Done a ton of research to pick the next phone. Still cannot decide. Help! - General Questions and Answers

First of all welcome everyone, glad to be a part of this forum. I've been lurking XDA developers since long, long time ago back in the PDA era (HTC SPV M5000 anyone?).
I've owned my Galaxy Note 2 for over 2.5 years now and I'm tired of constantly running out of internal storage and the now-supar camera. I'm looking to buy a new smartphone that will check off many boxes, but if I could describe what I need in 2 sentences, it would go something like: a large-screened productivity workhorse with loads of storage and battery, and a good camera. And if it's future-proof, that's even better! I want a device that will last me for at least 2+ years.
Here's what I'm looking for:
- Screen size between 5,5" and 6"
- Internal storage min. 32 GB, needs to have a microSD card slot (unless it has 128G internal storage)
- Decent camera with OIS (camera should handle low-light shooting well)
- Decent UI (unlike the majority of community here, I don't really want to be flashing my phone with new ROMs or any of that, I just want something that works well right out of the box and is user-customizeable through custom home launchers etc)
- Great battery life (this is big for me, I'm often on the road, I listen to tons of podcasts, use mobile data, bluetooth, sometimes wifi tethering etc. I need a phone that can get me through a looong day)
- Fingerprint scanner
- Won't put a huge hole in my wallet (I wouldn't mind paying more for the perfect and FUTURE-PROOF phone but seems like there isn't one that checks off all the boxes. At the same time I'm trying to keep it below $500)
- A physical home button is a plus (and capacitive buttons! Just like in Samsung Galaxy series)
- Screen res. above 1080p is a plus (better for VR and I will probably try some VR in near future)
- Replaceable battery is a plus (plus extended phone cases, yay!)
- OTG support is a plus
- USB-C is a plus
- Dual SIM is definitely a plus
- No curved screens like on the Samsung Edge series
I looked at:
- Huawei Mate 8 - checks off most boxes, nice big battery but crappy, buggy, and not very customizable UI.
- Huawei Mate P9 Plus - very interesting camera-wise, the rest just like above
- LG G5 - also very interesting camera-wise, a bit smaller screen, and a battery that's way too small. Although replacable, I cannot imagine remembering to bring a spare battery with me everywhere.
- Nexus 6P - great reviews and everything, great software BUT I'm mostly based in China where ALL Google services are blocked, so it would probably be a big pain to have to rely on VPN the whole time. Also camera has no OIS, although I did read it's great. Another con: a bit expensive and not easily available in the 128G version
- Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro - the top contender for me so far. The 5000mAh battery is nuts and just what I need. Dual SIM and dedicated microSD slot. Affordable. But the big bummer: sub-par camera. Also a bit low on the DPI if I ever want to use VR. And no notification light (how am I supposed to know if I got notifications?)
- Samsung Galaxy Note 4 - a bit slower than the A9 Pro, smaller battery, but better camera. And the stylus - I could definitely use the stylus for more productivity. Just really not sure about investing in the aging technology. I want to get at least 2 years out of the new smartphone. Also I've read there's some issues with GPS that are hard to solve. Added benefit of possibility of extended battery case.
- Samsung Galaxy Note 5 - nice and seems like a significant upgrade from Note 4 but no card slot, and expensive at 128G. Still only microUSB v2.0 even at the high price point.
- LG V10 and LG G4 - very interesting propositions, reportedly good cameras, very mediocre batteries (and not too good power management it seems) at 3000mAh but both could be extended with a bigger battery. Pretty sure I would be fine with a little bulkier phone with a case that accommodates a 4000-6000mAh battery, but I would still need to keep it as slim as possible, I don't mind if it's not the slimmest phone but I certainly don't want a thick and heavy brick in my pocket. I've also read reviews of some of the extended battery cases and it seems like the battery quality can be a real lottery. The batteries lose their capacity quickly, and I think none of them can be charged using the Quick Charge 2.0
- ZTE Avon 7 - veeery interesting proposition, not the biggest battery but almost everything else knocks me out of my socks. 6GB RAM possible, 128G storage that can be expanded by another 128G (!), capacitive buttons in the higher version, an added benefit of insane speakers. The camera is reportedly not too impressive though, although I'm pretty sure it's better than the one in Galaxy A9 Pro. The main concerns: it's a very fresh phone, the UI is reportedly not very optimized, I can imagine there will be plenty of issues that ZTE will need to fix through software before this phone runs as smoothly as the Galaxy A9 Pro or LG G4 would. And I hate waiting in hopes. Also, being in China, I think it's a bit tricky to purchase the phone in International/European version that has a broader range of bands and doesn't block Google services. I've read through the entire 35 page thread on XDA about this phone and yes, it seems like you can get the Google services to work without problems but who knows what the next ZTE updates will do to that. The way I generally see it is Chinese UI = potential problems.
For the Galaxy A9 Pro or LG G4 I would just go to Hong Kong to buy them and enjoy a phone that doesn't have the Google services blocked. I couldn't find the ZTE Avon 7 anywhere in HK on the internet.
All in all if I had to go to the store tomorrow I'd probably need to choose between a Galaxy A9 Pro, the well-proven LG G4 with a great camera (but a need to buy a good extended battery case and ultimately ending up with a rather bulky phone), the Galaxy Note 4, and the ZTE Avon 7.
Any suggestions, thoughts, recommendations?

Related

[Q] Upgrading from old phone

[introduction: I'm Ikmalhidayat, just joined the xda forum., although always visits here for infos. but still, im just joined so, hello~]
I have a small smartphone from 2011, Samsung Galaxy Mini GT-S5770.
I am pleased with its practicality and its simplicity~ Although this phone is now very obsolete and is even lower end then entry phones today, this phone leads my everyday life. I even compared to newer phones like Samsung Galaxy Mega 2, Oppo Neo 5, Lenovo S650, Lenovo A7-30 A3300-HV, etc. But, my phone, by far, is the most easiest to use (by my opinion and those phone owners)
Still in Froyo ver. avoiding Gingerbread upgrade because of ram usage i saw on Galaxy Young (1st gen)'s ram usage.
But, after its 3 years of leading my life, it starts to show its aging. Issues,
1. Home button needs to press harder (as hard as i can actually)
2. Short battery life
3. Proximity sensor not working
4. Broken pieces (USB cover lost, microSD cover breaks, scratches over the screen, back cover)
5. Twice incidents happen (the phone wont charge and wont detect. had to pull out the battery and charge with external universal charger and leaving the phone overnight)
6. Internal memory's getting full, even most of apps uninstalled
I dont planned to by a new phone for now. But i need phone in case my phone dies. Although i have a budget to actually buy 2 Asus Zenfone 4 (4" ver), I want to make use my phone till the end of its life.
In case, i need a new phone suits for me as well. I like my Galaxy Mini more than newer phones because of its simplicity and easy yet smart (for me)
I've been looking phones like Asus Zenfone 4, Oppo Neo 5, Samsung Galaxy Trend Plus, Galaxy S Advance (old, dual core), Galaxy SII, etc. I dont like phones bigger than 5" because is too big for my pocket. Since im a gamer, i would like a powerful phone as well (with OTG, i would rather connect to a controller than bigger screen). But since im in money issues, i cant buy too expensive phone.
Any phone models that you can recommend me? Requirements,
Dual core ARM cpu or Intel
At least 512MB ram
Adreno 302 and above, faster than Mali-400MP2 (was disappointed with MaliMP2, except if it is quad core like Mali-400MP4)
At least 4GB internal storage (i have 2gb and 8gb microSD, always swapping)
at least multitouch screen
Not more than 5" display
at least 5MP with [email protected] recording
Im interested with Asus Zenfone 4 but i dont really like ZenUI. since im using TouchWiz v3.0, i like the simplicity and of course, Task Manager! (long press Home key and task manager appear). like the ColorOS from OPPO Neo 5 but like TouchWiz more. If possible, i want to have a phone very similar to my Galaxy Mini

[Q] Choosing a Tablet (DETAILS IN THREAD)

Hey all,
I'm trying to look for the ideal tablet to fit my needs and price range, so here we go:
- I'll most likely be installing a custom rom on it, so I care more about internal specs than stock rom
- screen is a big factor, since I'll be using the tablet mostly for movies, occasional/light gaming, and reading
- screen size between 8 to 10 inches
- don't really care about front facing speakers (i always use headphones)
- priced below $500
I've narrowed my choices down to the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and NVidia Shield Tablet, but here's what's keeping me from making a final decision:
- Tab S has a gorgeous screen, but I don't like physical home buttons
- Not sure if CM11 or any soon-to-be-stable roms for the Tab S allow for fingerprint scanning, in which case the above is null
- Shield tablet's screen isn't as good (IPS vs super AMOLED, hd vs quadhd)
- Shield's internal specs are top-notch, but I don't game very often nor heavily, so in terms of regular day-to-day use, performance for Shield vs Tab S on CM11 probably won't have many differences (not sure about this though, can someone comment on this?)
- Tab S is more expensive ($50-70 more expensive on amazon)
Also, I took a look at a few other alternatives, such as the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4/10.1, which are one step down from the Tab S but according to a few videos on Youtube seem to be running buttery smooth on CM11 and are priced MUCH lower (around $230 on amazon).
I'm sure many people would benefit from a thread like this because I tried searching for recent tablet-choosing threads and nothing came out of it. Responses and advice would be greatly appreciated!

Moto X style vs OnePlus two.

So initially I was really excited about the new 1+2, but since its launch I am a bit disappointed because of some crucial compromises that come with buying this phone. And under 24 hrs, moto launched its new Moto X style which just make me not like the 1+2 even more. But I am looking to buy one of these two phone so I logically comparing them to make a decision. With the current info we have moto X seem much better in many departments -
Design, Battery (Fast charge vs 1+2 charging in 3:20 hrs), wireless charging, more Premium feel according to many tech sites, 2k screen, the new Sony 21MP sensor.
But there are also some definite areas where 1+2 seems better but I wanna know 'How' much better, would like to know from someone who has used these processors or knows in detail about these RAMs and USB ports :-
808 vs 810, so the new moto X has the 808 while the 1+2 has 810, both are very mediocre processors from Qualcomm's standards, but it is what it is, so I wanna know exactly how much better 810 is than 808 in real life usage, will i be able to do all kinds of the most power consuming tasks for the next 2-3 years ?
3Gb Lpddr3 vs 4gb Lpddr4, here I am not sure if the new moto X has LPDDR4 or lpddr3 ram and if its 3 then how much difference will it have seeing as its also 3gb vs 4gb, in real life usage, how much difference is that ?
The USB - C port on the 1+2, I was really excited about this one before launch but after its launch I read 2-3 sites mentioning that it's 2.0 and not 3.1( don't know what that exactly that means), and hence it won't be much faster than a regular USB cable and u can't use it as a replacement for HDMI cable.
Edit - P.S. - Also, the moto X has NFC and much better speakers and better customer service.
Personal opinion for everything within; don't quote me as gospel. Have a google around yourself and make your own decisions based on that.
SD808 vs SD810; the SD808 is used in the LG G4 whilst the HTC One M9 uses the SD810 so you should be able to get a basic idea from this comparison. As far as I know about the LG G4, the SD808 performs really well and doesn't leave you wanting for nothing. I personally don't own a G4 so a G4 owner and M9 owner could answer this better. Have a look online and see what people are saying. Linus Tech Tips have video reviews for both phones so that may also be some help for you.
3gb vs 4gb ram; I don't think this is really going to affect mobile users. If we take a look at apple, the ipad air has 1gb ram and performs really well. Same with the iphone 6 and I don't know anyone who owns one that complains about it. Granted, iOS and android are two different beasts - but if 1gb is fine over there, 3gb should be more than sufficient for us.
USB Type-C; even though native support for USB Type-C is coming around in Android M, I don't think the adoption for it will be very quick. I know apple has it on their new macbook air (I believe) - but widespread adoption will be some time from now. Micro-USB is still going to be around for a while imo and won't be an issue for the Moto X.
Again, personal opinion. I'd go for the Moto X based on the fact that Motorola have a good name behind them, build good quality phones that last and have a decent customer service track record, whereas if you look on the oneplus forums (I'd say take it with a pinch of salt but you may need a barrel of salt) you'll find quite a lot of complaints regarding Oneplus' customer service. Granted, they are quite a young company and these issues may not be around for much longer as they work out the kinks in their processes but it's something to consider as every so often, there will be a faulty phone and it may just be your bad luck in getting the bad egg.
Skyerin said:
Personal opinion for everything within; don't quote me as gospel. Have a google around yourself and make your own decisions based on that.
SD808 vs SD810; the SD808 is used in the LG G4 whilst the HTC One M9 uses the SD810 so you should be able to get a basic idea from this comparison. As far as I know about the LG G4, the SD808 performs really well and doesn't leave you wanting for nothing. I personally don't own a G4 so a G4 owner and M9 owner could answer this better. Have a look online and see what people are saying. Linus Tech Tips have video reviews for both phones so that may also be some help for you.
3gb vs 4gb ram; I don't think this is really going to affect mobile users. If we take a look at apple, the ipad air has 1gb ram and performs really well. Same with the iphone 6 and I don't know anyone who owns one that complains about it. Granted, iOS and android are two different beasts - but if 1gb is fine over there, 3gb should be more than sufficient for us.
USB Type-C; even though native support for USB Type-C is coming around in Android M, I don't think the adoption for it will be very quick. I know apple has it on their new macbook air (I believe) - but widespread adoption will be some time from now. Micro-USB is still going to be around for a while imo and won't be an issue for the Moto X.
Again, personal opinion. I'd go for the Moto X based on the fact that Motorola have a good name behind them, build good quality phones that last and have a decent customer service track record, whereas if you look on the oneplus forums (I'd say take it with a pinch of salt but you may need a barrel of salt) you'll find quite a lot of complaints regarding Oneplus' customer service. Granted, they are quite a young company and these issues may not be around for much longer as they work out the kinks in their processes but it's something to consider as every so often, there will be a faulty phone and it may just be your bad luck in getting the bad egg.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, inclining towards the X style for now. Will wait for both's reviews now. Also, the 1+2 is priced at 25,000 (389$) in my country, and the new moto X 16gb version is priced at 399$, so that'll probably convert to 26,000 + leather/wood back ones are 2,000 extra so I guess the 64gb one will be priced around 35k, which is 40% higher price than 1+2. This one is a real doozy, both these phones at the end of the day are equal.
Sent from my HM 1SW using Tapatalk
bhu1 said:
Yeah, inclining towards the X style for now. Will wait for both's reviews now. Also, the 1+2 is priced at 25,000 (389$) in my country, and the new moto X 16gb version is priced at 399$, so that'll probably convert to 26,000 + leather/wood back ones are 2,000 extra so I guess the 64gb one will be priced around 35k, which is 40% higher price than 1+2. This one is a real doozy, both these phones at the end of the day are equal.
Sent from my HM 1SW using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One thing that may sway you towards the OP2 is that apparently (read this in a news article - take it with a barrel of salt again!) OP is concentrating heavily on selling around a million units in India, so they may be giving better support whereas Motorola may not be as prevalent in terms of support. Can't say for certain - not from and never been to India - but speaking from my experiences and knowledge of being in Pakistan for quite a while.
Also, if specs don't bother you too much, it may be an idea to look heavily at the moto x play, simply because of the huge battery whilst still being a really powerful phone.
Skyerin said:
One thing that may sway you towards the OP2 is that apparently (read this in a news article - take it with a barrel of salt again!) OP is concentrating heavily on selling around a million units in India, so they may be giving better support whereas Motorola may not be as prevalent in terms of support. Can't say for certain - not from and never been to India - but speaking from my experiences and knowledge of being in Pakistan for quite a while.
Also, if specs don't bother you too much, it may be an idea to look heavily at the moto x play, simply because of the huge battery whilst still being a really powerful phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nah, OnePlus can't compete with moto's customer service. Even if they can, then also, not a big deal, customer service, it just needs to be good, I don't need it to be great. And no moto play for me, I decided that I'll buy a flagship, so I'll buy a flagship.
Sent from my HM 1SW using Tapatalk
iOS and Android system have much differences, that's why 1gb RAM feels so different between Android and iOS..
I've found complete explanation of it but forgot the source *sorry*
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
Come on be serious...what comparison is this. Compare 1+1 with 1+2 or 1+2 with my 4 years old htc sensation
Sent from my SM-G920T
bhu1 said:
So initially I was really excited about the new 1+2, but since its launch I am a bit disappointed because of some crucial compromises that come with buying this phone. And under 24 hrs, moto launched its new Moto X style which just make me not like the 1+2 even more. But I am looking to buy one of these two phone so I logically comparing them to make a decision. With the current info we have moto X seem much better in many departments -
Design, Battery (Fast charge vs 1+2 charging in 3:20 hrs), wireless charging, more Premium feel according to many tech sites, 2k screen, the new Sony 21MP sensor.
But there are also some definite areas where 1+2 seems better but I wanna know 'How' much better, would like to know from someone who has used these processors or knows in detail about these RAMs and USB ports :-
808 vs 810, so the new moto X has the 808 while the 1+2 has 810, both are very mediocre processors from Qualcomm's standards, but it is what it is, so I wanna know exactly how much better 810 is than 808 in real life usage, will i be able to do all kinds of the most power consuming tasks for the next 2-3 years ?
3Gb Lpddr3 vs 4gb Lpddr4, here I am not sure if the new moto X has LPDDR4 or lpddr3 ram and if its 3 then how much difference will it have seeing as its also 3gb vs 4gb, in real life usage, how much difference is that ?
The USB - C port on the 1+2, I was really excited about this one before launch but after its launch I read 2-3 sites mentioning that it's 2.0 and not 3.1( don't know what that exactly that means), and hence it won't be much faster than a regular USB cable and u can't use it as a replacement for HDMI cable.
Edit - P.S. - Also, the moto X has NFC and much better speakers and better customer service.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depending on how you use your phone and how each phone handles battery life, the rate of charging might not be a factor to consider. If you burn through battery (and/or the phone itself helps) and can't get a days worth then fast charging should be important. If you don't use your phone much, turn radios off, etc. and charge your phone when you are asleep then either method of charging will do. Neither phone has wireless charging so you'd have to look elsewhere to get it. Feel is totally subjective and ONLY important for your tastes/wants. The screen is a contentious issue as some don't see a difference between 2k and 1080p, think the increase is worth the battery hit, or other reasons specific to the screens compared. If DxO is to be believed then the rear sensor in the Style is something to be reckoned with.
In real life usage, the 808 or 810 should be close to each other. The 808 is only "missing" two "Big" A57 cores when compared to the 810. The real difference is in benchmarks where having the "missing" cores will show better scores. With an almost stock Android interface the Style should show no feeling that "it needs more." I have no experience with OnePlus (or Moto and their OS optimizations) phones to speak on how Oxygen OS behaves. Since both phones aren't out to buy and be reviewed, any talk beforehand is just speculation. Wait for reviews from people you trust for an opinion or get a hand-on yourself on the UX "feel."
The amount of RAM you "need" or "should have" is debatable. If you play a lot of games and switch between heavy RAM-usage apps (or a lot of them) frequently, more RAM is beneficial. The type of RAM is cut-and-dry. LPDDR4 is simply better than LPDDR3. AS A STANDARD LPDDR4 operates at faster speeds AND uses less power than LPDDR3. Whether OnePlus has taken full advantage of the benefits has not been disclosed and no one has a device to find out the speed their RAM runs at for a definite conclusion.
USB Type-C is the "cable to end cables" when properly implemented. Full stop. Type-C was created with USB 3.1 and ALL of its benefits come with 3.1 AND software that enables those features. For the actual cable, Type-C brings a reversible plug (like Lightning) so there isn't a correct way you can plug the cable in. USB 2.0 (most likely in the Style too) will max at around 20 MB/s when transferring files to your computer or another device, and will be slower for smaller files. USB 3.0 and 3.1 will transfer at MUCH faster speeds with larger files. You can learn more about 3.1 and Type-C here and with a quick search. Other Type-C features aren't worth discussing as neither phone can take advantage of them.
Contact-less payments are supposed to finally take-off with the launch of Android (and Samsung) Pay to give that "extra push" to retailers that this is a feature that most would take advantage of when consumers can. Honestly, Apple Pay sowed the seed for contact-less payments. If contact-less payments is something you can see yourself doing then the OnePlus2 will not allow you to do so. Speaker quality or stereo speakers is a nice feature to have and should be considered if you play any media over the speakers. I have no comment with eithers' Costumer Support reputation.
For me, the decision between the OnePlus2 and Style is a no brainer. The OnePlus2 makes too many concessions against OnePlus' OWN BELIEFS and against the Style to make this a hard decision. Which is why I'll be replacing my G2 with the Style at some point this year, unless the new Nexus phone(s) are compelling enough
Think I may finally jump on a new phone, the Moto X Play or whatever it's being called for Verizon. That's a bit confusing. But Moto's radios are the best, a big factor, plus they finally went back to SD cards. I keep hearing the screen will not be tops due to it not being Amoled. Guess I'll have to check it out first before jumping. Also want it rooted, so I'm not going to be the one to jump first when it's sold so I can find out if it'll be rooted. But I'm definitely leaning towards that. It's either this or probably going to find a Note 4 developers addition and go that route...hard choices....
Moto x pure edition, not play
Galaxy S6
Which is why I'll be replacing my G2 with the Style at some point this year, unless the new Nexus phone(s) are compelling enough
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nexus line of phones will never provide microSD card slot (google wants you to use its cloud!), and the 64GB version will make you pay 100$ more than the basic 16GB model. The best 64GB cards are under 30$ right now. So, I essentially get 80GB of storage with Style for 70$ less. Give me Style any day over Nexus or even OP2 (which gives 64GB for 389).
More than that though, its the camera and front facing stereo speakers that excite me about Style. We will see when it comes out.
bhu1 said:
So initially I was really excited about the new 1+2, but since its launch I am a bit disappointed because of some crucial compromises that come with buying this phone. And under 24 hrs, moto launched its new Moto X style which just make me not like the 1+2 even more. But I am looking to buy one of these two phone so I logically comparing them to make a decision. With the current info we have moto X seem much better in many departments -
Design, Battery (Fast charge vs 1+2 charging in 3:20 hrs), wireless charging, more Premium feel according to many tech sites, 2k screen, the new Sony 21MP sensor.
But there are also some definite areas where 1+2 seems better but I wanna know 'How' much better, would like to know from someone who has used these processors or knows in detail about these RAMs and USB ports :-
808 vs 810, so the new moto X has the 808 while the 1+2 has 810, both are very mediocre processors from Qualcomm's standards, but it is what it is, so I wanna know exactly how much better 810 is than 808 in real life usage, will i be able to do all kinds of the most power consuming tasks for the next 2-3 years ?
3Gb Lpddr3 vs 4gb Lpddr4, here I am not sure if the new moto X has LPDDR4 or lpddr3 ram and if its 3 then how much difference will it have seeing as its also 3gb vs 4gb, in real life usage, how much difference is that ?
The USB - C port on the 1+2, I was really excited about this one before launch but after its launch I read 2-3 sites mentioning that it's 2.0 and not 3.1( don't know what that exactly that means), and hence it won't be much faster than a regular USB cable and u can't use it as a replacement for HDMI cable.
Edit - P.S. - Also, the moto X has NFC and much better speakers and better customer service.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same thing happened to me
I'm dropping the two and will pick the moto x pure because it has the following that the two refused to add:
microsd slot
rapid charge
21 mp camera
front facing stereo speakers
invite-less purchase
but then that might change when the moto x pure is released
Id give the nod to the moto for several reasons the 3 big ones being.
ext sd card support, this is huge
Slightly larger screen
Moto customer support. If you read anything about OPO one thing is for sure in that their support is terrible.
Thats 3 reasons enough for me.:thumbup:
Sent from my Nexus 6 or Note 4
I was inclined towards the one plus two before launch. Had really big expectations. But Moto X Style has upped the stakes. The only problem is availability and pricing. In India the customer service of Motorola is good. Only if Motorola announces the availability and pricing
Sent from my Moto G using Tapatalk
At this point I'd say moto x is my pick, one plus invite system is a turn off and is already starting to make me not want to get the device.
I still don't get their reasoning for leaving out NFC from the OP2. They claim it wasn't widely used and it added cost, yet they decided to add a fingerprint sensor...
Jweimn said:
At this point I'd say moto x is my pick, one plus invite system is a turn off and is already starting to make me not want to get the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And theres an artlicle online where someone says he cheated the invite reservation system haha. But yeah its all a joke tbh as you spam people to go up the list.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
Sporttster said:
Think I may finally jump on a new phone, the Moto X Play or whatever it's being called for Verizon. That's a bit confusing. But Moto's radios are the best, a big factor, plus they finally went back to SD cards. I keep hearing the screen will not be tops due to it not being Amoled. Guess I'll have to check it out first before jumping. Also want it rooted, so I'm not going to be the one to jump first when it's sold so I can find out if it'll be rooted. But I'm definitely leaning towards that. It's either this or probably going to find a Note 4 developers addition and go that route...hard choices....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried a Samsung Note 3 and I lost 7% of my calls according to Verizon. I switched to a Motorola n6 six months ago and haven't lost a call since. My dBm ranges from 100 to 121 (right now it 114). Motorola is the only one that can hold on to a phone call where I live. So, I will only buy Motorola phones from now on.
I had the OPO for about a year and finally was able to return it.
Too many touch issues and since getting Lollipop I've had nothing but battery issues. I tried many roms however I couldn't stand it.
I tried the Moto X 2nd gen for 2 days and fell in love.
Currently i'm testing out the Nexus 6 to see if I can handle the screen size, so far it's good however I'd like it to be a little smaller so I think the new Moto X might be fine.
I wish they went with a 5.5 and non QHD or at least went with a bigger battery.
I'm hoping the new Moto X's camera will be better than the Nexus 6
If I was rich I would get both. But the biggest advantage of the oneplus2 will likely be battery life. I have a feeling that the oneplus2 will be easier to hold. I like the fact that you can program the capacitive buttons on either side of the home button. But overall the moto x style would get my hard earned money. Software and screen quality/size give it the leg up on the oneplus2 for me.

Xiaomi mi4. Worth it?

I currently have an lg g2 that I really like. The xiaomi mi4 is currently on sale for 155$. It is a really good deal and I am going to sell my g2 for the same amount. The question is, is it worth it? What advantages will I get with the mi4? I am scarred to get a yellow spot on my g2's screen, because it is very common. I also like miui a lot, but I hate lag. I can see the slightest lag
You may just buy Redmi Note 3 Pro instead of Mi4, it has better chip. It has fast development like mi4. I bought mi4 for IDR 1,6 million (about USD 120) for my wife yesterday, but after I know how fast the development of Reno 3 Pro is, I realize "buy Redmi Note 3 Pro" is better choice.
Sent from my m2 note using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 12:55 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:51 AM ----------
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=6518&idPhone2=7863
Reno 3 Pro has MicroSD Expansion or dual simcard if you choose. With thinner body.
Sent from my m2 note using Tapatalk
Yes, I must agree on the Redmi Note 3 Pro. I also had a G2 as my main driver, but after some beating it took, it needed replacement after more than 2 years of use.
I did an extensive research, and was most likely to buy G3 or G4. But the thing that bothers me about those phones is:
a) processor - 801 is not much of a upgrade, and I would rather avoid 808/810, for heating issues/throttling, which means inadequate performance in the long run, and faster battery drain.
b) No physical buttons - this is very subjective, but I hate the software buttons for my reasons, and would much rather go for a phone with physical buttons
c) Design - G4 has an attractive design, but G3 looks very similar to the G2, which got boring to me.
d) Display - I do NOT want 1440p display on a phone, for my own reasons (battery life). Plus, the G3 supposedly has washed out colors.
After a ~month of research, I found out about the Snapdragon 650 and 652, and boy, after owning the Note 3 Pro for about a month now, I can say that the processors are incomparably better than the 808/810 (which leads me to an obvious question - is the 20nm TSMC process to blame? I really believe it is.).
The pros of Note 3 Pro
- price: 32GB/3GB version (the only one you want) cost me about 270 USD, brand new delivered from China by DHL, with custom fees pre-paid and insured.
- display: although 5.5 inch is maybe ever so slightly bigger than an ideal size for one-handed usage, the display looks stunning. I'm getting compliments on the display from everyone who sees it. The colors are so vibrant and saturated! I just love to look at the display (not to say that the G2 didn't have a good display - it is just no match for this one.)
- performance: absolutely unbeatable. I though the G2 was fast enough. Well, that changed when I got my hands on the Snapdragon 650. In my opinion, this SoC can only be beaten by 652, 820 and the 14nm Exynoses. Not to mention that the RAM and eMMC is most likely also much faster compared to the G2.
- battery life: Great, awesome, super cool. 4000 mAh and a very good SoC means that this thing will ALWAYS last you the whole day, even if you throw the heaviest workloads on it.
- and other minor things, like the great fingerprint sensor, MIUI goodies, great Wi-Fi, bluetooth and cellular reception, very clear and loud call speaker, microSD, dual SIM, etc.
Cons:
- missing LTE band 20 - the only thing that bothers me about this phone. Even though I live in a big city, I often have problems getting LTE signal - G2 did not have this problem and always had a reliable LTE connection
- locked bootloader - which can be unlocked, but official way is really cumbersome, as you have to wait for 2 weeks to get a permission to unlock, and even then, I managed to unlock it only after switching to a china dev rom (from global stable). After you get it OFFICIALLY unlocked, this is no longer a problem (there is also an unofficial way, but I wouldn't really recommend it, due to the hassle with flashing roms, which can brick your phone if done wrong).
- as with all stock ROMs, also MIUI is bloated with (for me) useless applications. I like to keep my phones as clean as possible, to maximize performance and battery life. But yeah, after you get a custom recovery and root, you can debloat it to your liking
All in all, I am more than satisfied with this phone. Right now, I would maybe switch it for a Mi5, but the price gap is not justifiable in my opinion.
TL;DR: Get the Redmi Note 3 Pro 32GB!

Would you recommend the Honor 8 ?

Hey guys im looking to buy a new phone and for my budget i can get the Honor 8 , Sony X performance or the Galaxy S6 . Does the honor 8 have any bugs and would you recommend it over the other phones i listed ? Also how is the root ,rom , kernel support and is it easy to flash because i saw a guide for rooting with 12-13 steps including typing imei in huawei's site to get a code and so on .
Tarbruh said:
Hey guys im looking to buy a new phone and for my budget i can get the Honor 8 , Sony X performance or the Galaxy S6 . Does the honor 8 have any bugs and would you recommend it over the other phones i listed ? Also how is the root ,rom , kernel support and is it easy to flash because i saw a guide for rooting with 12-13 steps including typing imei in huawei's site to get a code and so on .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got mine on a black friday sale and I'm happy with it. but at full price I would consider something else.
This phone has the Kirin processor and you can root it but the custom rom's will be few because of the processor
The Galaxy S6 is a nice phone but the bootloaders are locked.
I don't know anything about the Sony.
If you have $400 for the full priced H8 I would recommend a used Nexus 6p or a One plus 3 for flashing customs roms and developer support.
If those phones are too big for your taste theirs also the HTC 9 and 10 to consider... they have a great developer community
Tarbruh said:
Hey guys im looking to buy a new phone and for my budget i can get the Honor 8 , Sony X performance or the Galaxy S6 . Does the honor 8 have any bugs and would you recommend it over the other phones i listed ? Also how is the root ,rom , kernel support and is it easy to flash because i saw a guide for rooting with 12-13 steps including typing imei in huawei's site to get a code and so on .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly how clsA said,it's a very good phone. It's fast and have a nice design. But it's Huawei after all, so the custom roms will be a problem. I would sugest you to look for OP3 or OP3T if you want a good development comunity. If you don't care about development too much and want a fu**ing nice looking phone i would recommend it xD
IDK what to say about S6 and Xperia X, as i know the S6 is bad in battery and Xperia X doesn't seems to be as good as the Honor 8.
Other phones to look : Axon 7, Nubia Z11,Xiaomi MI 5,Asus Zenfone 3 (No custom roms).
There are more but i dont remember them.
clsA said:
I got mine on a black friday sale and I'm happy with it. but at full price I would consider something else.
This phone has the Kirin processor and you can root it but the custom rom's will be few because of the processor
The Galaxy S6 is a nice phone but the bootloaders are locked.
I don't know anything about the Sony.
If you have $400 for the full priced H8 I would recommend a used Nexus 6p or a One plus 3 for flashing customs roms and developer support.
If those phones are too big for your taste theirs also the HTC 9 and 10 to consider... they have a great developer community
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have around 450 max for a phone and the Oneplus 3 would have been great because it was 430 dollars but now they only sell the 3T for about 500 and its an import so i think it will have taxes . I looked at the One M9 and the one thing i didn't like is that it is missing a fingerprint scanner and from reviews they say if your chosing between the M9 and S6 go for the S6 so idk . The HTC 10 is good but if i had the money for it (650$) i would have bought the S7 Edge .
Sheldd said:
Exactly how clsA said,it's a very good phone. It's fast and have a nice design. But it's Huawei after all, so the custom roms will be a problem. I would sugest you to look for OP3 or OP3T if you want a good development comunity. If you don't care about development too much and want a fu**ing nice looking phone i would recommend it xD
IDK what to say about S6 and Xperia X, as i know the S6 is bad in battery and Xperia X doesn't seems to be as good as the Honor 8.
Other phones to look : Axon 7, Nubia Z11,Xiaomi MI 5,Asus Zenfone 3 (No custom roms).
There are more but i dont remember them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Xperia X has the edge in performance over the H8 but it overheats when using the camera idk if sony fixed it or not.Axon 7 is pricey for me 600 dollars but its a great phone.The Xiaomi MI 5S is cheap and packs perfromance with the SD 821 but being a Xiaomi doesn't it have poor software ?
Tarbruh said:
Hey guys im looking to buy a new phone and for my budget i can get the Honor 8 , Sony X performance or the Galaxy S6 . Does the honor 8 have any bugs and would you recommend it over the other phones i listed ? Also how is the root ,rom , kernel support and is it easy to flash because i saw a guide for rooting with 12-13 steps including typing imei in huawei's site to get a code and so on .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just bought the Honor 8 after a long evaluation and endless comparisons (price for me was 320 EUR discounted, so really mid-range price territory).
The hardware is great and having such a fast fingerprint sensor is really awesome. Biggest two drawbacks for me are:
- the user interface: I don't like EMUI at all and it's pretty far from the Android standard, but you can use a custom launcher and hopefully an unofficial near-stock theme will be available soon;
- the screen: has a quite poor calibration and looks like a significant step back from my previous Sony Z1 Compact.
Sony devices are nice but heavily bloated. Also I was quite disappointed with my Z1 Compact camera: it looks like they didn't provide adequate support in the transition from KitKat to Lollipop and there was a performance degradation killing an otherwise interesting sensor. I haven't tried a Samsung since the death of my S3 due to eMMC failure and my experience with that device had not been stellar (given I did paid full price for it), but I have read that the UI has improved in the latest interations.
As for root and custom ROMs the thing is: while every device can be rooted one way or another, for a good custom ROM support you should consider only Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets (the Honor has a HiSilicon Kirin) and even in that case the proper support for camera and other advanced hardware features could be not easy. So you may root the Honor but don't expect an AOSP / LineageOS ROM to work properly (there is some work underway but if Huawei doesn't change its politics I wouldn't expect acceptable results).
As for me the only device I could have bought instead of the Honor was the HTC 10, but at a cost significantly higher.
P.S.: Xiaomi devices are interesting but most of them have limited LTE band support, so you may want to check against the bands used in your country (the GSMArena website has a great search tool you could take advantage of).
maxlnc said:
I just bought the Honor 8 after a long evaluation and endless comparisons (price for me was 320 EUR discounted, so really mid-range price territory).
The hardware is great and having such a fast fingerprint sensor is really awesome. Biggest two drawbacks for me are:
- the user interface: I don't like EMUI at all and it's pretty far from the Android standard, but you can use a custom launcher and hopefully an unofficial near-stock theme will be available soon;
- the screen: has a quite poor calibration and looks like a significant step back from my previous Sony Z1 Compact.
Sony devices are nice but heavily bloated. Also I was quite disappointed with my Z1 Compact camera: it looks like they didn't provide adequate support in the transition from KitKat to Lollipop and there was a performance degradation killing an otherwise interesting sensor. I haven't tried a Samsung since the death of my S3 due to eMMC failure and my experience with that device had not been stellar (given I did paid full price for it), but I have read that the UI has improved in the latest interations.
As for root and custom ROMs the thing is: while every device can be rooted one way or another, for a good custom ROM support you should consider only Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets (the Honor has a HiSilicon Kirin) and even in that case the proper support for camera and other advanced hardware features could be not easy. So you may root the Honor but don't expect an AOSP / LineageOS ROM to work properly (there is some work underway but if Huawei doesn't change its politics I wouldn't expect acceptable results).
As for me the only device I could have bought instead of the Honor was the HTC 10, but at a cost significantly higher.
P.S.: Xiaomi devices are interesting but most of them have limited LTE band support, so you may want to check against the bands used in your country (the GSMArena website has a great search tool you could take advantage of).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im in the same state of endless comparisons and watching reviews for phones . From reviews and speed tests the Honor 8 seems like a great deal , in app opening comparsion it was leading 15 to 5 againts the Iphone 7 Plus if 100% true in normal use its a pretty fast phone and is concidered as one of the best 400 dollar phones . My concern is the UI and support i will slap google now launcher but for support updates and so on its a Huawei after all and i don't have experience with them . Most of my root and rom adventures were made with my Galaxy S3 Neo because it came with Android 4.4.2 and never got an update and with the help of roms it had 6.0.1 from the S6 with an overclocked Kernel and slow motion camera mod. All of the reviews for the X performance say that Sony are asking too much (700$) for the flaws it has . I put a thread on the Sony forum but no response yet . For me the price is lower 430$ for the Xperia but if the bugs are not fixed by Sony its dissapointing . I really like the Galaxy S6 but after all its a 2015 model . Xiaomi MI 5s supports my 4G network but being a Xiaomi software wise i think its badly optimized.
Sheldd said:
Exactly how clsA said,it's a very good phone. It's fast and have a nice design. But it's Huawei after all, so the custom roms will be a problem. I would sugest you to look for OP3 or OP3T if you want a good development comunity. If you don't care about development too much and want a fu**ing nice looking phone i would recommend it xD
IDK what to say about S6 and Xperia X, as i know the S6 is bad in battery and Xperia X doesn't seems to be as good as the Honor 8.
Other phones to look : Axon 7, Nubia Z11,Xiaomi MI 5,Asus Zenfone 3 (No custom roms).
There are more but i dont remember them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the Honor 8 and have been using it for the last 3 months or so.
I'm not into all these tests but I know that the phone has stood up to everything that I have thrown at it and I use my phone allot.
If you want a good, solid phone that looks good and will be kept upto date for the next couple of years then get the Honor 8
My flat mate has got the pixel and after using it I really can't see how it's worth the extra couple of £100
John
In my mind, the only phones that are worth getting if you want to flash roms are OnePlus and Google, the rest are not worthwhile. These two phones are the only ones that will get great support on XDA. If this is your purpose then don't even bother considering any other brand, it's just a waste of your time. Even if it is available for other phones you run into hassle with losing warranty by unlocking bootloader and doing more steps than needed. It's better just to get a OnePlus where all the custom rom features are already built in.
If you can get the Honor 8 for $300 new or less and wants a good camera it's worth it. I'm very happy with the camera for still shots which is what I mainly bought the phone for. It's the best camera I've used outside of Samsung so far, I think the Huawei and Samsung are the tops right now for camera. It's better than the Nexus 6P in term of dynamic and colors. Also Huawei currently make the best fingerprint scanner, albeit on the back. The hardware is fast, but expect lots of thermal throttling while gaming.
You will have to deal with some goofy battery management which turns off notification and background running apps, although there is a way to fix this but you have to whitelist the apps in two different nearly hidden places in the settings, although the new Nougat updates is supposed to improve this.
In term of updates support, I think it's pretty poor, at least in term of speed. Many phones are already on Nougat before this one. I do like the fact they made the stock firmware publicly available. The main thing that hampers this phone is the software.
Hey there. I was in the dilemma you are right now two months ago when I bought the Honor 8. I'm not disappointed at all, in the past few years I've used almost every brand there is, HTC, Samsung s3, Lg G2, Sony z3 Compact, Moto G 1 and 2, Sony z3, z3+ and m5, and my last phone was the Huawei p9 lite, I was astonished as to how that "cheap phone" camera could beat my Sony z3+ that I loved so much. That's when I paid attention To Huawei, and man they're doing a great job. Yes maybe in development you won't be able to do much, if that's what you're looking for, maybe it's better to look elsewhere, but in terms of battery, daily use performance and heavy usage, camera, good looking phone, this is a great deal. I bought for 400 when it was released. A few weeks ago my brother got it at 330, which was like stealing haha. And I know this month it will get Nougat. Emui software will be better with the update, not saying it was bad but many disliked it, I'm fine with it to be honest. And Honor offers 2 years of support after the date of release. So you'll get Android updates until mid-2018.
Hope this helps.
I really don't recommend buying a phone at the moment, as u know it's a new year
New phones and chipsets are released and prices eventually will drop. I recommend waiting for couple of months if you can.
Regarding the Honor 8 itself, I know there's something about this phone makes you want it although u can just save a little and get axon 7 or 1+3 and it's not a perfect phone either it lacks some things like OIS for videos and 4K for video.
Other than that it offers a great camera you should check threads here for camera samples, it does take very great still images!
I saw lots of comparisons too between that phone and others. Well in everyday usage there's no difference between it and a snapdragon 820 powered phone regarding opening apps and so .. The kirin 950 is pretty strong scoring 90K+ in antutu benchmark which is okay.. You shouldn't be worried about a game that won't run smoothly on it at the moment! But it's not the best developer friendly unlike snapdragon chipsets!
Beside all that it's a pretty phone ( sexy design, great camera, decent battery & good performance ) it has USB C and fast charging and the chipset supports Vulkan API which makes somewhat it future proof. Also about the EMUI, it can grow on you over time it has neat features not laggy as people might suggest it has theme engine too plenty of customizability and gestures, I don't see it lacking other than the looks of the pure android but that can be fixed by using nova launcher.
Bottom line, if u don't mind the UI and the development area ( it exists but it may take a while ) definitely go for it .. Otherwise u may consider saving or buying One Plus 3 if you're a flashaholic there are plenty of ROMs for the one plus, And a strong development community!
I have the FRD-L14 (64 GB USA version) for $340 total from Amazon. It has replaced my Sony Z3 Compact that I had for two years bought for $500. Tell you what the Honor 8 is worth the money. Fast and responsive. The 4 GB of memory is awesome since apps stay in memory so multitasking is mostly instant. 64 GB memory + 64 GB microSD = awesome. Camera is fast enough with good quality. The screen is the only downside compared to flagship phones costing $600+ but I came from the Sony Z3 Compact display so it's not a problem for me. Maybe I am also lucky but I don't have a blue-ish tint on certain reviews.
The best thing about this is it has Band 12 LTE for TMOBILE. I now have 3 bars of signal sitting in my office instead of 1 or zero or searching all the time. The HD Voice call is also super clear. The speaker phone, though, could be better. The fingerprint scanner is just as good as the Samsung or Apple. Two THUMBS UP. I would upgrade to the Honor 9-10 down the road assuming they keep the price competitive.
Price of Honor 8
Tarbruh said:
I have around 450 max for a phone and the Oneplus 3 would have been great because it was 430 dollars but now they only sell the 3T for about 500 and its an import so i think it will have taxes . I looked at the One M9 and the one thing i didn't like is that it is missing a fingerprint scanner and from reviews they say if your chosing between the M9 and S6 go for the S6 so idk . The HTC 10 is good but if i had the money for it (650$) i would have bought the S7 Edge .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just bought a Honor 8 from a dealer on ebay..paid $250....New but no box..
Exactly as the others say the Honor 8 is a great phone! It is fast, good looking and has a great camera! So in 2015 I was looking for a new phone to replace my old Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini and this seller showed me the Honor 7 but it didn't really appeal to me that much (Mostly because of EMUI) and I decided to keep on using my S4 Mini.
But a few weeks ago I got the Honor 8 for 325€ (Discounted) even if I didn't really like EMUI that much I must say, it is better than I expected! Now there is a few things I still don't like in EMUI (Like the split Notifications and Shortcuts) but in the new EMUI 5 update that is currently being rolled out, it will just get a whole lot better and many of the things I find annoying is fixed
So would I recommend this phone? Yes I would definitivtly recommend this phone for someone who is looking for a great phone but still not to expensive, even though it doesn't have that many custom ROMS yet (Coming from someone who used Custom ROMS a lot previously) I think we will get more custom ROMS within a few months
Tarbruh said:
Does the honor 8 have any bugs and would you recommend it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been using it since 1st December 2016 and I wouldn't recommend it, 'cause:
1. It has no system-level equalizer;
2. It has no system-level audio balance tweaker(?);
3. When using the app com.rubycell.pianisthd, the audio output is full of "clicks"; no longer with android 7
4. It's kirin-based, therefore "good luck" with custom roms.
edit:
I'm not gonna sell it any soon 'cause I can kinda live with it thanks to Poweramp, but come on, the audio subsystem of this phone is sh*t. You should only get it if you're deaf or for some reason you don't enjoy listening to music.
I apologize for being this rude.
The aesthetics are amazing and the performance is really decent. The software is mediocre, though it might be better with the Android & UI update--but that's been a slow process and I've yet to see the update myself.
The hardware is impressive and in many ways exceeded my expectations. The Kirin 950 opens apps quickly and the 4gb of what I believe to be DDR3 memory allows for multiple app usage without any trouble. DDR4 would be amazing, but it holds its own with what it has.
The GPU is only OK. It runs a bit hot when in 1080 mode, playing games like War Robots. 720 seems to cool it down a bit. No problems with older games like the GTA series, no problems with Real Racing 3 or the Riptide series.
Still, the 3d AnTuTu benchmarks combine for a score of about 20k, where as the OP3T is over 40k combined. Overall, my phone grabbed a 94,000. The overall for the OP3T is over 135,000. The difference in the score is due to the GPU and memory being slower than the OP3T's Adreno 530 and 6gb of DDR4. The Kirin 950 itself, holds its own against the Snapdragon 820 and 821.
The price point is all over the place in the US market. I picked mine up for $319.00, but I've seen them on shelves for $400.00 USD. At 300, it's not bad, but if you are going to hit the 400 mark, might as well go with the OP3T.
I have 2 weeks left to return mine, if I don't see the update by then, it will go back and I'll drop few extra for the OP3T. If I get the update and it feels smooth, I'll probably stick with it.
Would I recommend it? If you can get it for 300 USD or close to it, yes, it's a good phone for that price point. If you see it in your market and it is closer to 400, go for the OP3T. If you LOVE mods, regardless of price, go for the OP3T.
Note: The ZUK Z2 Pro is in the same price range, but I hear the software is awful and build quality questionable, that's why I didn't bring it up in comparison.
Note II: I've updated to B360 via Firmware Finder. So far the phone doesn't feel too much different, but there are changes. The UI is a bit cleaner, my benchmark went up by 6000 overall, but no change in GPU scores. The app drawer is laid out nicely, the notification bar looks better, the native sms message system is upgraded and more functional.
I have to stick with my original opinion. If you can get the phone for 300-ish USD, if you are OK with WYSIWYG, it's a solid, aesthetically beautiful device. If you are creeping into the 400.00 range, take a very serious look at the OP3T. Again, if you are a modder or love the bleeding edge, OP3T is your device.
PErsonally, I like it over the S7 Edge. Faster and smoother.
Handful of reasons the S7 Edge is the daily driver:
Larger screen
Better video and slightly better camera shots
Audio can be tweaked
Only major con is the ugly IOS skin on the Honor 8. Personally i like it a ton.
Sheldd said:
Exactly how clsA said,it's a very good phone. It's fast and have a nice design. But it's Huawei after all, so the custom roms will be a problem. I would sugest you to look for OP3 or OP3T if you want a good development comunity. If you don't care about development too much and want a fu**ing nice looking phone i would recommend it xD
IDK what to say about S6 and Xperia X, as i know the S6 is bad in battery and Xperia X doesn't seems to be as good as the Honor 8.
Other phones to look : Axon 7, Nubia Z11,Xiaomi MI 5,Asus Zenfone 3 (No custom roms).
There are more but i dont remember them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately the OP3 and OP3T have no microSD-cardslot.
You have to consider this.
the Honor 8 has the following advantages.
- fairly fast (Arm Cortex A72 CPU's) and due to a FHD-screen the gfx-perfomance is even slightly faster than e.g. the galaxy S5.
--> so many (older) high-end games run quite good.
- great screen (wide gamut LCD screen)
- IR-blaster
--> and reviewers don't mention this but the Honor's IR-blaster is both output AND input, which means it can "learn" codes from other remotes while the e.g. Samsung's can't.
--> works also good with other IR-blaster apps too.
- microSD-slot
- price compared to known-brand flagships and mid-range devices (bar the oneplus models)
--> the standard Honor 8 (32GB) has a great price/performance-ratio IMHO and there's usually some sale somewhere
--> got mine with a free 64GB card so it was even greater value for money
- camera is good for the price
--> great quick shortcut (with volume-keys or fingerscanner-button)
- EMUI has some nice tricks with the fingerprint-scanner
--> e.g. there's a "safe" to store private files which can be locked/unlocked with fingerprint
- bootloader CAN be unlocked and is fairly easy to root.
--> Huawei themselves supply the unlock codes which is great, isn't it?
- beautifull design. It looks great and the camera is completely flush
- mirrorcast (to non-Samsung TV's) works fine without rooting and tampering with the build.prop
disadvantages.
- it is VERY slippery
- not as fast as particularly Oneplus 3 (and 3T) which cost the same
--> Honor 8 premium cost the same as OnePlus 3/T and has the same internal storage capacity
- some people prefer QHD
--> this doesn't bother me personally but it might be a dealbreaker for some
- no EQ on the standard music app or anywhere else on the device
--> so you need another music-player if you really want this or other audio-enhancements.
- Samsung's still have better camera's for low-light photography especially the S6 (IMHO the S6 is even better than the S7 in this respect)
- no DLNA so you'll need an optional app for this. Though screencast works fine.
--> I tried the old Skifta-app myself from qualcomm and it works great. Unfortunately you have to look hard to find this though asit isn't on Play anymore.
IMHO the Honor 8 is a great little device. Sufficiently powerful and it has most of important points covered.
As for me, the SD-card slot, IR-blaster and the better deal (with a free 64GB card) were the main reasons to go for the Honor8 instead for the OP3T
There's probably a lot more that I haven't covered but I have my device just 4 days so I'm not a "pro" just yet
So I hope this is helpful.
LaserChicken said:
The aesthetics are amazing and the performance is really decent. The software is mediocre, though it might be better with the Android & UI update--but that's been a slow process and I've yet to see the update myself.
The hardware is impressive and in many ways exceeded my expectations. The Kirin 950 opens apps quickly and the 4gb of what I believe to be DDR3 memory allows for multiple app usage without any trouble. DDR4 would be amazing, but it holds its own with what it has.
The GPU is only OK. It runs a bit hot when in 1080 mode, playing games like War Robots. 720 seems to cool it down a bit. No problems with older games like the GTA series, no problems with Real Racing 3 or the Riptide series.
Still, the 3d AnTuTu benchmarks combine for a score of about 20k, where as the OP3T is over 40k combined. Overall, my phone grabbed a 94,000. The overall for the OP3T is over 135,000. The difference in the score is due to the GPU and memory being slower than the OP3T's Adreno 530 and 6gb of DDR4. The Kirin 950 itself, holds its own against the Snapdragon 820 and 821.
The price point is all over the place in the US market. I picked mine up for $319.00, but I've seen them on shelves for $400.00 USD. At 300, it's not bad, but if you are going to hit the 400 mark, might as well go with the OP3T.
I have 2 weeks left to return mine, if I don't see the update by then, it will go back and I'll drop few extra for the OP3T. If I get the update and it feels smooth, I'll probably stick with it.
Would I recommend it? If you can get it for 300 USD or close to it, yes, it's a good phone for that price point. If you see it in your market and it is closer to 400, go for the OP3T. If you LOVE mods, regardless of price, go for the OP3T.
Note: The ZUK Z2 Pro is in the same price range, but I hear the software is awful and build quality questionable, that's why I didn't bring it up in comparison.
Note II: I've updated to B360 via Firmware Finder. So far the phone doesn't feel too much different, but there are changes. The UI is a bit cleaner, my benchmark went up by 6000 overall, but no change in GPU scores. The app drawer is laid out nicely, the notification bar looks better, the native sms message system is upgraded and more functional.
I have to stick with my original opinion. If you can get the phone for 300-ish USD, if you are OK with WYSIWYG, it's a solid, aesthetically beautiful device. If you are creeping into the 400.00 range, take a very serious look at the OP3T. Again, if you are a modder or love the bleeding edge, OP3T is your device.
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Thanks for the long and explained point of view it seems that only on the honor 8 forum people comment on stuff like this because it made a thread on the x perfromance forum still 0 comments . The OP3T is a great phone and comes for about 470 dollars . Over the past few days i've got the conclusion that im not getting the honor 8 because its priced at 420 ish dollars and for and for the same price i can get the xperia which has the SD820 with a 1080p screen so it will perform 23 MP camera will fine compared to my current 12 or i can get for 460 the Zte Axon 7 also with SD820 2k display and amazing audio and if i go even higher i can get the S7 for 490 . But im thinking on not going too far for the S7 because the Xperia and Axon offer the same performance just losing on camera and ips sertification if i got with the axon but it has one of the best if not the best speakers and headphone output.
I just got a used one off of Amazon for $235. Honestly, I think it's worth that price, but I would recommend waiting for MWC at the very least. I only pulled the trigger on it right now because the only other phones in the price range I had (about $200 - $300), were the upcoming MOTO G5 series. I have been using a Moto E 2015, but I felt that since the Honor 8 had higher specs, a better design, a better camera, etc. that it was worth it.
Additionally, I think Huawei promised 2 years of support and the phone just came out, so we will definitely see Android O at the very least (which is pretty great).

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