Bought it used. Booted to safe mode first time i booted it (I assume previous owner used some app to flash it or restore it or something). Its an SM-G920 UK. It won't go to download mode but instead boots to some asian language menu. But i CAN get it to fastboot mode, or have the option to update via ADB. BUt i don't know how to do either of those things .
I'd like to COMPLETELY wipe the thing. like get rid of the chinese menu thingy even and start from the ground up. I think maybe some weird vadophone firmware is on it? ijust hear people saying that one is annoying. It also shows me weird storage sometimes. It recognises a 25. something Gigs free . BUt if i go to use doubletwist and put music on it it only shows 4.7 free (but allows me to put much much more on--) however... even though i can fill it with more music when it THINKS it's full, it shows it's full and wont take pictures etc....
Friend of mine also thought that maybe.... just maybe somebody layered roms? failed to erase one before puting another on it?
Idk... i came from apple
Need to know how to flash this darn thing without download mode.
Let me know of any other information i can add that would be helpful
Try downloading SmartSwitch. I have never used it myself, but you are supposed to be able to install the default firmware through it.
If that doesn't work, please post a screenshot of your settings > about phone showing the model and baseband/build versions
I think your phone is not an original one ...
Unfortunately heard a lot about the Asian menu thing usually means phones a copy
---------- Post added at 08:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:03 PM ----------
How to spot a fake Galaxy S6?
Usually at first Glance the Fake Samsung Galaxy S6 will look legit but its the small details that give the fakes away such as:
1. The real Galaxy S6 comes in a white box that has a slide out box, and check the model number given of the phone sometimes the fake will have a made up model number.
2. The Adapter that comes with the real Galaxy S6 has a rating of 9 volts with 1.6 Amps and the fake will have less in most cases such as 5 Volts.
3. The ear phones that comes included are a new design that almost resembles a small sea shell shape, but the fakes usually comes with the older style ear buds that came with last years model and looks like a standard ear phones.
fake galaxy s6
4. Take notice of the screen up front under direct light while the phone is off the screen should be all Black, the quality of the screens on the Fakes are of sub-par quality and under direct light they look brown or light brown.
5. On the right side the SIM card tray should have a pin hole, the pin hole is on the top of the ejectable tray and not on the bottom like most fakes. The fake units also in most cases are thicker than the real deal.
6. The IR blaster on top of the phone should be completely black and if it’s any other color it’s usually is a fake.
fake galaxy s6
7. The Flash is also different as the real one is covered in what seems to be a piece of glass and the fake does not have this covering.Next to this the new camera has a wider diameter opening around the lens to let more light in, fakes have a very small opening.
8. For most units although different carriers will do different things its usually says Samsung beneath the camera and then Galaxy S6 further down, the fake will not have the Galaxy S6 marking in most cases.
9. Check around the USB charge port the fakes at an angle will show a discoloration around the port in a color such as red, the real device has no such discoloration.
10. The new Galaxy S6 boots real fast due to the new software and hardware and should completely start-up in about 10 seconds, the fake will take longer periods of up to 30 + seconds.
11. Up close the screen of the Galaxy S6 is so high-resolution you will not be able to see the pixels, the fake has a low quality screen and you will be able to see the pixels and the screen will not be as impressive as the real one.
12. Watch out for differences in the Software that’s bundled:
-The real one has the Flipboard Magazine App to the left of the screen when you scroll left, the fake does not.
-The new settings has been redesigned and the icons look different from the old icons on other Android lollipop devices,The fake looks like the default seen on devices such as the S5.
-In most cases you will be limited to edge in terms of wireless browsing speeds and not the full complement of choices that should be on a high-end device as the Galaxy S6.
13. Double tap the Hope button and the camera should instantly and quickly open. The fake Galaxy S6 usually results in nothing happening.
14. The capacitive touch buttons such as back should light up white and not blue.
15. Watch out for extreme lag as the S6 is usually very responsive and snappy. Also the camera settings menu has been totally redone and should not look like the older camera settings.
16.Now for the most reliable method to tell if its fake: While the phone is off hold Volume down + Home button + power and then volume up when a special screen appears the phone will boot into a special download mode with a screen with an arrow pointing downward saying downloading. The model number will also be clearly stated at the top of the screen, the fake will show a menu option with is in Chinese writing in all cases that I have seen and this is a consistent sign I have used every year when a new phone is released and there are fakes circulating for Samsung.
Related
Hello guys!
Since 28th of April i got a new Samsung S6 and was quite happy about it
It's 10th of May now and i'm holding my third device allready :silly:
- My first device had a charger that coiled whined like crazy when the battery reached 85 %. Besides that it also had the well known Flash-Bug.
- My second device was almost perfect but also had the Flash-Bug, but ok i was like f*k it will wait for Samsung to bring out a fix. I don't want to drive up en down to the store for this issue.
In mean time i ordered some screenprotectors and they were delivered and ready to be applied, but here comes my problem:
I layed down my phone in the position to clean it and apply the screenprotector ( with table lamp shining on it to see the dirt ) and there they were... the black dots. I have never noticed them before, and i have to admit i tested the screen with Dead Pixel Test, LCD test and with *#0*# telephone cmd. Everything looks fine and so far i didn't spotted any dead pixels ,,, i guess
I called up my store and they told me to bring the phone back and get a new one. I got a third device and this one also have these black dots in the screen, but a lot less of them then my second device.
It's not that i cant use my phone properly, and those dots don't affect anything atm, it's just i know they are there and i don't know if it's good or bad.
So my questions are: What are those? Will they affect the screen after using this phone for few months/years? Or is it something that everyone have but didn't noticed them yet ? Should i return it for the fourth time or accept it?
Samsung S6 128 GB
Made in Vietnam ( 3x)
Manufacturing Date: 20150418
Thanks in advance!
Just a quick report of my journey buying a S8 without any issues in Germany. I had now 5 S8 midnight blacks here. Every one had atleast one issue of rhe following.
Yellow tint or green tint with non uniform white. Not removable by white balance correction. Light leak above front cam and iris sensor or at edges of the glas. Bixby and power buttons were also often too loose.
I have now written a message to the office of Samsung Germanys CEO Office complaining about their Quality Control. I think im done now. Its really annoying. This is in my opinion not acceptable for a premium phone. Its impossible to find a phone that has not at least one of this issues and i fear that S9 wont be better.
Lol and they confirmed all of these defects?
Mann when I hear this I am so happy with my s8+ coming from a one plus 5.
Bet you wouldn't succeed having 5 swaps with the customer service of one plus.
It was at 5 different shops but they all said that this should not happen. Before i had a sony and there was everything fine from the beginning.
Well I bought it and it's working flawlessly. Might be you are the lucky one chosen Moreover I bought it online.
I will at least comment on a few of these
I have not any of the screen tint issues but my device was made in november of 2017 so a later production
But my biggest things is the power button feeling loose.....I like this...AS in the past on sammy devices i have owned and i mean all of them the power button eventually feels so tight and sticky despite taking good care of my devices....In past there was no fix except disassembly The S7 I would run under a tad bit of water to temp clean it and free it up...So IMO the looser buttons are a blessing......But sammy does seem to have a quality control isee here in the last few years it seems
I would also like to add to this
I have only removed my cheap plastic sim tray about 5 times and quite carefully I might add... but despite this it still broke in less than one month of use and sammy says Oh we so sowwy. Physical damage not covered by warranty Please pay 15 dolla fo new sim card tray....
Screw that.. I found metal dual sim trays online for 3 bucks for 2 of them but coming from china take a month to get here......
Well i tried it today the last time . was the 6th device. not happy at all.
everything is now fine. no light leak above camera/iris and also buttons are ok. but:
The screen is shifting its white so badly when tilting a bit the device on the Z-axis or Y-axis that this must be a joke. From yellowish normal, to a red/pink hue that goes from botttom to top deping on the amount of the angle, then a bit green and back to yellow. Don't know if this has something maybe with the polarization filter or a coating to do. I had a s7 and this was never a problem there. i wouldnt even care when this would be only for the Y-axis as im not looking from the side to the phone but often from top or bottom. skin tones are fading into green at a specific angle in landscape. When editing photos (whitebalance) i need to have a correct whitebalance for at least some degrees that are in common use.
when i saw at the store a new sony booting up with the white bootscreen then i saw again what is possible with IPS i was shocked what samsung is doing here. its a bit sad because the s8 is a really nice phone. lets see what the s9 will be.
So I waited to upgrade from the Note 8 and pulled the trigger on the Note 20 Ultra 5g and there is a lot I am happy about and allot I am not happy about...
1. The screen is great
2. It is super fast
3. 5G is great,
4. Internal memory and slot is great
What I did not plan on.....
1. The phone by itself is big, and while it is not that much bigger than the Note 8, it takes a little getting use to...
1.a. The phone with a case like an Otter Box Defender / Defender Pro gets "too" big
2. I do not like the placement of the buttons, moving the volume and bixby buttons is a pain getting use to...
3. No power button.... really? There is only a soft power button in the slide down menu.....
3. going back to the screen..... the size of the screen is in some strange place where I hold the phone further way from me to read it than say a Note 8 with a smaller screen which is annoying to get use to.
4. The cameras..... it seems like they do ok in low light and and adjusting for white balance, color adjustments, contrast adjustments, but the minute you use that zoom, the pictures get all HDR'ed or they just look weird , it is hard to explain. ( I am using full resolution settings) so there are things I like about the camera, but I am not getting the tack sharp, crystal clear pictures I would expect.
Of you search for "side key" in settings you can change the button from bixby to being a power key. Or you can hit the volume down and bixby button to get to your power menu.
Snowleopard1900 said:
So I waited to upgrade from the Note 8 and pulled the trigger on the Note 20 Ultra 5g and there is a lot I am happy about and allot I am not happy about...
1. The screen is great
2. It is super fast
3. 5G is great,
4. Internal memory and slot is great
What I did not plan on.....
1. The phone by itself is big, and while it is not that much bigger than the Note 8, it takes a little getting use to...
1.a. The phone with a case like an Otter Box Defender / Defender Pro gets "too" big
2. I do not like the placement of the buttons, moving the volume and bixby buttons is a pain getting use to...
3. No power button.... really? There is only a soft power button in the slide down menu.....
3. going back to the screen..... the size of the screen is in some strange place where I hold the phone further way from me to read it than say a Note 8 with a smaller screen which is annoying to get use to.
4. The cameras..... it seems like they do ok in low light and and adjusting for white balance, color adjustments, contrast adjustments, but the minute you use that zoom, the pictures get all HDR'ed or they just look weird , it is hard to explain. ( I am using full resolution settings) so there are things I like about the camera, but I am not getting the tack sharp, crystal clear pictures I would expect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm....my button does serve as the power button and a double press launches the camera. I guess that setting carried over from my Note 10. But you can change the button behavior in the settings as mentioned above.
Coming from the Note 10+ I don't see this a a big upgrade, kinda disappointed. I am on Straight Talk so I don't get to use the 5G.
You should look into the Samsung Rugged case. I've been using them since the Note 8. I have dropped my phones several times on hard surfaces and this case has worked like a champ with no damage to the phone. It doesn't add much bulk to the phone and the kickstands are handy. Wireless charging works with it as well, at least with my third party wireless charger. I've never had much luck with Samsung wireless chargers and cases.
Curious I'm coming from a Note 8. Would you still buy it if you had not purchased it?
dpoverlord said:
Curious I'm coming from a Note 8. Would you still buy it if you had not purchased it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I currently use the Note 8 too. Really only the camera is better.
This might be worth a read for some of you.
https://www.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-note-20-ultra-vs-galaxy-note-8
It seems you main complaint is about the size. That's odd considering the Note series has always been about being big!
Comparing it to my Note 10+ it's only a tiny bit taller, the width is the same, so I have no issues handling the phone. The bigger the better in my opinion!!
So far I have not found anything to criticise. I love the look, feel and performance, the camera and the software are all as expected. Battery life is not quite as good as my Note 10+, not much in it though, I am going to let it all settle for a few days before rating that anyway.
.
every since the first update my s22 ultra has been subtly changing the color temp i started noticing it more and more now, i have eyecomfort permanently off and the color settings as cold as possible green and red 0 blue max so this is a bug or a feature, samsung told me they'd investigate and get back to me they never did, they couldn't tell me if it was a feature or if it was a bug, and it's ruining the experience for me.
if you have sensitive eyes you will notice swaps in the color temp
zzcool said:
every since the first update my s22 ultra has been subtly changing the color temp i started noticing it more and more now, i have eyecomfort permanently off and the color settings as cold as possible green and red 0 blue max so this is a bug or a feature, samsung told me they'd investigate and get back to me they never did, they couldn't tell me if it was a feature or if it was a bug, and it's ruining the experience for me.
if you have sensitive eyes you will notice swaps in the color temp
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try clearing the system cache.
Try a hard reboot as well.
Try in safe mode to rule out a 3rd party app causing it.
blackhawk said:
Try clearing the system cache.
Try a hard reboot as well.
Try in safe mode to rule out a 3rd party app causing it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i am not able to enter recovery mode i even connected a usb cable but it still won't open
zzcool said:
i am not able to enter recovery mode i even connected a usb cable but it still won't open
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You got to get the timing right.
Sometimes it's the first try, other times my fingers get stupid and it takes 2 or 3 times.
Connect the cable to a computer, not to the charger. As soon as it says Galaxy let go of the buttons.
Nghtmare said:
Connect the cable to a computer, not to the charger. As soon as it says Galaxy let go of the buttons.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so just keep it connected then hold the buttons then let go when it says galaxy?
zzcool said:
so just keep it connected then hold the buttons then let go when it says galaxy?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah.
Turn if off > connect it to a PC > Hold Power + Vol Down until it reads Galaxy and let go.
submit an error report again
Samsung Members app > Get help > Send feedback > Error reports
Post Nine said:
submit an error report again
Samsung Members app > Get help > Send feedback > Error reports
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's difficult to know if this is by design or not as samsung always brags about less blue light in their displays
zzcool said:
it's difficult to know if this is by design or not as samsung always brags about less blue light in their displays
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung limits the higher wavelengths of blue, not all blue bandwidth.
This not the cause of this issue.
There are issues with all variable rate displays as they are extremely hard to color calibrate and because of this the color rendering index suffers.
Failure rates are higher as well. This issue could be from software ie a 3rd party app, firmware or a hardware failure.
blackhawk said:
Samsung limits the higher wavelengths of blue, not all blue bandwidth.
This not the cause of this issue.
There are issues with all variable rate displays as they are extremely hard to color calibrate and because of this the color rendering index suffers.
Failure rates are higher as well. This issue could be from software ie a 3rd party app, firmware or a hardware failure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i've noticed the issue more and more now, that and the lag means i'm sending it back tomorrow, the phone is perfect when it comes to design and display but thats all it is, and thats not enough to justify the cost.
zzcool said:
i've noticed the issue more and more now, that and the lag means i'm sending it back tomorrow, the phone is perfect when it comes to design and display but thats all it is, and thats not enough to justify the cost. There's a lot of issues that started with the N20U and its just getting worse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sucks but get the junk out of your face.
I would've like to get a new flagship Note but Samsung lost the mojo and just keep dropping the ball. They even forgot their name. What's the name? Note! Samsung's idea of a power user is now someone that uses their phone as a hand warmer
There's been numerous issues with the variable refresh rate displays starting with the N20U.
Samsung screwed up the form factor on the N20U as well; the N10+ is 7mm thick and the spen is on the right side... meaning the right side!
The S20U shares the same bloody faults but less cam bulging. I don't like thick women or phones...
Android 12 is a dog, and Samsung screwed up their hardware by stupidity and some of it was because of variable refresh rate displays technology or lack of.
Because all those blunders I went with my second new N10+ a N975U1 256/12 gb for $800. No 5G or high refresh rate but the display has the best color rendering index and white point out there, still. It's a rock solid gorgeous work horse with excellent build quality. It's running on Android 10, no scoped storage or force encryption. Even with a smaller battery and slower memory it beats out the newer Samsung flagships in SOT.
It's SD card slot is getting a V30 1tb Sandisk Extreme to keep up with my expanding database.
No cloud storage needed.
This 2.5 yo twin is heavily used, looks and runs like new, literally.
One replacement battery is it's only repair. The current OS will be 2 yo in June. Fast, stable and fulfilling its mission. I'm not buying the newer is better hype from Samsung or Gookill Android
blackhawk said:
That sucks but get the junk out of your face.
I would've like to get a new flagship Note but Samsung lost the mojo and just keep dropping the ball. They even forgot their name. What's the name? Note! Samsung's idea of a power user is now someone that uses their phone as a hand warmer
There's been numerous issues with the variable refresh rate displays starting with the N20U.
Samsung screwed up the form factor on the N20U as well; the N10+ is 7mm thick and the spen is on the right side... meaning the right side!
The S20U shares the same bloody faults but less cam bulging. I don't like thick women or phones...
Android 12 is a dog, and Samsung screwed up their hardware by stupidity and some of it was because of variable refresh rate displays technology or lack of.
Because all those blunders I went with my second new N10+ a N975U1 256/12 gb for $800. No 5G or high refresh rate but the display has the best color rendering index and white point out there, still. It's a rock solid gorgeous work horse with excellent build quality. It's running on Android 10, no scoped storage or force encryption. Even with a smaller battery and slower memory it beats out the newer Samsung flagships in SOT.
It's SD card slot is getting a V30 1tb Sandisk Extreme to keep up with my expanding database.
No cloud storage needed.
This 2.5 yo twin is heavily used, looks and runs like new, literally.
One replacement battery is it's only repair. The current OS will be 2 yo in June. Fast, stable and fulfilling its mission. I'm not buying the newer is better hype from Samsung or Gookill Android
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i had the note 10 but i sold it back as it suffered from a way too warm display samsung service said they found no issues eventually i just sold it at a 200 dollar loss, i loved everything about it but i am really sensitive to warm displays extremely sensitive if it's a tiny tiny bit past what i prefer it will look yellow to me just yellow i don't know how people can handle anything but cold displays it literally looks yellow, so screendisplays are always a hit and miss for me, second the design of the note 10 it wasn't perfect, if you look in the corners theres a very subtle curve, the s22 ultra is perfectly flat at the top and bottom a perfect tube design like old nokia lumia or the sony xperia xz and xz1, only thing more perfect would be getting rid of the displaycurves making it a perfect tube display
honestly if it wasn't for the minor issues the s22 ultra has then it would have been absolutely perfect but even then at that cost it's better to get a foldable if they looked better, foldables look terrible to me with their asymmetrical design they don't have to as it's a designchoice the only thing they have to or well technically they don't have to do that either but the only thing they have to is to not fold shut completely, if samsung got rid of the asymmetrical design and made it more squared off and folding shut it would be an obvious choice for me, but my choices in tech always depends on design and not the functionality
right now i have a huawei mate 10 pro and honestly with it's 9 hours sot it's enough for everything it's a perfect phone to me, and the last thin bezel phone with a square flat display, it only needs a screen replacement due to scratches.
zzcool said:
i had the note 10 but i sold it back as it suffered from a way too warm display samsung service said they found no issues eventually i just sold it at a 200 dollar loss, i loved everything about it but i am really sensitive to warm displays extremely sensitive if it's a tiny tiny bit past what i prefer it will look yellow to me just yellow i don't know how people can handle anything but cold displays it literally looks yellow, so screendisplays are always a hit and miss for me, second the design of the note 10 it wasn't perfect, if you look in the corners theres a very subtle curve, the s22 ultra is perfectly flat at the top and bottom a perfect tube design like old nokia lumia or the sony xperia xz and xz1, only thing more perfect would be getting rid of the displaycurves making it a perfect tube display
honestly if it wasn't for the minor issues the s22 ultra has then it would have been absolutely perfect but even then at that cost it's better to get a foldable if they looked better, foldables look terrible to me with their asymmetrical design they don't have to as it's a designchoice the only thing they have to or well technically they don't have to do that either but the only thing they have to is to not fold shut completely, if samsung got rid of the asymmetrical design and made it more squared off and folding shut it would be an obvious choice for me, but my choices in tech always depends on design and not the functionality
right now i have a huawei mate 10 pro and honestly with it's 9 hours sot it's enough for everything it's a perfect phone to me, and the last thin bezel phone with a square flat display, it only needs a screen replacement due to scratches.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not the N10, N10+ with its display set to "natural". I wouldn't call it warm, it's color temperature is about 6600K actually a bit on the cool side. I've tested it's color through put, cam to display and it's spot on.
If you had a N10+ that had color issues it was defective. It's the best display I've even seen.
Galaxy Note10+ OLED Display Technology Shoot-Out
blackhawk said:
Not the N10, N10+ with its display set to "natural". I wouldn't call it warm, it's color temperature is about 6600K actually a bit on the cool side. I've tested it's color through put, cam to display and it's spot on.
If you had a N10+ that had color issues it was defective. It's the best display I've even seen.
Galaxy Note10+ OLED Display Technology Shoot-Out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah but i can't handle so called natural colors, when growing up i had my crts set to 11000k thats the temp i prefered anything else looks yellow and brown to me on the s22 ultra i have it set to the coldest as well as green and red set to 0 and blue max
i like vibrant cold colors on a display with the highest brightness possible
zzcool said:
yeah but i can't handle so called natural colors, when growing up i had my crts set to 11000k thats the temp i prefered anything else looks yellow and brown to me on the s22 ultra i have it set to the coldest as well as green and red set to 0 and blue max
i like vibrant cold colors on a display with the highest brightness possible
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You want those settings if viewing outside or direct sunlight to offset the washout effect otherwise not.
It's also burning up the display.
blackhawk said:
You want those settings if viewing outside or direct sunlight to offset the washout effect otherwise not.
It's also burning up the display.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
personally i can't stand anything other than the highest brightness so i keep adaptive to off, when it comes to displays i will use it it to it's highest potential
1. This phone is best aesthetic phone
2. We can use in vloging like , i can fold that phone than and open back camera than start vloging than we can ourself in back screen for perfect scence and all stuff
3. Many times we need to carry big size phones for travelling in that times i can use this phone by folding it and carry anywhere we want
I don't think I could go back to 7 inches sticking out of my pocket again (but I think the wife would like to see 7 inches sticking out of my pocket)
My z flip 3 was a great phone, I loved it, but unfortunately for me after about 4 months the novelty of it wore off and I started getting tired of having to un flip the phone every time I needed to do more than just glance at a notification. Then the Galaxy S22 Ultra was released so I sold my z flip 3 and got the S22 Ultra and haven't looked back once.
Just personal preference I guess.
Love the phone... just that the battery size disappointed me.. need to keep on charge it...
The Flip 3 was great in many ways,
The size when folded - it's great for pockets
phone was fast and worked well.
Inner display was great.
Updates were fast and regular.
Bad - Battery life, outer display needed to be bigger and more useful. I know Samsprung etc did try and make it better.
I also got tired of flipping the phone open to reply to messages etc... closing was good to end a call, however.
Very little or no development ( roms )
I ended up selling it and got a Pixel 7.
For most users, this phone would have been great. For people that like to flash roms etc... not an option.
This was my most durable phone, perhaps ever. I had it since beginning, and it produced zero scratches on the back, sides, and screen. In 1-2months, it was guaranteed every other phone had ugly scratches and a dot on the screen. Not ZFLip, which, adding to insult, didn't even have a case! And it still sticked to a magnetic charger alone, which was a massive convenience. 183 grams of pure beauty, instead of ugly cases with a magnetic sticker on every other phone.
The only annoyance came with screen foil replacement after 9months. Not so bad, replacement is free.
Sadly, after 18months, the screen stopped to turn on after unfolding. Works great if it's permanently unfolded. But, with that, it lost its main attraction.
So, despite this phone killed my flagship promiscuity for an incredible while, i now will switch back to a normal HEAVY brick: Pixel 7.
And that's after one strong argument i no longer can ignore: all Flips flicker (as reported on dxomark, notebookcheck). I see the flickering at nights, and the flicker continues in my brain when i shut my eyes. Can't ignore this anymore. Can't update to Flip4. Nothing other relevant on the market. Sad!