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Its getting busy in here :-)

Wow this area of the forum is getting busy, last week there was just a few of us, now the numbers are increasing fast. I knew this phone was going to be popular, just wait till the USA gets it too
Welcome new O3D owners.
Pete

i was just thinking the same i'm a member since yesterday but i followed this forum a few days before that and it's getting real busy awesome

mmm, when is supposed to be out in USA?

I guess we all just know a good phone when we see it.
Can't believe I was considering a Galaxy S2 or an HTC Sensation over my O3D. What was I thinking?!

Lagamorph said:
I guess we all just know a good phone when we see it.
Can't believe I was considering a Galaxy S2 or an HTC Sensation over my O3D. What was I thinking?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really dude, what were you thinking. Forget about the 3d, Optimus is still better than them. Tri-Dual and the Omap4 is the key

I noticed so excited when I purchased my LG because I'm not so sure whether it is true the right smartphone for me and if it gets the community it deserves. But what amazes me it goes fast because it is not yet available everywhere. I think there are still some great things to come

I'm very close to buying one.
My main concern is that the standard 2D 5MP camera is going to be rubbish up against the Galaxy S II. However, my software support fears have been alleviated by the fact CM7 has been confirmed.
I hear the 3D really is quite excellent.
See this thread if you have a decent pictures to share - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1174827

well i started in this forum with my HTC Elfin, then Xperia X1, then Motorola Milestone, then Galaxy S, then Galaxy S2 (for two weeks) and now my journey ended with this masterpiece of a smartphone!
looking forward to flash and test and flash and so on

Robboftw said:
I'm very close to buying one.
My main concern is that the standard 2D 5MP camera is going to be rubbish up against the Galaxy S II. However, my software support fears have been alleviated by the fact CM7 has been confirmed.
I hear the 3D really is quite excellent.
See this thread if you have a decent pictures to share - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1174827
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Someone tell me why cm7 is so much talked about...whats so special about it? A video? I looked at the about page, and it seems its just a malware protector, themer ect. Nothing special? We already have themes?

borgqueenx said:
Someone tell me why cm7 is so much talked about...whats so special about it? A video? I looked at the about page, and it seems its just a malware protector, themer ect. Nothing special? We already have themes?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its so much more than just themes. there is deffo no malware protection. most manufacturers would probably describe it as malware!
cyanogenmod is a completely from the ground up customised version of android operating system designed for the power user with the intent of maximising the control over and performance of the raw hardware. it allows you to fully manage the settings and behaviours of your device to suit the way YOU like it.
i will honestly never buy another phone that does not have cyanogen available for it, its that good.

Things do seem to be picking up now in these forums which is nice to see.

hefonthefjords said:
its so much more than just themes. there is deffo no malware protection. most manufacturers would probably describe it as malware!
cyanogenmod is a completely from the ground up customised version of android operating system designed for the power user with the intent of maximising the control over and performance of the raw hardware. it allows you to fully manage the settings and behaviours of your device to suit the way YOU like it.
i will honestly never buy another phone that does not have cyanogen available for it, its that good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So it will give us full root, and contain alot optimalisations to make the phone even faster?

borgqueenx said:
So it will give us full root, and contain alot optimalisations to make the phone even faster?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well it's not that easy...
cyanogenmod is a opensource version of android.
normal customroms are basing on firmwares of the company.
cm7 not. its based on the officual code from google.
on the one side the programmers are able to change the code more easyer and deeper than the firmwares, on the other hand its harder to port cm7 to a new device with all the hardwaresupport.
and yes cm7 is always rooted
pros of cm7:
faster (not from the beginning on)
more funktions
cooler
cons of cm7:
at the beginning there are always bugs (due the different hardware)
some functions never work (for example tv-output of the galaxy s)
at the beginning batterydrain
so at the beginning the cm7-ports to a new device are buggy, slow, batterydraining and don't support the full hardware.
but after a lot of new releases it's really great! blazing fast, cooler, batterysaving and and and

Just got my P920 hope the amount of users will grow everyday

[Q] Some basics I need covered :)

Hi,
So I'm new to Android, and I've only had a Nexus 7 for a week (I sold it) which I rooted and had some custom roms for.
I wanted the Xperia Z, but it's shape is too square and thus bulky. I like that this Razr HD is a bit water resistant, has excellent battery, the keflav back, and is a less cumbersome size.
But- i'm concerned as this device isn't one of the more popular. Does this mean i will have to wait much longer for upgrades even if rooted? And less support in future? could some apps not run/be designed for this device?
Basically- Im someone who keeps their phone for ages. Im still using a jailbroken 3GS happily. As much as i dont like apple- its good that i can always run the latest OS...
Just wanted thoughts on all this. Cheers

ycon said:
Hi,
So I'm new to Android, and I've only had a Nexus 7 for a week (I sold it) which I rooted and had some custom roms for.
I wanted the Xperia Z, but it's shape is too square and thus bulky. I like that this Razr HD is a bit water resistant, has excellent battery, the keflav back, and is a less cumbersome size.
But- i'm concerned as this device isn't one of the more popular. Does this mean i will have to wait much longer for upgrades even if rooted? And less support in future? could some apps not run/be designed for this device?
Basically- Im someone who keeps their phone for ages. Im still using a jailbroken 3GS happily. As much as i dont like apple- its good that i can always run the latest OS...
Just wanted thoughts on all this. Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Official upgrades for android devices are at the whim of the manufacturer and the carrier unless we're talking about a nexus device which gets updates directly from Google. On Verizon updates typically take longer to come out due to what they say is extensive testing, but recently they've been better about it imo. Unofficial updates are governed by the amount and quality of developers on that particular device. For moto phones we have a nice core of developers that keep us up to date. Now that the newest moto phones have had their bootloaders unlocked, development has really picked up. The development scene on Android is a lot different and more complicated then the Apple side. Due to the amount of high end android devices that are released every year the development scene moves pretty quickly. That isn't to say older devices aren't dev'd for but it is a possibility to consider. In the moto world devices as far back as the droid 3 are still actively supported. Many of us started out with moto and have never left.
Don't worry about the apps. Unless the device falls really behind in the os version all apps will be supported. It's not like apple where if your phone doesn't have the latest update a third of the apps don't work. There are apps coded specifically for features only available on the latest Android version but those are very few due to people wanting to make money lol.
sent from my xt926 RAZR maxx hd

Cheers for that really helpful response.
It all seems pretty good to me with app compatibility.
So- if I understand correctly, if I unlock the bootloader & root my phone, I wont have to rely on Moto/my carrier for the OS updates?
Are there any other general things I should know before saying no to more mainstream (GS4) device?
Cheers

ycon said:
Cheers for that really helpful response.
It all seems pretty good to me with app compatibility.
So- if I understand correctly, if I unlock the bootloader & root my phone, I wont have to rely on Moto/my carrier for the OS updates?
Are there any other general things I should know before saying no to more mainstream (GS4) device?
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes to your first question. Technically you would only need root to stop carrier updates but none of the new roms are being developed for locked devices.
Firstly know that the HD has basically the same innards as the gs3 except with 1gb less ram and a less impressive camera. The two monster phones out/coming out right now are the gs4 and the HTC one with a new nexus hopefully out soon. The gs4 represents some of the best hardware available (with newer still coming out later this year) and will have a lot of Dev focus. Out of those 3 phones Verizon will only be getting the gs4 most likely. In terms of what phone to get I would say you need to physically handle each before making a decision. If you must be on Verizon then the gs4 would be a great choice but some people don't like the build materials and feel of the phone (similar to gs3). People sticking with moto appreciate the solid feel, excellent materials, amazing radio strength, and battery life.
sent from my xt926 RAZR maxx hd

koftheworld;4080229The gs4 represents some of the best hardware available (with newer still coming out later this year) and will have a lot of Dev focus. Out of those 3 phones Verizon will only be getting the gs4 most likely. In terms of what phone to get I would say you need to physically handle each before making a decision. If you must be on Verizon then the gs4 would be a great choice but some people don't like the build materials and feel of the phone (similar to gs3). People sticking with moto appreciate the solid feel said:
Cheers for that. I am not on Verizon (I'm in Australia), I'll buy the phone unlocked.
I have had a look at the GS4, HTC One and Razr all together.
The GS4 is my favourite in terms of size, but I'd rather sacrifice the power (Quad core) for the longer battery, better call reception, stronger build, and lower price of the Razr HD.
I might jsut have to wait for the new Nexus phone to come out. I've heard Google will be subsidizing it, so the price might be right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

This phone is depressing! A few thoughts and ramblings...

First off let me say that I love this phone. The build quality while not the best is good enough and the materials used come together very nicely. The Moto X also has all the features I am looking for (quick charge, nice screen, stereo front facing speakers, expandable storage and unlocked and rootable!).
So why am I depressed about it?
The phone seems to not be as popular as it deserves and with that it doesn't get the massive amounts of support of other inferior devices. After owning this phone since October I have tried my hardest to grow to love the stock firmware as it is so close to google's. However (I'm not sure how many of you will agree with me here), I am very fond of CM and seeing that the Moto G 2015 has been officially supported for what feels like forever now I'm not sure the Moto X will ever be.
I know there are dedicated individuals working hard to further development projects for this device and I am very grateful for that. It just feels like the community for this phone is very small which has caught me off guard because the device seemingly has everything most people could want.
Anyways, I'm not entirely sure why I wrote this but I'd like to hear your guys' thoughts and opinions.

I agree with you that I was assuming there would be way more support for this phone and I also though it would be easier to mess with as far as rooting and such. I'm no developer or self proclaimed rooting expert but it seems like if you are on android 6.0 stock it's not that easy to get rooted or downgrade to 5.x and root. I thought being unlocked and so near stock that this would all be a breeze but ever since I unrooted and upgraded to stock 6.0 rooting again is a pretty big undertaking. I'm not complaining here I do really like the stock OS but I love messing with the OS too. Here's to hoping some time in the near future there is a solid root option for stock 6.0

When I first seen the title I was like 'really'?/But as iv read further , there's one spot on point I agree with you on...
I expected the this phone to be one of the more popular, development wise, rom wise.
So when I first came to XDA and looked in the Moto X Pure section, WOW, I was sadly SADLY surprised.
3 CURRENT ROMS. are you joking me?
I told my self once the kernel source(or whatever) was released, THAT'S when things would change, that is when the list would grow..... IT HAS NOT THO....
THIS has been a let down. When I buy a phone, I want to be sure bec to me, its a hassle to do Re-Sale on EBay or Swappa or CL, Its just a hassle, I don't want to do it, Unless I absolutely have to. SO I'm sticking with the phone I buy most likely. So I'm sticking with it.
I could have spent 100 more to get the 6p, but at that time, everyone was talking DOWN the 6p, plus its a tad too big for me, I didn't want it then. Given the unpopularity in development this phone surprisingly is, it would be nice to have the 6p, but to me, going through the resale hassle, I think I'll pass.
Lastly, to the OP of this Post. I agree on one point, its very very surprising the unpopularity of the phone STILL. It's almost unexplainable.
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

Ive been a long time lg and htc user prior to this.... Yes theres few roms but heres my take.... while lg g2 g3 g4 have lots of roms activities and users... Let me tell you how it works... First most of the ppl on there only complain about bugs and how they bricked their phones or complain of the hideous lg stock rom lag and interface... Then they flash bug filled. Aosp roms and complain about bugs and camera etc..... Wit moto x ppl dont have to be active in the forum bc first.. Stock rom is aosp... ....... Everything just works and feels great... And you can falsh optimized stock rom and ull have stability of stock roms+fluidness of aosp roms...(no need for users to stick around to complain... They jt flash they're rom and are of to enjoy it) You jt cant lose with this phone!!!! I appreciate the heck out of my fone and of mostly intelligent satisfied users!!!! Im my opinion this phone is second to only the nexus 6p right now.... And well the reason i have this is bc i got it for a measly 83$ on a amazing deal on ebay... Anyways. Thats alll... My opinion is complete
Edit.... Oh and ive nvr owned a phone with a signal quality even close to this one... Its baffling how much better it is then it was on my m8 or g3 or g4...

I came from the LG G4, what they did there is they got a well known Cyanogen Dev to agree to support that device if they helped him get it.
They got Codeworkx, (a great developer btw) and he jump started development right away squashing bugs left and right.
Maybe they can do that here? get a well known Developer to agree and see if they can get donations going for him.
I know things like this have gone down south before with devs not commiting and dropping/selling the device right away.
But there are good devs are there that are commited but just dont have funds to get devices.

Historically, the moto x line has never had much development. My own personal opinion is because there isn't much need: updates come fast, stock moto features are excellent, and performance tends to be very good and there is very little bloat. Other than the nexus line, where the devs have source code to work with, devices that come with good software tend to get less developer interest.
Obviously there are exceptions to this, just my observations after owning many phones over the years.

I just got the X for my dad and i believe its perfect for him (not so sure about the large display though), but he won't be messing around with ROMs and stuff.
However, I simply can't decide between this and the 5x for myself (6P is out of my budget). I love everything the X Style offers but I dread that I will soon get bored of the stock experience and crave for the bells and whistles that custom ROMs offer. The downside to flashing a ROM on the X is you lose out on Moto Display, Voice, Actions, and Assist--is that not the case? If I'm not mistaken, isn't Moto's implementation of these features significantly better than those found in CM?

I will echo what's been said and maybe add some points of my own. I love this phone I do, and maybe the fact that it has no issues is the issue but I also love seeing what else there is out there as far as rom's etc. I have yet to even root/unlock this phone because I almost see no major reason. I mean major, I know there's some xposed modules and whatnot but I used to love/hate trying out new roms just to see what they're like even with the bugs. I've moved on from the whole hack your phone scene but only because it seems to be less and less fun. Maybe the fact that the moto x pure is great as is, is the issue. No reason to really change anything. It's a good problem to have I guess.

roofrider said:
I just got the X for my dad and i believe its perfect for him (not so sure about the large display though), but he won't be messing around with ROMs and stuff.
However, I simply can't decide between this and the 5x for myself (6P is out of my budget). I love everything the X Style offers but I dread that I will soon get bored of the stock experience and crave for the bells and whistles that custom ROMs offer. The downside to flashing a ROM on the X is you lose out on Moto Display, Voice, Actions, and Assist--is that not the case? If I'm not mistaken, isn't Moto's implementation of these features significantly better than those found in CM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Moto's implementation is MUCH better than you'll find on any rom and/or xposed module. You will not find touchless display and moto voice that work well anywhere else. Also, you can get bells and whistles by installing gravitybox on stock-based roms. I've ran cm12.1/13 on my oneplus one for nearly a year and since switching to the moto x with gravitybox, I don't miss a thing.

Google~Android said:
Ive been a long time lg and htc user prior to this.... Yes theres few roms but heres my take.... while lg g2 g3 g4 have lots of roms activities and users... Let me tell you how it works... First most of the ppl on there only complain about bugs and how they bricked their phones or complain of the hideous lg stock rom lag and interface... Then they flash bug filled. Aosp roms and complain about bugs and camera etc..... Wit moto x ppl dont have to be active in the forum bc first.. Stock rom is aosp... ....... Everything just works and feels great... And you can falsh optimized stock rom and ull have stability of stock roms+fluidness of aosp roms...(no need for users to stick around to complain... They jt flash they're rom and are of to enjoy it) You jt cant lose with this phone!!!! I appreciate the heck out of my fone and of mostly intelligent satisfied users!!!! Im my opinion this phone is second to only the nexus 6p right now.... And well the reason i have this is bc i got it for a measly 83$ on a amazing deal on ebay... Anyways. Thats alll... My opinion is complete[emoji14]
Edit.... Oh and ive nvr owned a phone with a signal quality even close to this one... Its baffling how much better it is then it was on my m8 or g3 or g4...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good points. I do wish we had a bit more variety rom wise tho.
Yeah 6p was just out my price range at the time, and also it wasnt as popular of a Choice at its launch as its been more recently.
For me specifically, I consume a lot of media, so speakers are a bit more important to me than some others, and was close to the most important feature I was looking for. I came from the htc M7, so when I heard the MXPE, I was not disappointed. As someone else said, this phone probably has the best speakers on a phone, even the 6p...... based on reviews and YouTube videos only.
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

Theres not much to fix on this device, if and when CM gets official, you will see more rom in the dev section.
I love this phone that it doesnt get in my way and works just how I want it, heck I dont even keep tapatalk on my phone anymore since I never need to come here look for fixes or improvements

it is just 6months of release.. i think rom numbers and kernel numbers will improve over time...also the processor is almost new...there is very less work on msm8992...
also no vendor gives updates so fast.
LGs,HTCs,Samsungs take forever to update

emoney1219 said:
I agree with you that I was assuming there would be way more support for this phone and I also though it would be easier to mess with as far as rooting and such. I'm no developer or self proclaimed rooting expert but it seems like if you are on android 6.0 stock it's not that easy to get rooted or downgrade to 5.x and root. I thought being unlocked and so near stock that this would all be a breeze but ever since I unrooted and upgraded to stock 6.0 rooting again is a pretty big undertaking. I'm not complaining here I do really like the stock OS but I love messing with the OS too. Here's to hoping some time in the near future there is a solid root option for stock 6.0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlock the bootloader, flash twrp through platform tools(adb-fastboot), flash chainfire supersu systemless root, it takes 10 min.

Yes, there are less ROMs compared to many other phones, but you must consider that most other phones don't come with a nearly pure Android experience. Those custom ROMs all try to focus on AOSP/CM builds that provide a pure Android experience along with extra features. This phone just doesn't need that as much.
Personally, I use to love flashing different ROMs to find the one that provides the best performance and feature set combination. This phone already has the performance, and Xposed and Layers provide all the features and custom look as desired. We also have a few solid kernels, too.
If you need a lot of ROMs, pick a phone that has a manufacturer-built version of Android that developers want to replace or a Nexus phone
Sent from my XT1575 using XDA Free mobile app

The stock ROM, rooted with Xposed and GravityBox can cover most of what a custom ROM can give you. And without the bugs.

Faint333 said:
First off let me say that I love this phone. The build quality while not the best is good enough and the materials used come together very nicely. The Moto X also has all the features I am looking for (quick charge, nice screen, stereo front facing speakers, expandable storage and unlocked and rootable!).
So why am I depressed about it?
The phone seems to not be as popular as it deserves and with that it doesn't get the massive amounts of support of other inferior devices. After owning this phone since October I have tried my hardest to grow to love the stock firmware as it is so close to google's. However (I'm not sure how many of you will agree with me here), I am very fond of CM and seeing that the Moto G 2015 has been officially supported for what feels like forever now I'm not sure the Moto X will ever be.
I know there are dedicated individuals working hard to further development projects for this device and I am very grateful for that. It just feels like the community for this phone is very small which has caught me off guard because the device seemingly has everything most people could want.
Anyways, I'm not entirely sure why I wrote this but I'd like to hear your guys' thoughts and opinions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not depressing if you have Xposed framework and VZW Unlimited Data. I may keep this phone for 1-2 years instead of upgrading every 6 months.

I agree, just got this phone the other day and i thought there'd be a lot of rom support, easy rooting, more mods, etc. Kind of a shame for a very good phone.

About the camera
My main complaint about this phone after owning a LG G4 and Galaxy S6 is the lack of the camera 2 API. Why after virtually bringing this feature on board of the Google Nexus 6 and claming that this phone have a comparable camera to last year's flagships, they take away something out, that us owners are more than capable of taking advantage. The camera is good, but could be better, and if they don't feel like doing it we should've been able to do something about it. Dumb move Motorola.

One problem with this phone is that it has to have qcoms multi Sim implementation. So you will not see (m)any AOSP based ROM's.
This because it is a lot of work to make multi Sim work. And yes the implementation of Qualcomm multi Sim is different then the aosp implementation.
You will only see CM based custom ROM's or stock based modifications. CM based ROM's because CM has a lot more resources to integrate this.
(I tried to get omnirom working, but ran into the multi Sim problem).

the design was good but i got tired of the lag and overheating, even on the s808 chip. went to the iphone 6s for 2 months then im back on droid but with a nexus 6p. best device ive had, no lag or overheating, great support. maybe the OP should consider buying it.
---------- Post added at 10:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:02 AM ----------
JOSE89178 said:
I agree, just got this phone the other day and i thought there'd be a lot of rom support, easy rooting, more mods, etc. Kind of a shame for a very good phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
alot of it has to do with levono buying moto and the uncertain future of the moto line. plus the fact moto seems to drop support easily.

Honor 8 a viable choice in 2017?

Hello.
I'm looking for a new phone, my budget is around 340 USD and therefore Honor 8 has really caught my eye. I'd like to ask a couple questions.
1. Is the bootloader unlock process problematic? Have you faced any issues with it or is it hassle-free? Coming from an LG device, I want to be extra careful with this.
2. I plan to have this device for a longer period of time, around 3-4 years. Is Honor 8 a viable choice, despite the fact that it will soon be a year from the release? Will it be able to hold off for that long, in terms of ROM support and general performance/usage?
3. How do custom ROM development prospects look right now for the device? From what I've seen, Huawei still hasn't released sources for Nougat. Can I expect good custom ROM support from this device?
4. How satisfied are you with your phone? Would you recommend it to me? Are there anything you don't like about the phone?
Thanks in advance.

Hi , i will just speak about question 4 ....
I had iphone7 , Huawei P9, Galaxy s7 and since 2 month : Honor 8
Yes for me you can buy this phone in 2017
It's a very good phone , very fluid, no lags, the phone is not too big , not to small, you can use with one hand . Screen is good , photo too but not like Iphone7 or Galaxy S7 . I am very happy with quick charge . For me the phone is more faster than an Iphone7, or Galaxy S7 . You can personalize like you want , You have a lot of nice themes on XDA or Google+ Emui Community . Sound is good, with headset is not like an Iphone or Galaxy s7 but to listen music is suffisant for me . Voilà, my advice is very good phone, just photo and music with headset can be better but stay ok for daily use .

The device is solid. Runs fast, pretty good specs, and looks nice.
Expect zero updates. Zero custom ROM support, and even rooting is a pain in the butt.
If you're into it for the dev scene, move on. If you want a half decent device for daily use, not bad at all.
Personally I regret buying it because Huawei is terrible at updates and keeping promises.
But as a daily driver device, it's fine.

Don't buy it's an alright phone but no custom ROM support is like a death sentence for a phone. This phone has been out for like 9 months and doesn't have a fully working custom ROM, that right there tells you that this phone has no future. Also who keeps wants to keep a low to mid range phone for 3-4 years? Must be in a 3rd world country!

I am happy with the phone but I'm disappointed with Huawei/Honor when it comes to updates and I am not going to buy more phones from them.
I would get something else right now, it was a good choice when it was released
Next time I will just pay 200 extra euro and get a real phone

Yeah it is a good phone but i am disappointed i expected few roms by now...i wish i could turn time back and go for xiaomi rednote 3 pro

1. Is the bootloader unlock process problematic? Have you faced any issues with it or is it hassle-free? Coming from an LG device, I want to be extra careful with this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's hassle-free.
2. I plan to have this device for a longer period of time, around 3-4 years. Is Honor 8 a viable choice, despite the fact that it will soon be a year from the release? Will it be able to hold off for that long, in terms of ROM support and general performance/usage?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huawei offer 2 years of updates, but not monthly updates. Taking a look at honor 6 released in august 2014 - it is indeed so. Latest update for honor 6 is september 30th 2016.
3. How do custom ROM development prospects look right now for the device? From what I've seen, Huawei still hasn't released sources for Nougat. Can I expect good custom ROM support from this device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. Don't expect good custom ROM for this device.
4. How satisfied are you with your phone? Would you recommend it to me? Are there anything you don't like about the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm pretty satisfied. I enjoy it's dimensions, design, performance and battery life. Games aside, it's faster than any SD820 phone and most SD821 phones (take a look at performance comparison videos on youtube), so it's definitely going to be quick enough for 3-4 years.
If no custom ROM support, lower than SD820 GPU performance and only 2 years of official updates are OK for you (as it is for me) - I definitely recommend it.

Fobos531 said:
Hello.
I'm looking for a new phone, my budget is around 340 USD and therefore Honor 8 has really caught my eye. I'd like to ask a couple questions.
1. Is the bootloader unlock process problematic? Have you faced any issues with it or is it hassle-free? Coming from an LG device, I want to be extra careful with this.
2. I plan to have this device for a longer period of time, around 3-4 years. Is Honor 8 a viable choice, despite the fact that it will soon be a year from the release? Will it be able to hold off for that long, in terms of ROM support and general performance/usage?
3. How do custom ROM development prospects look right now for the device? From what I've seen, Huawei still hasn't released sources for Nougat. Can I expect good custom ROM support from this device?
4. How satisfied are you with your phone? Would you recommend it to me? Are there anything you don't like about the phone?
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can easily get a code from Huawei to unlock the bootloader, but there's not much point to rooting the phone with development on it pretty nonexistent.
The hardware is really nice. The phone's a great size, the CPU is a beast, the GPU kind of sucks (but that doesn't matter if you're not playing new/demanding games on it like me), but the security updates are TERRIBLE. The most recent software update for the US version of the phone came out in the beginning of January. So we're almost four months into the year and the December 1st security patch is the most recent one available.
If you'd be happy with Nougat 7.0/EMUI 5.0 in a year from now and don't do anything that having security up to date matters it's fine, but otherwise I'd look elsewhere.

Question To root or not to root, that is the question.

So, I d like to get your opinions on rooting the S22 U
I've always been a fan of rooting, it would be the 1st thing I did after buying a new Samsung/android phone (coming from the HTC hero days followed by a Samsung Galaxy S2, with a bunch of phonessince then and now upgraded from an S10 ) regardless of how it would affect warranty.
But now, it doesn't seem as much as a necessity as it once was. The phone has been out for a few months , rom development is kinda stagnant ( not complaining ) no real Dev initiatives like it used to be. Debloating can be done without root.
So what is the REAL need to root the S 22 U right now? It pains me to as this question. I ve had my phone for about a week now and don't see the need for rooting like I once used to.
Would like to hear your perspectives on it.
Thanks !

Honestly if you have bank apps on that phone, rooting is a no go since rooting blocks the bank app from even opening. If you dont, rooting is the best way to gain the performance out of your new phone, since its still a new phone, I wouldnt flash anything cause of warranty for about 2-3 years I havent had any kind of experience with warranty since most of the devices I flashed on are old devices which the warranty expired years ago.

I have 2 stock N10+'s that run like bats out of hell. They fulfill their mission and require very little maintenance. The load on this one in my hand is over 2 yo. I see no tangible benefits worth rooting in my case, just the opposite.

syonox said:
Honestly if you have bank apps on that phone, rooting is a no go since rooting blocks the bank app from even opening. If you dont, rooting is the best way to gain the performance out of your new phone, since its still a new phone, I wouldnt flash anything cause of warranty for about 2-3 years I havent had any kind of experience with warranty since most of the devices I flashed on are old devices which the warranty expired years ago.
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Fair point and I agree. But with nothing happening for months, so far, I wounder what would be going on with the phone from a development perspective, years from now.
Devs used to jump on new phone releases to put out roms, apps, kernels etc .
I don't quite see it here with the S22U

blackhawk said:
I have 2 stock N10+'s that run like bats out of hell. They fulfill their mission and require very little maintenance. The load on this one in my hand is over 2 yo. I see no tangible benefits worth rooting in my case, just the opposite.
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If you see no benefits just dont root it, if you spot something you like and it requires root just root it simple as that

blackhawk said:
I have 2 stock N10+'s that run like bats out of hell. They fulfill their mission and require very little maintenance. The load on this one in my hand is over 2 yo. I see no tangible benefits worth rooting in my case, just the opposite.
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Exactly. My old s10 serves as my backup at the moment and I still use it out of comfort and habit. I miss it already !

nayak.aj said:
Fair point and I agree. But with nothing happening for months, so far, I wounder what would be going on with the phone from a development perspective, years from now.
Devs used to jump on new phone releases to put out roms, apps, kernels etc .
I don't quite see it here with the S22U
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Click to collapse
It comes with time, most roms take ages to get made cause of the vendors,kernel and device tree, although your phone just got released (25 of february 2022) It mostly will take a year for something interesting to popup.

syonox said:
If you see no benefits just dont root it, if you spot something you like and it requires root just root it simple as that
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I guess that's the way to go now.

syonox said:
It comes with time, most roms take ages to get made cause of the vendors,kernel and device tree, although your phone just got released (25 of february 2022) It mostly will take a year for something interesting to popup.
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I understand. Samsung hasn't made it easy either. Fingers crossed man !

nayak.aj said:
Exactly. My old s10 serves as my backup at the moment and I still use it out of comfort and habit. I miss it already !
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Factory sealed new N10+'s are still for sale... the Beast is fun to use, plenty of snap without the power draining junk. Best of all it's loaded with Android 10. The one in my hand is still running on Pie though, which I prefer.
The display still out does the variable refresh rate displays in terms of color rendering index and gamma range. That was a big selling point for me. Not as bright or smooth but better color calibration. The expandable storage clinched it.
I not happy with Samsung's flagship progress; the N10+ was their last well balanced offering.
It's sad that I would knowledgeably choose a 3 generation year old flagship over a new one... because Samsung just keeps dropping the ball.
The reliability of the S22U is untested because it's so new. Variable refresh rate displays have demonstrated a higher failure rate across the board. For this reason alone I would wait before breaking the warranty by rooting.

Funny thing is I dont even own a S22 U, nor any samsung device expect the J1 (J100H) and the S3 Mini (I8190) which are phones that are from 2015 and 2012, The main device I use is a stupid P40 Lite, its a bad phone cause of no GMS and rooting or adding a custom recovery Is practically impossible, I also own a ZTE KIS 3 which I absolutely ADORE.

syonox said:
Funny thing is I dont even own a S22 U, nor any samsung device expect the J1 (J100H) and the S3 Mini (I8190) which are phones that are from 2015 and 2012, The main device I use is a stupid P40 Lite, its a bad phone cause of no GMS and rooting or adding a custom recovery Is practically impossible, I also own a ZTE KIS 3 which I absolutely ADORE.
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I have a S4+ and a ruggedized Motorola flip top relic. Samsung was firing on all cylinders with the N10+, their zenith in my opinion. This one (always in a Bolt case) will be 3 yo in October. The only repair has been a battery, due for another. It's heavily used. It looks and runs like new, zero display degradation. Both my N10+'s will likely be my #1's for 2-3+ more years. Maybe the global recession will kick some sense into Samsung... I'm not holding my breath though as the fail is strong with make an excuse Samsung.
Samsung lost their minds, Google Android lost their minds; they are more iPhone than Android now. I predict this year and likely next year will be a dismal wash for both.
Maybe 2025 will be better...

As of right now there is no root, no bootloader unlock anyway. Each user is different. If you think you need it for certain apps then root. But again S22U doesn't even have it so.....

blackhawk said:
Factory sealed new N10+'s are still for sale... the Beast is fun to use, plenty of snap without the power draining junk. Best of all it's loaded with Android 10. The one in my hand is still running on Pie though, which I prefer.
The display still out does the variable refresh rate displays in terms of color rendering index and gamma range. That was a big selling point for me. Not as bright or smooth but better color calibration. The expandable storage clinched it.
I not happy with Samsung's flagship progress; the N10+ was their last well balanced offering.
It's sad that I would knowledgeably choose a 3 generation year old flagship over a new one... because Samsung just keeps dropping the ball.
The reliability of the S22U is untested because it's so new. Variable refresh rate displays have demonstrated a higher failure rate across the board. For this reason alone I would wait before breaking the warranty by rooting.
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Click to collapse
Inthink the 10 series in both note and galaxy was Samsung's peak !

butchieboy said:
As of right now there is no root, no bootloader unlock anyway. Each user is different. If you think you need it for certain apps then root. But again S22U doesn't even have it so.....
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We do have root. Check the forums. But it depends on which variant you have , I think thenorth American versions have a locked bootloader, hence not possible at the moment

nayak.aj said:
We do have root. Check the forums. But it depends on which variant you have , I think thenorth American versions have a locked bootloader, hence not possible at the moment
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Well poster did say U version my response was geared to that.

nayak.aj said:
So, I d like to get your opinions on rooting the S22 U
I've always been a fan of rooting, it would be the 1st thing I did after buying a new Samsung/android phone (coming from the HTC hero days followed by a Samsung Galaxy S2, with a bunch of phonessince then and now upgraded from an S10 ) regardless of how it would affect warranty.
But now, it doesn't seem as much as a necessity as it once was. The phone has been out for a few months , rom development is kinda stagnant ( not complaining ) no real Dev initiatives like it used to be. Debloating can be done without root.
So what is the REAL need to root the S 22 U right now? It pains me to as this question. I ve had my phone for about a week now and don't see the need for rooting like I once used to.
Would like to hear your perspectives on it.
Thanks !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I rooted all my phones since ever. I admit the several reasons for rooting aren't a thing anymore. However there are still some left.
I rooted my S22U because of sound apps like Viper4Android (which unfortunately didn't work) and JamesDSP (this one works nicely). I also like to tweak appearance, like statusbar icons.
To be fair, if I don't have a rooted phone I feel that I don't have control of my own phone. Kinda like an Apple user lol.
To conclude, I do use several banks and etc apps that shouldn't work in rooted phones, but magisk hide root pretty well. The only downside of rooting for me are samasung pay (i use GooglePay) and samsung pass (also use google for passwords and logins) besides warranty. Which I never used in any phone.

butchieboy said:
Well poster did say U version my response was geared to that.
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Click to collapse
I thought you meant U = Ultra . Nevermind my bad

nayak.aj said:
So, I d like to get your opinions on rooting the S22 U
I've always been a fan of rooting, it would be the 1st thing I did after buying a new Samsung/android phone (coming from the HTC hero days followed by a Samsung Galaxy S2, with a bunch of phonessince then and now upgraded from an S10 ) regardless of how it would affect warranty.
But now, it doesn't seem as much as a necessity as it once was. The phone has been out for a few months , rom development is kinda stagnant ( not complaining ) no real Dev initiatives like it used to be. Debloating can be done without root.
So what is the REAL need to root the S 22 U right now? It pains me to as this question. I ve had my phone for about a week now and don't see the need for rooting like I once used to.
Would like to hear your perspectives on it.
Thanks !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have bank/crypto apps then don't or wait for another 3 years before rooting or if you get new phone. For me rooting now is not that important coz how powerful phones now. I've been rooting on the past coz phones back then has slow processors.

Back in the day when I had a Samsung Galaxy Nexus (Verizon), I had to root if I wanted to use Google Wallet (now Google Pay). Verizon had locked down its phones and if you wanted to use non-Verizon apps like Google Maps or Google Wallet (now Google Pay), you had to root.
Since then, I haven't rooted any of my subsequent Android phones (Note 2, HTC One M9, S8+, Note 8, and Note 10+ 5G). They all did what I needed (or wanted) without rooting.
If you are a tinkerer or there is an app or capability that you need that requires you to root your phone, then root away. Just be mindful that there are 2nd and 3rd order effects to rooting and not all of them are obvious.