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From S4 AMOLED to Nexus 5 LCD ..any second thoughts?

Any other S4 owners having reservations about going back to LCD screen after enjoying AMOLED?
I know S4 colors are not perfectly accurate but I for one have always enjoyed such vibrant display on my phone. I'm all for having accurately calibrated TV but on a phone I prefer the richness AMOLED provides. When I tried switching the screen profile to "Movie", to see how it would be, I always got a "blah" feeling when I went back to my home screen, something was missing.
So, my Nexus is "out for delivery" and I'm trying to convince myself to open the box when it gets here. I like everything else about it.

Is this a joke?

I've been with the S3 since it was released and always liked the super vibrant and colour saturated screen. Been on my Nexus 5 for a few days now and I actually prefer it more. The colours aren't as saturated but the screen looks more.. realistic. I find the S3 screen to be too distracting and irritating now.
That's my opinion.

I don't know about the "vibrancy" of my Nexus 5's screen, but it is worlds ahead of my Galaxy Nexus' screen. Everything is crystal clear, and looking at them both at the same time makes my Gnex look awful.

I was in a similar boat coming from my galaxy note 2. I've always adored AMOLED displays.
To my surprise though I really like the nexus 5 screen. I like it better than my note 2. I'm really impressed.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Surfy89 said:
I've been with the S3 since it was released and always liked the super vibrant and colour saturated screen. Been on my Nexus 5 for a few days now and I actually prefer it more. The colours aren't as saturated but the screen looks more.. realistic. I find the S3 screen to be too distracting and irritating now.
That's my opinion.
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I have never been a big fan of AMOLED. I have had it on past phones, like you I had a Galaxy S3 as my immediate prior phone. I honestly hated the display because I couldn't see anything in direct sunlight outside. It was great for indoor viewing at night, and as a clock on my night stand but that was it. I much much more prefer the screen on the Nexus 5.

AMOLED is terrible. IPS is much better
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

I absolutely love amoled screens... that being said I also love the Nexus 5 screen!

ptscon said:
Any other S4 owners having reservations about going back to LCD screen after enjoying AMOLED?
I know S4 colors are not perfectly accurate but I for one have always enjoyed such vibrant display on my phone. I'm all for having accurately calibrated TV but on a phone I prefer the richness AMOLED provides. When I tried switching the screen profile to "Movie", to see how it would be, I always got a "blah" feeling when I went back to my home screen, something was missing.
So, my Nexus is "out for delivery" and I'm trying to convince myself to open the box when it gets here. I like everything else about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm still having some reservations.
I'm testing both devices for a week.

I am coming from a Note 2 as well. My first reaction to the N5 was, wow this screen looks great. Crystal clear and colors look better to me. This is another thing though that will be entirely up to the user. Some with see things different than others.

itsalexaye90 said:
AMOLED is terrible. IPS is much better
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
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It's a cheap IPS, which is no better than S-PVA.
Just compare Nexus 5 colors to iphone or to IPS monitors from Apple or NEC.

jodvova said:
It's a cheap IPS, which is no better than S-PVA.
Just compare Nexus 5 colors to iphone or to IPS monitors from Apple or NEC.
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Pretty sure the Nexus 5 is a cheap phone, at $350 unlocked.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

itsalexaye90 said:
Pretty sure the Nexus 5 is a cheap phone, at $350 unlocked.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
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Define "cheap".
The manufacturing costs of iphone is cheap too.
http://www.isuppli.com/Teardowns/Ne...-Manufacturing-Cost-IHS-Teardown-Reveals.aspx
But apple likes to earn a big margin on them. Now, Google as Amazon might follow a different strategy here.

ptscon said:
Any other S4 owners having reservations about going back to LCD screen after enjoying AMOLED?
I know S4 colors are not perfectly accurate but I for one have always enjoyed such vibrant display on my phone. I'm all for having accurately calibrated TV but on a phone I prefer the richness AMOLED provides. When I tried switching the screen profile to "Movie", to see how it would be, I always got a "blah" feeling when I went back to my home screen, something was missing.
So, my Nexus is "out for delivery" and I'm trying to convince myself to open the box when it gets here. I like everything else about it.
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Click to collapse
Keep your locked bootloader s4 and pretty display. And next time search before posting. There are many other threads discussing the same thing.

jd1639 said:
Keep your locked bootloader s4 and pretty display. And next time search before posting. There are many other threads discussing the same thing.
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S4 GE's bootloader is unlocked. what's the problem ?

No second thoughts at all. Love ips screens. S4 screen you can see it is something glued under something else while here you feel it is one. Also amoled screen hurts my eyes. As for the washed out colors no worries at all. PA has the cure

I'm really missing AMOLED if i'm being honest. There is no Black as such on the N5 screen, just shades of grey. IPS glow sucks! What i want on this phone is to eliminate all traces of the Holo dark theme which doesn't work at all well on this screen. If everything was light coloured it wouldn't be an issue.

I've never actually owned a phone with an AMOLED screen but I have used them a bit and I personally prefer IPS, the HTC One has the nicest displays yet I hope the N5 screen is at least comparable.

nfaust01 said:
I am coming from a Note 2 as well. My first reaction to the N5 was, wow this screen looks great. Crystal clear and colors look better to me. This is another thing though that will be entirely up to the user. Some with see things different than others.
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Click to collapse
This was my experience too coming from a Note 2. I love the display.

I've never owned a phone with amoled display, but looked at Samsung note 3, my initial thoughts were that the colours were very vibrant, after some time however I have concluded that the colours are over saturated.
I realise it's a matter of personal choice which you prefer, my preference is IPS lcd .
With regards to the claimed superiority of amoled display ability to show truer black, I am typing this on my nexus 5 and the black display is almost indistinguishable from black bevel at the top of the screen.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda app-developers app

Outdoor screen visibility

For those who own the phone how is the screen in direct sunlight. I work outdoors and hate having to shade the phone to see the screen. I was pretty set on this phone until the article about the s5 having a great screen and has a ridiculously bright screen. I really wasn't thinking about the s5 until that article came out now i'm torn.....really want the build quality, speakers, and lightning fast camera shutter with no hardware home button. On the other hand I really need a screen that can give me the best outdoor performance.

I work outside all day and leave the brightness around 50 and can see it fine
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

I can see completely fine in direct sunlight without the brightness being all the way up. LCD is much better than amoled
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

As the others have said, it's fine. Only catch is don't bother if you're wearing sunglasses, you'll barely be able to see.

LCD is much better than amoled
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If you have ever looked at an LED TV next to an LCD you'll know thats incredibly wrong. If you have a brightly lit room for a room with a lot of sunlight, you basically can't buy LCD. Its the same for phones, my friend has the m8 and i have a gs4, my phone looks 10x better than his outdoors.

achmedclaus said:
If you have ever looked at an LED TV next to an LCD you'll know thats incredibly wrong. If you have a brightly lit room for a room with a lot of sunlight, you basically can't buy LCD. Its the same for phones, my friend has the m8 and i have a gs4, my phone looks 10x better than his outdoors.
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Which is strange considering the one has almost twice the lux of the galaxy s4.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

I have a gs4 and m8, and I can see the m8 much easier outdoors.
Guess my eyes work differently than yours. *shrug*

M8 vs S4
achmedclaus said:
If you have ever looked at an LED TV next to an LCD you'll know thats incredibly wrong. If you have a brightly lit room for a room with a lot of sunlight, you basically can't buy LCD. Its the same for phones, my friend has the m8 and i have a gs4, my phone looks 10x better than his outdoors.
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My daughter seems to think her S4 lacks the brightness in direct sunlight that I have on my M8. Her face was frowning and drooling as she peered into the gorgeous Super LCD3 screen, which seemingly mocked the direct sunlight shining down upon it.

sfreemanoh said:
As the others have said, it's fine. Only catch is don't bother if you're wearing sunglasses, you'll barely be able to see.
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Click to collapse
Depends on your luck with the device. There appears to be more than one screen manufacturer or something. My wife and I got our M8s at the same time, but while polarized sunglasses are not the slightest problem for me, with her phone the display vanishes in portrait orientation wearing them.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using xda app-developers app

I think the m8 is easier to see than my s4. You always have the 30 return policy. I'd get the m8 and if you don't like it return it for the s5
Sent from my S-Off HTC One M8

Tangent_ said:
Depends on your luck with the device. There appears to be more than one screen manufacturer or something. My wife and I got our M8s at the same time, but while polarized sunglasses are not the slightest problem for me, with her phone the display vanishes in portrait orientation wearing them.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I've looked at 6 different M8s with sun glasses on, some were hard to read and some were not. Which certainly leads one to think that there are different screen manufacturers, or coatings, or something. (most likely different screens though)
Jason

How much do you I love your V10 ?

How much do you love your V10 ?
After root my v10 I really love more then before because root bring me to Manny options for Theming my V10 make feel my phone lake on others level .
What that I have installed
Xpose
Xstana (theme my status bar /nav bar)
G4tweaksbox
Screenoffanimations
LG theme Engine
hopefully here its the right threa for post this .
So what do you have installed and how do you love you v10 after root ?

I would love it more of I could root it lol waiting for root for the Verizon variant.

Love it. No issues

I traded in my Nexus 6 for the V10 the day after Christmas, don't regret it thus far, although some AOSP Roms would be nice.

KiRyah said:
I would love it more of I could root it lol waiting for root for the Verizon variant.
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Yeah Hopefully soon my friend just wait little more ..

Sippi4x4man said:
I traded in my Nexus 6 for the V10 the day after Christmas, don't regret it thus far, although some AOSP Roms would be nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I wait for cm 13 as well but to be honest I like it the stock too with modifications lake I said on the post

Zack.TheDark said:
Love it. No issues
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Me too bro

Coming from G3, almost didn't go to to LG because of it. This thing is a whole different world of awesome. Things that overheated and throttled my G3 don't even warm this thing up, and best part, no data issues going from WiFi to mobile!!! Love the second screen too. Now when I'm navigating and streaming Bluetooth at the same time, I can change tracks without leaving nav app, notifications don't interrupt games/videos...Extremely happy so far!
Sent from my LG-H901 using Tapatalk

jekern77 said:
Coming from G3, almost didn't go to to LG because of it. This thing is a whole different world of awesome. Things that overheated and throttled my G3 don't even warm this thing up, and best part, no data issues going from WiFi to mobile!!! Love the second screen too. Now when I'm navigating and streaming Bluetooth at the same time, I can change tracks without leaving nav app, notifications don't interrupt games/videos...Extremely happy so far!
Sent from my LG-H901 using Tapatalk
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Yeah I'm agree with you I love the second screen its one's of the things why I get this phone and I like to see my name on the top ? of the screen lol

Need to point out that realistically it is only a 5 inch screen.
With controls and second screen. You effectively have only a 5 inch screen with a whole lot of bulk. Granted the internals are great. Although it is not in any way a 5.7 inch screen. Great phone, but let down on such a massive phone with effectively no more screen area than a S4.
Not to mention. NO blinking notification and no temperature or humidity sensors. Infered is marginal at best.

sinner822 said:
Need to point out that realistically it is only a 5 inch screen.
With controls and second screen. You effectively have only a 5 inch screen with a whole lot of bulk. Granted the internals are great. Although it is not in any way a 5.7 inch screen. Great phone, but let down on such a massive phone with effectively no more screen area than a S4.
Not to mention. NO blinking notification and no temperature or humidity sensors. Infered is marginal at best.
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Click to collapse
Umm, no, it's not a 5" screen. The main screen is 5.7" minus how much space the buttons at the bottom take up, which is like any other phone not made my Samsung.
The second screen is a completely independent 2.1" screen. Please don't spread misinformation.
And they didn't put a led light because that is what the second screen is partly for. And if you want all those sensors, get a Samsung.
Sounds like you need to do more research before you buy a $600+ smartphone only to be disappointed for you own lack of research.

sinner822 said:
Need to point out that realistically it is only a 5 inch screen.
With controls and second screen. You effectively have only a 5 inch screen with a whole lot of bulk. Granted the internals are great. Although it is not in any way a 5.7 inch screen. Great phone, but let down on such a massive phone with effectively no more screen area than a S4.
Not to mention. NO blinking notification and no temperature or humidity sensors. Infered is marginal at best.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All the notifications done with the banner.

sinner822 said:
Need to point out that realistically it is only a 5 inch screen.
With controls and second screen. You effectively have only a 5 inch screen with a whole lot of bulk. Granted the internals are great. Although it is not in any way a 5.7 inch screen. Great phone, but let down on such a massive phone with effectively no more screen area than a S4.
Not to mention. NO blinking notification and no temperature or humidity sensors. Infered is marginal at best.
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Click to collapse
Actually, if you go get yourself a tape measure, the 5.7 doesn't include the second screen... And if you're really tech savvy, you can hide the navigation bar when you aren't using it... So on both of those counts, you are wrong... Also, all your notifications appear on the second screen, which to me is more convenient than a blinking light, since I don't even need to open my phone to check my notifications. And also, the infrared controls my stuff from anywhere in the living room, which works fine for me... Considering Samsung no longer has this option, it's a plus. Other than that, sorry to ruin your phone bash, have a super day.
Sent from my LG-H901 using Tapatalk

This phone made me love it. My G3 started getting the BSOD and honestly I'd planned switch to a Samsung S7 Edge in March, or whenever it is released. Went to the store to try to get a used G4 just to hold me off until then but they didn't have any. Walked out with the V10. Unlocked bootloader, flashed TWRP and SU and have been loving it ever since. I'm not really sure why because aside from the standard faster processor, gig more memory and slightly larger screen, it wasn't that much different from my G3 but I've really grown to like this thing. Second screen is the phone's first bullet point but it's kind of gimmicky and I don't really have a use for it, but besides that stuff just seems to work better on the V10. It doesn't have Bluetooth connection issues like my G3 did, phone doesn't heat a small room under heavy use, and I'm not clearing apps to free up 200mb more memory all day. Call quality is great, quick charge is awesome, and the 5.7" screen is really, really, really nice. A louder and clearer speaker is the only thing the G3 did better but the V10's will do. So I've warmed up to my step child and really not thinking about the S6/S7 at the moment.

sinner822 said:
Need to point out that realistically it is only a 5 inch screen.
With controls and second screen. You effectively have only a 5 inch screen with a whole lot of bulk. Granted the internals are great. Although it is not in any way a 5.7 inch screen. Great phone, but let down on such a massive phone with effectively no more screen area than a S4.
Not to mention. NO blinking notification and no temperature or humidity sensors. Infered is marginal at best.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You do know that the screen + the second screen measure to 5.9 inches right? I have a S4 also and the screen is alot bigger on the V10 than the S4...

Sippi4x4man said:
I traded in my Nexus 6 for the V10 the day after Christmas, don't regret it thus far, although some AOSP Roms would be nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you. I come from the nexus 6 and so far I love this phone but the lack of custom Rom and development is kind of ?.

Bought mine during launch week, and was disappointed it had major issues: second-screen bleed was bad, and the speaker sounded really distorted. Then a month later the wireless charging chip died.
T-Mobile replaced it with a brand new unit manufactured in late December and it is absolutely perfect. No bleed at all, speaker is crystal-clear. Loving it, especially the camera!

Started out with Lg G2 d800,loved that phone sold it and got lg g3 D850 awesome phone.. Finally decided to get the v10,its very smooth, fast, beautiful display, whenever i take pictures my friends are stunted by how beautiful and rich the photos come out. Manual controls on camera and video, dual front face camera, removable battery , sdcard support, slick and premium design over kill. This is by far the best device i have ever owned since day one 'htc touch pro2' ... Im really impressed with this phone...

I upgraded from a Nexus 6. My first experience with LG (Android wise) was with the G2 and the Flex. So going to the V10 was easy. My only caveat is the fact that I moved back to 5.1.1 when I've been on 6.0.1 for a bit. Can't wait for some decent roms to truly use this phones full potential.

I almost gave up on androind OS after two generations of Samsung Galaxy devices, Note 3 and until today Note 4. The update from Kitkat ruined the Note 4 experience completely for me, if anything left me frustrated. Ive reached an age whereby I just want something to do as it says on the box, typing on the Note 4 became a nightmare for me, tiny space bar mistyping all the time. Wifes Iphone 6plus was appealing but thought Id try another brand of Droid. Earlier today walked out of the T Mobile store with a new V10.

Note 5 vs V10

I'm looking to switch outta the note 5. Does any one know if the LG v10 is comparable?
Sent from my SM-N920T using XDA-Developers mobile app

I'm not sure if I want a phone with IPS screen.

I've had both. I jumped to the v10, and was back to the note 5 within a month.
The V10 is good, but not quite there yet on performance and bugs.
The camera is excellent though. I liked that better than the note.
Overall, it wasn't a bad phone for me. My wife still has hers and likes it.
It is a different experience for sure
Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk

tengtengvn said:
I'm not sure if I want a phone with IPS screen.
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Click to collapse
How come?
IPS screens aren't bad at all. Colours are pretty on point too especially compared to Samsung and their over saturation of colours.
Sent from my SM-N920C using Tapatalk

Jammol said:
How come?
IPS screens aren't bad at all. Colours are pretty on point too especially compared to Samsung and their over saturation of colours.
Sent from my SM-N920C using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
AMOLED and dark theme save battery. I'm used to the AMOLED screen but that's just me. I don't like how pixels are lid up on a black background. The Moto 360 has the IPS screen and it's pretty annoying to look at at night with an always on watchface.

tengtengvn said:
AMOLED and dark theme save battery. I'm used to the AMOLED screen but that's just me. I don't like how pixels are lid up on a black background. The Moto 360 has the IPS screen and it's pretty annoying to look at at night with an always on watchface.
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Click to collapse
Ahh okay. I see a lot of people complain about that on the IPS devices. I didn't mind the ones I've owned in the past. I will say that I do love the Amoled screens but I just don't see the hype of the superBlacks that people rave about, though I do love my screen not Cyclops'in me at night though. Lol.

blackhemi4x4 said:
I've had both. I jumped to the v10, and was back to the note 5 within a month.
The V10 is good, but not quite there yet on performance and bugs.
The camera is excellent though. I liked that better than the note.
Overall, it wasn't a bad phone for me. My wife still has hers and likes it.
It is a different experience for sure
Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here...its a nice concept but v10 has worse battery life than note 5 and the second screen has weird shadowing issues that I could not stand ...not really a second screen...software splits them up...when you load cyanogen on it is obvious and I hated it.... hope this helps..

jasons1004 said:
Same here...its a nice concept but v10 has worse battery life than note 5 and the second screen has weird shadowing issues that I could not stand ...not really a second screen...software splits them up...when you load cyanogen on it is obvious and I hated it.... hope this helps..
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That sounds awful. I never get the point of the second screen in the V10.

tengtengvn said:
That sounds awful. I never get the point of the second screen in the V10.
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Click to collapse
Yeah pretty much just a dedicated recent bar or edge app bar...pretty gimmicky....note 5 is such a better device overall...I don't know why every phone doesn't have front facing speakers tho...the only thing I would change really...but viper does a very nice job improving default speaker performance.
I usually don't even need to turn it up past halfway!

Jammol said:
Ahh okay. I see a lot of people complain about that on the IPS devices. I didn't mind the ones I've owned in the past. I will say that I do love the Amoled screens but I just don't see the hype of the superBlacks that people rave about, though I do love my screen not Cyclops'in me at night though. Lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems to have a lot to do with how people use their phones. I'm personally a heavy reader, and there's something about Kindle with the black background setting and an AMOLED display. The screen just sort of disappears when you read in the dark, and all you see are the letters floating in your hand.
After three Samsungs, I switched to a Nexus 5 a couple years ago and haaaated the always-glowing LCD. Picked up a Note 4, breathed a sigh of relief. Went through the usual annual "Samsung sucks, I'm never buying another Samsung ever again!" tantrum after that and tried an iPhone 6 just to "gain some perspective". Haaaated the always-glowing LCD yet again (and so much more--you can't answer incoming VOIP app calls from the lock screen? What??), and went right back to Samsung with this Note 5.
So I've basically learned two things about myself: 1) I need zero-glow-blacks and 2) whining about Samsung has never changed the fact that they're the only brand I haven't thoroughly hated owning.

I agree. Samsung is keeping the best AMOLED screen for their flagships. The 6P's AMOLED screen is great but you can clearly tell it's not on the same level.

My impressions/review of the phone, in small episodes

I have been putting out information about U11+ in hamdir's thread for couple of days. I thought may be I should collate all the information and create a thread. So, here it is. Note that I am going to keep adding stuff as I use the phone everyday to point out the good the bad and the ugly. Go ahead and ask questions. If its possible for me, I will try to answer.
Quick update
Very quick update folks....
I got the amazing silver in my hands now. Been fiddling with options etc. for last 30 mins.
It a thing of beauty, let me tell you that first and foremost!! Amazing silver is really a shiny light blue colour. I love it!
Indoors, its brighter than my HTC 10 Tianma display. By how much? I don't know but its uncomfortably high for me at max. I won't use it at anywhere close to max. May be around 50%. Can't compare outdoor in direct sunlight until tomorrow. Will update again.
The weight is not a concern for me, its a little bit more than my 10 but not by much. The screen is gorgeous and much better than 10!!
The FP scanner is a little bit of a problem for me because I am not used to the rear scanner. I am finding it odd to pick the phone to use it. But I knew this going in. So, some mental recalibration is necessary. I can see OCD types hating this aspect, but I am fine with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Couple of more quick updates:
1. Speakers are much better than HTC 10. Louder and clearer. You would be very pleased to hear these if you upgrade from HTC 10. Just saw the infinity war trailer on it and listened through Thriller....
2. Lowest screen brightness gets very low. Good for night time, in-dark browsing. Much lower than HTC 10.
3. The screen gets much blacker than HTC10 in "day dream" or "always on" mode in the complete darkness, which may help with battery if you are thinking of keeping AOD on always. The "light bleed" associated with LCD panels is still there through. In fact, its little uneven compared to HTC 10. On HTC 10, you can clearly see that the whole screen is lit up but only the text is brighter. On U11+, the lower left part of the screen is almost complete black whereas the right side shows more light bleed. I don't know if its a defect in my unit or its just something impossible to achieve during LCD panel manufacturing. Not perfection but not a big deal for me.
The default is not AOD but it is turn on the dimly lit display when you pick up the phone.
Double tap to wake works (someone asked earlier). On display button let's you put it to sleep in case you don't want to press power button to lock/put it sleep.
So far, thrilled to get this phone. I hope we work out TWRP really quick, root and I can move to this phone as my daily driver.
Click to expand...
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GSMArena got the battery life wrong on this phone or they tested a different phone. I have been setting up, installing apps, syncing email accounts and generally fiddling with this phone for past 3-4 hours with 1h40m of SOT (screen brightness at 50% with Auto on, my typical setting for HTC 10) and it has consumed about 16% of battery. Haven't got that kind of battery life from any phone I have used or seen anybody else use in practical terms (I don't believe in artificial benchmarks). I think there is nothing to worry about battery life on this phone. This will last even the big time users through the day (10-12 hour day) easily.
One thing i notice is that its idling very well when turned off. My HTC 10 did not do that very well. So, the wifi chip seems to have been fixed up.
Note that its running 8.0.0 with Oct 1st patch. So, this has to still get the 8.1.1 release, which potentially should improve things.
Click to expand...
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Its still morning here in bay area and not afternoon sunny yet. But with the morning sun behind me, I can clearly say that U11+ is better than my HTC10. With HTC camera app, I looked through a chain of balconies shaded by trees, and sun behind me, to see how far each screen shows me. Side by side, I could see more detail and farther in U11+. This is highly unscientific but the brightness in sunlight is an upgrade from HTC10 Tianma to U11+. I will try to get some photos of the two phones' camera app in sunlight later in the day.
I think brightness jump is not huge from HTC 10, but its big enough for me to say I feel more comfortable taking photos/videos outdoors. Note that Camera sensor may also be playing a role in this. HTC 10 has a smaller f/1.8 aperture. So, more testing may be needed on the screen brightness in general. But practically speaking, I browsed around and I had no trouble reading text with sun behind me, falling directly on the phone. That's good for me, 500 nits or not.
I tried with both Auto brightness enabled and disabled, at max brightness. Results are same.
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Someone asked about the FP gestures earlier. I did not find any settings for them and moving the finger around on FP in any direction or double tapping it, does not do anything. So, no gestures on FP, yet.
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Click to collapse
Someone had asked for 4G/LTE support in the US. At least in the area I am in (bay area, CA), the coverage is same as what I got in HTC 10 on T Mobile.
Regarding the wifi, its much better than HTC 10. I compared side by side and HTC10 needed to be closer to the router by about 10 feet to be able to do speedtest from the point where I could speedtest on U11+ and still get full 90Mbps download speed. U11+ has an excellent wifi range and throughput. I get around -71dBm (signal strength) from my router at a spot where my HTC10 gives me -83dBm. At that spot, U11+ maxes out the internet traffic, whereas 10 is limited to about 45Mbps. So, anyone with HTC 10 will appreciate the huge jump in performance of wifi.
Also, the idling issue found with HTC 10's wifi is not there in U11+. It does not eat through battery while idling on wifi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Couple of more inputs:
1. I went to work with the phone but unfortunately I did not have the other phones with me to click the photos in bright sunlight but I can tell you, the screen has no problems in the sun. It is very bright and very usable for me. Unless you have a defective unit, the brightness of the screen should not be a concern at all. My experience is only HTC 10 vs U11+, and I am loving the brightness upgrade.
2. Usage with my sunglasses. I can not use HTC 10 in portrait mode with my sunglasses on. It goes complete dark. I did not have any issues with U11+ in both portrait and landscape orientations. Am I thrilled to wear my sunglasses in the car again? HELL YEAH!!!
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jmitr said:
Sound wise, nothing so far has beat my M7 for in ear quality. If the U11+ proves a worthy successor in that area as well, my M7 may sit in the desk drawer for the first time in over 4 years!!!
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Click to collapse
Make your M7 a cosy bed in that drawer because its going in there for sure and for a long time.... U11+ is big upgrade (from M7 and 10, both of which I own) in sound department, both the speakers and the USB-C headphone jack, through the bundled earbuds. I have found the bundled USB-C earbuds to be of very high quality. I usually throw away packaged earbuds because they usually fall off from my ear but these fit in my ear very well. And boy they block the noise!!! I have no complaints about the missing 3.5mm jack.
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Thanks a lot for all these info. Looking forward to receiving my unit as well and start testing! I have high hopes for this one and I believe I will not be disappointed.

Thanks for all very detailed and useful things mentions.
It’s positive that more and more people having the device and the general impression is in very good level at all aspects despite all that crap GSM arena mention with their tragic review.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Did you hook it up to the TV yet? I wonder why nobody does that. It's a very useful feature that not many modern smartphones offer unfortunately.
I wish HTC would advertise this special feature a bit more... It's underrated and underreported.

Thank you for all this info.
I Pre-Ordered one but I was skeptical with THE BAD review that I read.
I was thinking of canceling my order but now I just can't wait to get my hands on it

lebigmac said:
Did you hook it up to the TV yet? I wonder why nobody does that. It's a very useful feature that not many modern smartphones offer unfortunately.
I wish HTC would advertise this special feature a bit more... It's underrated and underreported.
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Click to collapse
Honestly, I don't use this feature anymore. In fact, with casting feature working so well (AC wifi) and its so very convenient compared to the wire, casting gets used most of the time. I used to do this but I never bothered to buy the USB-C cable with my HTC 10.
May be I will try this again. Try some gaming on the big TV screen, fun fun fun!!

screen casting with chromecast or similar technologies always has a noticeable lag of 1-2 seconds. With direct cable connection there is no lag.

lebigmac said:
Did you hook it up to the TV yet? I wonder why nobody does that. It's a very useful feature that not many modern smartphones offer unfortunately.
I wish HTC would advertise this special feature a bit more... It's underrated and underreported.
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Click to collapse
What do you want to know?? I did it. But is like mirror screen
Not have desktop mode like Mate 10

detritu5 said:
What do you want to know?? I did it. But is like mirror screen
Not have desktop mode like Mate 10
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Click to collapse
How is the video and audio quality? Is it real-time or is there any noticeable lag?
And what cable did you use? Thanks.

So can you please describe us the AOD(always on display)feature how it works with HTC.
Does it have the same customization option as with Samsung or LG(v30)with variety of clock or colors option,image background support,music control(play-pause-forward) and if support notifications from any kind app.
Also when receiving notification and hit it on the screen does it open directly the specific app or not.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

AptX HD and LDAC and display
devsk said:
I have been putting out information about U11+ in hamdir's thread for couple of days. I thought may be I should collate all the information and create a thread. So, here it is. Note that I am going to keep adding stuff as I use the phone everyday to point out the good the bad and the ugly. Go ahead and ask questions. If its possible for me, I will try to answer.
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Click to collapse
hi, i have two question
first i'd be appreciated if you tell us how is the bluetooth headphone quality on u11+ ? beacuse i know u11+ has AptX HD and LDAC
and my second question is about the display
is the display quality, color range, black colors, ... near amoled display ?

paatha13 said:
So can you please describe us the AOD(always on display)feature how it works with HTC.
Does it have the same customization option as with Samsung or LG(v30)with variety of clock or colors option,image background support,music control(play-pause-forward) and if support notifications from any kind app.
Also when receiving notification and hit it on the screen does it open directly the specific app or not.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AOD on HTC U11+, in my opinion, leaves a lot to be desired. Few observations:
1. It only has two modes: a. show dimly lit clock/lock screen when picked up, b. always on mode, which is fixed 24/7 or on a time schedule. It lacks the mode "show dimly lit clock/lock screen when notifications arrive and repeat every 5 mins until cancelled".
2. Always On mode is a hog. Nearly 2% per hour idling. Not very useful. Its darker than any LCD I have seen before but it still show most of the display in complete darkness.
It does not provide any customization in either mode. You get 4 types of clock and that's about it. It shows apps (including music app) and their notifications with icons on small area and clicking takes to the app after unlock.

e_georgia said:
hi, i have two question
first i'd be appreciated if you tell us how is the bluetooth headphone quality on u11+ ? beacuse i know u11+ has AptX HD and LDAC
and my second question is about the display
is the display quality, color range, black colors, ... near amoled display ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have bluetooth headsets to test this sorry.
But the display is the best LCD I have seen. It can not be equal to amoled in terms of blacks, but its the closest that an LCD has come in terms of blacks. I think the LCD technology does not allow this any better compared to amoled in terms of blacks. The contrast is amazing and the brightness is very very good. The usage in direct sunlight is very comfortable.
Unless you want to knit pick (like always on display has slight light bleed, which is the result of them trying too hard to emulate "black"), you won't have any issues with this display.

lebigmac said:
How is the video and audio quality? Is it real-time or is there any noticeable lag?
And what cable did you use? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I specifically bought the HDMI->USB-C cable from Amazon for $19 (one of the most expensive cables I have bought) and tested it. It works great. No lags in the video (my TV is 1080p). The sound through my sound system sounded great.
The link to cable: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075JGM4W8

Idle drain is very minimal
It looks like wifi draining the battery when idling that was seen and documented by me on HTC10, is gone on U11+. I left the sync ON, data and wifi ON overnight. And I lost 2% battery in about 10 hours. This is how it should be.
Very very pleased with the battery and the phone overall. For me, this phone gets almost everything right. It will get better once I get hold of root on it.

devsk said:
I don't have bluetooth headsets to test this sorry.
But the display is the best LCD I have seen. It can not be equal to amoled in terms of blacks, but its the closest that an LCD has come in terms of blacks. I think the LCD technology does not allow this any better compared to amoled in terms of blacks. The contrast is amazing and the brightness is very very good. The usage in direct sunlight is very comfortable.
Unless you want to knit pick (like always on display has slight light bleed, which is the result of them trying too hard to emulate "black"), you won't have any issues with this display.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how about the audio quality of headphones ?

Does the phone get hot with brightness on max? Or during heavy downloading of Apps or charging?
How long does a full charge take?
Are you using a case / cover? Noticed any scratches on the back?
Does YouTube allow you to stretch to full screen?
Thanks!
Sent from my LG-H815 using Tapatalk

Great feedback on this device. Thanks for doing this @devsk
I am in SF also. I have been seriously torn about buying a international no warranty phone. I jumped to the LG V30, purchased from B & H then cancelled the order a couple days ago.
However, I ordered the U11+ last night from Amazon - NGP Store USA. They get decent reviews but have a really strict return policy. I tried the U11 earlier this year but returned it. The U11+ had all the U11 was missing + more. [emoji3]
-- Who did you buy from and did you entertain buying a warranty? If so, from who.
-- Cases seem to be limited. Do you purchase one?
Thanks.

johninsf said:
Great feedback on this device. Thanks for doing this @devsk
I am in SF also. I have been seriously torn about buying a international no warranty phone. I jumped to the LG V30, purchased from B & H then cancelled the order a couple days ago.
However, I ordered the U11+ last night from Amazon - NGP Store USA. They get decent reviews but have a really strict return policy. I tried the U11 earlier this year but returned it. The U11+ had all the U11 was missing + more. [emoji3]
-- Who did you buy from and did you entertain buying a warranty? If so, from who.
-- Cases seem to be limited. Do you purchase one?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I bought it off of amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077PJXZFK
I did not buy a warranty. I took a chance and its been fine so far. The quality of the device and manufacturing is very very high. I am very pleased with the whole experience. Do not believe anybody who disses this device. It checks pretty much every box I had. Biggest thing is Treble. I expect to run well supported AOSP on this thing.
I am using the bundled transparent case and I am fine with it. Its minimal and it shows off the amazing silver very well.

iad77 said:
Does the phone get hot with brightness on max? Or during heavy downloading of Apps or charging?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This phone does not get hot under any circumstances (brightness or extended play). I have it in the bundled minimal case, and I played racing games for extended periods of time (connected to my TV using a USB-C to HDMI adapter). It drove the TV's 1080p display without any delay and with great sound! It felt warm after an hour of play but I would qualify that a lukewarm. My HTC 10 definitely gets much warmer than U11+. So, its an upgrade for me.
iad77 said:
How long does a full charge take?
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Click to collapse
I never measured this from 0 to 100%. I am not worried about this though. All I can tell you is it charges very fast.
iad77 said:
Are you using a case / cover? Noticed any scratches on the back?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am using the bundled minimal case. Its transparent and shows off amazing silver well.
iad77 said:
Does YouTube allow you to stretch to full screen?
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Click to collapse
It depends on the video's aspect ratio. For example, Inifinity War Trailer filled the screen but apple sway ad did not. It does not stretch in general and I think that's the right thing to do. I would not like videos with a different native aspect ratio than 2:1 to stretch and show all stretched faces etc.