Please help xz, honor 8, p9 - Sony Xperia XZ Questions & Answers

Hi there just curious as to which phone is better out of the three in the title I'm very curious as I have the xz but have an exchange available with cash back for the other two phones....
I do like my xz but the screen mirroring seems a bit weak but I'm wondering which phones best all round I use my phone ALOT!!!
Main things I like is smoothness and quickness really as I play the odd game watch YouTube and do a lot of browsing and messaging.
Thanks in advance will

Why do people even consider buying chinese phones instead of the XZ...

Hi there any reason in particular (not being rude) just curious as today I can switch
I basically came from a iPhone 7 and want a nice smooth android experience that will also last a year or two....
This phone seems great but my screen mirroring is really choppy

then just buy xz, it is fast, multitasking on 6.0.1 is littlebit too kin on shutting down larger app if you don't use them, and fast charging isn't as fast as it could be but it is enough and battery should last longer. xz is pleasing to the eye and feels good to the touch. it is fast and smooth, sometimes there can be some stutter when lunching a rr3 or sim city after waking up. fingerprint scanner it in almpost perfect place for me it is intiutive and if programmed right it doesnt matter if you are right or lefthanded, in normal use 9/10 tries unlocks phone. curved edge screen is little problematic glass protectors usuallu are little narrower or glue is just around edges. still i love it and cant wait to upgrade to 7.0

Yeah as I say I have the xz at the moment it's what I'm using now my biggest gripe is screen mirroring to my smart TV is stuttery my dad's one plus one is fine and my friends galaxy s6 was also fine so not sure why this isn't....
Wasn't sure if the p9 or honor would be a better experience all round.
My biggest problem is reviews speed tests and indecisiveness and this seems like a very knowledgeable site so that why I came here to ask...
Tha ks again will appreciate all feedback

If anyone knows how to fix my screen mirroring or if there's a better app than the phones standard option that would be great

If your only issue with the XZ is the choppy screen mirroring, have you tried other apps that can do the same thing maybe? What app are you using to do it? Otherwise, I do generally hear positive opinions on Huawei phones.

Hi mate I just use the native app on the phone is there any mirroring apps you recommend I have a Samsung smart TV...
Yeah that my only real issue and maybe a bit of lag here and there in general... Would you say either of the other two phones will be as good as this Sony phone or are they behind thanks again will

I have the XZ and the P9, from my point of view the P9 is actually a better all around phone. The comment about buying "Chinese" is hilarious! Where do you think these phones are made, Sweden? Everything comes from China, including the entire line of Xperias! Anyhow, back on topic - I do prefer the Sony line, no question .. but having used both and I can't honestly say that the XZ is a far superior handset to the P9, at all .. in fact, the P9 battery lasts much longer and picture quality is exactly the same if not better. SO, you decide but don't make stupid comments about where these devices are made, they ALL come from China .. even the almighty iPhone.

So would you say the P9 or the honor 8 is the better option to the xz... If so mind giving me a run down of what's better about both if you don't mind..
The only reason I held back from Huawei is I had a couple of lower end phones of theirs and they slowed down extremely bad with a month or two of usage... Which phone will have better longevity do you think thanks again wherever I go this forum will be a keeper for me

enrique71 said:
I have the XZ and the P9, from my point of view the P9 is actually a better all around phone. The comment about buying "Chinese" is hilarious! Where do you think these phones are made, Sweden? Everything comes from China, including the entire line of Xperias! Anyhow, back on topic - I do prefer the Sony line, no question .. but having used both and I can't honestly say that the XZ is a far superior handset to the P9, at all .. in fact, the P9 battery lasts much longer and picture quality is exactly the same if not better. SO, you decide but don't make stupid comments about where these devices are made, they ALL come from China .. even the almighty iPhone.
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Click to collapse
I meant Chinese branding, smartass.
They all come from china, but I don't want chinese copybots to design my phone.

WillG87 said:
So would you say the P9 or the honor 8 is the better option to the xz... If so mind giving me a run down of what's better about both if you don't mind.. The only reason I held back from Huawei is I had a couple of lower end phones of theirs and they slowed down extremely bad with a month or two of usage... Which phone will have better longevity do you think thanks again wherever I go this forum will be a keeper for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I personally use the P9, and I like it plenty. The Honor and P series phones are almost identical, barring some design differences and the P9's slight spec advantage in terms of its processor. Same screen, software, and likely the same performance from both but the Honor is slightly cheaper.
I've been using the P9 for several months and I can confirm that it hasn't "slowed down", in fact it has a nice feature which turns itself off (for me at night) and restarts in for me in the morning, which as we all know Android devices need a restart every so often.
My silver XZ is in the box, and perhaps one day I'll take it out .. but honestly I got too upset seeing that battery drop to 50% by mid-day, with my p9 same usage I'm at 80% in comparison.
Good luck with your decision

Thanks alot mate I returned the xz as the screen mirroring was really bad have the p9 now in blue looks very nice feels very nice seems real smooth but time will tell and will give screen mirroring a try shortly thanks again everyone

Related

Thinking of moving from my S6 to the Z5 - current users, do you think it's worth it?

I'm mostly interested in good battery life, little to no lag, a good camer and a decent/good screen (not that interested in 4K).
All in all, it sounds like the Z5 is a very good choice.
What do you guys think?
Xperia Z5 hasn't been too good of an experience for me. It gets pretty warm even during light web browsing, battery life isn't up to par for me, and the display and the camera is definitely worse (in most areas) than the Galaxy S6. I'd say keep your Galaxy S6.
All the inverse for me...
Xz5 is a killer.
Better manufacture quality
More true color display and photo
Plus PSN synchro
Sent from my E6653 using XDA Free mobile app
1-1 .
The thing that gets to me with the S6 is the battery, and also the app lag after a while... :/ That's why I am thinking of moving on really.
Not got either but are you interested in waiting for the 820 phones in a few months?
I've had a lot of phones and this z5 is right up there as an oem phone (not rooted) Its the best I've had little things like battery percentage, clear all apps button, battery management tools all Inc I've mixed feelings because battery life isn't as good as my nexus was, but last day or so I've tinkered with stamina mode with the battery and that's made a big difference to me about 3 hrs 30 min screen on time yesterday and 30% left going to bed that's Bluetooth and wifi on all day it's not bad.. If you have a playstation the remote play is pretty awesome too, i've noticed playing some games it's gets a bit hot but not for long, if your a flashaholic with custom roms though you'll be a tad frustrated at the mo
Sent from my Sony Z5 ooossshhhh
King p1n said:
Not got either but are you interested in waiting for the 820 phones in a few months?
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Or that you are right.
Thing is, I am still within my Amazon return period and with less than 100 pounds more I could get the Z5 over the S6.
Question is, is it worth it?
The other thing to keep in mind is when you come to forums like this you usually only see posts about people with problems so it never paints a good picture the same can be said of any device, is it worth £100 more than your s6 not sure but defo worth considering
Sent from my Sony Z5 ooossshhhh
I'm doing just this. I have an AT&T S6, and I'm less then impressed with the battery life and the RAM management. I ordered the Z5 from expansys-usa.com hoping it works better for my needs (had a nexus 6 but it was a bit to big and my brother wanted it for Christmas.
I always liked the software on my Z Ultra, was way to big though.
I'm just waiting on it to get in now (few weeks di to the song to my location).
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk
evak2979 said:
Or that you are right.
Thing is, I am still within my Amazon return period and with less than 100 pounds more I could get the Z5 over the S6.
Question is, is it worth it?
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Click to collapse
Well I guess thats the beauty of Amazon, you could (Although tedious)
Return S6.
Buy Z5 and see If you like it If not return and rebuy S6?
I dunno lol.
Im tossing up between the Z5 and S6.
I don't think i can wait till next year, as I have a first gen Moto G
I can get the S6 for cheaper, Im not sure the Z5 is worth more with its hot 810.
Decisions will be made by the end of the month otherwise its going to be a tough few months surviving with lackluster Moto G
I've gone from the S6 to the Z5 and couldn't be happier.
Couldn't wait to get rid of the S6 and touchwiz, Christ I don't know what Samsung are thinking with that buggy battery sucking mess.
I (somehow) just downgraded from S6 to Z5, cause really cannot stand the S6 poor batt life.
I'm happy with Z5 camera speed, batt life but i really miss Samsung SideSync
Jumped from sammie i9205
used s6 and z5 or a week.
Winner - Z5
why? i like the design and battery.
You will read alot about problems with z5 but...
well i was samsung fan for many years.
Always was like" bleah wthell" when i was looking at xperia menu buttons.
- it turns out its not a waste of space -
its rly well designed and the buttons desaphere when they should and pop up back when they are needed. 3rd week - used it for games, browsing, google drive and office things, movies.
Its easier to hold z5 in 2 hands w/o pressing anything accidently. The space between screen and edge of phone is perfect for thumbs and the cam button - dmn i love it.
I always rooted / used roms for sammie phones. in Z5 - i unlocked it but than... well i stopped.
Yee yee u loose low light cam quality a little bit. i rly dont notice it. yea it piss me off that i lost some things from system ( even if i dont use them ).
Fingerprint scan is in a dmn good place. Took few days before i got used to new buttons locations.
Screen wont leave u with " hey mr pixel i see u there!" bad taste.
other things like specs and tests etc - are all over the place so i skip thatXD
( sorry for my bad eng
I'm also at the same boat as you, I currently using s6 edge for abt 3 monts now and I just received my Z5 dual 2 days ago. Just fyi I also have LG G4 which I use for ard 5 months. So my opinion will be based ard those 3 devices.
Well, I like the way Z5 handles, it feels balanced and easy to use one-handed, which strangely enough even my smaller s6edge is harder to use as my palm sometimes accidentally tap on the edge screen, and also the capacitive keys, where I believe both problems will not exist on regular s6.
I have a photography hobby, I use full-frame Nikon DSLR, but as they say, the best camera is the one in your pocket, which is my smartphone 99% of the time and the only thing holding me back is the camera quality on z5, when u compare side-by-size, then u zoomed in on the photos u will really notice how bad the image processing on the Z5, too many artifacts and the edges of the object is like its over sharpened, the result is quite similar to G4 but worse. S6 is much much better camera overall, clean pictures with minimal noise and great sharpness.
The worse part is it tends to affect people photos quite badly, which I use my smartphone to take pictures of most of the time, taking those precious moments of my 3yo, even when standing still the details is loss on z5, on the other hand G4 gets most details with most noise but S6 gets almost as much details as G4 without all the noise.
One more thing worth mentioning is that the time when u hit the shutter button until it actually captures the photos is quite slow, even in bright sunlight, I'm not sure whats happening there but I might try a factory reset to see if that helps. S6 is almost instant, while G4 is as fast as s6 in good light but when its not that bright it the worst of the three, it could take a full 2 seconds just to capture the photos.
I read from xda and some other sites that sony is planning on releasing new camera software with new UI, that is my last hope tbh, if that fixes the issue I'm having then I will definetely keep my Z5 as my primary phone. It doesnt have to get s6-quality but at least not this bad.
I'm using Rev.3 unit (stated on the box), some ppl get Rev.4 already which I also dont know what has improved. I'm also using the latest software which is 5.1.1 build no 32.0.A.6.152 model no E6683 (dual sim)
Tbh I will choose Z5 over s6 any day, I like everything about the Z5 over my s6edge / LG G4, well almost everything, the only single thing that holding me back is the picture quality, as I love photography and this is a huge compromise for me if I would choose the Z5.
Hope that helps your decision.
Keep experiences coming! Threads useful for somebody deciding between the S6 and Z5 also.
If only the 810 didnt ruin this years phones.
And if only the S6 had good battery.
Hows one handed use with the Z5? From dummy models the S6 would seem more comfortable, due to Z5's height.
What's the difference in rev on these phones mines only 5days old and days rev 2 I feel cheated lol
Sent from my Sony Z5 ooossshhhh
got rev 2. Was similar to u - felt cheated. but... after i checked forums it turns out that rev 2 had less problems copmpared to 3-4 but imo - dont even look at rev.
Probably its as important for u as case color for antutu score.
i did the move from S6 to Z5 and overall im disappointed so far
the device heat to much
camera is slow and software on z5 is slower and less polished then s6
battery life is disappointing compared to Z3 and its almost on par with s6
i hope sony will fix all of the problems in the upcoming android 6 upgrade
Never owned a Samsung phone but have owned several Sony phones. Very happy with the Z5.
I am on the same boat. I am just thinking of to jump to the Z5 from s6.
But I had a z3+ and that was very underperforming, hot, laggy Snap 810.
And I am afraid of this hot 810 again. I know, the z5 have pipes to drive away the heat. But dunno.....
S6 camera is awesome, and I have never met a person who could say the z5 is better regarding the whole camera. And this is a shame .
Also I have to notice, the Z3's 6.0 concept sw is very good. BUT that would be nice if we could test it on z5. It could help us to make our best choice.
S6's fast charging is awesome too, and I love S6's health app. Booting speed is fastest in android era.
I am not sure about Sony. Will they keep their phone business, and if NO, will they stop SW upgrades ?
S6's big disappointment is the LAGGY interface, wrong multitasking becouse of bad ram management, battery life is terrible. But I have to notice, z3+ had ALL this wrong things too, and that was 810 SNAPPY too.

[Help] considering buying this phone please share your experience

hi my note 5's screen got broke so I need a new smartphone
with my price tag the only solid options are the hTC 10 and the Huawei Mate 9
I found some reviews bashing the headphone jack performance of the mate 9 so for comparison with the galaxy s7 for example or the note 5 for those who owned both of the devices how is it.
also the gaming performance how is it ?for example how much fps you get with Riptide Renegade on high settings
and also I would like to know if there is a flaw or a problem you encountered with this phone.
sorry for being long and I would really appreciate your help.
thanks in advance
AlMaghraby said:
hi my note 5's screen got broke so I need a new smartphone
with my price tag the only solid options are the hTC 10 and the Huawei Mate 9
I found some reviews bashing the headphone jack performance of the mate 9 so for comparison with the galaxy s7 for example or the note 5 for those who owned both of the devices how is it.
also the gaming performance how is it ?for example how much fps you get with Riptide Renegade on high settings
and also I would like to know if there is a flaw or a problem you encountered with this phone.
sorry for being long and I would really appreciate your help.
thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally i have no complaints. There are minor ticks here and there but thats as expected. HEadphone jack is fine on my unit. BT is really nice. Battery is great. i avg 9-10 hours SOT per charge and thats over 2 days for me. ( 1d 18hr )
Ive tweaked a few things. i do not get push notifications unless it is from a text.
I also do not use FB apps. Instagram or SC. ( use Metal for FB and website for instagram )
ONLY use the chaarger included with it. or the one huawei makes for car charging.
Reception is great. Small things here n there on Tmo but it works well.
Camera is Excellent. i was 15ft away from a car at a show and in the photo you can read the tire sidewall!
CONS:
Limited cases and Glass coveres
Limited charger options
Trickle charge issue. ( old HTC things. unplug for a few minutes then plug back in for about 5-10 more. gives a true full charge )
I have a 128gb SD in and i love having 183gb to store anything on.
DO NOT use the internal batteyr estimator. Not accurate ( USE GSAM )
Compared to my Note 5 this is THE BEST phone i have ever used. Im going to sell my Note 5, eave sprint and stick just to Tmobile. or ATT idk yet.
Can't argue with this.
On Amazon (in Germany) you can find now plenty of cases for Mate 9. I can recommend the Spigen rugged case that I purchased lately and it is really good. Glass protection is indeed a big problem: most of the items that claim they are for the Mate 9 are to narrow and the few ones that are having the right size are of a very bad quality.
The phone itself is great, better than everything I had so far (my last phone was an LG G4). The screen is "only" full HD, but to be frank, I do not see the need to have a higher resolution on a phone (it still can make 4K videos if this is what you need). Video recording quality is really great: the most beautiful colors I have seen on a phone video recording so far. Wide aperture photos are a hit among my family and friends (I am the only one now in charge to take photos in my family when we go out ). ANTUTU benchmark almost 120k - faster than my colleague's Galaxy S7 - so, whatever you want to do with it, it will do it great.
The only thing that I miss sometimes is the support for MHL (but it has other mirroring options). And I would have liked to have the option to hide the Android navigation keys in all applications but the screen is anyhow huge so, this is not a big issue either since the keys are anyhow hidden when you play videos or I read a book.
so what about notifications problems that is all over internet? is that solved already?
at least europe versions.. I want all my notification instantly like on other phones, no matter is that whatsapp or something else..
And is it true that notification are gone from lockscreen after unlocking phone or just putting screen on to see what is it?
i'm also considering to get this model
digitall1982 said:
so what about notifications problems that is all over internet? is that solved already?
at least europe versions.. I want all my notification instantly like on other phones, no matter is that whatsapp or something else..
And is it true that notification are gone from lockscreen after unlocking phone or just putting screen on to see what is it?
i'm also considering to get this model
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Notification problem happens with the Chinese version, as far as I know, i have the EU version and i get all the notifications.
Honestly, even now, this is the BEST phone there is, the first phone i don't need root as there are workaround for everything, performance, and battery and top notch, camera is great but slightly disappointing in low light, screen is big apparently now "old school" and very sharp and bright, stereo speakers are great, the DAC is average at best but still decent.
Fantastic phone, camera, battery life, screen, sound of speakers, build! Not so awesome is the update history of Huawei. Updates come late and limited.
The only real drawback is the lack of developers. I had hoped for LineageOS, but I think that boat is torpedoed and sunk.
Still GREAT value!
Battery is stellar. I've been in bed all day sick, with my phone by my side. Almost at 10 hours screen on time at 13% battery left. Bluetooth has been used, connected on WiFi.
It's the best phone I've EVER had. Well, S3 note 4 and G2 are up there.
The HD screen is fine. I had the G4 S7 previously. Don't miss the screens.
The video recording format is irritating in that 2k won't upload to YouTube. It's too modern.
Definitely give the phone a go. I bought the Chinese 6gig 128gig version converted to international ROM. Have contemplated selling but just can't let it go! Even my mate with his S8 loves it. Oh, and it's not got a curved screen, another plus for me!
Didn't want to buy a phone with non removable battery.
Pretty much a non issue with this phone as it's hot such a great battery and a sensible screen resolution so doesn't drain fast.
The camera bokeh effect is simply the best on the market by a mile. Low light is mediocre though.
Massive screen. Great speed. Phenomenal finger print sensor.
I hated the soft keys but you learn to hate them less.
Overall delighted with this thing.
Doesn't slow down. If anything it goes faster with time which is odd but just what they seek to claim!
what about 4k video and auto upload to google photos? is that solved or it must be converted into h264?
This is the best phone I've ever had. Coming from an s7 and wife has s8 plus and still use a note 5 for our home phone. It's without question my favorite! Screen still looks fantastic for 1080. The battery is off the chain. I could easily go 2 days and have, just generally charge it before I go to bed and is always above 50%. Fast!!!! Smooth!!! I don't know how they do it, but next to Apple this is the must fluid phone out there. Heck, I'd say it's smoother than my friends 7S. Only paid 400 for it and it's dual sim to boot.
Honestly can't say enough about it. Only get rid of it if mate 10 is better somehow. I am intrigued by less bezels.
Sent from my MHA-L29 using Tapatalk
It's the best phone AFTER the B186 and up update, before that battery life was ****. I am on the 190 now with the phone updating to 193. It is the best phone in terms of battery life, performance and hardware/software. Too bad the update method is ****... like a HUGE TURD that third parties have to fill the gaps on this. Oh it's also **** that some of the huawei apps are in chinese (like the store) or whatever... It sucks BIG TIME.
I'm not a fan myself.
The Huawei android skin is yet another confusing and pointless skin that just causes issues and degrades Android. Go for a Google phone and have Android in it's true glory rather than in a compromised and inferior veneer.
Oh yes and it looks like I can 'kiss goodbye" to any updates from Huawei, with the Mate 10 phone now round the corner.
My last Android security patch was for April.

Buying an S7 2017

Is it worth buying an S7 now in mid 2017? What do you guys think? I really have to upgrade to a new device. I passed on OnePlus5 because of the jelly effect, and all sorts of problems. The S7 is not flawless I know that, but I'm curious what recent users, or previous users think about it. Would you recommend buying it? I hope you guys can help me with this. Thanks in advance
ofcourse it is still worth it if you can get it for a decent price. Ill take a s7 over a Oneplus 5 any day due to the fact that you can add a sd card and of its water resistance and i really like the option to go with a non curved screen because they break to easy when dropped and the curved phones have terrible cases.
RiTCHiE007 said:
ofcourse it is still worth it if you can get it for a decent price. Ill take a s7 over a Oneplus 5 any day due to the fact that you can add a sd card and of its water resistance and i really like the option to go with a non curved screen because they break to easy when dropped and the curved phones have terrible cases.
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Yeah I found some decent prices, and they are still offering it in a lot of colours too, so no problem with the availablity. I haven't thought about the curved edges at all, but good point, thank you. I absolutely agree with you there, even though the S7 is slippery because of all that glass finishing. In my opinion the S7 is a great looking phone.
The sd card was another big reason for me, so I hope thats alright, thanks for mentioning it.
Do you have any tips on cases for this phone? Or dbrand skin?
Thanks for your answer tho Sir
I'd say it depends on the variant - if you can grab an exynos model, go for it, but avoid snapdragon variants because of the inferior performance and locked bootloaders. I was torn between the OP5 and an S7 (exynos) and decided to buy another samsung because I could get it for >200€ cheaper.
The performance, display and the camera still perform really well and I like some of the unique touchwiz features, such as always on display etc. Battery life is quite good too-I can get 4h of sot without even trying. Touchwiz is still there but is better than ever with nougat. The good news is that there is plenty of AOSP development going on, so if you don't like touchwiz or tw-based-roms, you have other options to choose from.
So, in my opinion, the exynos variants of s7 are well worth it, even in the mid-2017. Just don't overpay this phone-I got a barely used one for 300€, which I think is a good deal.
What's your budget btw? If money isn't a problem you could wait for a few months and get yourself a pixel 2...
And for the skin question: I can recomend slickwraps because they are cheaper than dbrand and cover the sides of the phone as well. I am using one right now and am in love with it. If you want more customisation options, you might want to go with dbrand though.
Tados99 said:
Yeah I found some decent prices, and they are still offering it in a lot of colours too, so no problem with the availablity. I haven't thought about the curved edges at all, but good point, thank you. I absolutely agree with you there, even though the S7 is slippery because of all that glass finishing. In my opinion the S7 is a great looking phone.
The sd card was another big reason for me, so I hope thats alright, thanks for mentioning it.
Do you have any tips on cases for this phone? Or dbrand skin?
Thanks for your answer tho Sir
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have this Spigen Rugged Armor case, highly recommended
https://www.spigen.com/collections/galaxy-s7/products/galaxy-s7-case-rugged-armor-black
Takes 2 seconds to put on and take off
The S7 is a fine phone, but not exceptional. I had a Xiaomi Mi5 before it and I replaced it because of the rubbish software releases when it moved to Nougat. The Mi5 was lighter and sexier. the S7 is heavy and reliable like a family car but nothing really leaps out. Video is good, Stills camera is remarkably not sharp. S7 comes with the usual lorry load of bloatware. I use one of the battery saving modes.. its no where near as good as the Mi5 was on battery. so there you go, Strong and Stable
the\downslash\ said:
I'd say it depends on the variant - if you can grab an exynos model, go for it, but avoid snapdragon variants because of the inferior performance and locked bootloaders. I was torn between the OP5 and an S7 (exynos) and decided to buy another samsung because I could get it for >200€ cheaper.
The performance, display and the camera still perform really well and I like some of the unique touchwiz features, such as always on display etc. Battery life is quite good too-I can get 4h of sot without even trying. Touchwiz is still there but is better than ever with nougat. The good news is that there is plenty of AOSP development going on, so if you don't like touchwiz or tw-based-roms, you have other options to choose from.
So, in my opinion, the exynos variants of s7 are well worth it, even in the mid-2017. Just don't overpay this phone-I got a barely used one for 300€, which I think is a good deal.
What's your budget btw? If money isn't a problem you could wait for a few months and get yourself a pixel 2...
And for the skin question: I can recomend slickwraps because they are cheaper than dbrand and cover the sides of the phone as well. I am using one right now and am in love with it. If you want more customisation options, you might want to go with dbrand though.
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Click to collapse
I can't afford the Pixel right now, so budget is a deal here. It's hard to tell you how much my budget actually is, because in my country prices could be a bit strange. But about 400 € - 450 €. If you have any other suggestions I welcome it, but I want a somewhat elegentish kind of phone, closer to high end, with great camera and battery life. I also like if a phone is durable, but thats not the most important thing at all. More like to be close to stock android. (I know TouchWiz is there, but it's still more stock then a Huawei for example)
Thanks for the tip on the chipset, I checked it, and it is Exynos Octa core. But I did not know thats a deal breaker so thanks for mentioning it really.
Tados99 said:
I can't afford the Pixel right now, so budget is a deal here. It's hard to tell you how much my budget actually is, because in my country prices could be a bit strange. But about 400 € - 450 €. If you have any other suggestions I welcome it, but I want a somewhat elegentish kind of phone, closer to high end, with great camera and battery life. I also like if a phone is durable, but thats not the most important thing at all. More like to be close to stock android. (I know TouchWiz is there, but it's still more stock then a Huawei for example)
Thanks for the tip on the chipset, I checked it, and it is Exynos Octa core. But I did not know thats a deal breaker so thanks for mentioning it really.
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Click to collapse
Well, another option in that price range would be an Oneplus 3/3T. Oneplus doesn't sell them anymore, but you can get used ones for cheap. They are far more durable than the s7, battery life is superior and the performance is still top-notch, thanks to close-to-stock os. The only things that you are really missing out on compared to the s7 are camera and wireless charging.
LG G6 has dropped in price significantly as well so that might be another option to consider. I am not a big fan of their UI, but that's just me.
Regards.
the\downslash\ said:
Well, another option in that price range would be an Oneplus 3/3T. Oneplus doesn't sell them anymore, but you can get used ones for cheap. They are far more durable than the s7, battery life is superior and the performance is still top-notch, thanks to close-to-stock os. The only things that you are really missing out on compared to the s7 are camera and wireless charging.
LG G6 has dropped in price significantly as well so that might be another option to consider. I am not a big fan of their UI, but that's just me.
Regards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Problem is that I don't want to buy an used phone. And the camera is very important for me. But if One Plus would still sell them, I would have selected the 3T, because I am an OP fan really. But like this, that's not an option. I check if I can fimd any new ones, not from the original site. Thats on option.
Thanks tho!
Tados99 said:
Problem is that I don't want to buy an used phone. And the camera is very important for me. But if One Plus would still sell them, I would have selected the 3T, because I am an OP fan really. But like this, that's not an option. I check if I can fimd any new ones, not from the original site. Thats on option.
Thanks tho!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it cold be find to find a brand new one right now... In that case, the S7 is probably your best option. You might consider some of the other last-year-flagships as well, such as the HTC 10. Anyway, good luck with your purchace.
It's a pretty nice phone, I just got mine a few months ago.
Keep in mind, my previous phone was a Moto X Pure, also this is the Exynos variant of the S7.
Battery life is about twice as long as what that phone was, I get an average of about 4-6 hours of SOT and with Nougat it should last fine on standby.
Display looks amazing, an AMOLED panel at a 2K resolution in a 5.1 inch phone looks super sharp and nice, gets bright outside.
Speaker pretty much sucks... It gets decently loud, but it's so easily to cover it by accident even with a case on.
The design of the phone is pretty and nice, it holds up very well in 2017. Sure it has big bezels and no curved screen (I have a flat S7), but it's still a solidly built phone that looks beautiful. But I have to say DO NOT USE THIS PHONE WITHOUT A CASE!!! The back is VERY slippery, one drop and that beautiful glass back will get shattered...
Fingerprint scanner is decently fast and accurate, only complaint is that the scanner is in the middle of the home button, I wish it was a concaved home button like on the iPhone.
The camera is very nice, can record 60 FPS at 1080P with video stabilization making your videos look good. Pretty decent in low light, The auto focus is SUPER fast, focuses instantly and the camera snaps pictures in an instant, double pressing for camera is quick and convenient. Front camera pretty much sucks tbh, not really possible to turn off all the dumb beauty features. Tons of camera modes to play around with, not much different in terms of the camera from my Moto X Pure.
Water/dust resistance, I haven't tested this and I don't plan to, basically all I can say is people please only consider this as a failsafe as in don't rely on it, like if your phone falls in water then you should go after it right away and the phone should be fine.... But if it's not, the warranty WILL NOT COVER IT!!! So go swimming at your own risk. Also, you can use the volume buttons to take pictures for underwater photography.
And lastly..... THE SOFTWARE.
Now.... What do I have to say about the infamous Touchwiz coming from stock android? Well, my first phone was an S3 (I had it before the MXP) so I kind of knew what to expect from Touchwiz in terms of features. And I can say this phone is just PACKED with lots of neat software features! I disabled the bloat, decided not to use a theme, used the default launcher, and the phone runs fine and works fine for me. Do I miss stock android? Not really, Touchwiz has a lot of added features that I wish Stock had, and small tweaks/changes that make the experience better in my opinion. Also, there are definitely small hiccups here and there with stutters, but it's nothing too bad tbh, apps open up nice and fast and the phone is always responsive, only thing that really sucks is the usage... RAM usage is kind of high even when your recents are cleared, and the storage available out of the box is kind of low so I would recommend a Micro SD Card if you take lots of pictures (though, those can slow your phone down keep in mind). I got about three software updates (all security) since May of when I got this phone, so updates don't seem to be too bad. But keep in mind it'll be ages until we see Android O on this phone, just a heads up. All in all, Touchwiz has grown up and refined its features instead of including a million features and being laggy (S5 and below), it's now simpler and more streamlined since the S6.
And that's all I have to say about the phone! I hope my review has helped someone out there looking to see if they want to buy a Galaxy S7.
I would say try to get the Exynos variant though if you can, I heard the Snapdragon one is horrible.
Depending on how much you find this phone for, I would definitely recommend it! It has a great display (one of the best), great camera (really can't go wrong with the camera), a beautiful design (no ugly ports for water resistance), good battery life (for the average user), and the software, is not all that bad IMO, though some people do swear against it lol.
Androidlover99 said:
It's a pretty nice phone, I just got mine a few months ago.
Keep in mind, my previous phone was a Moto X Pure, also this is the Exynos variant of the S7.
Battery life is about twice as long as what that phone was, I get an average of about 4-6 hours of SOT and with Nougat it should last fine on standby.
Display looks amazing, an AMOLED panel at a 2K resolution in a 5.1 inch phone looks super sharp and nice, gets bright outside.
Speaker pretty much sucks... It gets decently loud, but it's so easily to cover it by accident even with a case on.
The design of the phone is pretty and nice, it holds up very well in 2017. Sure it has big bezels and no curved screen (I have a flat S7), but it's still a solidly built phone that looks beautiful. But I have to say DO NOT USE THIS PHONE WITHOUT A CASE!!! The back is VERY slippery, one drop and that beautiful glass back will get shattered...
Fingerprint scanner is decently fast and accurate, only complaint is that the scanner is in the middle of the home button, I wish it was a concaved home button like on the iPhone.
The camera is very nice, can record 60 FPS at 1080P with video stabilization making your videos look good. Pretty decent in low light, The auto focus is SUPER fast, focuses instantly and the camera snaps pictures in an instant, double pressing for camera is quick and convenient. Front camera pretty much sucks tbh, not really possible to turn off all the dumb beauty features. Tons of camera modes to play around with, not much different in terms of the camera from my Moto X Pure.
Water/dust resistance, I haven't tested this and I don't plan to, basically all I can say is people please only consider this as a failsafe as in don't rely on it, like if your phone falls in water then you should go after it right away and the phone should be fine.... But if it's not, the warranty WILL NOT COVER IT!!! So go swimming at your own risk. Also, you can use the volume buttons to take pictures for underwater photography.
And lastly..... THE SOFTWARE.
Now.... What do I have to say about the infamous Touchwiz coming from stock android? Well, my first phone was an S3 (I had it before the MXP) so I kind of knew what to expect from Touchwiz in terms of features. And I can say this phone is just PACKED with lots of neat software features! I disabled the bloat, decided not to use a theme, used the default launcher, and the phone runs fine and works fine for me. Do I miss stock android? Not really, Touchwiz has a lot of added features that I wish Stock had, and small tweaks/changes that make the experience better in my opinion. Also, there are definitely small hiccups here and there with stutters, but it's nothing too bad tbh, apps open up nice and fast and the phone is always responsive, only thing that really sucks is the usage... RAM usage is kind of high even when your recents are cleared, and the storage available out of the box is kind of low so I would recommend a Micro SD Card if you take lots of pictures (though, those can slow your phone down keep in mind). I got about three software updates (all security) since May of when I got this phone, so updates don't seem to be too bad. But keep in mind it'll be ages until we see Android O on this phone, just a heads up. All in all, Touchwiz has grown up and refined its features instead of including a million features and being laggy (S5 and below), it's now simpler and more streamlined since the S6.
And that's all I have to say about the phone! I hope my review has helped someone out there looking to see if they want to buy a Galaxy S7.
I would say try to get the Exynos variant though if you can, I heard the Snapdragon one is horrible.
Depending on how much you find this phone for, I would definitely recommend it! It has a great display (one of the best), great camera (really can't go wrong with the camera), a beautiful design (no ugly ports for water resistance), good battery life (for the average user), and the software, is not all that bad IMO, though some people do swear against it lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WELL! Thanks man for the long breakdown. In the end I bought the s7. Right now I'm using it. It is amazing, I really liking it so far. There are a bunch of stuff what I haven't tried yet, but we shall see! Thanks again for your breakdown!
Tados99 said:
WELL! Thanks man for the long breakdown. In the end I bought the s7. Right now I'm using it. It is amazing, I really liking it so far. There are a bunch of stuff what I haven't tried yet, but we shall see! Thanks again for your breakdown!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem! Just saying my honest opinion on the phone, if you need anything just ask!

Should i switch from s8 to XZP?

Hey everyone i just want to know is xzp better option then s8?
Is Xzp good interms of rom development and future software support?
Hello . no doubt you should buy the premium xz. all videos on YouTube shows that the xz premium is faster than the s8.
Envoyé de mon G8141 en utilisant Tapatalk
Wolvym4 said:
Hey everyone i just want to know is xzp better option then s8?
Is Xzp good interms of rom development and future software support?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
roms? dont know about that mate, but speed its faster, also nicer screen, although the design of the s8 is better, but the XZP feels snappier, better screen, and overall just out performs the s8 in almost every corner
but in terms of rom developing this isnt the best phone I can tell you that, I dont know if things will change after android Pie is out, but nothing is sure, I hope though
but I would definatly say the S9 is better, has a better camera, screen that is also great, better design, feels better and more stylish
Wolvym4 said:
Hey everyone i just want to know is xzp better option then s8?
Is Xzp good interms of rom development and future software support?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as official software support, Pie is the last Android XZP will get.
If you're switching from S8 in hope of getting longer software support, then XZ2/XZ2P might be a better choice for you.
As far as XZP vs S8 goes, it's difficult to say which phone is better, depends what you're looking for.
S8 has a better camera and more software toys and gadgets. However, that's the primary reason why I steer clear from Samsung and LG-the software. I've dealt with months old S8s and S9s that had lag and freezing issues, bad battery life and random shutdowns. It's behaviour I haven't seen in a single Xperia for the last five years. They just simply work, and they're built like tanks for the most part.
The second reason why I keep rocking Sony is the battery life. The first phone that got me through two days without a charge with normal usage was the Z3, and that's where I got hooked and stayed with Sony.
Xperias are just as flawed as any other brand, it's just a matter of what you're looking for.
If I needed the best camera phone on the market, I'd go for Pixel, for example.
Bottom line, if you're considering Xperia and the budget allows it, rather go for XZ2 lineup. I'm looking at the XZ2, bit I just can't stomach the design of it. Had it in my hand, it just feels odd to me, unlike XZ2P even though it's bigger. Probably a matter of being used to really slim Xperias.
As far as custom rom support goes, I'd guess the Samsung scene is richer, but then again, since I started using Sony, I stopped rooting and flashing custom roms, I just don't see the need for it. The OEM software is very clean and debloated, you can further disable stuff you don't need and you get quick monthly updates, I have yet to see a compelling reason to root it and flash a custom rom, considering my needs.
Good luck
Cheers
Went from always having Samsungs to risking it and buying an XZ Premium. I'd say don't get the XZP, to be honest. The camera is good on paper, but it's actually pretty bad compared to my Note 7. Low light is terrible. A lot of these devices (including mine) have intermittent WiFi connection issues and piss poor screen share stability with a lot of lag.
I dropped my Note 7 loads of times and it was fine. Dropped this once and the screen is all scraped. I'm going back to Samsung soon.
Future software support isn't looking good either.
Have a look at how cheap these phones are on eBay already. People are finding them hard to sell
cmac669 said:
Went from always having Samsungs to risking it and buying an XZ Premium. I'd say don't get the XZP, to be honest. The camera is good on paper, but it's actually pretty bad compared to my Note 7. Low light is terrible. A lot of these devices (including mine) have intermittent WiFi connection issues and piss poor screen share stability with a lot of lag.
I dropped my Note 7 loads of times and it was fine. Dropped this once and the screen is all scraped. I'm going back to Samsung soon.
Future software support isn't looking good either.
Have a look at how cheap these phones are on eBay already. People are finding them hard to sell
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont know about camera man, I tried it with my friend he has a s8 and i have xzp, unless he uses manual settings, mine on auto is better, on manual his can get pretty good only slightly better even in low light, but not enough to concider switching... in terms of dropping phone I dont know about you man, my phone dropped multiple times and I was amazed how I barely see scratches (fell like 5 heavy drops with no case on) there are drop marks on the frame of the phone but thats all. I agree wifi connection HAD issues but it was due to software bugs but now its all good.
future software support, we are confirmed to get the Android Pie, concidering the phone comes android 7 out of the box, that is 2 major updates already and we might even get the third as in after android Pie, the updates start to roll form Google them selves rather than each phone's manufacture. (I am not sure if all phones, or only the ones that come android 8 out of the box tho)
the only thing or two someone would put the S8 better than the XZP is the design and sometimes camera (not in all cases tho).
In terms of speed, no lags in the long run, battery life, screen (in terms of realistic and not colorful, as some people think the s8 is better but its only more saturated but the XZP is more realistic and has 4k HDR), the XZP is the clear winner, heck my brother has he s9+ and I still have better battery life even on 4K mode!
Wolvym4 said:
Hey everyone i just want to know is xzp better option then s8?
Is Xzp good interms of rom development and future software support?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a friend with the s8 and he really want to have the same device like me because the xz premium is a beast , more smooth , faster than s8 better screen , camera , battery etc
madshark2009 said:
I dont know about camera man, I tried it with my friend he has a s8 and i have xzp, unless he uses manual settings, mine on auto is better, on manual his can get pretty good only slightly better even in low light, but not enough to concider switching... in terms of dropping phone I dont know about you man, my phone dropped multiple times and I was amazed how I barely see scratches (fell like 5 heavy drops with no case on) there are drop marks on the frame of the phone but thats all. I agree wifi connection HAD issues but it was due to software bugs but now its all good.
future software support, we are confirmed to get the Android Pie, concidering the phone comes android 7 out of the box, that is 2 major updates already and we might even get the third as in after android Pie, the updates start to roll form Google them selves rather than each phone's manufacture. (I am not sure if all phones, or only the ones that come android 8 out of the box tho)
the only thing or two someone would put the S8 better than the XZP is the design and sometimes camera (not in all cases tho).
In terms of speed, no lags in the long run, battery life, screen (in terms of realistic and not colorful, as some people think the s8 is better but its only more saturated but the XZP is more realistic and has 4k HDR), the XZP is the clear winner, heck my brother has he s9+ and I still have better battery life even on 4K mode!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some fair points there, but my WiFi and lagging screen mirroring problems are still there - same with a hell of a lot of other people. If you ever have this issue, you'll soon find people flooding forums demanding that Sony give them refunds or fix the problem, since the updates didn't fix the issue at all.
I can see why you would defend the phone though. I loved it at first, but now on reflection after using it for around 8 months, I'd personally go for something else next time. Constant WiFi signal drops are getting pretty annoying.
Sony's Xperia division doesn't exactly have a good reputation for reliability, and I'm beginning to see why. And this is coming from someone you could probably call a Sony "fanboy". I think I'll stick to their PlayStations and headphones!
In terms of specs they are similar, but xz premium software is much closer to stock android.
I'm on a xz premium .and the lineage15 .1. It's very good combination . Fast smooth . 4k is here with a little procedure. s8 is slow compared to xz premium. here the applications opens instantly. the video proves that the original xz is faster than the s8. slightly. so better. after only your choice is important.
Envoyé de mon lineage_maple en utilisant Tapatalk
cmac669 said:
Some fair points there, but my WiFi and lagging screen mirroring problems are still there - same with a hell of a lot of other people. If you ever have this issue, you'll soon find people flooding forums demanding that Sony give them refunds or fix the problem, since the updates didn't fix the issue at all.
I can see why you would defend the phone though. I loved it at first, but now on reflection after using it for around 8 months, I'd personally go for something else next time. Constant WiFi signal drops are getting pretty annoying.
Sony's Xperia division doesn't exactly have a good reputation for reliability, and I'm beginning to see why. And this is coming from someone you could probably call a Sony "fanboy". I think I'll stick to their PlayStations and headphones!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
like yah im not saying XZP is the best phone and after trying sony for a while i think there are better options out there, but i wouldnt go for the S8, I would go for S9 to feel a worthful upgrade, or google pixel, or iphone X

[Review] Oppo Ace2 and Red Magic 5G Initial Impressions

Thought I'd share my initial impressions on the Oppo Ace2 since it has not gotten much coverage. I also owned the Red Magic 5G for a week before selling it.
I'm coming from a Oneplus 6 and have owned a lot of other Android devices, off the top of my head these include the Nexus 4, OnePlus One, Asus Nexus 7, Samsung Tab Pro 8.4, Galaxy S7 Edge, Huawei Nexus 6P, LG v20, Lenovo ZUK Z2, Mediapad T5, Red Magic 5g etc.
Let's start with the Red Magic 5G. I ordered this a few months ago off tradingshenzhen, it got to me fast enough and the price was fair, but their customer support was not very good (I will not be ordering from them again cause of this https://i.imgur.com/2qd4zPM.jpg). They'll get your phone to you and offer one year warranty but don't expect them to be nice or helpful in the event you dont like your phone or have any issues.
Either way, here my notes on the phone:
Software
I got the Chinese version of the phone. I found the software experience to actually be very good despite this, ignoring the fact that there were some chinese apps that I didnt understand. I'm sure if I removed these few apps I would have had a very good software experience. The software felt very smooth and stable. There were some pretty cool features, but not a ton. Experience felt close to stock android, but lightly skinned with the right theme after some setting up. It didnt come with play store, I just had to install the playstore from apk, chrome and google keyboard then I had an experience not all that different from my OnePlus 6. My red magic 5g got a lot of updates in the time I had it, with big change logs, I'm not sure if global rom users will get that same experience since these types of phones seem to get better support in China.
Display and Body
This is where my mind was blown. That 144hz screen is beautiful and smooth. This was definitely what I loved about the phone most. However, I had my gripes with this screen. For one the, bezels were huge, and the corners were too rounded (meaning less screen). They were so rounded that it was distracting to me, almost as much as having a notch.. This might be a gross exaggeration but I hope it gets my point across. As for the large bezels, it feels like they used the "gaming phone" identity as an excuse to cut corners here with bezel size. It bothered me that there's so much potential screen space being wasted with those large unused bezels. Now the body has very nice comfortable shape, so I don't have anything against that, but it is kind of big, and it is pretty heavy. It felt very premium and nice in hand, but at the same time, it was not comfortable to one hand for long periods of time, it's size and heft also made it a little unwieldy for one handing. This is the main reason I ended up selling this phone. I would often find myself going back to my oneplus 6 instead of using my new phone cause it was just way more comfortable to use with one hand.
Battery and Misc
Microphone was good according to those that I called, speakers sounded fine to me, werent bad at all. They were stereo speakers, one bottom firing and one in the ear piece, which was nice. Battery was meh. For a 4500mah battery phone, it died very fast. Battery felt about the same as my much older oneplus 6 in it's current state.. Around 6-7 hours of screen on time with regular use (not gaming). With gaming I got around a little more than half that. It charged at a decent speed, not slow but not astonishingly fast. My Red magic 5g benchmarked around 595k on Antutu, so it was very fast. The fan was barely audible in it's intelligent mode or whatever it's called. Personally I think the fan is pointless, and that good thermal design makes a much bigger difference. I loved having the shoulder triggers for gaming. playing games like codm, pubg, etc were great experiences. I sunk hours into these games even though I dont tend to really do any smartphone gaming. I don't really like that manufacturers are trying so hard to make phones into "gaming phones" cause they are still just phones at the end of the day. If anything I would like to have a good value flagship (or flagship killer) with shoulder triggers, it doesn't need to be a "gaming phone". For instance, I think the oneplus 8 (or pro) but with a flat screen + shoulder triggers would be the perfect and ideal phone for me.
I also ordered the Realme X2 Pro but the seller (realme's aliexpress store) cancelled this order due to shipping issues. Then I ordered the Poco F2 Pro but GearBest hadn't shipped it out even after 3 weeks so I cancelled the order. Finally I ordered the Ace2 off Giztop and this was a much better experience. Order placed Friday, shipped out Monday, then received next week Monday (today). The Ace2 was discounted to $589.99 and I got a further 4% discount with the GTRE4 code. Shipping was $30 (DHL) and duties/brokerage was $37, so I paid a grand total of around (roughly) $632. Not bad. The shipping, handling, duties and fees all together were still less than Canadian tax (13%). Canadian retailers sell phones like the Poco F2 pro for around $580 (USD), after taxes that's $655, not even including shipping costs. Much better to wait a little for longer shipping and buy from outside of Canada it seems. So let's talk about this phone.
First and foremost, I'd like to note I do get buyer's remorse (like I did with my red magic 5g), but I've never had any issues post-purchase rationalization. If I don't like something, I don't try to justify it, especially where phones are concerned and having owned so many different devices, both good and bad. For example, the LG V20 was my most expensive purchase and easily the phone I hated most out of all the devices I've owned. I had already paid for it, so I stuck with it even though I hated it for at least a year, before finally getting my current oneplus 6. The LG V20 was so bad that I thought my much older nexus 6p was wayyy better, I wanted to go back to it so bad but I had already handed it down to my mom. While I liked the red magic 5g, I didn't like it enough to keep it and ended up selling it at a loss. My point here is, that these are just my opinions, but I do try to be as unbiased as I can be. I bought the Ace2 knowing that I would sell or return it if I didnt like it, like I did with my Red Magic 5g, so I didnt have my hopes high or any plans to keep it if I wasnt happy with it.
Setup
The unboxing experience was very basic, like any other Chinese smartphone so I will skip this part, but it does come with a pre-applied screen protector and a surprisingly nice clear case. I thought it would be a cheap clear case that looked nasty on the phone.
First thing I did was update the phone's firmware, then do a full factory reset. I set it up fresh, uninstalled what chinese bloat I could (there was a lot), installed playstore with the first apk I found, then using that I installed chrome + google keyboard. After turning on the app drawer, and dark mode I felt I had a very usable experience similar to what I had on my oneplus 6. I hate migrating phones, but the experience here wasnt too bad, I downloaded and used oppo's phone clone app from my oneplus 6, it connected the two phones with direct wifi and copied 30 gigs of data over in around 15min. I did not get much control in what gets copied over but it was still a very simple and hassle free process that I could appreciate.
Software
I'm going to start with this phone's biggest weakness. So the software is.. a mixed bag. Say what you will about the design, but ColorOS and oppo launcher are really well optimized. ColorOS has really come a long way from what it used to be. I tested a bunch of different launchers on this phone but I ended up going back to the oppo launcher cause it was just wayyy smoother and responsive. I wish that's all I had to say about the software but there's a lot more to say.. like how bloated this phone comes. Just random chinese apps everywhere. Most of them can be uninstalled off the bat, but the rest need a little more work to get rid of, including ADB and a little research. I actually think I would have liked coloros a bit more than oxygenos had this been a global version and came with less bloat. It's just a big hassle that I'm sure nobody wants to deal with after getting a new phone. The software experience here is great- if you're chinese. If you're not, you have a whole lot of work to do to get it somewhere good. On the other hand, I thought coming from oxygenos I thought this would be a complete downgrade, but much to my surprise there are a lot of things it actually does better. There are way more features, yes I mean useful ones, it feels smoother and more responsive for some reason (the animations are way quicker and smoother). I think ColorOS isn't actually that bloated once you get rid of the apps you don't need (using ADB where you need to). OxygenOS is great and used to be way ahead of it's time, but I feel the other choices available have caught up while OxygenOS hasn't really gone anywhere. My OnePlus 6 barely gets updates and is slow to get them when it ever even gets any. I've noticed that's a common occurrence with OnePlus devices, you get a lot of quick updates when your device is still a new release, but then it gets put on the backburner as new devices come out.
Display
This display is amazing, it's breathtaking. Side by side with my oneplus 6 it looks and feels like an upgrade in every way. The colors are better, and the smoothness is so satisfying, every bit as much as the 144hz display I had on my red magic 5g, which further leads me to believe anything above 90hz isn't really worth the price premium and battery cost. The punch hole was a little distracting at first since I wasnt used to it, but I quickly got used to it and dont even notice anymore. It's a very small punchole and is a nice upgrade from the big notch my oneplus 6 had. I would rather have this punch hole then the huge top bezel (and lost screen space) the red magic 5g had any day. I didn't realize this until I had the red magic 5g in my hand and wish I realized this sooner. The whole point of notches and punch hole I think is to give us more screen where we used to have bezel, and this is something I appreciate a lot more now. One of the biggest things for me here is that the screen is flat. I'm soo glad that I didn't have to compromise with curved edges. After owned an s7 edge, I never want to deal with that again. I know they aren't as bad as they used to be, but I still think it's silly to have to compromise with how the light reflects off of curved edges, the accidental touches or touch rejection, finding screen protectors that work, etc. If flat screens are cheaper I dont see why more manufacturers dont choose to go this route on their budget flagships at least (looking at you mi 10 non pro and oneplus 8 non pro).
Body
This phone is very solid and quality feeling. It doesn't have any super outstanding premium feeling that a higher end flagship might give you, but it does not feel cheap at all. The body is your typical metal frame, gorilla glass 5 sandwhich build. I have to say though, I love this two tone color on the back. It's like a black/navy type color that looks really elegant and sexy in my opinion. I hate oreo shaped camera modules but this is the one phone that I think it actually looks good on because of it's simple minimalist design. My favorite part of this phone is the weight and size. It's almost the same as my oneplus 6, in both weight and size, but has a larger screen. To me, that's amazing, because looking at all the new SD865 phones released this year it felt like I was going to have to give up the light weight and compact size of the oneplus 6 to upgrade to a "better" phone. It's one of the smallest and lightest Snapdragon 865 phones available and it IS the smallest and lightest one available with a flat screen, which exactly what I wanted. It just feels soooo comfortable in hand compared to anything else I've recently used. They really nailed the comfort aspect with this phone. I had no idea this was going to matter so much to me until I used the red magic 5g for a week (which isnt even that big or heavy for a gaming phone, there are worse offenders out there like the black shark 3). I can see why some people really want smaller phones now. For me, I like having a big screen, so it's not smaller phones that I want, but phones that have better screen to body and weight ratios.
Sound
Now here's where I found a nice surprise. Good stereo speakers. Never thought I would ever care about having this. I'm a headphone guy, and phone speakers always suck anyways so why would I care (so I thought). These are by far the best phone speakers I've ever heard, and they somehow blew me away even though I've never cared about how good the speakers on a phone were. They get very loud, and they sound very full. Even at the loudest volume setting where I expected the fidelity to deteriorate, it still had nice clear, smooth, full sounding stereo audio. I saw someone on reddit asking for a phone recommendation with good stereo speakers, apparently it was a must for him, and I didn't get why until now. I no longer feel the need to grab my headphones when I want to watch a youtube video, the stereo experience on this is just much better. There is still a con to be talked about however, no headphone jack. Having a headphone jack would have been nice, and even cooler if the phone came with a nice DAC (pretty much the only thing LG does right in their phones). Not a huge deal for me, I would be using bluetooth or a USB DAC anyways if it didnt come with a good internal DAC but it does make things less convenient in a pinch.
Battery and Performance
Well, it has a snapdragon 865, haven't had a single hiccup yet. Phone is blazing fast as expected. Coloros is well optimized too. Battery is good too, I will report screen on times soon. Much better than my red magic 5g so far from what I can tell. The main star of this show though is that 40w wireless charging and 65w wired charging. Charging cable that it came with is kind of short but the phone charges so fast I don't think it matters. 4000mah might seem small compared to alternatives, but coloros is surprisingly very efficient with it, even with 90hz on and all the chinese bloat it came with. Im surprised they managed to fit a battery this size and a 40w wireless charging coil in such a compact and light phone (relative to similar spec phones).
Closing thoughts
I think this is what the OnePlus 8 should have been, and I hope for others that this is what the Realme X3 pro is going to be if not better. There are a lot of things more expensive oneplus 8 is missing out on here, like the 65w charging, wireless charging, flat screen, etc. The only thing I think it has going for it is that it seems like a nicer build/quality phone with better software. I think the Poco F2 pro on the other hand is a solid contender because it actually comes with global software, has a huge battery + great screen on time, has a decent camera and will have a big developer community. I ultimately ended up passing up on this phone because it doesnt have 90hz, wireless charging, 65w charging, doesnt support very many frequencies, has a slower face unlock and cause its a pretty heavy phone (so not as comfortable), but this phone will make sense as a better choice for many others that have different priorities. Pick what suits you and your needs best. All in all, this is a very underrated phone that doesn't get talked enough about outside of Asia. I think if you're interested in the Ace2, feel it fits what you want well at a price that you think is good that you shouldn't be afraid to buy it. It's a great phone and it's worth it. Just note that you may need to do some extra work to make the software experience good for you because of the chinese bloat (as you would need to with any chinese rom phone anyways). Not to say that the software is bad, it's very good software that's just marred by all the extra chinese stuff it comes with that most of us probably dont want or need.
If there's anything more you guys would like to know about any of the phones that I own or have owned please let me know. I'll try to answer them the best I can. Would love to see some form of an Ace2 community grow but I won't be surprised if it's just me even months later.
Inspiring
I think that based on your detailed review (That I read before on reddit) I’m convinced to purchase this phone, the only android experience I’ve had was an old samsung s7 edge so I’m convinced that the ace 2 will be smooth, so one question: can you guide me on how to debloat the phone once I get it?

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