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Lg flex 2 or OnePlus X?? Also are there any good phones for 200?

i sent my lg flex 2 back to currys and pc world for a full refund as i was getting really bad overheating problems unless i was rooted so i can eaither rebuy a flex 2 and hope that this one wont overheat as someone else did that on this forum and it didnt overheat or i could just get my refund and buy a whole new phone altogether, i am think the oneplus X but if there are any better phones then that could you please leave it in the comment down below as i dont know what to chose from
(Budget is 220)

Check out Xiaomi Mi4c, u can get 3/32GB version for about $220.
It's Snapdragon 808 so performance very close to Flex 2 and it doesn't overheat.
No SD slot but 3GB RAM and 32GB storage is plenty imo.
I had mi4c and kinda regret i sold it and got Flex 2...
Oneplus X is much slower but has very nice build quality, also plenty of development on xda (custom roms).
Flex 2 will overheat no matter what because it's older Snapdragon 810 revision.

got my missus a redmi note 3 pro, which has the SD650 chipset and is very fast, @80,000 for antutu. It seems very good so far and has really good battery life, 10-11 hours screen on time here, and is very cheap. Only thing I've had to do to it is turn off memory optimisation in developer settings because it was killing apps in the background at an insane rate, making downloads fail, home screen redraws etc.. the other thing is it might not support 4g on certain networks, you'll have to check
best bit is if you drop it, you don't care

k3lcior said:
Check out Xiaomi Mi4c, u can get 3/32GB version for about $220.
It's Snapdragon 808 so performance very close to Flex 2 and it doesn't overheat.
No SD slot but 3GB RAM and 32GB storage is plenty imo.
I had mi4c and kinda regret i sold it and got Flex 2...
Oneplus X is much slower but has very nice build quality, also plenty of development on xda (custom roms).
Flex 2 will overheat no matter what because it's older Snapdragon 810 revision.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the one plus customer service good i heard that it isnt but this was a long time ago?

I dont know about one plus.

get the OnePlus 3 in 2 weeks it will be announced it will be probably 300eur with snapdragon, 820,4gb ram, 16mpx camera

General Tips for Buying Used Phones.
Don't have any tips on a specific replacement phone, but when shopping in general Swappa is a good place to find cheap phones (and is the official marketplace for XDA.) This is where I'd look first thanks to the support and generally good community.
I actually picked my G Flex 2 off of a Craigslist ad for $130 USD and saw several other 2015 phones under $200 in my area; excellent prices can be had but no buyer protection this way. If you take this route, make sure to get pics of any damage if not listed, ask if anything is wrong/everything works, and recheck everything in person before the purchase. Request phone to be charged so you can use the phone hands-on and make sure the OS is functional; check the software version in system settings and look for signs of root apps (mine was rooted by the previous person so I immediately reflashed stock ROM and rooted myself once home, just to be sure nothing nasty like spyware or a device recovery app was left behind on there.) Bring small accessories too that you want to make sure will work like USB cord with charger, headphones, NFC tag, etc. Most importantly, arrange to make the phone purchase at the phone's carrier store. I scheduled the purchase to be at a Sprint store for my LS996 so I could verify with them if the ESN was blacklisted or clean, or if there was anybody else who had the phone on their account (active or inactive.) I could've asked for the MSL code and official Unlock to GSM Domestic once confirmed clean by Sprint but I've made the phone work on AT&T GoPhone LTE without it using the guide here.
Regardless of you go through, make sure to take all reasonable precautions to make sure the phone works and will suit you. Pay attention to the seller's attitude too: typically honest sellers will accommodate most requests and dishonest ones may question you or refuse your requests. You may also get a dishonest seller that is eager to rush the sale if they sense you aren't catching something wrong with the purchase - honest sellers will generally be patient if you show genuine interest in buying.

You made a mistake to give it back .for the price flex 2 is the best out there. As for oneplus x it has the 801 snapdragon that means an older processor like the original oneplus.
And one advice from a fellow "performance freak" . dont rely on benchmarks only they are a useful tool to check performance but everyday use is a better factor.For example:
One of the fastest phones out there is samsung s7 exynos version.
But it has a slower gpu than the snapdragon820 version.
In Geekbench for example the exynos version gets far better scores. In every day use the single core performance matters at most. Multicore is for gaming mostly.
In antutu the snapdragon version gets better scores because of the better gpu.

kutulu32 said:
You made a mistake to give it back .for the price flex 2 is the best out there. As for oneplus x it has the 801 snapdragon that means an older processor like the original oneplus.
And one advice from a fellow "performance freak" . dont rely on benchmarks only they are a useful tool to check performance but everyday use is a better factor.For example:
One of the fastest phones out there is samsung s7 exynos version.
But it has a slower gpu than the snapdragon820 version.
In Geekbench for example the exynos version gets far better scores. In every day use the single core performance matters at most. Multicore is for gaming mostly.
In antutu the snapdragon version gets better scores because of the better gpu.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I still have an option to buy the flex 2 or one plus x
I would get one plus 2 but it's lcd not oled
Sent from my GT-P3110 using XDA-Developers mobile app

kutulu32 said:
You made a mistake to give it back .for the price flex 2 is the best out there. As for oneplus x it has the 801 snapdragon that means an older processor like the original oneplus.
And one advice from a fellow "performance freak" . dont rely on benchmarks only they are a useful tool to check performance but everyday use is a better factor.For example:
One of the fastest phones out there is samsung s7 exynos version.
But it has a slower gpu than the snapdragon820 version.
In Geekbench for example the exynos version gets far better scores. In every day use the single core performance matters at most. Multicore is for gaming mostly.
In antutu the snapdragon version gets better scores because of the better gpu.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At least I can say I had the flex
Sent from my GT-P3110 using XDA-Developers mobile app

CoolCid said:
I still have an option to buy the flex 2 or one plus x
I would get one plus 2 but it's lcd not oled
Sent from my GT-P3110 using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mi4c is better.

The screen is terrible on the g flex 2. But it has a far better camera then the OnePlus x.
Also i'd pick Snapdragon 801 over 810 anyday. The battery drain is ridiculous with the 810.
Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-G930F met Tapatalk

I think the opo x have better updates, but if that is not important for you... take a flex2.
Any way take a look at findyourperfectphone.com, have a chart with phones filtered for price/value, and one expert mode to see all phone with the aspects that you want...

Thanks for all your help but I bought a HTC One a9
Sent from my HTC One A9 using XDA-Developers mobile app

So u have chosen the worst phone out of all recommended phones here, why even make such thread?
:good:

k3lcior said:
So u have chosen the worst phone out of all recommended phones here, why even make such thread?
:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your saying that a Chinese phone is better than HTC
Sent from my HTC One A9 using XDA-Developers mobile app

k3lcior said:
So u have chosen the worst phone out of all recommended phones here, why even make such thread?
:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HTC has well more features and I got it brand new unlocked for 209 the one plus X is crap
Sent from my HTC One A9 using XDA-Developers mobile app

good choice

CoolCid said:
Your saying that a Chinese phone is better than HTC
Sent from my HTC One A9 using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FYI HTC is originating from Taiwan which is Chinese province, it's never too late for education.

k3lcior said:
FYI HTC is originating from Taiwan which is Chinese province, it's never too late for education.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True but atleast HTC is based in UK aswell
Sent from my HTC One A9 using XDA-Developers mobile app

Convince me to get an S7

Hey guys,
I kinda want to buy the S7 (since I can get it new for 450€ here in belgium), but I'm still not convinced (mainly because i lose warranty by rooting and lack of custom roms like CM). Can you guys tell me why I should go for the S7 and not for the OP3T (for example)?
TLDR; give me good reasons to get an S7

It's not for us to convince, you need to read reviews, look at camera samples, test the phone as a physical demo in a store, compare what you find against the same with the OnePlus and decide if the price difference is worth it
---------- Post added at 12:02 ---------- Previous post was at 11:57 ----------
Have you made the same threads in other device forums?
If no, then it sounds like you already know which phone you want

Get a Moto Z Force. OnePlus battery is awful. Only drawback of Moto Z is no notification led and no headphone jack but it comes with an adapter.

*Detection* said:
It's not for us to convince, you need to read reviews, look at camera samples, test the phone as a physical demo in a store, compare what you find against the same with the OnePlus and decide if the price difference is worth it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i already did all of that xD
price difference is 10euros... thats why i'm not sure which one to get

destz0r said:
i already did all of that xD
price difference is 10euros... thats why i'm not sure which one to get
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well you're only going to really find 'Pro' S7 owners here lol
I think the phone is great, but don't have any others to compare it to, came from the S5 which I also thought was great
S7 is extremely quick, gets around 130k+ Antutu score, camera is stunning, battery life around 6 hours SoT depending on usage
Would I buy it again if I had the choice, yes
Plus Gear VR, you can get a headset either free depending on region and deal you get, or for about £40 on Amazon

*Detection* said:
Well you're only going to really find 'Pro' S7 owners here lol
I think the phone is great, but don't have any others to compare it to, came from the S5 which I also thought was great
S7 is extremely quick, gets around 130k+ Antutu score, camera is stunning, battery life around 6 hours SoT depending on usage
Would I buy it again if I had the choice, yes
Plus Gear VR, you can get a headset either free depending on region and deal you get, or for about £40 on Amazon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks man,
i incline more towards the s7 because its 5.1inch (and includes one-handed mode in its software), while the 3t is 5.5inch (which is kinda too large for me, and it has no one-handed mode)
i only wish i could root without breaking knox & my warranty why u do dis samsung why

I usually root all my Droids, but haven't felt the need to with the S7
Bloatware can be disabled with Package disablers from the play store without root
Ads blocked using non root VPN blockers
Really they were the main things I needed root for in the past, but happy without it this time round

*Detection* said:
I usually root all my Droids, but haven't felt the need to with the S7
Bloatware can be disabled with Package disablers from the play store without root
Ads blocked using non root VPN blockers
Really they were the main things I needed root for in the past, but happy without it this time round
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
does it block ads in all apps (like AdAway does)? or only when browsing the internet?

destz0r said:
does it block ads in all apps (like AdAway does)? or only when browsing the internet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everything, it redirects traffic through VPN to adblocker > phone
There are a few different ones, I've tried this one
https://block-this.com/
Seems to work well
Only use it for 4G though, I have an adblocker running on the network that blocks ads on everything DHCP anyway
Adguard too
https://adguard.com/en/adguard-android/overview.html

I bought one a few weeks ago and wasnt sure about whether I would stick with it.
I think its a great phone.
- didnt think I would care but I love the design and the way it feels in my hand. In that respect I totally could not get excited about the Pixel
- battery has been quite good for me
- Ive only had it for a few weeks but so far its very fast and a pleasure to use from an interface perspective
- camera is great. really good and really fast. Im not picky about that but its noticeable how nicely it works
- I have been having a little of a problem where it seems like the bluetooth may not be as strong as the S4 I came from. Not sure why that would be but when listening on bluetooth headphones with the phone in my pocket I get crackles and interruptions where I did not with my S4. I feel like this shouldnt be the case but so far I have been having a little of an issue there.

lirong said:
I bought one a few weeks ago and wasnt sure about whether I would stick with it.
I think its a great phone.
- didnt think I would care but I love the design and the way it feels in my hand. In that respect I totally could not get excited about the Pixel
- battery has been quite good for me
- Ive only had it for a few weeks but so far its very fast and a pleasure to use from an interface perspective
- camera is great. really good and really fast. Im not picky about that but its noticeable how nicely it works
- I have been having a little of a problem where it seems like the bluetooth may not be as strong as the S4 I came from. Not sure why that would be but when listening on bluetooth headphones with the phone in my pocket I get crackles and interruptions where I did not with my S4. I feel like this shouldnt be the case but so far I have been having a little of an issue there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks alot, what were ur previous phones? have u rooted ur S7 or dont u feel the need? (i kinda love xposed too much)

Ive had an S2 and an S4.
Held on to my S4 for a while because I didnt see an obvious reason to upgrade.
My S4 was rooted and ROM'd but so far have not been compelled to do that on S7.

I have both. Selling the One plus 3 as I don't use it any more. It's a good phone for the price but the s7 is just that little bit better in every way. For only a 10 euro difference I don't know why you're even asking.

Guess what, I just bought an S7 lol.
The first thing I always do on any android phone, is root + flash twrp + flash the best custom rom available. So which custom ROM do u guys recommend for the S7?

Congrats, make sure you read up on flashing TWRP, it's not as straight forward as usual thanks to encryption etc
Enable OEM unlock in Developer settings too
I think Superman ROM is pretty popular but I've just stuck with stock

I'm game: Get the S7 because you want a sub 5.5" flagship. It's screen is second to none, the Exynos processor is second to none. The camera is second to none. The battery life is good. With root/debloating, the speed advantage of AOSP is gone as Samsung has been making touchwiz better (and 7.0 better still). Get the dual sim model if you want all those things plus whatever reasons people us dual sim phones
...
Just read you got the S7.
First question is which CSC does your carrier use. If it's BTU, I'd say use a 7.0 Beta. If not, then use a S7 6.0 rom (or a better in many ways N7 port). If you use a N7 port, you will get your CSC from the N7 forum (same person released both version).
I like roms made by sac23 as his rom had the earliest support for T-mobile USA (s7 edge forums is more active with roms and they all work with the S7). I also like roms by tkkg994 as he seems to have the most comprehensive development work for the S7 (kernel/csc/3 roms). I prefer roms with rom control (which I use to remove am/pm from the clock and put a cirlce battery in place but is a more powerful theming tool).

rp3 said:
I'm game: Get the S7 because you want a sub 5.5" flagship. It's screen is second to none, the Exynos processor is second to none. The camera is second to none. The battery life is good. With root/debloating, the speed advantage of AOSP is gone as Samsung has been making touchwiz better (and 7.0 better still). Get the dual sim model if you want all those things plus whatever reasons people us dual sim phones
Also, maybe get it used for less though 450 ~480USD which is reasonable assuming it includes VAT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
destz0r said:
Guess what, I just bought an S7 lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^^^^^^^

I wanna get an s7. But.. where are the Roms for the snapdragon variant? Is development absolutely dead on the US variants?
Sent from my SM-G920K using XDA-Developers mobile app

H3adru5H said:
I wanna get an s7. But.. where are the Roms for the snapdragon variant? Is development absolutely dead on the US variants?
Sent from my SM-G920K using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The US snapdragon bootloader is locked. Development will stay dead.

H3adru5H said:
I wanna get an s7. But.. where are the Roms for the snapdragon variant? Is development absolutely dead on the US variants?
Sent from my SM-G920K using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get the exynos s7, only touchwiz roms though, but better cpu.

Galaxy S8 / S8+ Software

Hello folks!
Does anyone have any real reports or experiences of how does the software on these devices perform in terms of speed and stability?
It's just interesting.. I think I'm not the only one who would like to hear of there's any.

S8/S8+ Performance
There are plenty of performance videos on youtube about the performance and speed of the S8/S8+ vs many different phones. The S8/S8+ is basically kicked all other phones in the nads.

BleedCrimson said:
There are plenty of performance videos on youtube about the performance and speed of the S8/S8+ vs many different phones. The S8/S8+ is basically kicked all other phones in the nads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It didn't look all that great against the $400 OnePlus 3T

Didn't look great against the iPhone either. Most phones don't though.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I saw that the US version is not doing that good. The carrier once, i think it was an at&t. The EU i saw with the Exynos chip performed very good even against the iphone 7 plus. But i think everyone will have a better view if he get one in his hands.

I have the 3T so will be interesting to compare, however I can't see the S8+ being as Dramatically poor as seems to come accross here, it will be fast and zippy and will hardly hinder you in such a way that you'll feel like you have been scammed lol
Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

HitNrun_ said:
I saw that the US version is not doing that good. The carrier once, i think it was an at&t. The EU i saw with the Exynos chip performed very good even against the iphone 7 plus. But i think everyone will have a better view if he get one in his hands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exynos will again dominate the snapdragon. Makes me sick thinking about paying $1000 for the interior version.

949.99€ in EU market. Its really much, i would love for EU to have the US prices, the taxes here in EU are way to high...

General [Info] Samsung Galaxy A53

See:
Samsung launches the Galaxy A53 5G and Galaxy A33 5G with Exynos 1280 and no headphone jacks
www.xda-developers.com

Question is: is it any better than A52s? I'm not seeing how...

I just bought the a53 last night (old phone is a oneplus 6t) and frankly, I'm under-whelmed. Reason being is that my old phone had no lag -- everything was butter. A53 has a 1/2 second lag and sometimes requires a harder press on the touch screen, so it seems.
the A53 has a better chipset, slightly bigger battery and no headphone jack. It's more of a "side grade" than a true upgrade.
I hope the aforementioned helps. =)

sameog said:
I just bought the a53 last night (old phone is a oneplus 6t) and frankly, I'm under-whelmed. Reason being is that my old phone had no lag -- everything was butter. A53 has a 1/2 second lag and sometimes requires a harder press on the touch screen, so it seems.
the A53 has a better chipset, slightly bigger battery and no headphone jack. It's more of a "side grade" than a true upgrade.
I hope the aforementioned helps. =)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, can you tell us more about the specs of this phone as some sources claim that the Cpu is Exonus, other Qualcomm. I'm interested also about the camera sensors. You can check all that info in apps like Aida64, DevCheck, Device Info HW.
Thanks!

zaqm said:
Hi, can you tell us more about the specs of this phone as some sources claim that the Cpu is Exonus, other Qualcomm. I'm interested also about the camera sensors. You can check all that info in apps like Aida64, DevCheck, Device Info HW.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not being an OP...
Neither Aida64, nor CPU-Z can identify the CPU other than 2x ARM [email protected],40 and 6x ARM [email protected],00 with Mali-G68 GPU. I do believe it ix Exinos CPU, though. If you'd let me know how to get camera info, you are after, I will be happy to get it for you as well.

Did anyone in any region manage to make the second SIM useful? It is clearly marked as SIM2, but, whatever I put in there would not register, About menu only list one IMEI and Samsung support is utterly clueless -- I got range of responses from "there is an eSIM" to "we might turn on second SIM with the firmware update in the future" to "go to the service center and they will diagnose it for you". I have not had the time to do the latter and I wonder if that worked for anyone.

incanter said:
Not being an OP...
Neither Aida64, nor CPU-Z can identify the CPU other than 2x ARM [email protected],40 and 6x ARM [email protected],00 with Mali-G68 GPU. I do believe it ix Exinos CPU, though. If you'd let me know how to get camera info, you are after, I will be happy to get it for you as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I also think it's Exonus since it's has a Mali gpu. As for Camera on Device Info HW Canera section should identify all the sensors with their names if the system allows this info to be displayed.
How's the overall performance by the way.
Thanks for the info!

zaqm said:
Yes I also think it's Exonus since it's has a Mali gpu. As for Camera on Device Info HW Canera section should identify all the sensors with their names if the system allows this info to be displayed.
How's the overall performance by the way.
Thanks for the info!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Device Info HW identifies it as Exynos 1280, FWIW. Attached is Device Info HW report on camera. Let me know if you are interested in anything else.

zaqm said:
How's the overall performance by the way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Coming from OG Pixel XL (2016)... performance is good

incanter said:
Device Info HW identifies it as Exynos 1280, FWIW. Attached is Device Info HW report on camera. Let me know if you are interested in anything else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does not look right.

Zilliman said:
Does not look right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, just ran whatever 'zaqm' asked me to run and posted the report... no warranty explicit or implied

sameog said:
I just bought the a53 last night (old phone is a oneplus 6t) and frankly, I'm under-whelmed. Reason being is that my old phone had no lag -- everything was butter. A53 has a 1/2 second lag and sometimes requires a harder press on the touch screen, so it seems.
the A53 has a better chipset, slightly bigger battery and no headphone jack. It's more of a "side grade" than a true upgrade.
I hope the aforementioned helps. =)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I literally did the same thing lol. I will say I was very underwhelmed the first day but it has been grown on me. It has a few things the 6t did not. Fingerprint sensor seems to be faster, I enjoy having a micro SD card slot, a better screen, and of course a much faster data connection.
I find the battery life was underwhelming at first but after a few battery cycles it has gotten considerably better. I also went ahead and used ADB to remove some annoying packages. I have the T-Mobile version of the a53 5g and there were two different messaging apps in their stock along with a handful of Facebook apps that even when disabled still run in the background. That's no bueno for me.
Considering how old the OnePlus 6t is it still ran like a damn race car every day. This phone only feels like a minor upgrade. Even when opening apps on the two devices right next to each other the 6t sometimes opens things faster. for the most part the two of them are neck and neck most of the time which is truly impressive for a phone that is 4 years old.

i bought Galaxy A53 - but i was thought on the A73 too. I watch related comparison video too on the below url
, but i decide finally the A53 , what is your opinion? It a good choice ???

sorry for my english...

MikeChannon said:
See:
Samsung launches the Galaxy A53 5G and Galaxy A33 5G with Exynos 1280 and no headphone jacks
www.xda-developers.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you are member since of 1972 ? this sound good...

williec80 said:
you are member since of 1972 ? this sound good...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LoL, yes I was here 31 years before the site was created, I also work 62 hours a day at XDA; there's clearly something wrong with me.
Mike

MikeChannon said:
LoL, yes I was here 31 years before the site was created, I also work 62 hours a day at XDA; there's clearly something wrong with me.
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you are a time traveler stranger

Adding a piece of info here.
Just received the April update on the unlocked version. This is at least a week after carrier updates were mentioned in news and released. And also during the next month.
In the event people are wondering where the update is for their device. Carriers are able to push it out faster rofl. I have to believe they tested things
I'm not sure if you want to be on a carrier version.

sandsofmyst said:
Adding a piece of info here.
Just received the April update on the unlocked version. This is at least a week after carrier updates were mentioned in news and released. And also during the next month.
In the event people are wondering where the update is for their device. Carriers are able to push it out faster rofl. I have to believe they tested things
I'm not sure if you want to be on a carrier version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
for what it's worth, i got the april update as soon as i turned on the phone. as usual with non-pixel android updates, these are probably staged rollouts.

sandsofmyst said:
Adding a piece of info here.
Just received the April update on the unlocked version. This is at least a week after carrier updates were mentioned in news and released. And also during the next month.
In the event people are wondering where the update is for their device. Carriers are able to push it out faster rofl. I have to believe they tested things
I'm not sure if you want to be on a carrier version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For those who have got the update, did it help with performance, especially the camera?? We haven't got the April update yet in Australia and am trying decide whether to exchange the phone as the camera is almost unusable at the moment.

Question Considering a Korean G996N Model S21+ .. Any pitfalls/Things To Be Aware Of?

Hey there all!
Hoping to upgrade from my S8 after nearly 5 years (yup, it's been so dependable! haha), and came across a S21+ for a decent price where I am currently living in Japan.
I am originally from Canada, and therefore for my S8 I made sure to buy an NA unlocked model (SM-G950U1) just to ensure that everything was in English and that I could also use it abroad in Japan as it was SIM-unlocked. In the end I never had any problems if I ever needed to reset everything, and at the end of the day, these days all language settings are all first set up in the OS at the time of factory resetting anyways, so I don't imagine this Korean model would be a problem.
Anyhow, that being said though, I have never purchased an unlocked Korean model before (looking at a 256GB G996N for a rather cheap price right now), so I am just hoping to know what I am getting myself into before purchasing.. just in case there may be some pitfalls such as different bands.. warranty claims needing to go through Samsung Korea... apps/bloatware being a bunch of Korean stuff... etc.
Worst case scenario, being an Exynos model, wouldn't I be able to flash the official international "G996B" rom if I just wanted something entirely in English right from the get-go.. or would that not even make much of a difference?
It would be great to have any advice that I could get; sorry for being a bit of a noob when it comes to this stuff lol.. just trying to be careful before dropping a good $500USD-ish! haha
Cheers!

I pick up a new N10+ instead. Or a used one running on Android 9 or 10. Avoid 11 and especially 12.
More bang for the buck. No 5G or variable refresh rate display but a better display in terms of color accuracy and reliability. Cams not as good but the N10+ grabs good images. Better form factor, functionality, usability and battery life. Expandable storage up to 1tb... and that's important.

jon199021 said:
Hey there all!
Hoping to upgrade from my S8 after nearly 5 years (yup, it's been so dependable! haha), and came across a S21+ for a decent price where I am currently living in Japan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, you are such a loyal user. the longest device I use is around 3 years and it was Xiaomi Mi 8 until I switch to S21+ when it's launch. I think, phone should regularly update once every 3 years to keep updated with the latest feature.
jon199021 said:
Anyhow, that being said though, I have never purchased an unlocked Korean model before (looking at a 256GB G996N for a rather cheap price right now), so I am just hoping to know what I am getting myself into before purchasing.. just in case there may be some pitfalls such as different bands.. warranty claims needing to go through Samsung Korea... apps/bloatware being a bunch of Korean stuff... etc.
Worst case scenario, being an Exynos model, wouldn't I be able to flash the official international "G996B" rom if I just wanted something entirely in English right from the get-go.. or would that not even make much of a difference?
It would be great to have any advice that I could get; sorry for being a bit of a noob when it comes to this stuff lol.. just trying to be careful before dropping a good $500USD-ish! haha
Cheers!
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I'm not korean, so I don't know a specific case of S21+ korean version. I live in asia and I'm using Exynos version. Everything is working flawless, English is available from the get go, I'm using English as my main language for my phone, I think there will be no difference from the US version. You can't install snapdragon firmware for an Exynos phone though.
Something to note that Exynos version have a worse camera and battery life compared to the snapdragon. The differences is slightly though, not something a deal breaker at all.

riyosakura said:
Wow, you are such a loyal user. the longest device I use is around 3 years and it was Xiaomi Mi 8 until I switch to S21+ when it's launch. I think, phone should regularly update once every 3 years to keep updated with the latest feature.
I'm not korean, so I don't know a specific case of S21+ korean version. I live in asia and I'm using Exynos version. Everything is working flawless, English is available from the get go, I'm using English as my main language for my phone, I think there will be no difference from the US version. You can't install snapdragon firmware for an Exynos phone though.
Something to note that Exynos version have a worse camera and battery life compared to the snapdragon. The differences is slightly though, not something a deal breaker at all.
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Thank you for the thorough reply!
Haha, yeah, I actually went Galaxy S1 -> S4 -> S8 ... and now maybe to S21+.
I like the S21+ more than the S21 or S22 because of the better battery... but I am also afraid that coming from an S8, the S21+ will feel too big to hold properly. I guess I will just go to a local phone shop here in Japan and see if I can test the size of it to make sure it's usable for me.
Anyhow, thank you for letting me know about your experience with the Exynos version. I have always had Snapdragon phones since that was normal in North America, but Snapdragon versions have locked bootloaders so they don't get root exploits and custom rom support.. that is a big part of holding onto a phone for 4-5 years like I do, since good custom roms like LineageOS give all the features you need with a nice, clean experience. Better than Samsung official firmware most of the time!
... interesting that you say the camera is worse though... I've heard about the battery life being slightly worse, but never the camera! hmmmm!