store and you will notice the weight and the back is much less slippery.
Also... I recommend worth Ave group insurance. Had them for years, and it's 79 dollars for a year with 800 dollar coverage and 50 dollars deductible which is deducted from the 800 dollar claim

The charger is usb-c cause it uses usb-c power delivery, just like the pixel. That's the correct standard and can handle higher wattage.
The scratches on the back are the oleophobic coating, not the ceramic.
The gorilla glass 5 scratches just the same as other devices with that version of gorilla glass.
If you weren't happy with the device, return within the 15 return period. I did. You can always rebuy.
The reason Essential can't give a date for the other colors is because the manufacturing process for that ceramic is difficult. They're doing each color in batches because you can't make multiple colors of ceramic at once in one furnace. You didn't see Xiaomi making different colors of the mi mix. It was black and many months later the white. That's all, and they're a much larger company with more resources.
The phone has improved since launch. 1st production models seemed to have QC issues (one reason I returned mine)

I received mine on Tuesday from Amazon it took me all of about half and hour to figure its going back 15Dbm difference then my moto z force. Not acceptable.

The workmanship on my white one is stellar. Absolutely zero issues the connectivity is great better than any device I've ever had on Verizon. The cameras responsive works great I'm not a professional photographer, I don't need professional photographer level results, but I get very good pictures. Absolutely love this device and with the Incipio its running naked, no screen protector.
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk

Honestly i was excited to get this phone i could get pass all of the small issues but then I noticed the following problems with the screen.
The screen is really slow to respond to touch input My pixel xl did not have this problem.
The display itself is an IPS display but this screen is the worst one i have seen perform on a phone there is a lot of ghosting (image blur on a moving object)
I compared it to a unit that was on display on a store and it had the same slow touch input and ghosting issues.
So the slow touch input affects the phone as to how fast you can type and switch apps etc. The phone does not respond to fast actions very well and sometimes misses touch inputs.
You can drag your finger on top of an app and swipe it left or right and you can see that the app will be way far back where your finger was a second ago. s8, pixel xl, note 5 dont have this problem (I own them) The display on this thing is disappointing and you can also observe horizontal lines on the display.
I think this phone would of been successful if they used an AMOLED display.
I would say that the display has very realistic colors but thats it.
Whats the point of a high end spec'd phone but has an underperforming display....

I'm the sort of person who's not the first in line to get anything. I wait for things to percolate and germinate and then make my move. I also usually wait until cases are available before buying.
Just recently got my PH-1, just over a week old and it's just great. Haven't even bothered with rooting or modding, just fine stock. Got a nice Tudia case from eBay and all's well.
Using it with Sprint, no problems or issues of any kind. Best activation process i've had in all my years with Sprint (considering the horror that i went through with the Nexus 6P).
I'm in. Very in with the PH-1.

So I get a lot of what your saying, I went the other and have learned to love my PH-1. In-Fact I will go as far to say it is my Favorite phone to carry all the way back to OG Moto Droid...
One comment about your rant though:
"Why is the charger USB C? Why not USB to USB C like every charger I've had in the past? Are other companies doing this, too? I have only one cord that works with that charger and that's the one that came with the phone. "
So many phones come C to C now. My desktop and laptop both even have a couple C ports. Spend the $3 on Amazon for a cable if you need one man, this is not a fault of Essential.

Here's what I got for USB to USB C
USB Type C Cable, Snowkids USB C Cable (USB 3.0)(2-PACK 6.6ft) Nylon Braided Fast Charger for Samsung Galaxy Note 8, LG V30 G6 G5 V20,Nintendo Switch,Galaxy S8 Plus,Google Pixel 2,HTC U11 Plus (Grey) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N5KL10L/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_X8MdAb1EMKPS8
---------- Post added at 12:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:11 AM ----------
LordLugard said:
I'm the sort of person who's not the first in line to get anything. I wait for things to percolate and germinate and then make my move. I also usually wait until cases are available before buying.
Just recently got my PH-1, just over a week old and it's just great. Haven't even bothered with rooting or modding, just fine stock. Got a nice Tudia case from eBay and all's well.
Using it with Sprint, no problems or issues of any kind. Best activation process i've had in all my years with Sprint (considering the horror that i went through with the Nexus 6P).
I'm in. Very in with the PH-1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol we're about the same boat except my first phone didn't activate on sprint

bigmook said:
The workmanship on my white one is stellar. Absolutely zero issues the connectivity is great better than any device I've ever had on Verizon. The cameras responsive works great I'm not a professional photographer, I don't need professional photographer level results, but I get very good pictures. Absolutely love this device and with the Incipio its running naked, no screen protector.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You must be going solely based on signal bar icons. If you compared dBm readings, you'll see essential is significantly worse than whatever phone you last came from. Signal is definitely one of the weakest points of this phone.

No sir I am going by real world usage as compared to my Nexus 6p which was totally functional. I don't look settings I just use it if it works it works. And it works very well.
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk

in case you did not know, they replace the phone for $200.

I got one from amazon for verizon and i havent had any signal issues. I am on Oreo beta now as well. As for the front screen i do have a slight knock in it as well not sure from what.. I did get the $13 tpu case off amazon and it does help quite a bit.. with handling it.
And I will prob be moving to the LG v30 when it comes available on amazon.. Since i can buy it try and if i dont like it return it with out being hit with stupid fee's
I wanted to pick up a oneplus 5T but people say oneplus doesnt support verizon..

Bye Felicia!

Titanium to the edge of the screen would break the screen if the phone got warm and then cooled down, since metal expands/contracts. So yea, dropping your phone on the edge is going to break the screen, but the alternative you're ranting about would cause the phone to break if you had it in your pocket and pulled it out in cold weather.
umx said:
I got one from amazon for verizon and i havent had any signal issues. I am on Oreo beta now as well. As for the front screen i do have a slight knock in it as well not sure from what.. I did get the $13 tpu case off amazon and it does help quite a bit.. with handling it.
And I will prob be moving to the LG v30 when it comes available on amazon.. Since i can buy it try and if i dont like it return it with out being hit with stupid fee's
I wanted to pick up a oneplus 5T but people say oneplus doesnt support verizon..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've seen some folk on reddit that dropped their already activated Verizon SIM in the 5 and had it connect to LTE with VoLTE. So long as you don't *need* the CDMA to work, it should work. Just don't ask Verizon for any help.

Seamonkey79 said:
Titanium to the edge of the screen would break the screen if the phone got warm and then cooled down, since metal expands/contracts. So yea, dropping your phone on the edge is going to break the screen, but the alternative you're ranting about would cause the phone to break if you had it in your pocket and pulled it out in cold weather.
I've seen some folk on reddit that dropped their already activated Verizon SIM in the 5 and had it connect to LTE with VoLTE. So long as you don't *need* the CDMA to work, it should work. Just don't ask Verizon for any help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as I get LTE and 4g thats all i care about.. verizon isnt of any help anyways lol..

umx said:
As long as I get LTE and 4g thats all i care about.. verizon isnt of any help anyways lol..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most LTE phones should work on Verizon 'out of box', provided they have the antennas necessary. I know the OnePlus 5 was missing a couple of Verizon bands, but the majority of them were there.

Seamonkey79 said:
Most LTE phones should work on Verizon 'out of box', provided they have the antennas necessary. I know the OnePlus 5 was missing a couple of Verizon bands, but the majority of them were there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea ill have to give it a shot.. and see.. worst case ill grab a v30 used or wait to next round of phones.

Ok, the rest of your rant is pretty justified. I feel you. These are valid points. However, you just start bringing up random stuff that doesn't make any sense to a complaint about the phone
bL1X said:
I put in the Verizon sim from my S6 and saw that my phone now had half the reception of my S6...half. Sitting next to my wife with her S6, she's pulling 4G and in out of 3G and 1X. All the settings were correct according to Verizon. I am in a weak cell area, yes, but never dropped calls. Calling now is virtually impossible without calling over WiFi...which brings me to the next issue. I'm with Verizon, so natively I have no WiFi calling or visual voicemail and whatever other features Verizon has limited me from using. There's even less signal in my area with AT&T so I'm stuck with Verizon. Wonderful. With some help from an XDA member, I was able to get Hangouts set up for WiFi calling but now I'm using two dialers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, wifi calling doesn't work because Verizon hasn't properly provisioned it in their system? That is a problem with the phone?
It seems like it is a problem with Verizon, which you should be asking them to fix.
Just leave it at: The signal sucks. I am looking at this phone right now. Signal sucks. I agree.
The whole Verizon thing just seems like a weird complaint
Why is the charger USB C? Why not USB to USB C like every charger I've had in the past? Are other companies doing this, too? I have only one cord that works with that charger and that's the one that came with the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Literally no phone with USB C comes with the type of charger you are discussing. ZERO.
USB C-USB C cables are capable of 3A
USB A-USB C is limited to 2.4A
All phones with USB C come with a USB C-USB C so that the phone will charge faster! Every single one since the Nexus 6p/5X
The screen off wake up or whatever it's called never works when I pull my phone out of my pocket. I have to shake it to see the time - pointless, since, at that point, it's easier to just fingerprint unlock than to shake it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have my old Nexus 5x sitting right here. I decided to run a little experiment.
The Nexus 5x was about as successful as the PH-1 at "wake up". It missed about 25% of the time.
This feature is notoriously iffy.
I mean, I get the rant. You seem upset. I understand.
Those three points just seem arbitrary and don't even reflect legitimate issues with the phone.

The essential phone is Verizon approved... Correct?
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk

Cracked screen - Way forward

Stumbled yesterday avoiding an old lady. Dropped my phone in the process onto the pavement from a couple of feet.
Ended up with a cracked screen across the top (pretty patterns etc etc) Screen seems still responsive.
Anyway, what surprised me was the damage caused after a pathetic drop. Really thought this phone was a bit more robust. HAd the plastic case on the body a screen protector too. My first ever cracked screen. Gutted.
Costs so far using threads here and elsewhere are £150 ish. With the 7.1 coming out in a few weeks here in the UK should I hang fire and buy a new 7.1?
Just updated to Pie yesterday too.....:silly:

7.1 is far inferior to the 7 plus.
Slower SoC, smaller battery. And pretty much same price.

MatthiasDS said:
7.1 is far inferior to the 7 plus.
Slower SoC, smaller battery. And pretty much same price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks to me like they have added this display thing and taken away what makes the phone a good phone.
They have wayyyy too many phones out at the moment.

divvykev said:
Looks to me like they have added this display thing and taken away what makes the phone a good phone.
They have wayyyy too many phones out at the moment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well it's actually the successor to the Nokia 7, which wasn't widely available. The 7 Plus will probably get a successor in the 7.1 Plus, which is tipped to get a Snapdragon 710.

divvykev said:
Stumbled yesterday avoiding an old lady. Dropped my phone in the process onto the pavement from a couple of feet.
Ended up with a cracked screen across the top (pretty patterns etc etc) Screen seems still responsive.
Anyway, what surprised me was the damage caused after a pathetic drop. Really thought this phone was a bit more robust. HAd the plastic case on the body a screen protector too. My first ever cracked screen. Gutted.
Costs so far using threads here and elsewhere are £150 ish. With the 7.1 coming out in a few weeks here in the UK should I hang fire and buy a new 7.1?
Just updated to Pie yesterday too.....:silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you decide to send the phone in for repairs make sure you take a lot of photos of the phone before sending it.
I cracked the screen also and send it to repair using HMD repair service. Below a few thoughts:
Pros:
- collection, repair and delivery was quick - 7 days from collection to delivery back.
Cons:
- Phone came back with a new scratch on the back (about 3mm long) which I am sure was not there before I send it for repair.
- The replacement screen has a very thin scratch which I saw only 2 weeks after the phone was delivered (I was in holidays when it arrived).
First I thought that the screen is not Gorilla Glass, but since the repair (2 months ago) I have no other scratch on the phone. I guess (I am not sure though, just my impression) they are using grade B screens for replacement.
I did not reported to repair center because it is barely visible and because it was 2 weeks after the delivery.
Also because all the hassle to change phones and setup again.
So if the crack is not too bad (my screen was still working also, but was completely shattered on one side) I would recommend to keep using the phone until they release Nokia 10 and put the £150 towards that.

trveller72 said:
If you decide to send the phone in for repairs make sure you take a lot of photos of the phone before sending it.
I cracked the screen also and send it to repair using HMD repair service. Below a few thoughts:
Pros:
- collection, repair and delivery was quick - 7 days from collection to delivery back.
Cons:
- Phone came back with a new scratch on the back (about 3mm long) which I am sure was not there before I send it for repair.
- The replacement screen has a very thin scratch which I saw only 2 weeks after the phone was delivered (I was in holidays when it arrived).
First I thought that the screen is not Gorilla Glass, but since the repair (2 months ago) I have no other scratch on the phone. I guess (I am not sure though, just my impression) they are using grade B screens for replacement.
I did not reported to repair center because it is barely visible and because it was 2 weeks after the delivery.
Also because all the hassle to change phones and setup again.
So if the crack is not too bad (my screen was still working also, but was completely shattered on one side) I would recommend to keep using the phone until they release Nokia 10 and put the £150 towards that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have lost trust in HMD as a setup. The way they have messed up the updates is something and your not the only one who has mentioned this issue with repairs to me. The drop was hardly anything but the damage is quite scary.
May look at Moto 6 next.

divvykev said:
Have lost trust in HMD as a setup. The way they have messed up the updates is something and your not the only one who has mentioned this issue with repairs to me. The drop was hardly anything but the damage is quite scary.
May look at Moto 6 next.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not think it's HMD's fault only.
A friend had to send an S8 plus to have the screen replaced, and same thing happened to him also. I think it's a 'common practice'.
Moto G6 (I asume) is miles away specs vise compared to Nokia 7+ and no Android one.

Bought a new 7 Plus. Sod it. Better the devil you know. Thanks for all guidance and advice folks.