HTC A9 quick review - HTC One A9

I am an long term HTC user apart the last months with the G4 but now I am back with HTC and with the A9.
Bought the G4 because I have found the M9 too much like the M8 + bad camera and bad screen.
Ok now let's list the good points of the A9:
+ The design is delightful! and no it feels more like a real HTC than iphone, the metal body is light but sturdy.
+ The screen is better than M9 , the Amoled high contrast makes the text more easy to read compared to M9 (for people with glasses you can use the A9 without), you can see and use the screen during a sunny ski day, compared to the G4 1440p screen it's very close in terms of details, my only complaint is that it's a bit small for the Google Cardboard 2.0 and you can see the pixels (1080p limitations)
+ The camera is very good, certainly better than M9, daylight pics and low light pics are totally usable now thanks to the OIS, I prefer to use RAW as the jpeg format by HTC is heavily compressed. The new RAW automatic editor in the gallery is nice but again the jpeg compression is high, better use your own PC softwares like Lightroom.
+ The Audio never sounds better over the earphones wired and wireless, it's very loud and soundstage is very large and detailed.
+ I have the 2GB RAM version but the UI is smoother and faster than M9 and G4.
+ The screen sensitivity and response time is crazy quick
+ You can plug an external HDD 1Tb but in exfat format using USB OTG, no need for an OTG with extra power, the A9 USB port is sufficient, the G4 wasn't.
The negatives:
- Where are HTC Car and Music??? I flashed them thanks to Xpirt ports from M9
- MM disk encryption is a real pain in the a**
- Tons of Google bloatware, thanks God you can disable them but I would have preferred to see the Car and Music app instead
- Camera is very good but still not as good as G4, dunno why HTC still used f2.0
- The single speaker is a bit quiet, if you don't use a loud ringtone you could miss a call. V4A is not working for the time being, it would have helped making the single speaker louder
- NFC is here but not here! I mean there is a NFC chip but it's only to pay and not for activating NFC devices like earphones WTF HTC??
Voila! I am very happy with this HTC, much more than with the M9, I just hope that custom kernels and roms (sense based) will pop up to add some cool options like totally transparent navigation panel

I didn't have any Google bloat on my Indian device. And it's 3gb too.
Yes the device is damn nice, this is a to the point overview.
Sent from my HTC One A9 using XDA Free mobile app

vegetaleb said:
I just hope that custom kernels and roms (sense based) will pop up to add some cool options like totally transparent navigation panel
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wonders_Never_Cease has promised to do a modified stock ROM - see thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/one-a9/general/a9-rom-t3293680 If you read the thread he asked that volunteers for testing PM him. You might give that a try.
The CM13 ROM is still unofficial but moving ahead quickly. That seems to be it for ROM development at this point. So one Sense ROM and one AOSP ROM - we had better be nice to these devs...
Greg

Related

What all we need in upcomming htc phones

Hi Friends,
Here you can give your inputs like what all ways that you think can improve the new HTC phones.It might be a Hardware feature/Upgrade or Software feature or any application based on your imagination to enhance a HI5 Phone.
AS i'm the first one let me start with my imagination.
1.All HTC Phones should have OLED touch screens since have comsumes very less power when compared to the existing LCD touch screens.They can get help from Sony or Sam sung who are already pioneer in this field so we can have better talk time and standby time .
Some important aspects of OLED(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3MGJ6qV30U) see over there
2.HTC can develop this dream which an indian Student in MIT USA has already demonstrated that in TED talks.Kindly i like every one to see this video since they will make you to think a beyond the boundary.Most wonderful feature i want HTC to develop something like this .Future mobile technology.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUy8j4TMH2M
Much Obliged
Vinod
I'm with you on OLED. I'd also like the whole screen to be capacative. Multitouch baby! I would also be a big fan of a physical sliding lock button on the phones. I burn more battery by accidentally bumping the power on then by anything else. I would ask for bigger screens but the Touch HD, Pro2 and Diamond2 have that already.
And a custom theme designing/skinning kit for touchflo. I mean, they have to know that half the people with their products are nerds, hackers, and power business users, all of which love to customize. Of course, that's never going to happen, but a guy can dream....
HI Friends
I would like HTC to add some Inbuilt projectors to Cell phone as what other phone companies have already started producing models with this feature For example Samsung have developed a Mobilephone with a inbuilt Projector.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so8U0V3vXso
Second i would recommend HTC to go for wire free chargers since this is going to be the next generation chargers no need to have seperate power cables since we can charge it wire free.Since it is very small and it can be inbuilt in any form factor to any mobile phones .For more information on this see this youtube video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hOaXTkkaVw
Well, from my point of view:
1) DVB-T - many chinese phones have it for a long time
2) Snapdragon processor(or Nvidia) - actually processors Mhz weren`t changed for 5 years or more!
3) 3.5 Audio - it should be standart
4) Battery at least 1500mA. And possibility to install more. I really cannot understand - why in such big phones like Touch HD the battery even less then in my Qtek 9090
5) GPS
About projectors - there is no sense in it till the LEDs become so bright as lamps
I have moved this out of the News section as it is not news.
3.5mm headphone jack, for heaven's sake!
The most we need is responsiveness. Proper drivers. Proper tweaking. Properly optimized programs. Uncluttering of \Windows folder (all these files in there, massively degrades WM performance). etc etc
If done properly, iPhone fluidity should be possible. God knows we have the hardware and then some.
slick69 said:
3.5mm headphone jack, for heaven's sake!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And better Camera , maybe HTC can learn from Nokia how to have a nice camera than can record VGA Video in low light and stil looks good!!
big screen.
good processor.
(if its possible) windows xp/vista.
good video card.
x1 panel manager.
erik
A from factor like Universal
A micro lap top swiveling screen but with actual specs and design!
snapdragon, at least 4" screen, 512 RAM minimmum
SD card not micro sd
3.5mm jack
d-pad
A great keyboard!
A thin universal with Snapdragon/tegra, 5mp camera, wvga - in my dreams LOL!
A thin universal with tegra/snapdragon, wvga and 5mp camera - in my dreams - LOL!
I agree on the capacitive screen, although it'll take some getting used to without the flick scroll. The main thing is to eliminate these failing digitizers.
Flash on the camera. It helps.
Bigger screens with a more productive shape. Long thin screens don't work to well for the internet.
A 3.5mm headphone jack. What good is the 2.5mm adapter? Who uses that?
Eliminate the power button. Integrate it into the center dpad button. For the Diamond 2 like phones, integrate a center point push gesture in the zoom bar to cut the screen on. Annoying to reach up to the top to cut my screen on, then unlock it if you use a lock program.
Bigger speaker or 2 speakers. (Eliminate tiny sounding speakerphone)
Separate graphics processor with acceleration. We need fluidity and smoother rendering.
A true screen flipper for the g-sensor. Even the Omnia has this!

decision HTC One S or Sony Xperia S

Hello Dear One s Community ^_^
finally im able to upgrade my phone from a HTC Desire to something better... But i can´t decide what to get : HTC 1 S or the Sony Xperia S
i need a phone with good cam so:
first of all the software is not important for me i will run MIUI on it so HTC Sense is not important for me
pro Xperia S:
-dedicated camera button
- RGB Led
-Design
-720p Display
-highest dpi
-Normal LCD+Bravia Engine
-Hdmi output
-USB OTG
-32 GB Storage
negative Points:
- much thicker then the One S
-"only" a S3 processor
- smaller community
- cam software not that good
now the One S:
PRO
- Newest S4 processor
- better cam software (sense based miui roms)
- much thinner then the Xperia S
- its from HTC ( i never had ANY problem with my Desire and the Desire is still an awesome phone with the greatest community on the block after 2 years!)
Negativ
- LED Only 2 colours
- Pentile Matrix ( not that good i heard... )
- lower resolution
- only 16 gb storage ...
- i read that the one s has some build issues that the case has some problems
- no USB Otg
- no HDMI (yes with an adapter but then you can´t plugin a keyboard or something like on xperia s only with bluetooth @ one s... )
i really don´t know what phone to get ...
no fanboy comments pls
best regarts Melly
My friend got xperia, I got HTC One S.
What can I say about this:
1. HTC One S is much much more thinner, and design is better
2. Xperia got 32gb memory (I kinda dont care)
3. One S got 25gb dropbox
4. Xperia got better camera and also a button for camera (I would like one on S).
5. S can make photos of video easly, also I think it makes a photo much faster
6. Xperia dont have android 4 officialy
7. I like sens on One S
8. I didnt see much difference between the displays...
9. One S battery lasts longer. Xperias bravia engine takes its part in it.
I came from the HTC Desire to the HTC One S and i am loving it. For me i checked out the Sony Xperia S in stores but not the One S since its not availible in my country atm.
I found the screen on the Xperia S to be amazing, the pixel density is unrivalled however other than the screen the Xperia S didnt have much going for it that i required. Its a bulky phone that ran gingerbread at the time and the user experience was a bit on the laggier side. I havent been keeping up so i dont know if it has ICS yet and if it fixes those issues. The experience on the One S has been great and coming from a HTC Desire its a massive upgrade in all departments.
Main reason i chose the HTC One S was because of the size, build quality and S4 chip. The S4 chip is amazingly fast and effiecient, runs much cooler than my desire for games and i suspect it runs much cooler and more efficiently than the S3 chip found in the Xperia S. In terms of camera, both phones carry good cameras for a phone and the Xperia S seems to have better reviews but neither will replace you digital camera any time soon. I dont think you will notice much difference in quality unless u do careful analysis ;p.
To answer you question on build quality, the Micro Arc Oxidation version (Black) seems to have an unresolved chipping issue and it seems to be the luck of the draw if you get chipping or not. They grey version has none of those issues though. One thing to mention is that HTC are releasing this phone with the S3 1.7ghz chip now so better make sure with your seller before you buy it.
I think you will be happy with either phone but in my opinion if you loved the experience on the HTC Desire you'll certainly love the experience on the HTC One S.
Lastly i think with the new Jelly Bean announcement and Project Butter, when it eventually hits the HTC One S official or ported by devs coupled with the S4 chip, i believe Sense 4 will be absolutely beastly!
xperia s seems like another phone from sony that's too little too late. had they released it with a S4 cpu and ICS then it would would do okay in today's market against the offering from samsung and htc.
I think the One S is sooo fast!
Now i have the cm9 alpha 12 and its running very good!
Sent from my HTC One S using XDA Premium HD app
I own both Xperia S and One S(S4). I think there are quite a lots of misleading
things on the Internet, mainly from poor review bases.
1. The major advantage from XS is the 720P LCD, obviously clear than One S. You can notice it easily. However, it does come with complaint, little yellow tint or over warm color temp. I'm glad to get an excellent LCD with minor issues of both but you might not be the lucky one like me. I do rank them at the same score unless you could find Xperia S equipped with a problem-free screen but the chance isn't high, you have to be real lucky.
2. I believe all HTC ONE will has USB OTG support with custom kernels, just don't think we will see it soon.
3. The smaller community one sadly is One S. You can go to the XS board and spot the situation, there are more threads and more roms, more active users. XS is a worldwide available mobile while One S isn't(it's, now, but divided into S3/S4 lines and S3 just isn't selling any good, at least at here - Hong Kong. None of us going to buy the S3, there are only little shops who sells it too).
4. Pentile Matrix doesn't has any issue on a 4.3" QHD. I don't know how well it performs on a larger screen with higher resolution, it may has some problems there.
5. Both design well. XS is a sex lady while One S is a pretty young girl. It's just a matter of taste. Personally, I would like to know which kind you(OP) are? just kidding...
6. yup, I like the LED on XS. It's better. But I also like One S which is thinner and light weight.
7. S4 CPU is definitely fast and not as hot as XS. The major bonus to One S and this is my main reason to use it as a primary phone. Another problem is you can't charge the XS while the phone is on and the battery temp. goes over 40 degrees(One S still charges at 40+), which is very easy to get to this temp you know it's summer now. I've tried to use air-condition flow or a big cooling fan to cool the XS down, just wish it let me to charge without turn it off. You know it's a horrible experience.
8. Time to speak on the stock ROM side. HTC is overall better, faster and not as buggy as XS(Sony UI is really pretty and there are more custom roms on XS, I think they could solve the stock problems). The battery consumption on the XS rom is superior considered it is on a S3 cpu. Sony manged it very well on XS, did a good job. I've to say the stock One S rom is only a little bit better than XS, not very good performance on battery, almost a well-known here. I know you will switch to MIUI, I'm running LeeDroid V2.1 with SetCPU and got much better battery life.
9. Finally, the camera. They both do a good job on their own, I really can't tell you which is better. They work exactly in the opposite way, very confusing? huh?
In general, XS takes excellent photo at outdoor beat the One S easy, not as fast as but not much slower than One S. While at indoor or low light environment, One S blows the XS away with f/2.0, XS got more noise with slow focus. XS is great for outdoor and One S is great for indoor.
XS does a very accurate white balance all the time outdoor/indoor but One S has faster focus speed outdoor/indoor. The XS auto scenes mode and close up mode works better while One S gives you a 60 photo bursting mode(old rom supports up to 99).
Video part is the XS wins. The video is more stable and the quality is also improved in the official ICS. One S on the other hand, let you shoot 5M photo during recording and offers a funny slow motion video mode.
10. At last, I forget to tell you. The Xperia SL(Lt26ii) will roll out. No one know the details at right now but it might be a S4 cpu or LTE supported device.
Thank you to reading my long reply and not fall asleep.
Just some quick updates to my last reply ....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1629134&highlight=usb+host
It's my fault. One S already supported USB-OTG now. It is just quite trouble because it doesn't provide power. We still need a kernel mod like on One X to make USB-OTG supports better.
And second, it's confirmed Xperia SL remains as a S3 unit. I guess no S4 and LTE, just some minor upgrade like [email protected]
sold my experia and got a one s.. if that tells u something. Got damn small buttons on the xperia got me crazy

Samsung GS4 vs HTC One - which features do you think are actually better on the GS4?

Rather than having 500000000 threads comparing GS4 to One, put all your thoughts in here.
Don't forget to vote.
Here is a good list posted by -]Megacharge[- - which I think most would agree with - if you came to the thread looking for quick overview, here it is:
S4:
-Bigger screen
-Removable storage
-Removable battery
-Can use screen with gloves on
-Marginally faster benchmark scores in the S600 version
-Much faster benchmark scores in the Exynos version
-TouchWiz including a bunch of S-software (which some people may find useful - HTC's betting on design as their number one selling point. Samsung's doing the same with software features)
-IR LED (TV Remote)
-Android 4.2.2
[Gorilla Glass 3, 1.9MHz clock speed, DDR3, thinner, lighter, bigger display in smaller footprint]
One:
-Higher PPI and color accuracy
-Design
-IR LED (TV Remote)
-Dual front facing speakers (great speakers)
-Dual membrane mics
-Sense 5 (incredibly fluid with no lag and looks more "adult" than touchwiz)
-Low light camera performance
-Android 4.1.2
[Gorilla Glass 2, 1.7MHz clock speed, DDR2, chunkier, a little heavier, aluminium body]
Your intentions may be pure but you can't expect commentors to follow suit you'll be bombarded with opinions and border line exaggerations u should try android general
PHONE SLOW CLICK ME?
1 days 2 s4​
Honestly not much. The hard ware is close to identical. As far as software goes I don't really pay to much attention as I would flash CM. To either.
GS4
Better GPU
Lighter
Battery life
Faster CPU clock
Bigger Screen
HTC
Aluminum body
More PPI
Looks better imho
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
djbenny1 said:
This is not a troll thread - though I suspect it will be perceived as such.
I honestly want to know what it is people think is actually better about the GS4.
I'm sure some people will say "everything" but please vote for one, and then comment on why.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sadly this thread will turn into a flame war and will get shut down with the quickness. They both have their pros and cons.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
I'm not going to even comment on this thread (from now on) - my opinions will be kept entirely to myself.
I am honestly just curious.
PS - don't just comment - vote!
FYI I voted for Dev Support as I think we all know it will sell more.
Swisser said:
Honestly not much. The hard ware is close to identical. As far as software goes I don't really pay to much attention as I would flash CM. To either.
GS4
Better GPU
Lighter
Battery life
Faster CPU clock
Bigger Screen
HTC
Aluminum body
More PPI
Looks better imho
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You said aluminum body + looks better, don't they go together? HTC is trying very hard to sell its "premium look" more than anything else
Swyped from another galaxy
LOOkS and BUILD QUALITY-htc wins..
CPU - samsung.. because having those a15 is really gonna help that 1080 screen on heavy tasks..
GPU- samsung again.. people who game will really find it better.. and it being power vr means games wil get better optimized faster amd be better on the s4..
SD slot, removable battery- samsung
MUSIC HEADPHONE quality- no idea.. but beats suck
And dont know if samsung is using that wolfson dac which is good af
SCREEN- no one wins .subjective.. I love amoleds and that 1080 amoled looks sexy. But the htc also has one hell of an lcd screen
UI- subjective.. I find sense better but blinkfeed is nonsense. But touchwiz is functional
DEVELOPMENT- samsung... and S- off sucks..lol..
BATTERY- Ssamsung.. looking at samsungs history of phones, they always had better battery.. I heard htc one has come up though.. byt u bet the new s4 will be even better than the s3 and htc one
Samsung also has some extra features which maybe considered as gimmicks.. but zoe,drama shot , erase features and other editing stuffs are in both..
I might buy both... htc for that built, but in the end samsung for that power and development wins it all
.....
HTC has louder sound and better on speakers.
HTC is full of metal vs Samsung plastic - so better build quality.
HTC has better AnTuTu scores and higher clock. (GSIV has 1.6Ghz - says gsmarena.com).
HTC has famous "Sense" which is way better than Touchwiz in my opinion.
HTC's camera is better on dark places.
HTC is more compact.
HTC has better xda development. (Exynos is bad documentated and HTC already has great devs workin' on it - and yeah team Venom).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not sure about GPU, I'd say Samsung is better.
Samsung has bigger screen.
Samsung has head moving are pausing things
Floating touch (I would turn it off but I would say floating touch games maybe - that would be interesting).
Samsung will update its device way more than HTC to newer android versions.
Samsung has external SD up to 64GB. So you could have impressing 126GB of memory for your files!
Samsung has better camera in my opinion.
Samsung has bigger battery.
Samsung is more sold device - more support (bit that doesn't mean anything).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tie:
AMOLED vs SLCD - depends on person.
Hard to break or easily removable battery.
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Overall HTC is better as "pure android experience or AOSP and pure performance and great made phone".
And Sammy software things and functionality.
But I think I am going for HTC if screen is big enough.
I tried to do review not being fanboy of both!
Swisser said:
Honestly not much. The hard ware is close to identical. As far as software goes I don't really pay to much attention as I would flash CM. To either.
GS4
Better GPU
Lighter
Battery life
Faster CPU clock
Bigger Screen
HTC
Aluminum body
More PPI
Looks better imho
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought the GPU was the same?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Removable storage is pretty much the key reason for me. I really don't understand why manufacturers chose not to include such an obvious feature in their devices...
MichaelMcEntire said:
I thought the GPU was the same?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No.lol.. the gpu in internationao s4 is powervr.. the one iphones and ipads use
.....
I'll break this down to two simple facts.
1. Expandable storage is a deal breaker for me. The One has no expandable storage, so when you run out of space, you're done - time to start eating up your mobile data plan for cloud services. Deal breaker.
2. S-Off is terrible. Something tells me one reason HTC stopped providing expandable storage slots in their phones is due to the way the Vivid had to be S-Off'ed. You have to short out a contact point on the phone's main board with the ground on the SD slot to hack the damn S-Off. Maybe this was a major flaw and combined with other reasons, they just decided they would scrap the storage slot altogether. Without S-Off, the whole process of flashing new ROMs becomes more tedious and annoying. And let's not forget that you can scrap the idea of flashing new radios to your device if you can't S-Off an HTC phone. HTC is not too developer-friendly lately...
Is it even possible to S-Off the One X or X+? I haven't looked at those boards in detail in quite a while.
Wow that was a long answer for two simple facts.
Sent from my HTC PH39100...soon to be Galaxy S4.
The fact that Samsung seems to be listening to their customers (unlike HTC), is what does it.
Advantages of the One:
-Premium build, subjectively better design
-Camera optimized for low-light environments
-Screen is objectively better at accurate color reproduction
-Stereo speakers
...
Is that what customers want? Some, sure. But it seems like HTC is playing Apple's form > function game. And they won't win, because their software, battery life and camera are not up to par.
What does the S4 have?
-Packs a larger display into a body that is smaller, slimmer and lighter than the S3 (yet people will still go around complaining that 5" is 'just too big'), more ergonomic than the hard edges of the One's design
-Display benefits from power savings of PenTile matrix while the resolution nullifies any complaints about its perceived sharpness; EDIT: actually, the display utilizes a new, brighter PHOLED technology and a completely different PenTile 'diamond' matrix that seems to address most complaints about the S3's display on their own
-Display is subjectively better then the One's for some—AND has built-in screen tuning options for those that want accurate, natural colors (Movie/Cinema mode on the S3/Note 2 is comparable to sRGB emulation mode on a wide gamut monitor in my own side-by-side comparisons)
-Display's infinite contrast is objectively better, and the lower reflectivity and sunlight legibility is something other manufacturers have fallen behind with their 1080p displays
-Superior homegrown SoC (although I have no idea why the U.S. is stuck with Qualcomm again with all the new LTE tech the Exynos chipset has); people knocking the big.LITTLE architecture seem to be ignoring the purpose of it (it's not just 'twice as many cores' or 'not-really-eight-cores')
-1.7mm thinner than the One, yet it packs a larger, removable battery and microSD slot (deja vu)
-USB 3.0 on the Exynos
-TouchWiz is better than Sense, despite subjectivity over appearance: lighter, smoother, less buggy, closer to vanilla Android in functionality and packed with extra features (many which are actually useful) that can be easily turned off—vs. a bloated interface that tries to undermine the Android interface and sticks you with homescreen limitations like a Flipboard knock-off that can't be fully disabled; I personally find Sense even uglier than TouchWiz with its mix of colorful icons and flat black theming
-A camera that, for another generation in a row, doesn't ruin its image quality with overaggressive noise reduction and processing like HTC's offerings, while packing as many features as one would want into the camera app (like the ability to make animated GIF's with static backgrounds easily)
-Battery life that is sure to surpass its predecessor, unlike the lackluster battery performance seen in the One/Butterfly/DNA
-Gorilla Glass 3 over the One's Gorilla Glass 2
-Unified delivery to all carriers, while the One's future on a major carrier like Verizon is still just rumors
-Latest JellyBean 4.2.2 vs. One's JellyBean 4.1, and not only a much better commitment to and delivery of updates than HTC, but a commitment to and delivery of bringing new software features to older flagship devices when they don't depend on new hardware
-The ability to run ANY two apps side-by-side on the screen at the same time for multitasking—and the ability to run pop-up apps like the browser, video player, calculator, etc. on top of that
-Not only are features like the delivered Air Gestures and Eye Scroll useful and polished (maybe not so much with Eye Scroll's polish), but Floating Touch is major: completely new and unique screen tech that essentially gives you a mouse cursor for hovering, which is a boon for web browsing and Adobe Flash
-Unlocked bootloader vs. the One's locked bootloader (despite all the negative feedback HTC received previously)
While the S4 might not blow anyone away at first glance, it's clear that Samsung pays attention to things that matter when it comes to using your device, down to the details that everyone else seems to overlook. The One is a beautiful phone to look at and hold, but beyond that it holds the same disappointments that held HTC back the last time around.
GGXtreme said:
The fact that Samsung seems to be listening to their customers (unlike HTC), is what does it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope you're joking.
I know many people are not fans of the home button, but I use the hell out of it my S3 and I prefer to use it when activating the display from sleep mode. Many times when my phone is just laying on the table, I can just hit the home button and swipe down for messages or to change songs etc. I just find it much more easy to access than the power button. I do prefer the look of the HTC over the S4.
GGXtreme said:
The fact that Samsung seems to be listening to their customers (unlike HTC), is what does it.
Advantages of the One:
-Premium build, subjectively better design
-Camera optimized for low-light environments
-Screen is objectively better at accurate color reproduction
-Stereo speakers
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stereo speakers on a device that small, the HTC One, is pointless anyway. The whole point of stereo is so you can differentiate the sounds in each ear, thereby creating the stereo effect. With two speakers so close together, the sounds will mesh together by the time they hit your ears anyway, making a more monaural sound.
I think the only real advantage HTC has is the build quality of the phone. But that advantage is moot to me because I always put a nice case on whatever phone I buy.
Sent from my HTC PH39100.
vapotrini said:
I hope you're joking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please point out any errors in my reasoning. I think I made a decent case, care to actually make one yourself?
When you compare the two there's not a lot that's unique going for the One except for it's beautiful all-aluminum design and dual speakers. The fact that it's the same physical size (while being thicker and heavier) as the SGS4 with last year's 4.7" display size isn't going to help it. Here's a quick run down comparing the two. It was the answer to "why would anyone buy the SGS4 over the One" from thier forum.
Larger 5" SAMOLED display with vibrant colors
Thinner and lighter with other dimensions being near equal
13MP camera (more detail)
Better battery life, bigger and removable battery
Replaceable back cover if its damaged
Expandable storage
Gorilla Glass 3 (versus 2)
Android 4.2.2 (vs. 4.1.2, at least for now)
Dual Camera (insert yourself in to photos you take)
Drama Shot (a simpler Zoe)
Sound and Shot to record voice comments on still photos
Story Album to create and send printed photo albums
Share Music to turn multiple SGS4's in to surround sound
Group Play to share content across multiple devices without the need for a Wi-FI connection
S-Translator integrated in to multiple apps like e-mail and the stock browser
Smart Pause/Smart Scroll to use your eyes to control the device
All the existing motion and voice controls Samsung provides in TW
Air View to expand content by hovering your finger over it
A display you can use with gloves on
S Voice Drive which maximizes the size of what's displayed and allows motion and voice to control things you use when driving
Optical Reader integrated in to stock apps to import data via the camera
S Health to track weight, blood pressure, exercise, etc.
I'll take a stab at the One's advantages over the SGS4. For the sake of discussion assume the SGS4 being compared against is an LTE version running S-600 too. Things like LCD vs. AMOLED and Sense vs. TW are obviously based on personal preference.
Beautiful all-aluminum unibody design
LCD display with bright realistic colors
Sense’s more aesthetically pleasing appearance
UltraPixels (better low light performance)
Dual front facing speakers
Zoe
BlinkFeed
It’s not made by Samsung (for the haters )
Other than Zoe and BlinkFeed Sense 5 is carry over from earlier versions. Even LG's doing a lot more with s/w than HTC. The lack of s/w features, whether they are real or gimmicks, is going to hurt the One with the masses who like "more" rather than less; especially at the same price.
LG already offers several special apps on its Android smartphones, like QSlide for viewing two apps at once on a device's display and QRemote for controlling home entertainment gear. Today LG expanded is software offerings with another new feature dubbed "Smart Video." According to LG, Smart Video takes advantage of eye recognition technology to track a user's eye movements while he or she is watching a video and, when it detects that user isn't looking at the device's display, it will pause the clip automatically. Playback will resume when the device detects that the user is once again looking at the screen. LG says that Smart Video will be rolled out soon as part of a Value Pack update. In addition to Smart Video, the Value Pack will include a Dual Camera feature that will take photos using the front and back cameras simultaneously, Magic Remote Keypad and Text Keypad additions to the QRemote app, Video Pause/Resume that will allow users to stop and start while capturing a video to create one continuous clip, and a set of color emoticons. The Smart LED Lighting surrounding the LG Optimus G Pro's physical home button will also be updated to allow users to assign colors to specific contacts.​
Toleraen said:
Removable storage is pretty much the key reason for me. I really don't understand why manufacturers chose not to include such an obvious feature in their devices...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't understand this storage business if the minimum available storage option for a phone is 32GB?
How many things do most people put on their phones? All the people I know who own a GS3 have a 16GB model with no micro SD card and they continuously make the lack of expandable storage on recent phones a big deal.
At the moment I have no idea which one I want more, I will likely get the GS4 because HTC One has a good chance at not showing up on Verizon. (entirely Verizon's fault though, looks like Verizon has been screwing over HTC for quite awhile recently, the lack of expandable storage was due to Verizon not HTC on the DNA; and the One's availability looks like to be another Verizon issue; I also am pretty positive for it developement being slightly better than the DNA since it is multicarrier)
I do really like the GS4 though, it's design was something I did not like on the GS3 either though.
TingTingin said:
Your intentions may be pure but you can't expect commentors to follow suit you'll be bombarded with opinions and border line exaggerations u should try android general
PHONE SLOW CLICK ME?
1 days 2 s4​
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is one of the least trolly forums. Go hang on youtube for a while, the bottom of the internet comments there..​

iOcean G7 review

*Moved from different thread - this suits better*
Hello everyone,
just made this review about the iOcean G7 a while ago. I cannot post any links or videos yet so I made a small site, for the single purpose it looks a bit better and I can post the photo's and video I made. chinahardware.info/?page_id=9
I left out all the Antutu benchmark stuff, there is already plenty of that to be found. I hope someone finds it informative
Contents
Intro & Specifications.
Screen/Display.
Camera.
Sound.
Overall use & Connectivity.
Conclusion.
Intro & Specifications
Welcome to this iOcean G7 review
The G7 is not the first phone of the Chinese iOcean company but definitely one with a new design. If you are not familiar with the iOcean company you can look up their website iocean.cc or go to their Facebook page. The phone that had put iOcean in the spotlights was the X7 Youth. It has (still) good specifications with a surprisingly low price, making it a very tempting choice. After the X7 Youth there were more ‘adult’ versions as the Turbo, Plus and Elite, all with different sets of specifications and prices. One thing remained: the design. All the X7 models are the same except for their internal hardware components. With the G7 the designers at iOcean made daring step. They slightly changed the design but more obvious: they changed the size of the phone. Where all X7 versions were enjoying a neat 5 inch FULL-HD display, the G7 has a gigantic screen size of 6.44 inch, technically making it a phablet (phone/tablet).
This devices comes with the latest of the MediaTek processors: the MT6592, an octacore processor with the Mali 450 GPU to support it with graphical applications.
My personal questions were if I would be enjoying carrying this colossal phone around and if the GPS-problems with the MediaTek MT6592 would finally come to an end.
Specifications:
General
OS Android 4.2.2
Chipset Octacore Mediatek
CPU 1.7Ghz MT6592
GPU Mali-450 700Mhz
RAM 2GB
Battery 3500mAh
Two Camera’s:
Rear camera 13 mega-pixel
Features F2.0 aperture
LED flash Yes
Video [email protected]
Front camera 5-mega-pixel
Memory
Internal 16GB
SD card Yes: support up to 32GB
Network support
Dual-sim Yes
WCDMA 2100MHz/900MHz
GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz
Body
Dimensions (mm) 175 x 90.5 x 8.9mm
Weight (g) 205 grams
Colors Black and White (and perhaps a red one?)
Screen/Display
Let’s start with what is most obvious about the device when you see it: the enormous display. With a 6.44 inch display the G7 is one of the biggest devices I ever worked with. It is quite a bit bigger than the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.
For the technicians amongst you: the devices comes with a Retina LTPS display and is an OGS, which stands for One Glass Solution. So the screen will be thin with good viewing angles. Since a large amount of the surface of the phone is consisting out of glass, I am glad they processed the screen with laminated glass, meaning it consists of two or more layers of glass and bonding interlayers before fused together though autoclave or chemically.
The above shows us that the display is big, thin, highly scratch-resistant and with the Retina LTPS it also means the display is bright and vivid. When the screen is on full brightness it is very useable in light areas and outside. I used it for a couple of days now and even on these sunny days I could easily read the screen.
This is supported with a stunning 1920×1080 resolution, granting the screen 342 pixels-per-inch. I used the iOcean X7 with 440 pixels-per-inch and I could see some difference but you would have to look closely and search for it. 342 PPI is still very impressive for a screen size this big and reading text is a real charm on this device. Giving the device a higher resolution screen would not benefit the price and the performance of the G7 and I personally think this was the right decision.
In the box I also found a screen protector which I applied directly but since the layered protection of the screen itself I think this is a personal choice.
Another bonus is the fact that you can operate the device wearing gloves or with wet hands. I found out these few days that the display is highly sensitive and I do no longer need my touch screen gloves in the winter which is a real big plus.
Camera
The camera of the G7 is even being used by iOcean to take photos of the new X8 model, which is coming up halfway in April, for their Facebook page. If the company itself is confident enough about the quality is has to say something, right? The G7 enjoys a 13 mega-pixel rear camera which out-of-the-box shoots at 9.5 mega-pixel. This is probably done to save memory and to quicken up the burst-shoot function. At 9.5 MP all photos will be more than sufficient for most uses: Facebook, Twitter, emailing them to friends/family, etc. Switching to 13 MP decreases the field of view as well a bit of speed in burst-mode but it is still very fast and it is barely noticeable. The front camera is 5 mega-pixel and can be used for conference and video calling or to make the much loved selfie. A trend is to not only increase the mega-pixels of the phone but also the aperture of the lens, meaning more light can travel inside which tends to produce better pictures.
I shot some pictures with the G7 myself and I can tell you they are of very good quality. I used different kind of settings; all photos taken inside were under medium-light conditions and outside it is clearly a sunny day. (They are shown on the website.)
One of the things I like to do with my phone is to watch videos on YouTube, mostly with other people. The low quality of the sound and especially the low maximum volume most of the other Chinese phone suffer from sometimes takes the fun away in doing that but with the G7 that will not be the case. The sound can be set to a very loud level while maintaining good quality with no distortion.
Now, something pleasant happened when I laid the phone on its back while playing music: sound actually got better! Thanks to a very smart design feature the G7 device does not fully touch the surface and thereby covering up the speaker grill. A small tab, looking a bit like a stub of the speaker grill, is attached so room is left between the surface and the device hence the sound waves can move freely. It gives a powerful and full sound which I have not heard with many devices. One small point could be that it makes the phone wiggle a bit when lain down but I highly doubt that would bother anyone.
Overall use & Connectivity
The biggest question for me was whether the G7 would fit in my pocket but even with the flip case it fits. Though it is completely understandable when someone would go for the somewhat smaller X7 or better the X8 in April. This is definitely not a one-handed device and both hands are needed to type. It is very useable for watch movies, series, YouTube and the like as reading and typing text. I am a forced user of the public transport every day and I use that time to read rapports for work, etc. Still not as comfortable as a good physical keyboard, on the 6.44 inch screen it is now also workable to edit and type text.
The overall build quality is very good with no plastic-squeaks, a strongly fit back cover and pretty narrow bezels. The only real point of criticism is that the three android control buttons on the chin of the phone do not lit up so in the dark. This may provide an issue when not completely familiar with the device.
The device supports all normal connectivity frequencies used in the West: for Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n for both 2.4G and 5G. For mobile internet: HSPA+ 900Mhz/2100Mhz WCDMA.
GPS
The GPS has been a problem with MediaTek devices since a long time and let me happily start by saying that the iOcean G7 gave me a GPS fix in 3 minutes. This was indoors without any connectivity and updated satellite positions. Outside the same set-up gave me a fix in about 40 seconds. Compared to more expensive and well-known mobile phones MediaTek will always lose the battle but for the average Chinese branded mobile phone user this will be a pretty welcome result.
Conclusion
The iOcean G7 is one of the biggest Chinese phones I have ever handled but also one of the better built and designed. The overall quality of the phone is very good, the camera shoots very worthy photos, the sound capabilities are amazing, playing most games is absolutely fun (no stuttering), display quality is very good at least to say, making the G7 a very enjoyable device for everyday use. Considering all this, the price is very reasonable. If you are looking for an affordable mobile phone with a big display, this is probably the one.
A good functioning GPS and a size that still fits my pocket: my questions are answered, how about yours? Please feel free to post comments or send me a message if you have any more questions.
You can also send me an e-mail: [email protected]
Or look up more information on the official iOcean Facebookpage! Please give them some support and click the ‘like’ button.
chinahardware.info/?page_id=9 for the photo's
I am enjoying the use of the iocean G7. It maybe gigantic but it is not heavy.
Battery life is really good. For light use, you can get up to 4 days. For heavy use, you can get at least 2 days.
Does iocean use a "skinned" version of Android like sense or miui?
sent from Carina Nebula with my Nexus 5 inter dimensional cruiser...
Ltdrev said:
Does iocean use a "skinned" version of Android like sense or miui?
sent from Carina Nebula with my Nexus 5 inter dimensional cruiser...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its Android 4.2.2, I have not played with HTC or Miui but it feel like the standard Android. It came with Google Play Store and all the other apps. Don't think I see any Chinese apps.
It actually came rooted as well.
Ysabelkid said:
I am enjoying the use of the iocean G7. It maybe gigantic but it is not heavy.
Battery life is really good. For light use, you can get up to 4 days. For heavy use, you can get at least 2 days.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
My Iocean G7 battery lasts about 1 day (wifi and bluetooth always on).
I didn't find how to install CWM on it so I could do a wipe batterie's data.
Does someone has a CWM for Iocean G7 ?
Thanks
Yes a bit
Ltdrev said:
Does iocean use a "skinned" version of Android like sense or miui?
sent from Carina Nebula with my Nexus 5 inter dimensional cruiser...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had no idea but I did a comparison for you. iOcean did use some sort of theme (not a entire skin) for their Android version but you can switch back to the standard Android look with 2 clicks (icon called Theme) does that.
I am using Themer now but in the video review on my website (chinahardware.info) you can still see the iOcean theme.
Does that answer your question?
Ysabelkid said:
Its Android 4.2.2, I have not played with HTC or Miui but it feel like the standard Android. It came with Google Play Store and all the other apps. Don't think I see any Chinese apps.
It actually came rooted as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine came with a small theme (mostly the icons were different) but I could switch back any moment.
Yours came rooted? Where did you buy your iOcean G7?
Danacy said:
Mine came with a small theme (mostly the icons were different) but I could switch back any moment.
Yours came rooted? Where did you buy your iOcean G7?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In Settings, under Device Administration, I got Superuser which I turn it on.
I bought my G7 from 1949deal - first time buying from them. Order on Thursday and shipped by DHL and arrived on Monday. I bought the brown case which I think is useless. Cannot find the slip-in case on your video.
I don't use Facebook/bluetooth and have turn off the gesture - thats why I think the battery life last so long.
22
Ysabelkid said:
In Settings, under Device Administration, I got Superuser which I turn it on.
I bought my G7 from 1949deal - first time buying from them. Order on Thursday and shipped by DHL and arrived on Monday. I bought the brown case which I think is useless. Cannot find the slip-in case on your video.
I don't use Facebook/bluetooth and have turn off the gesture - thats why I think the battery life last so long.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean the orange case? Try Aliexpress.com It's a sideways flip-cover (bad quality btw).
Cannot find the Superuser setting you mentioned but I thought that will only appear when you root te phone, right?
How is the battery life on the phone? Better than other Android phones or just pretty similar?
Danacy said:
You mean the orange case? Try Aliexpress.com It's a sideways flip-cover (bad quality btw).
Cannot find the Superuser setting you mentioned but I thought that will only appear when you root te phone, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought the orange case - its rubbish.
This guy has a slip case - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXMGeWo0W8Q which is like one of those for spectacles.
Not sure if it is 1949deal that rooted the phone before sending out. I learnt of it from the guy in the above video which is why I bought from the same seller as he did. He mentioned about it here - http://mtkforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=559&p=1929
---------- Post added at 11:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:07 PM ----------
nismofan25 said:
How is the battery life on the phone? Better than other Android phones or just pretty similar?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Battery life depends on how you use it. It has a 3500 mAh battery - huge.
I don't use Facebook or bluetooth or push notification for my GMail. I use Whatsapp, Line, SMS and calls and some surfing.
For light use, I can get more than 3 day. For heavy use, I can get at least 2 days.
I already enjoying the use of the iocean G7. I think its gigantic its not heavy . Battery life is so good. For light use, you can get up to 4 days. For heavy use, you can get at least 2 days. you also use it enjoy it .........................................
Michael Hill said:
I already enjoying the use of the iocean G7. I think its gigantic its not heavy . Battery life is so good. For light use, you can get up to 4 days. For heavy use, you can get at least 2 days. you also use it enjoy it .........................................
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you tell me if the led flash is powerful like Samsung ones I had a few chinese phones but the flash led is weak.
Thanks
cyberbit said:
Can you tell me if the led flash is powerful like Samsung ones I had a few chinese phones but the flash led is weak.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The led flash is strong - red light for Whatsapp and green for Line.
Camera is great - people were impress with it when I took photos in a recent vacation.
good day how to root iocean g7 please help.
Bluetooth
The bluetooth is horrible.
There is lag with the headphone bluetooth, sometimes does not pair with bluetooth on the car.
In others features this phone is really good.
I hope that in the next firmware the iocean improve the bluetooth.
G7 flash and recovery
Hey guys,
I am also a proud owner of my G7... I certainly do love it, at the moment I think I have to flash it to a more recent rom since it came with a 4.2.2.
I want to flash to latest but I dont have a custom recovery installed. Will the inbuilt recovery be fine enough?
I am guessing you guys have an idea of what the way to get a recovery and flash it actually... and I use linux with adb and fastboot installed and it can see my device too although I could get a windows computer is necessary.
Thanks
Recovery
xdadeem said:
Hey guys,
I am also a proud owner of my G7... I certainly do love it, at the moment I think I have to flash it to a more recent rom since it came with a 4.2.2.
I want to flash to latest but I dont have a custom recovery installed. Will the inbuilt recovery be fine enough?
I am guessing you guys have an idea of what the way to get a recovery and flash it actually... and I use linux with adb and fastboot installed and it can see my device too although I could get a windows computer is necessary.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MIUI is always a good choice
http://www.needrom.com/download/miui-by-miuipro-ru-9/
FunTouch OS was also very good
http://www.needrom.com/download/g7-funtouch-os/
To install:
Step 1: From the links above: download the ROM you want and put it on a SD-card. Not in a folder but in the root of the SD-card. Put SD-card in phone
Step 2: Shut down your G7. Not restart but really shut down. Then:
– Power button + volume button up, to enter the recovery mode. (First hold volume up and then press power button and keep volume button pressed until you see the recovery menu)
– Wipe Data / Factory Reset -> delete all user data (use volume buttons to select)
– Wipe Cache Partition -> Wipe cache
Step 3: Return to recovery main interface Install zip from sdcard -> choose zip from sdcard -> Select your ROM
Step 4: Brush complete, restart the phone Patience required – first boot takes a while

HTC U11 Eyes Videos by Tech Zilla

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE: https://youtu.be/yyAn305e7xY
Hey I got my HTC U11 EYES this morning from Hong Kong, in this video I do the Unboxing, First Look and Set Up of the HTC U11 EYES. Is the HTC U11 EYES worth upgrading to if you have the HTC U Life? In the coming weeks I will be exploring that. Below is my written First Impressions and Unboxing so please take the time to read it as well as watching the video.
This was a surprise handset as I hadn't heard much about it, I saw it on line and couldn't resist buying it, so what do you get in the box?
1. The Phone itself,
2. U Sonic Noise cancelling headphones,
3. A clear hard case,
4. Cleaning Cloth,
5. Charging Cable and fast charging QC 35 power brick.
6. Sim Ejection Tool
7. Different sized silicone eartips
I was disappointed that no headphone adapter was included and surprised, after all its not that expensive of an item. First Impressions were that it look identical to the HTC U11 Plus, holding it side by side you would be hard pressed to tell them apart. The HTC U11 Eyes in solar red looks beautiful especially with the gold accented rim around the rear camera. It certainly looks like a flagship device not a budget phone, all glass with a 6 inch 1080p FHD+ screen in the 18.9 aspect ratio so meaning the fingerprint senser has been moved to the back.
Another shock is the device has dual selfie cameras on the front which from first impressions are great, the boost HDR and allow Bokeh which is a feature HTC handsets have been missing for sometime. This has also added another new feature where we now have face unlock included which is extremely fast to set up and even faster at unlocking the device which is very very impressive.
The rear camera is an award winning camera from the HTC flagships and as usual gives great quality photos and videos especially in low light, nothing new there but nothing to complain about either. Edge Sense is also included and functions the same as the HTC U11 and Plus variants of the device and yes the scroll wheel is present also.
Another shocking thing is the inclusion of a 3930mah battery which is the same as the HTC U11 plus, meaning it will give a beastly performance and should deliver over 2 days standby time with ease, I will be testing this out in future videos so stay tuned for that.
The HTC U11 Eyes is also IP67 dust and water resistant which I didn't expect at the price point of £350, seems like great value for money right? Well yes it is with one disappointment which is the inclusion of the SnapDragon 652. This is a chipset which is 2 years old and really I feel HTC should have gone with the 660 instead but time will tell how this holds up day to day as I use the phone.
I will be making comparison videos against other devices and various reviews and tests of the HTC U11 Eyes, if there is anything you would like me to test or something you would like to see please let me know and I will try my best, feel free to watch my unboxing video, the link is at the top of this post. Thank you and please enjoy.
Another excellent review!
I agree about the 652, its a bit old at this point. They also should have kept the stereo speaker effect, this is very disappointing and will cause many not to buy the device based on this alone.
Other than that given the price point and its visual appeal pretty decent for a low end phone.
sent from my Pixel 2 XL or Note FE

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