Related
Hey Everyone
Wasn't really sure where this post should go since it's not really dev or hacking related but it didn't really seem to fit in any of the other subforums either :-(
I was wondering what everyone's take on the future of smart phone processors is, I mean what seems to be a better road to travel: multi-core cpus or faster and faster cpus?
I ask because we already have 1ghz phones and motorola is talking about a 2ghz phone by years end and then there are the dual core chips that have been rumored to be circulating from qualcom.
How beneficial would multi-core chips be in reality on a phone? I could see maybe having the phone os running on one core and then all apps operating on a second core but I doubt that is the way things would get implemented.
dsMA said:
How beneficial would multi-core chips be in reality on a phone? I could see maybe having the phone os running on one core and then all apps operating on a second core but I doubt that is the way things would get implemented.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Considering that adding cores is the way that PC chips overcame physical limitations in clock speed, I think that's the way it's going to go. Phones can't run nearly as hot as PCs and still be considered to run within acceptable levels, so I'd say having a multitude of relatively slow cores would be beneficial (most Android apps are multithreaded anyway, so they can already take advantage of multiple cores).
I was just wondering if I should make the leap for a ghz phone this year or hold out for the first multi-core phones next year.
How are most Android apps threaded?
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
Android apps, like pretty much any GUI app, have a UI thread and however many worker threads you need (especially if you're reading network/file data). Any time you see the ProgressDialog, threads are running around doing their thing.
Invariably you will always purchase a phone immediately before it becomes obsolete, so what's the use of waiting? If you stand to gain from a 1GHz phone, just go for it. The next time you upgrade there will be multi-core processors, and if not, the processor might run so hot you have an app that actually can make coffee for you.
IMHO - I'd rather have better battery life than multiple CPUs.
While more speed is nice, a realistic battery life is essential.
¿GotJazz? said:
IMHO - I'd rather have better battery life than multiple CPUs.
While more speed is nice, a realistic battery life is essential.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd rather have both. Nowadays, realistic battery life is somewhere in between 16-24 hours with normal to heavy use. I can do that now. 16 and more hours is very good, as long as you don't live in the jungle with no sockets.
And while it will be difficult to achieve such battery life with more cores, I think that a well designed SoC can do it.
very interesting topic for discussion, my thing is what are we gonna do with a dual core Cpu in a smart ph. I mean if you can give me a high end ph with a single core processor with above average battery life I would take that over say a dual core processor with below average or just average battery life.
It all comes down to what one is willing to sacrifice for power and speed...
faster, no.
more cores, no.
lower power, yes.
dedicated mobile gpu, HELL YESS!
what is.................
jahnile said:
ph
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Multi core all the way!!!
More power!
I'll probably get a 10" tablet for my next phone anyway, and do all my talking by earpiece.
As for battery life, we do not need gimped hardware. What we need is for phone manufacturers to get over the fixation on smaller, lighter phones. The Vibrant is so thin I can hardly pick it up without touching the screen SOMEWHERE.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
daveob said:
what is.................
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ph-one... like phone maybe?
And I agree about the waiting game. There is almost no point in waiting for anything because it will most certainly be outdone within months. For me a reasonable "wait" would be under a month from when I choose to change my phone. (Come on Epic...)
I believe multi-core will eventually catch on, just like in pc's, but now I'm mainly focused on the success of a good combo of cpu/gpu. (Come on Epic...)
steve.h said:
Android apps, like pretty much any GUI app, have a UI thread and however many worker threads you need (especially if you're reading network/file data). Any time you see the ProgressDialog, threads are running around doing their thing.
Invariably you will always purchase a phone immediately before it becomes obsolete, so what's the use of waiting? If you stand to gain from a 1GHz phone, just go for it. The next time you upgrade there will be multi-core processors, and if not, the processor might run so hot you have an app that actually can make coffee for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am up for renewal in Nov. I am on Sprint so it is shaping up to be a decision between EVO and Epic. I don't care for slide out keyboards but I am leaning towards Epic.
It just seems like this generation of phones is already obsolete (with the rumored 2ghz motorola and possibly dual core ultimate tmobile phone) and they are just starting to come out.
What I really need is a keyboard that doesn't lag lol
/rant/ said:
I'd rather have both. Nowadays, realistic battery life is somewhere in between 16-24 hours with normal to heavy use. I can do that now. 16 and more hours is very good, as long as you don't live in the jungle with no sockets.
And while it will be difficult to achieve such battery life with more cores, I think that a well designed SoC can do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
16-24hrs with normal to heavy use...what phone are you using? I am on a htc hero and if lucky can get maybe 14hrs on with 3 to 4hrs of use :-( and that is with light txting and twitter reading.
dsMA said:
16-24hrs with normal to heavy use...what phone are you using? I am on a htc hero and if lucky can get maybe 14hrs on with 3 to 4hrs of use :-( and that is with light txting and twitter reading.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With heavy browsing/texting all day at my 9-5, and plenty of use at night, I unplug from the charger at 6AM and by the time I get home around 6 I'm usually at ~ 50% battery with the aforementioned heavy usage. I'm running the Darchdroid rom. before I rooted etc I was getting like 6 hours with heavy use, it's insane what the roms can do. Try it if you haven't yet!
I'll be happy with my Hero for awhile as far as a phone goes, but I'm really interested to see what the tablets coming out this fall have to offer, speed-wise.
Col.Kernel said:
As for battery life, we do not need gimped hardware. What we need is for phone manufacturers to get over the fixation on smaller, lighter phones. The Vibrant is so thin I can hardly pick it up without touching the screen SOMEWHERE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was thinking that the Galaxy S series is an ideal candidate for some kind of extended battery. It's already so thin and light, it wouldn't hurt to add more weight and a bit of depth, and since the back cover is one plastic piece, that could be replaced with one accommodating a larger battery without producing odd bulges.
manonbr said:
With heavy browsing/texting all day at my 9-5, and plenty of use at night, I unplug from the charger at 6AM and by the time I get home around 6 I'm usually at ~ 50% battery with the aforementioned heavy usage. I'm running the Darchdroid rom. before I rooted etc I was getting like 6 hours with heavy use, it's insane what the roms can do. Try it if you haven't yet!
I'll be happy with my Hero for awhile as far as a phone goes, but I'm really interested to see what the tablets coming out this fall have to offer, speed-wise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am using Alyosius 2.1.2. It combines both sense and asop. I like sense and I need the asop contacts app to limit which contact groups are displayed in both contacts and people. I also have a really hard time with any oc kernel :-( I think I tired the new uv/oc kernel and never was able to get past the boot screen :-(
I have been thinking about doing doing another backup and trying it again to see what happens.
Mithent said:
I was thinking that the Galaxy S series is an ideal candidate for some kind of extended battery. It's already so thin and light, it wouldn't hurt to add more weight and a bit of depth, and since the back cover is one plastic piece, that could be replaced with one accommodating a larger battery without producing odd bulges.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hopefully there will be larger replacement batteries and accompanying faceplates for the galaxy s. Someone wrote that it is easy to find after market battery and faceplates for htc phones but I haven't really found any in particular for my hero.
I see them going with more cores. Android is made for multicores. The higher the clock speed goes up, the more energy used and wasted as heat. Thats why desktop CPU's have moved on to adding cores rather than increasing clock speeds. Battery technology also has MUCH room for improvement. As do core efficiency's. However our need for more speed and processing power is only going to continue to increase. I think Android 3.0 is going to really put the underutilized GPU to work to offload much of that GUI from the cpu(s). And GPU's are all about multithreading (basically) too.
What makes you think 3.0 is going to utilize the gpu for general purpose processing?
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
The main advantage of an embedded multi core solution is for lower power not higher speed. The multi cores split tasks and all run slower to achieve things within the same timeframe.
Don't think about PC's as a comparison the silicon manufacturers aren't thinking this way.
Well it's time to let's talk about the next Google Experience Device successor of the great Samsung Google Nexus S and it seems Google reconfirm Samsung for this year.
Probably the name is Google Nexus Prime (rumor)
http://www.bgr.com/2011/06/27/googl...tured-by-samsung-possibly-dubbed-nexus-prime/
Those are the possible SPECS
OS : Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
Display : Super Amoled HD 1280x720 720P
CPU Dual-Core : TI OMAP 4460 1.5 Ghz
What do you think?
Are you waiting to buy the best device at moment (Galaxy S II)?
Waiting for the iPhone5 (WTF LOL)?
Upgrade the "old" NEXUS S for this BEAST?
You don't ****ing cares?
Let's the war/dream begin
You might want to check out this thread.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1143668
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
i made up my mind to upgrade to the new nexus every 2yrs when i bought the nexus s.
so i will skip this and probably get the next nexus
kanariya said:
i made up my mind to upgrade to the new nexus every 2yrs when i bought the nexus s.
so i will skip this and probably get the next nexus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I said when I got my Nexus One about 6 months after it's release (gave it time for the price to drop a bit). But a year later, here I am buying a Nexus S (once again, 6 months after it's release).
Originally, I wasn't impressed with the NS at launch as compared to the N1 at launch, because it really didn't seem like the difference was big enough. N1 was a monster, with very few devices living up to its specs at the time. With the NS, however, processor speed was the same (although the difference between Snapdragon and Hummingbird is a little bigger than it appears on paper). NFC wasn't too important to me. The screen was only a third of an inch bigger - same resolution. And not being made by HTC left a tiny bit of heartbreak, but I can understand that Google is trying to give everyone a chance (or so it seems).
When it comes right down to it, and as much as the development community is still going strong, I started getting bored of the N1 and ultimately decided to upgrade. And now, less than a month after getting the NS, I am very happy with that decision. Sure, I had a couple issues along the way (NS radios are horrible) but I've overcome this little weakness. And yes, I do miss my little N1 though, but it's been put in a good home for another tech-lover to enjoy while I move on up.
So while it may sound a bit redundant to say I may skip the next Nexus device, I've already proven that the original intention doesn't always live up to what happens in reality. While I may say right now that I'm willing to skip a version, only time will tell.
In my opinion, the Nexus devices are the benchmark of Android and that's what the Nexus brand is all about. Upgrade or not, be happy knowing you're a part of the Nexus family. They're all great phones, and always will be.
TLDR version: Loved my N1. Love my NS. Will love the next Nexus too. Google knows what they're doing, and I'm sure we'll be happy with whatever makes it to market
ale0crysis said:
Well it's time to let's talk about the next Google Experience Device successor of the great Samsung Google Nexus S and it seems Google reconfirm Samsung for this year.
Probably the name is Google Nexus Prime (rumor)
http://www.bgr.com/2011/06/27/googl...tured-by-samsung-possibly-dubbed-nexus-prime/
Those are the possible SPECS
OS : Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
Display : Super Amoled HD 1280x720 720P
CPU Dual-Core : TI OMAP 4460 1.5 Ghz
What do you think?
Are you waiting to buy the best device at moment (Galaxy S II)?
Waiting for the iPhone5 (WTF LOL)?
Upgrade the "old" NEXUS S for this BEAST?
You don't ****ing cares?
Let's the war/dream begin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cOLD in here...
Bloodflame said:
That's what I said when I got my Nexus One about 6 months after it's release (gave it time for the price to drop a bit). But a year later, here I am buying a Nexus S (once again, 6 months after it's release).
Originally, I wasn't impressed with the NS at launch as compared to the N1 at launch, because it really didn't seem like the difference was big enough. N1 was a monster, with very few devices living up to its specs at the time. With the NS, however, processor speed was the same (although the difference between Snapdragon and Hummingbird is a little bigger than it appears on paper). NFC wasn't too important to me. The screen was only a third of an inch bigger - same resolution. And not being made by HTC left a tiny bit of heartbreak, but I can understand that Google is trying to give everyone a chance (or so it seems).
When it comes right down to it, and as much as the development community is still going strong, I started getting bored of the N1 and ultimately decided to upgrade. And now, less than a month after getting the NS, I am very happy with that decision. Sure, I had a couple issues along the way (NS radios are horrible) but I've overcome this little weakness. And yes, I do miss my little N1 though, but it's been put in a good home for another tech-lover to enjoy while I move on up.
So while it may sound a bit redundant to say I may skip the next Nexus device, I've already proven that the original intention doesn't always live up to what happens in reality. While I may say right now that I'm willing to skip a version, only time will tell.
In my opinion, the Nexus devices are the benchmark of Android and that's what the Nexus brand is all about. Upgrade or not, be happy knowing you're a part of the Nexus family. They're all great phones, and always will be.
TLDR version: Loved my N1. Love my NS. Will love the next Nexus too. Google knows what they're doing, and I'm sure we'll be happy with whatever makes it to market
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly the same story here. Just upgraded to the Nexus S from the N1, and only because I got bored with it and its touchscreen. Miss the trackball notifications, but nothing else.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk
im gonna buy nexus prime or watever its name bcoz it is PURE GOOGLE..hehe
If these specs are right the CPU will use the same GPU but clocked much higher. There was a similar OMAP 4 used in the LG 3d that had our GPU but clock higher and that one was a bit faster, this one is clocked even higher..
What's interesting is that its the same GPU. I'm guessing that they did this to make the hw acceleration a easy job for the NS and nexus prime. Only one set of.drivers would need to be baked in.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk
I'm a little bit confused... SuperAmoled HD make me think it will be another Samsung device but "Prime" is more LG style :/
provolinoo said:
I'm a little bit confused... SuperAmoled HD make me think it will be another Samsung device but "Prime" is more LG style :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 to that. It's all speculated rumors anyway.
hard to swallow that samsung would make the device and use anything but their newest dual core which has been beating the competition hands down
I hope they are all running vanilla Android. I'll probably stick with the Nexus line though since they get updates first.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App
Think ill have to miss out as I signed a 2 year contract last december for the NS. No doubt tho I'm excited about it.
Sent from my Nexus S running NSCollab, Cyanbread Theme and OC'd to 1.2ghz (Perfection)
I hope it's available on all the major carriers. Even better is release them at the same time in whatever country so that some of us won't miss out on all the fun and have to wait. I hope sprint starts going to lte and it has that on board too. Nfc, pfft! I could care less about that. I turn it off or disable it anyway.
How about the next one having infrared and rf remote control capabilities built in. Instead of having that obnoxious ass camera led, why not infrared led? Oh wait, that's only good for monochrome pictures, right? I'm trying to think of widely useful hardware features that most other phones don't have.
How about infrastructure wireless tether mode? I think the evo was one of the few that had that.
Give us back our damned micro sd slot and put it on the side of the phone, not under the battery or require to remove the battery cover.
Try to put the power and volume buttons in a spot that won't make an accidental button push on the opposite side of the phone happen because of the natural way people hold a phone and where their fingers rest. A top power button would be fine.
If it's Samsung making the next phone, QUIT MOVING THE GOD DAMNED BACK, MENU, SEARCH AND HOME KEY PLACEMENT AROUND!!! Almost every Samsung device has those buttons playing musical chairs. When you get used to the button placement of one device, the next one has them moved around. How many of you hit the wrong buttons when using different Samsung devices?
How about put multi colored leds as the bottom buttons illumination? You can set them to whatever color you want for different kinds of notifications. You don't need a separate notifications light, think of the track ball of the HTC nexus.
How about a video camera that can do 720p @ 30fps no sweat or hiccups?
How about a lanyard loop at the top center of the side of the phone. Not on a corner. Incognito filming mode...
Extended life battery that will get you all day of heavy usage on a single charge and let it be the battery that comes with the phone, not extra. You can't find decent cases when you have an extended life battery. I don't care if the phone is a little bit thicker, I want substantially more battery life.
oscarthegrouch said:
If it's Samsung making the next phone, QUIT MOVING THE GOD DAMNED BACK, MENU, SEARCH AND HOME KEY PLACEMENT AROUND!!! Almost every Samsung device has those buttons playing musical chairs. When you get used to the button placement of one device, the next one has them moved around. How many of you hit the wrong buttons when using different Samsung devices?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 yeah, like when you go to the shop and they've moved the bloody gherkins again? Above the freezers? No. The coffee aisle? No. Near the soup? I've walked all over the place. What a waste of time. Still, I wouldn't have spotted those frozen raspberries otherwise. Clever bastards.
oscarthegrouch said:
I hope it's available on all the major carriers. Even better is release them at the same time in whatever country so that some of us won't miss out on all the fun and have to wait. I hope sprint starts going to lte and it has that on board too. Nfc, pfft! I could care less about that. I turn it off or disable it anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would love to see a phone that would work on any carrier. Alas, our CDMA brethren (Sprint and Verizon) make that really difficult
oscarthegrouch said:
Give us back our damned micro sd slot and put it on the side of the phone, not under the battery or require to remove the battery cover.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I personally don't care about an SD card. I doubt Google does either. Their entire philosophy is built around moving everything to the cloud. This is a company that killed their G-Drive "Dropbox-like" service before it started because "files are so 1990's."
oscarthegrouch said:
Try to put the power and volume buttons in a spot that won't make an accidental button push on the opposite side of the phone happen because of the natural way people hold a phone and where their fingers rest. A top power button would be fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't mind them on the sides, but I think they should be on opposite sides. If I'm holding in my right hand, I would like volume up/down by my thumb, and power on/off either by my index finger or as you said, up top. With volume on the other side, you can use volume button as camera shutter button with phone in correct orientation
oscarthegrouch said:
If it's Samsung making the next phone, QUIT MOVING THE GOD DAMNED BACK, MENU, SEARCH AND HOME KEY PLACEMENT AROUND!!! Almost every Samsung device has those buttons playing musical chairs. When you get used to the button placement of one device, the next one has them moved around. How many of you hit the wrong buttons when using different Samsung devices?
How about put multi colored leds as the bottom buttons illumination? You can set them to whatever color you want for different kinds of notifications. You don't need a separate notifications light, think of the track ball of the HTC nexus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think either of these will be a problem since all indication is that the next release of Android will not require hardware buttons, and the next generation mobile devices will not have them.
oscarthegrouch said:
How about a video camera that can do 720p @ 30fps no sweat or hiccups?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I honestly think people expect too much here. Filming good HD video is tough even on dedicated equipment. The amount of processing power required to encode that on the fly (or alternatively, the amount of storage space required to store unencoded HD video) is prohibitive on a mobile device with today's technology. You'll either get lower resolution and better performance, or higher resolution with ****ty compression and lower framerates. Hopefully technology in this area improves in the near future.
oscarthegrouch said:
How about a lanyard loop at the top center of the side of the phone. Not on a corner. Incognito filming mode...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gross. No thanks.
oscarthegrouch said:
Extended life battery that will get you all day of heavy usage on a single charge and let it be the battery that comes with the phone, not extra. You can't find decent cases when you have an extended life battery. I don't care if the phone is a little bit thicker, I want substantially more battery life.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Nexus lasts all day no problem. Some people use GPS all day, use their mobile as their main media device, etc. and they don't make it all day. I dunno. These phones today are as powerful as laptops. You seen any laptop batteries that fit the mobile profile lately? Science just aint there yet. Hopefully with Li-Ion and other batteries being used in EVs these days (an exploding industry) major breakthroughs will occur in battery technology.
Thanks for your post. Just my 2 cents!
matt2053 said:
I personally don't care about an SD card. I doubt Google does either. Their entire philosophy is built around moving everything to the cloud. This is a company that killed their G-Drive "Dropbox-like" service before it started because "files are so 1990's."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The cloud can eat a **** as long as carriers have "unlimited" data, caps and throttling. 16GB built in is more than enough for normal stuff, but I want to be able to toss in large sd cards to indiscriminately hold music and movies without having to pick and choose.
If Samsung makes it, I hope they put more effort into it than this one. I get the impression that some things about the ns were done half assed.
oscarthegrouch said:
If Samsung makes it, I hope they put more effort into it than this one. I get the impression that some things about the ns were done half assed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No LED is the one thing that pi**ed me off. No keys must mean more screen space. 4.3" is perfect IMO. Gonna skip the prime and wait for Nexus 4. Gonna get ice cream on the NS anyway.
Sent from my Nexus S running NSCollab ROM and Matr1x 5.5 CFS Kernel (Don't mess with the Mathkid!)
A multi color led like the n1
Anyone have suggestions for a good arm band holder for the Droid Charge? I am a runner and cyclist who needs something that really stays in its place... thanks.
Dave
kraisydave said:
Anyone have suggestions for a good arm band holder for the Droid Charge? I am a runner and cyclist who needs something that really stays in its place... thanks.
Dave
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TuneBelt makes an armband that fits 4.3" devices perfectly. Go with that. I got mine on Amazon.
armband
gbmitchell said:
TuneBelt makes an armband that fits 4.3" devices perfectly. Go with that. I got mine on Amazon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was the model you chose for the Droid X and Incredible?
This one?
Thank you
I feel like the Charge is too heavy to have on your arm. I keep it in my bag while I'm at XC practice and in one of the back pockets on my cycling jersey when I go cycle. And obviously I keep it in my bag at swim practice. So it essentially stays in a bag for at least 3 hours a day, plus I have school... Yet it's still very close to dead when I come home for lunch. Am I veering off topic here?
Sent from my Droid Charge running GummyCharged 2.0
kvswim said:
I feel like the Charge is too heavy to have on your arm. I keep it in my bag while I'm at XC practice and in one of the back pockets on my cycling jersey when I go cycle. And obviously I keep it in my bag at swim practice. So it essentially stays in a bag for at least 3 hours a day, plus I have school... Yet it's still very close to dead when I come home for lunch. Am I veering off topic here?
Sent from my Droid Charge running GummyCharged 2.0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could say that. If you were to use an armband it would be like having a weight on that arm so that could be a positive.?.
Also, your battery should be lasting longer than that. Assuming you have gone through the settings and done some of the basics maybe you should download setcpu and make sure your lowend number is really low. This will help with battery without really penalizing performance. SetCPU is great even if you don't want to overclock.
gbmitchell said:
You could say that. If you were to use an armband it would be like having a weight on that arm so that could be a positive.?.
Also, your battery should be lasting longer than that. Assuming you have gone through the settings and done some of the basics maybe you should download setcpu and make sure your lowend number is really low. This will help with battery without really penalizing performance. SetCPU is great even if you don't want to overclock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm no noob. I've done pretty much everything possible and the battery life still sucks ass. Probably stems from the fact that my school is a ****ing bunker...and I hate listening in class so I answer questions on XDA or play some games.
I've tried underclocking...the performance difference between 1 ghz and 800mhz drives me nuts. Undervolting makes a slight difference but it eventually becomes unstable. Real men use Voltage Control
Also, its not the weight that would bother me, the annoying part is that it would swing side to side. If I want to run with music I'll use my ghetto iPod Nano 2G...
Sent from my Galaxy Tab running MIUI
kvswim said:
I feel like the Charge is too heavy to have on your arm. I keep it in my bag while I'm at XC practice......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What type of bag and do use one when you swim? Please don't say a fanny pack
I too use the back pocket when I ride as well
Sent from my SCH-I510 using xda premium
scuba_bald said:
What type of bag and do use one when you swim? Please don't say a fanny pack
I too use the back pocket when I ride as well
Sent from my SCH-I510 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For XC I just put it in a generic string bag and leave it in my car/in my coach's classroom. For swimming, i use a custom Speedo swim bag... Like a backpack, but made to hold wet suits and towels. I don't mean I wear it when I swim... That would be ridiculous.
Sent from my Droid Charge running GummyCharged 2.0
Coming from a G2, I wanted to give you guys some insight of my initial impressions of the Doubleshot in Khaki...
THINNESS: The absolute first thing I noticed when I picked up this phone is how thin it is. It is remarkable how HTC can cram a keyboard into a phone this thin. It's only about 1mm thinner than my old G2, but wow what a difference it makes.
SCREEN: Definitely better than the G2, even though it's the same resolution and size. Somehow, it's a bit brighter and a bit sharper. Not anything extraordinary better, but the S-LCD makes a difference. It seems that under battery usage the screen takes up a good percentage. The S-LCD must take a lot more power than the G2 with its super TFT screen. I usually see the percentage for the screen around 50%.
BUILD QUALITY: This is where the phone starts to decline. The build is very solid and tight, but it feels very slick in the hand. Back cover is completely smooth. Every time I slip it in my pocket and take it out, I'm scared of dropping the phone. It's so thin that it's hard to grip. Difficult to slide the keyboard out as well, due to thinness. I wish there was some rubberized material around the phone, or soft touch finish on the G2. Even though it's a high end phone, the build still feels cheap. Apart from the few metal accents (such as around the rim of the phone), it's all plastic. Which makes me wonder why it's so heavy...
I have noticed that DUST does seem to get caught in the gap between the screen and the main keys. It could end up under your screen if you're not careful. It's understandable given the keys are actual buttons and not a part of the digitizer. Usually whenever I see dust starting to get caught, I take a piece of paper and just run the edge through the gap. It gets all the dust out.
SPEED: You can tell this phone is fast. Even on the stock rom, I knew this phone would be very fast. RAM seems limited though, with about 140mb for you to use once everything is loaded (stock rom). Curiously, benchmarks show much lower ratings than my old G2 OCed to 1.5 GHz. The phone is faster for sure though. Games to used to lag, no longer do. Even when running multiple apps, the phone does not slow down at all. Running a senseless rom, I have peak RAM anywhere from 275 up to 300MB free, with almost all background tasks killed, apart from a few essentials.
KEYBOARD: Oh boy, did HTC drop the ball on this one... Throughout all the android qwertys I have owned, this sadly has to be the worst. It will definitely take some time to get used to. Motorola Cliq>MyTouch 3G Slide>G2>MyTouch 4G Slide, in terms of keyboard rank for the phones I have used so far. The keys are fairly flat and have very little response and feedback. Very slick and hard to feel for. I appreciate the fact that the phone is so thin, but I'd rather have a slightly thicker phone phone to accommodate one of my main input mechanisms. With time, you can get used to anything though.
After spending a few days with the keyboard, I am glad to say it's much better. The first day or two felt terrible with this keyboard. Almost no feedback at all. But the more you use it, the more you pick up on the slight feedback YOU DO get from it. It's like trying to find the pulse on an old diabetic patient. The more you look for it, the more you will find it.
This may be personal grooming, but I've noticed that it's easier to type on the keyboard after having cut my nails than when they have grown out. It makes your finger a bit smaller and a little easier to feel for feedback, just saying...
SPEAKERPHONE: This speaker is much louder and deeper sounding than the one in the G2. Although it does get covered easily and the sound gets muffled out almost complete. This is a bad placement. For example, if you reach into you pocket to get your phone, your hand automatically covers the sound vent and then no one can hear your cool ringtone
Speakerphone still has the same flaws as I mentioned before. When playing a game in landscape mode, you do tend to cover the speaker when you're not paying attention. And then you wonder where the sound suddenly went and why it disappeared.
CAMERA: I haven't found a single scenario where this camera has not amazed me yet. It is truly stunning that a camera could be this good in a phone. Every time I have taken a picture with another phone, I always try to justify how bad it is, with the fact that it's only a camera phone and not a dedicated camera. But with the Doubleshot, I have to wonder at why I even need my camera for about 90% of my shots anymore. There has not been a single scenario where the camera has performed subpar so far. Flash is very good on this camera. Does not interfere with the photo quality at all. Usually the LED is placed so close to the camera lens, that it interferes with the image quality and actually makes the picture look worse. That was the case with every other camera phone that I have had. But not with this one.
HEADPHONE JACK: I have noticed that the headphone jack isn't ideally placed. It off to an angle if you look closely, and that could prove to be a wear issue on your buds, especially if the connector is a straight plug. It's much better to text with though, because it allows your fingers to get situated well around the phone when texting and have headphones plugged in at the same time.
BATTERY: There's no other way of putting it, the battery life is going to be bad. I'm not the kind of person that believes in toning a phone down to get better battery life, but with this phone you may have to. Realistically, with light-moderate use a user will get about 8 hours of run time before the battery is dead. The vast majority of users have said that the aftermarket Anker battery proves to be MUCH better vs stock.
My setup: 100% brightness, wifi always on, no mobile data, gmail push, pulse reader updates every hour, fancy widget GPS weather every 15 mins, and display on for collective time of 1 hour. I get about 10-12 hours on a charge (mainly because I don't use mobile data).
Will update this review the more I get acquainted with my new baby
I recently switched from a G2 as well and thought the same thing about the keyboard. After about a week you get used to it.
Sent from my HTC myTouch_4G_Slide using XDA App
gtmaster303 said:
...
SPEED: You can tell this phone is fast. Even on the stock rom, I knew this phone would be very fast. RAM seems limited though, with about 140mb for you to use once everything is loaded (stock rom).
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know this is a review of first impressions, and I appreciate that window into what someone thinks coming from a different device. This is the first android cellular device i've owned (second device total - nook color being the other) and I have no basis of comparison. This device IS my entry to the smartphone scene, so posts like this give me great insight.
( I quoted the RAM part because this is a function of the BLOAT in the stock ROM, if you cut out all the BS you can easily climb above 200 megs waiting and ready on boot. Don't forget a certain amount is not user accessible, due to being allocated for system use ( CPU/GPU etc...) But this is a first impressions thread, so not trying to take away from that, just trying to bring awareness )
gtmaster303 said:
Coming from a G2, I wanted to give you guys some insight of my initial impressions...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
good review, and I agree with all of it.
as others have said, you get used to the keyboard, and in the end it seems no worse (at least to me).
I recommend getting a case for this bad boy, helps with the slickness, and protects against damage. There is a thread in accessories forum that details various options. Well worth the 10-20 spent in my opinion.
Honestly, I warrantied three phones until I got one in which the keyboard gave me some kind of response. My keys actually click now.
Am I the only one who forgot about the keyboard as soon as I saw how fast it was?
Plus you didn't say anything about the camera. It is such a great improvement from what we had on the G2. I actually haven't come across a phone with a camera that can perfom as well as this in low light with no flash!
Also the front facing camera is something I always felt the G2 was missing right from the day I bought it. It makes skype so much more usable and makes sense in actually flashing a rom with the video gtalk app.
Plus let me be the first to mention this in the DS forum. I HATED WHERE THEY PUT THE SD CARD IN THE G2! FUUUUUU! It was so annoying to have to shut down your phone just to take out the card. I used to load up movies and series for when am on the go/on the road a lot on a seperate card. What is the "eject external card" for if I had to freaking yank out the battery just to get to it?!
Another thing to note is that as much as people may hate on the DoubleShot's earpiece I overlook that because now I have a fully visible notification LED,and not hidden behind a mesh which sometimes made it not clearly visible when outdoors...
The soft coating on the G2 too was a disadvantage as it was so much easier to pick up scratches and scuffs than the DS. Infact thanks to my worry that DS would suffer the same fate, I ordered the rubberised hard cover on the same day I ordered the DS.
The hinge on the G2 was a cool feature but when it finally got loose, I hated it more than I ever fancied it in the first place. I'm glad that the DS comes with a really tight slider which no amount of shock/fall could force it open.
The G2 got the 3 shortcut keys on the Keyboard, the DS got the home, menu and back buttons. Which imo makes me spend more time on the keyboard with the DS than the G2 coz am able to navigate faster and easier with the keyboard on it. I know you may not agree with me but that too makes the DS's keyboard feel more complete than that of the G2.
Another thing I felt was a bit of a failure on the G2 was the back of the top hinge which was stuck with adhesive which you had to peel off to expose the screws. For a device that is praised for its 'solid and partly metalic buid' I really didn't like the idea of using parts that were stuck to the external body with adhesive. I haven't pulled apart the DS yet, but at least the finish on the back part of the slider seems to be much better.
I don't hate the G2, it was an excellent phone, but there things about it that make me feel am much better off with the DS.
sent via a Phone Booth
gtmaster303 said:
BUILD QUALITY: This is where the phone starts to decline. The build is very solid and tight, but it feels very slick in the hand. Back cover is completely smooth. Every time I slip it in my pocket and take it out, I'm scared of dropping the phone. It's so thin that it's hard to grip. Difficult to slide the keyboard out as well. I wish there was some rubberized material around the phone, or soft touch finish on the G2. Even though it's a high end phone, the build still feels cheap. Apart from the few metal accents (such as around the rim of the phone), it's all plastic. Which makes me wonder why it's so heavy...
KEYBOARD: Oh boy, did HTC drop the ball on this one... Throughout all the android qwertys I have owned, this sadly has to be the worst. It will definitely take some time to get used to. Motorola Cliq>MyTouch 3G Slide>G2>MyTouch 4G Slide, in terms of keyboard rank for the phones I have used so far. The keys are fairly flat and have very little response and feedback. Very slick and hard to feel for. I appreciate the fact that the phone is so thin, but I'd rather have a slightly thicker phone phone to accommodate one of my main input mechanisms. With time, you can get used to anything though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Disagree with the build quality, to be honest. I don't really mind the weight of the phone, it feels nice in the hand. Strong plastics are better to make a phone anyways because it isn't as easily deformed.
I definitely agree with the keyboard though. Coming from a Model M, I was expecting a little more from the keyboard. I almost *always* accidentally hit "B" when trying to hit the backspace. I wish the keyboard had *slightly* more raised keys as well as requiring a bit more force to get a key to register.
Limewirelord said:
Disagree with the build quality, to be honest. I don't really mind the weight of the phone, it feels nice in the hand. Strong plastics are better to make a phone anyways because it isn't as easily deformed.
I definitely agree with the keyboard though. Coming from a Model M, I was expecting a little more from the keyboard. I almost *always* accidentally hit "B" when trying to hit the backspace. I wish the keyboard had *slightly* more raised keys as well as requiring a bit more force to get a key to register.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't mind the weight, it's just there's not enough metal to justify it. If it has that much plastic in it, it should definitely be lighter.
Overall, the phone is very well built. Solid but not as premium feeling as you would expect.
Coming from the G2 as well, I'd have to say the Keyboard is a lot worse as well. I actually wish they had the MT4GS's design similar to the G2's. I loved the way the G2 lifted up to slide.
gtmaster303 said:
BUILD QUALITY: This is where the phone starts to decline. The build is very solid and tight, but it feels very slick in the hand. Back cover is completely smooth. Every time I slip it in my pocket and take it out, I'm scared of dropping the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm gonna guess that you have the kahki one, then? I've had both and I can tell you, the khaki one is WAY slicker than the black. With the khaki one, I almost dropped it every time I pulled it out of my pocket. It was just so freakin' slippery everywhere. The black one is a more grippy, soft-touch kind of material and it's far easier to hold onto.
So if you really can't take it and don't want a case, check on eBay for OEM black battery covers. The one I'm using now is the khaki phone with a black battery door. Still shiny and reflective bezels but a nice grippy battery door. Best of both worlds.
ryaninc said:
I'm gonna guess that you have the kahki one, then? I've had both and I can tell you, the khaki one is WAY slicker than the black. With the khaki one, I almost dropped it every time I pulled it out of my pocket. It was just so freakin' slippery everywhere. The black one is a more grippy, soft-touch kind of material and it's far easier to hold onto.
So if you really can't take it and don't want a case, check on eBay for OEM black battery covers. The one I'm using now is the khaki phone with a black battery door. Still shiny and reflective bezels but a nice grippy battery door. Best of both worlds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, that's a great observation. Yes, I am using the khaki cover. I will see if I can switch with my friend because she has a case over her black one anyway
Thanks for the tip! You solved the issue exactly how I would've liked.
gtmaster303 said:
Wow, that's a great observation. Yes, I am using the khaki cover. I will see if I can switch with my friend because she has a case over her black one anyway
Thanks for the tip! You solved the issue exactly how I would've liked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using the PowerMat Battery case. Gives it a nice weight, and grip. Only 10-20USD on T-Mobile.Com.
Sent from my HTC myTouch_4G_Slide using Tapatalk
gtmaster303 said:
Wow, that's a great observation. Yes, I am using the khaki cover. I will see if I can switch with my friend because she has a case over her black one anyway
Thanks for the tip! You solved the issue exactly how I would've liked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem, glad to help. I never would have figured it out unless I'd owned both the khaki and black ones personally. It was pretty startling how much more slippery the khaki one was.
As I keep saying, this phone is a real beast. HTC needs to start listening to its consumer base again and give us vanilla Android and stop screwing us.
Delivered via candygram for Mr. Mongo.
I have added/updated the review to include the headphone jack and battery
gtmaster303 said:
BATTERY: There's no other way of putting it, the battery life is going to be bad. I'm not the kind of person that believes in toning a phone down to get better battery life, but with this phone you may have to. Realistically, with light-moderate use a user will get about 8 hours of run time before the battery is dead. The vast majority of users have said that the aftermarket Anker battery proves to be MUCH better vs stock.
My setup: 100% brightness, wifi always on, no mobile data, gmail push, pulse reader updates every hour, fancy widget GPS weather every 15 mins, and display on for collective time of 1 hour. I get about 10-12 hours on a charge (mainly because I don't use mobile data).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, anker is the right solution for someone that wants something better then the absolute fail the HTC battery represents.
If you want a perfect solution, Mugen is a better answer, but I personally run anker in one phone, both my stock batteries in the other, and the difference is drastically noticeable.
@ 1.7GHz with tv-out and using FPSE to emulate a playstation, I get just under 3 hours of steady gameplay before it starts to reduce performance at around 18% coming from anywhere between 95-100%.
I wouldn't be so mad at HTC about the battery issue if it just died fast, but the battery causes a significant amount of heat under heavier use, and that damages the device itself. That is unforgivable, even taking into consideration that HTC is not a battery company.
For someone using the device as a phone and minimal other use, the stock battery is likely -just- sufficient.
For anyone cracking open even a sliver of the machines potential it instantly becomes a liability, before any of the standard gripes about battery life on a phone.
(remember - dual core processor - it will eat more juice then a single core phone on avergage, but use less to get big jobs done)
Blue6IX said:
I know this is a review of first impressions, and I appreciate that window into what someone thinks coming from a different device. This is the first android cellular device i've owned (second device total - nook color being the other) and I have no basis of comparison. This device IS my entry to the smartphone scene, so posts like this give me great insight.
( I quoted the RAM part because this is a function of the BLOAT in the stock ROM, if you cut out all the BS you can easily climb above 200 megs waiting and ready on boot. Don't forget a certain amount is not user accessible, due to being allocated for system use ( CPU/GPU etc...) But this is a first impressions thread, so not trying to take away from that, just trying to bring awareness )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think people shouldn't harp on "free ram". In this environment its a good thing for memory to be used. Android was designed to be used on mobile devices. The way that it handles memory is much more efficient to say a PC running Windows. With a decent task manager or view you would see that while they are taking up memory (which is otherwise unused) they are not using any cpu cycles. This allows for a much more fast feeling and fluid experience.
Let's say I use Opera the browser, later I decide I want to watch youtube videos. When ever I decide to go back to Opera its being pulled from ram rather than internal or external storage.
When you really need the ram for an application, game, etc Android will automatically unload which ever inactive process it deems necessary.
I do agree that the stock rom comes with excessive bloatware and other unnecessary features. I use JKILO's deoxed rooted stock rom in which I absolutely remove all the bloat and extra features I don't need or use. Runs amazing now, no need for OC in my opinion.
The only thing that bothered me when I first got this phone were the random reboots stock sometimes had. Other than that the phone was and still is awesome especially coming from the old mytouch 3G.
revo420 said:
I think people shouldn't harp on "free ram". In this environment its a good thing for memory to be used. Android was designed to be used on mobile devices. The way that it handles memory is much more efficient to say a PC running Windows. With a decent task manager or view you would see that while they are taking up memory (which is otherwise unused) they are not using any cpu cycles. This allows for a much more fast feeling and fluid experience.
Let's say I use Opera the browser, later I decide I want to watch youtube videos. When ever I decide to go back to Opera its being pulled from ram rather than internal or external storage.
When you really need the ram for an application, game, etc Android will automatically unload which ever inactive process it deems necessary.
I do agree that the stock rom comes with excessive bloatware and other unnecessary features. I use JKILO's deoxed rooted stock rom in which I absolutely remove all the bloat and extra features I don't need or use. Runs amazing now, no need for OC in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, which is why task killers are so bad.
The reason I mentioned the RAM was because what is using it is as important as having it - when I said over 200 megs sitting waiting and ready was to show what was available for user consumption on the apps of THEIR choosing and not HTC or T-Mo.
Given that this is a first-impressions thread, I thought it might be good to see just how much the carrier-level Bloat had an effect on that experience.
Definitely good counsel to let Android handle the RAM, and keep that management out of the userspace level.
I've either cognitively dissonated myself into loving this phone, or it is really quite good. The official camera fix did some good and leaves open the good possibility that further refining will yield a great result, or I'll stick with the progress being made on the GCam port and use the native app for great monochrome shots (I love the B&W sensor and it is EXCELLENT). That said, no cases... I guess no problem - I ordered some SquareTrade insurance coverage today - if it drops or dies, they'll replace it for a hundred beans - I can handle that kind of coverage...
I'm not seeing the same quality defects others are reporting with their handsets (light bleed, TMOB signal issues, etc.) so either I got a keeper or others are being overly sensitive (nothing personal guys).
I asked for and will likely receive a return package, but I think I'll be sending it back empty. Sorry for the trouble Essential, but you are in my daily carry category now - my S8+ will stay ready for outdoor action as needed (water resistance, etc).
The aesthetics are what has done it for me... Maybe you feel the same? The feeling I get holding and using the Essential do indeed remind me of the first day with the OG iPhone - only ten years better. Hell - I still have some great pics I took with that lousy 2MP, fixed focus, no flash shooter from 2007 on my drive.
Anyway, just one man's changed opinion. If it grew on you too, please post your thoughts. I'm interested to know how many others have now caved.
rootdude said:
I've either cognitively dissonated myself into loving this phone, or it is really quite good. The official camera fix did some good and leaves open the good possibility that further refining will yield a great result, or I'll stick with the progress being made on the GCam port and use the native app for great monochrome shots (I love the B&W sensor and it is EXCELLENT). That said, no cases... I guess no problem - I ordered some SquareTrade insurance coverage today - if it drops or dies, they'll replace it for a hundred beans - I can handle that kind of coverage...
I'm not seeing the same quality defects others are reporting with their handsets (light bleed, TMOB signal issues, etc.) so either I got a keeper or others are being overly sensitive (nothing personal guys).
I asked for and will likely receive a return package, but I think I'll be sending it back empty. Sorry for the trouble Essential, but you are in my daily carry category now - my S8+ will stay ready for outdoor action as needed (water resistance, etc).
The aesthetics are what has done it for me... Maybe you feel the same? The feeling I get holding and using the Essential do indeed remind me of the first day with the OG iPhone - only ten years better. Hell - I still have some great pics I took with that lousy 2MP, fixed focus, no flash shooter from 2007 on my drive.
Anyway, just one man's changed opinion. If it grew on you too, please post your thoughts. I'm interested to know how many others have now caved.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really want to like it, I'm trying real hard.
The performance sucks and is not faster than a Moto Z with a Snapdragon 821.
This phone does some really aggressive thermal throttling.
This bothers me.
I really want to like it.
I kind of came to the same conclusion the other day. Software can always be improved with updates, and there's not another phone out there built with better materials. It looks, feels, and is, an upscale phone.
tech_head said:
I really want to like it, I'm trying real hard.
The performance sucks and is not faster than a Moto Z with a Snapdragon 821.
This phone does some really aggressive thermal throttling.
This bothers me.
I really want to like it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm interested to hear what you know about thermal throttling. I'm a power user and I play Royale like an idiot and I haven't even felt it get warm, nor do I see the incredible battery drain I see with other devices I've played on in the past (the Pixel XL was the worst for that power drain). Do you have CPUZ installed on it and can get some screenies of the throttling b/c of overheat conditions?
rootdude said:
I'm interested to hear what you know about thermal throttling. I'm a power user and I play Royale like an idiot and I haven't even felt it get warm, nor do I see the incredible battery drain I see with other devices I've played on in the past (the Pixel XL was the worst for that power drain). Do you have CPUZ installed on it and can get some screenies of the throttling b/c of overheat conditions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't see/feel the phone get hot. That's the point, before it even gets hot the CPU gets throttled.
If I artificially cool the device or I'm in a cold environment; I can run Antutu and get close to the Qualcomm numbers for their reference platform in the 178k range. I can do that only in a cold environment. If the device is in a warm room the performance drops to 160k or so. If the room is hot or if I try to run again the performance can drop to 150k. I have seen the results drop to below 120k.
Geek bench scores are somewhat better but not great.
1900 single core and 6000 multicore.
The renderscript score is about 8000. Which puts in 33% behind an iPhone 7.
The software grew on me as more mods and ADB tweaks come out...but every time I decide to keep it and slap a skin of the back I find new scratches. Now I even have a scratch on the finish on the titanium. No clue where any of these came from. I haven't had a scratch on a phone in years... I upgrade every few months and always sell my phones mint on Swappa. I've had this a week and it's already scratched to ****. I love the look and feel and I'm happy with the software now but man..it's getting destroyed.
NeutronBomb said:
The software grew on me as more mods and ADB tweaks come out...but every time I decide to keep it and slap a skin of the back I find new scratches. Now I even have a scratch on the finish on the titanium. No clue where any of these came from. I haven't had a scratch on a phone in years... I upgrade every few months and always sell my phones mint on Swappa. I've had this a week and it's already scratched to ****. I love the look and feel and I'm happy with the software now but man..it's getting destroyed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting. Mine still looks like it just came out of the box, and it even took a 4 foot tumble to my bathroom floor the other day.
So I hope the new update improves performance.
Right now if the phone gets to an internal temp of 44C it will throttle to less than half the maximum frequency.
This puts the performance, when warm, behind and LG G4, Samsung Galaxy S6 and my old Nexus 6P.
Not happy.
I'm battling the decision now. I'm still in that 15 day return window, and like others am trying really hard to want to like this device.
Love the display. Don't mind that it's not AMOLED - I still get 5-6 hours SoT with moderate-heavy internet/call/text on wifi w/bt connected. No light bleed issues or lifting of panels for me, everything seems in order there.
There are some problems with the software that make me wonder if the problems I have are hardware or software. The micro-stuttering during scrolling (only while touching the screen during scrolling) could be a hardware problem, could be throttling, or could be OS optimization for this device in general. It's smooth as butter as long as I flick-scroll. Even if I slow finger-scroll vs slow flick-scroll the difference is noticeable, goes from stutter to butter. Finger-on-screen lag is like that of a bloated EVO3D trying to flip homescreens.
Then there are the definite software glitches that are present even after a full wipe of the phone (I really wish you could wipe the cache partition on this thing). This includes the occasional 10 second freeze while scrolling, the microstutters mentioned above, having to press back twice when in a conversation in the default messaging app, random screen presses when not touching the screen, regularly having to tap the screen repeatedly to get response from buttons.
And then there's the support - it takes a very long time to get response. I realize they are busy and trying to be responsive, and I am really trying to support this new company... One of the biggest problems I have is for solely existing as a consumer communications device manufacturer, they have some terrible consumer communication processes happening (or complete lack thereof). All I really want to know is that they are aware of and are working on the specific issues. Maybe I have control issues, but the dark is not a friendly place to be with 700 bucks on the line!!
I'm going to leave myself undecided for a few days and see where things go. If I don't see some kind of a software update addressing many of the issues some of us are experiencing I may have to reconsider... Despite all of the short-comings the new company has had as a baby, it's a beautiful baby. Let's just hope it learns fast I'm really hoping the screen issues I'm having are software related, but without confirmation from the company I can't say that I have high confidence right now. I love the feel and design of the device itself, though! *torn*
I am really trying hard to like this device. In terms of overall feel it's immaculate. They did very well on the design of the the phone. My issues come with software and future development. Right now there's clear software bugs and other optimization that needs to be done. If they can work on some of those things the experience on this phone would improve tenfold. Also once they get the source code and kernel out then we can start seeing more Community Development. We could also get things such as custom recovery and root. I'm hoping that in the coming weeks this phone and the community support will improve. I think I'll keep my device for while to see if that happens if not I may be lookin at a Pixel 2.
theandroidbot said:
I am really trying hard to like this device. In terms of overall feel it's immaculate. They did very well on the design of the the phone. My issues come with software and future development. Right now there's clear software bugs and other optimization that needs to be done. If they can work on some of those things the experience on this phone would improve tenfold. Also once they get the source code and kernel out then we can start seeing more Community Development. We could also get things such as custom recovery and root. I'm hoping that in the coming weeks this phone and the community support will improve. I think I'll keep my device for while to see if that happens if not I may be lookin at a Pixel 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There isn't a massive amount of development on the pixel in relation to other Nexus devices likely due to the A/B partitions so I'm dubious on the pixel 2 at the moment
spotmark said:
Interesting. Mine still looks like it just came out of the box, and it even took a 4 foot tumble to my bathroom floor the other day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can the QC really be that hit and miss? I have zero scratches as well on front or back.
rootdude said:
Can the QC really be that hit and miss? I have zero scratches as well on front or back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. The one thing I absolutely love is the build quality. It looks exactly as the day it arrived.
Mine looks like the first day. I'm very impressed with the build quality.
Sent from my PH-1 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
No issues with mine fr a build standpoint. Fell a few times and no scratches. I'm using a glass screen protector even though there is a halo. Rather that scratches than the screen. The update that came out today is probably the software the phone should have shipped with initially... but we were all in a rush to get it. I'm keeping this device for sure! I also like confusing the heck out of ppl... I'm running the Arrow Launcher, blackberry keyboard and I use the iPhone sms sound for text notifications..
Sent from my PH-1 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
My only complaint really is I think they went too small. Most smarts phones are a little larger.
hoopsdavis said:
My only complaint really is I think they went too small. Most smarts phones are a little larger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it's refreshing. I mean I love big phones, haven't used a small sized phone in years, but after using this phone for several days, I love how reasonably compact it is with this screen size. I should rephrase, I love big screen size, not necessarily big form factor. So to have this screen size packed in a smaller form, I think it's awesome.
hoopsdavis said:
My only complaint really is I think they went too small. Most smarts phones are a little larger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The "small" form factor with big screen is the the biggest reason this phone came into my radar
flakko86 said:
The "small" form factor with big screen is the the biggest reason this phone came into my radar
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same with me and many others. The big screen in compact size is among the major pros for buying this mobile. Besides that, I was also attracted to the clean design/material used and the pin port for 360 camera and other gadgets.
But I'm still waiting (impatiently) for how the Huawei Mate 10 pro turns out to be before I buy the essential phone. Hoping the Mate 10 pro is as compact and well built as well, combined with supposedly beast new Kirin 970 and improved dual camera, and maybe some new features like AI, Graphene battery, 3D Face recognition (all already introduced on Huawei's Honor magic). It would be the only contender to essential phone on my list. If Mate 10 pro disappoints then by that time Essential phone would be ready to ship out with 360 camera and charging dock in one go.
I have really grown to like this device. I have been using as my DD since the update, no significant issues and certainly no scratches or signs of wear. The size of the device is a key factor for me, I love the form factor.