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Honest Opinions Wanted - Is This Phone Still Good In 2017?

Hi all. I have a chance to possibly buy this phone and wanted honest reviews. How do people like this phone and if I happen to find a good one cheap would it be a good buy?
Any gotchas? Does it run Nougat OK?

Dude dude.. Got it since it was launched and i refuse to buy a new one. This is the most beast phone ever!
Is this enough to you? Ahah
It runs nougat smooth as butter

MrObvious said:
Hi all. I have a chance to possibly buy this phone and wanted honest reviews. How do people like this phone and if I happen to find a good one cheap would it be a good buy?
Any gotchas? Does it run Nougat OK?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on what price you're getting in.
Everything you throw at this phone runs smooth as f###

hey pal,
you know for these 2-3 years, i didnt bother to see the smartphone market,
i got no reason to change to a new one.. haha

Depends on you and what you want. If you want high-end camera or excellent battery performance then nope it is not. But it has average even good camera-you dont miss any details or photos can be used for social media easily- and this battery can last you for 1 day. Not official but with custom ROMS you can use very smooth and flawless noguat which is the last and newest version of the android. This specs has got me and i am very happy with my OPO and 3gigs of ram really gives you what you want. But if you want official rom support, really high end camera and high end battery life or high and gaming experience or newest SoT well this phone is not for you. Think and know what you want, then you can find your choice.

Thanks guys.

MrObvious said:
Thanks guys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So What's your final call?

Honestly, in 2017 if you are out in the market, OnePlus One shouldn't even be an option.
Its dated, and not at par with current mid range devices. I would advise you against getting a One even though I love this phone.
It just doesn't make sense to get it 3 years after its launch.

rshbhghelani said:
Honestly, in 2017 if you are out in the market, OnePlus One shouldn't even be an option.
Its dated, and not at par with current mid range devices. I would advise you against getting a One even though I love this phone.
It just doesn't make sense to get it 3 years after its launch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You didnt even read it.
He said he can get it at a good price. If he can get it at a good price, this phone is (which is amazing IMO) very usable in 2017.
The only BUT is the camera...but even then the camera is pretty damn good.
Once a Oneplus 4 comes out with IP68, Ill finally drop my Oneplus One.

I'm trying to find an excuse to replace mine but none really justify doing so

There isn't a single rational reason to update this phone (despite what the gear heads claim). With the right custom rom battery lasts for two days (try slim7 or nitrogen os), roms are fluid, apps open quickly and camera is on par with other cams of this size. Low light photography is a pain, and will be for several more years for all sensors of this size. Even 3/4 size consumer cameras out there struggle with this, so it won't be any better for long time.

milomak said:
I'm trying to find an excuse to replace mine but none really justify doing so
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Click to collapse
Agreed.
Overall this phone is wonderful. Rough, tough, durable, great battery life, size, quick, good adequate camera (with the right app).
I can't kill this phone (physically or by mucking around with its OS, KitKat to Nougat).
My teen kids loved this phone's looks and performance but hated its size (when I first got it they each took it for a month test run) had they also made this in a 4.7 version, this would have been their phone of choice.
Upon this phone's demise, my next phone will likely be the Oneplus 3T.

milomak said:
I'm trying to find an excuse to replace mine but none really justify doing so
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My only reason would be IP68 and I do miss OIS sometimes for certain camera shots.
But besides that...this phone is still relevant in 2017, 3 years after its release.

MrObvious said:
Hi all. I have a chance to possibly buy this phone and wanted honest reviews. How do people like this phone and if I happen to find a good one cheap would it be a good buy?
Any gotchas? Does it run Nougat OK?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's obvious, MrObvious.
https://www.xda-developers.com/its-settled-the-oneplus-one-has-stood-the-test-of-time/

I have opo from 3 years. If you can buy one i think battery is already dated so the usage will be over limited . for 150 dollars go to xiaomi

It is still a great phone. But battery is aging and is really hard to find "genuine" replacement (after 2 years I am getting around 4h SOT before 6h-9h). Same goes for Back Cover mine is showing that 2 years of using without case and it is impossible to buy replacement. So I am going to wait for OP4 and if OP4 won't by for me I will buy used OP3 for cheap.

Realistic options for a replacement to the Moto X Pure

So I am getting sick of the battery life of this device and charging twice a day just to get by... the QC helps but it isn't always a viable option for someone who is on the road/travels a lot. I am probably going to go back to my Moto G 2015 for the time being as I could get a full days use most of the time on a single charge and just selling my MXPE.
But now the question comes up as what to replace it with... Moto G 5th gen, Blu Pure XR, ZTE Axon 7 Mini, or ???
My requirements are simple, or so I think...
1) 4+ hours SOT, preferably 5+, in mixed signal environment of WiFi/LTE/3G and sometimes without the best signal strength (for reference, I currently get about 2.5 hours on MXPE)
2) 5.2"-5.7" screen with 1080p minimum resolution
3) Stock Android, "near" stock, or simple UI (no TouchWiz, EMUI, ZenUI, or other bloated UI) that allows easy use of replacement launcher
4) 64GB internal storage or 32GB internal+microSD
5) 3GB or more of RAM
6) Full AT&T network compatibility (GSM 850/1900 and LTE Band 2/4/5/12/17 and optionally 29/30)
7) Nougat or Marshmallow with a Nougat upgrade "guaranteed"
8) 3.5mm headphone jack
9) Dual band WiFi - 2.4 & 5Ghz
10) $300USD or less
Would be nice, but not essential...
1) Unlockable bootloader (implies root/custom recovery/ROM development community)
2) Front facing speakers
3) NFC
4) USB 3.0
Absolute no no's are Samsung, Asus, or Huawei/Honor devices.
What else fits these requirements that I am not considering?

I believe the one phone that comes to mind that would fit most of your requirements is the Axon. I took a break from the MXPE (when it flew off my roof and died a horrible death in a rain storm) and had the Axon 7 (normal size) for about a month. You will get NEAR 4 hours of SoT, a qhd screen, 5.5 inches, relatively light for metal body. Unlockable bootloader and decent dev for it, last I checked. Things that bothered me/ pissed me off were that DTTW was laggy and slow, the actual cell service seemed to be really bad, possibly because of the full metal body phone, and the biggest annoyance - no backlit capacitive buttons, so you were left sort of blind in the dark trying to hit buttons. There is also no way through the build.prop to enable the on-screen buttons to bypass the issue at night, last I checked.
LG V20 could be an option too since it has a bootloader unlock now, 3.5-4.5 hours of SoT. I think it has a bottom bezel speaker though, which is a little weird, and as always the LG software has complaints. The dev is good enough to get around that though.
I'm in the same boat as you though. I've been looking pretty hard to find a new phone and the V20 is the only one I am really considering right now.

Get the OnePlus 3T it meets all your needs I get easily 6 to 7 HR sot

datchico305 said:
Get the OnePlus 3T it meets all your needs I get easily 6 to 7 HR sot
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Click to collapse
Would love to... tell me where I can get a new OP3T for under $300... That one is a hard stop requirement.
@xgerryx Same for LG V20 and Axon 7 (which never goes on sale, although the Mini does often), the $300 price point is a big deal

This phone has been a little disappointing. It's good, but definitely not great. It's a night and day difference from the Galaxy S3 I was using, but I wish I had held out a little longer for the SD 820 phones instead of buying in 2015.
It sounds like you've already got a pretty inclusive list for phones that are sold in the US and meet your requirements.
I just checked swappa, and if you're willing to go used, the OnePlus 3 is starting to get down towards the price point you're looking for. It has the same size battery as the MXP, and between the more efficient SoC than this godawful 808/810 generation and an FHD AMOLED I'd think you should get better screen on time out of it. It's a OnePlus so it has loads of good development, so you'll have all kinds of kernel/rom/tweaking available to really squeeze every erg out of it.

jason2678 said:
This phone has been a little disappointing. It's good, but definitely not great. It's a night and day difference from the Galaxy S3 I was using, but I wish I had held out a little longer for the SD 820 phones instead of buying in 2015.
It sounds like you've already got a pretty inclusive list for phones that are sold in the US and meet your requirements.
I just checked swappa, and if you're willing to go used, the OnePlus 3 is starting to get down towards the price point you're looking for. It has the same size battery as the MXP, and between the more efficient SoC than this godawful 808/810 generation and an FHD AMOLED I'd think you should get better screen on time out of it. It's a OnePlus so it has loads of good development, so you'll have all kinds of kernel/rom/tweaking available to really squeeze every erg out of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That actually could be an option... I will investigate further.

acejavelin said:
Would love to... tell me where I can get a new OP3T for under $300... That one is a hard stop requirement.
@xgerryx Same for LG V20 and Axon 7 (which never goes on sale, although the Mini does often), the $300 price point is a big deal
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you happen to be SUPER interested in the V20, I have seen some go for like 310-320 on Swappa in good to mint condition. You gotta hound the seller though and keep track of it all damn day for when the price drops. Not an awesome experience but I'm waiting for the same thing myself.

xgerryx said:
If you happen to be SUPER interested in the V20, I have seen some go for like 310-320 on Swappa in good to mint condition. You gotta hound the seller though and keep track of it all damn day for when the price drops. Not an awesome experience but I'm waiting for the same thing myself.
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Click to collapse
I'm not really interested... TBH, my experience with non-Nexus LG Android devices has been... well... lets just say less then wonderful.
Although I would have to say that the LG enV from years ago probably ranks up there as my favorite phone of all time, back when you could actually get DAYS of usage out of a cell phone on a single charge. I remember I would charge it twice a week. lol

acejavelin said:
I'm not really interested... TBH, my experience with non-Nexus LG Android devices has been... well... lets just say less then wonderful.
Although I would have to say that the LG enV from years ago probably ranks up there as my favorite phone of all time, back when you could actually get DAYS of usage out of a cell phone on a single charge. I remember I would charge it twice a week. lol
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Click to collapse
Yea I agree. After my terrible experience with the buggy LG G4, I'm very skeptical about going back again. At the same time I am running out of companies to try out! Haha. Gotta circle back eventually, especially on Verizon.

xgerryx said:
Yea I agree. After my terrible experience with the buggy LG G4, I'm very skeptical about going back again. At the same time I am running out of companies to try out! Haha. Gotta circle back eventually, especially on Verizon.
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Click to collapse
NEVER AGAIN!!! I refuse to drop $140 plus taxes and fees (realistically $160) for the service level I get now for $72 per month. Plus the limitations on devices, I would have to buy at least one new phone and/or go under contract. Nope, not happening. (Can you tell I have a grudge against Verizon, lol)

I would look around swappa for a OnePlus 3 or 3t it's worth it no bugs lag free and monthly updates it's already on nougat 7.1.1 and the beta builds they offer are great as well and development is great lots of greats ROMs and kernels and unlocking bootloader will not void warranty

TBH...I think you will have a hard time meeting all of your requirements right now. The market looks pretty dismal which is very unfortunate. I personally will hold out a little longer. I'm really looking hard at what Nokia/HMD are coming up with and hoping their roadmap for US devices includes a mid range device soon. So far their line up seems decent and if they are true to their word about expedient updates for Android, and they will sell devices with unlockable bootloaders at decent prices, I'll be sold.

moving to a galaxy s8 plus, comes tomorrow

unitz0mbie said:
moving to a galaxy s8 plus, comes tomorrow
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Like @acejavelin stated, Samsung is not an option, and I agree with him. Yes they have great hardware for the most part, but a less powerful processor running vanilla, our near vanilla Android will run just as well considering the lack of heavy handed UX. I will admit the phone looks great hardware and looks wise, but I personally don't like the look and feel of Samsung TW.

unitz0mbie said:
moving to a galaxy s8 plus, comes tomorrow
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Click to collapse
Sammie's are to bloated... Every Samsung devices we have ever had has been problematic... Hope you enjoy yours though but I would never spend that kind of money on a phone.

I have a moto g5 plus as well, its pretty good. It's fast and smooth. Screen and camera are good too, but obviously not as good as the X style.

Yes mxpe battery sucks. I have to charge 2-3 times a day and am not even a heavy user. I know its more than your actual budget but better wait, save a bit more and probably the price will drop also and go for a OP 3T.

i know your problem man.. but why don't you wait for a nougat update?? why not? maybe they might fix up the battery drain issue!
there are barely very less phones which have dual front facing speakers.. market has got very saturated.. all look for flagship but they just don't think that having a good speakers is also a part of flagship project!
as per my personal opinion... this phone is just the best phone ive ever used (till 2015) but in upcoming era you will see more and more features
i will recommend you to wait and not hurry up to get a phone...
if you need a pure stock surely get nexus but just wait for new nexus phone.. maybe they might consider it as a flagship and the value might be cheap??
anyways if you're just asking for all the requirements my opinion (AXON 7) not just only for dual front facing speakers but also for the processor(sd 820),storage(64gb,6gb ram) expandable ovbio (256gb)
plot twist: has hybrid sim XD
but im legit that it'll be upgraded to android 'O'
but it cost around $350
think man.. public reviews are also good
it meets all the requirements but is as costly as mxpe

Sagar_1401 said:
i know your problem man.. but why don't you wait for a nougat update?? why not? maybe they might fix up the battery drain issue!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nougat can't "fix" our battery issue... Radio and display panel are hardware issues and that's where 75% of all battery drain is. It isn't even issues, it's just how much power they use normally. The SD808's radios are terribly inefficient, and the display panel uses more power than some small towns. If you think Nougat is going to noticably improve active use time, your kidding yourself.
To be honest, I might just pull my old Nexus 5 out if the drawer and switch to it... The battery life can't be much worse.
The sound aspect is less important. FF speakers are nice, but as long as I can hear a YouTube video in an average room and turn the ringer up enough u don't care.
I bought the MXPE as an upgrade to my G 2015 and it was on sale for under $250, and for the most part it is, I just didn't realize how bad the battery was, it is easily half of my G.

I got Axon 7 after X and can't be happier. I've had the A7 since August. Has the front speakers i wanted, nice beautiful Samsung screen. Battery is definitely better then X. Software was buggy at the beginning but they have improved it a lot. Axon 7 has been getting a lot of updates, doesn't mean it'll continue, we were the 1st ones to receive 7.0 with the exception of Google devices, and we are the only ones so far (afaik) to receive 7.1.1 with also the exception of Google devices.
It has its flaws but i love the phone. For the money you can't beat it. It's on sale now on newegg for $330.

Honor 8 Still worth buying in May 2017?

Hi everyone,
My Xperia Z3 which I love is unfortunately dying and I need to replace it.
I'm buying either Honor 8 or Redmi Note 4 (if I decide to save some money - and also I like the big screen).
So, my question is: is Honor 8 still worth buying now around 320-330€? Is it worth double the price of the Note 4? I know it has no custom rom support, but:
-will it get Android O?
-how's the display in sunlight?
-how's the battery?
If the answer of all these questions is meh, I'll go with Redmi Note 4.
Thanks to everyone who will reply!

Yes still worth buying. Honor /Huawei have a sale on the Honor 8 if the phone fits your needs go for it.. It's a great device.. Just my 2 cents worth..

francesco_mnz said:
Hi everyone,
My Xperia Z3 which I love is unfortunately dying and I need to replace it.
I'm buying either Honor 8 or Redmi Note 4 (if I decide to save some money - and also I like the big screen).
So, my question is: is Honor 8 still worth buying now around 320-330€? Is it worth double the price of the Note 4? I know it has no custom rom support, but:
-will it get Android O?
-how's the display in sunlight?
-how's the battery?
If the answer of all these questions is meh, I'll go with Redmi Note 4.
Thanks to everyone who will reply!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Display in sunlight and battery, camera , average performance very good, things that i dont recommend this device to other probably low in loud speaker quality.

Rumor: There's going to be a new version announced/released in the next two to three months at an event in Taipei. I'd guess it'll have a Kirin 960 which has a much nicer GPU.
Huawei has been VERY bad with updates. I was using the B360 release until yesterday or the day before when B385 was pushed to me via OTA. A number of posters still haven't received that update and they're none too happy about it. B360 came out at the end of December 2016 and B385 just came out a week into May which is an unacceptably long time to be running months out of date security.
B385 may have introduced battery life problems I wasn't experiencing, but which others have been on B360. I have only been using it a day or two though, so it's hard for me to say for sure as of yet as my phone has spent most of its time on my PC or next to my bed charging.
Hopefully, the people who are still on B360 get B385 soon, hopefully the worse battery on my phone is just my imagination, and we'll get a timely update next month, but those things are all yet to be seen. If Huawei gets the update out to other Honor 8 owners within the next week, gets the May security update out in early June, and starts keeping up to date, then I'll be happy with the phone, but that remains to be seen.
It is a great phone, but if you buy one you may be stuck using 5 month out of date software indefinitely, and even if you get B385 right away we don't know that the next update will be out in a month. It could be not until November or never to get the update after it. Combine that with that a new version of the phone will probably be announced and available in a couple months and I'd say to wait. We don't know if or when Android O is coming to the Honor 8. As much as I like this phone I can't recommend buying it at the current time.
We still aren't getting any communication from Huawei/Honor as to what to expect as far as future updates. And that's really troubling.
I would suggest waiting for this years release which I would expect to be out soon or looking at the One Plus 3T. One Plus is rumored to be coming out with the One Plus 5 sometime soon too, so right now is not really a great time to be buying a phone if you can wait.

Thanks all for replying. Honor seems to be a big disappointment, it's good but something form Huawei is always lacking...
I can wait hoping that my phone survives until the summer one plus 3t is a bit too expensive, I'm still thinking of saving some money and go for Redmi Note 4 or Lenovo P2, even if I know Honor feels more like a "top phone".
If anyone will give some other opinion it will be so much appreciated.

Well, just to say my opinion
Fisrt of all, I had a lots of smartphones
Just the last 20 months I had more then 5 phones changed
The thing is, I am reading on xda for every phone the same like I wont buy LG or Sony or Samsung ever again.. its allways the same talk..
Like allways people searched for the best thing for the money and then got disapointed by something and than started like I wont buy LG anymore
Next thing thay do is buying something else.. the best for the money and again talk bad about it..
WHY??
Well, guys you must realize that the one usually are disapointed were looking for the perfect one for the money
Well, there is not evan one phone on the market wich is PERFECT FOR THE MONEY
Couse it always will be short on something
Like locked bootloader and no xda support or like no support from the manufacturer but then a bit of xda support or the build qualitie maybee good but then it is maybe fingerprint magnet..
Just be aware of that you will never get all for the money.. it is and will be allways like that..
So when you want to buy any phone be ready to be satisfide with it as is.. dont be wanting all of it for the money.. no phone has it
Soo, if you want now to consider things and this Honor 8 be prepared to like it in a way that allmost everything is ok.. allmost.. like awesome look.. premium feel but easy to scretch or be a fingerprint magnet.. able to unlock the bootloader and root and install twrp.. great battery like 9hours of SoT on B381.. great speed.. allmost perfect..BUT for now not much of custom rom support wich can change with getting the source code.. soo the best is yet to come
Soo, its almost perfect.. but dont look for perfect
You will never find it
Not evan iPhone is perfect
Look for something you will like it as is
And after like 20 smatphones I had this one is the best of it
In real world beating phones like double the priceed like pixel.. not benchmark numbers but real time speed of opening apps or things like that
Look on you tube real time speed and performance
You just can not go wrong with this phone for that money
Hope you will think about my advice
Not be looking for the best on the market
Evan samsung s8+ users are after one week of use complaining about things couse they also thought for that money s8 would be the best.. and that got dissapointed with it too..

I'll just leave this here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aypUksJ647c
Going back to the original question, it's a fantastic phone but you can try to get it for less than you mentioned. Don't know where you live but in the UK every now and then the price gets really good. The other day one of the supermarket chains was selling them for £200 and for that kind of money it's a no-brainer.

Bii @sysak
Thanks for the you tube link
That is what I try to say about this phone and real time performans.. ?

brljak83 said:
Bii @sysak
Thanks for the you tube link
That is what I try to say about this phone and real time performans..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on what you value.
It's a "value" phone so it sits on a sweet spot. If you value bug correction and updates, I would say definitely no. If you want a nice phone and are a basic user, then yes, get it.
Please just don't go on any trade-in program with Honor/Huawei. My Honor7 had zero scratches (always tempered glass and protective case) and after receiving my phone on their side, they lowered £10 on the evaluation. i rejected it in the 20th March. I haven't received my phone back yet. :crying:
The brand cares about new customers, not so much about existing ones (it's my 2nd Honor). Hence why the budget goes to advertisement and not to supporting developing community or regular updates/fixes.

Hii @zinko_pt
Thanks for the answer
And I must say I had evan phones wich were missing evan what we have right now with this honor 8
Couse this phone has some software support but its slow like for the ota updates
But had some cheaper phones from like LG wich were stuck at what came out of the box and that was it.. but then I had some phones like Samsung A5 2016 wich are the same price but are not evan close to this phone with its premium build and better support and for the same price evan better benchmarks.. so that is also for A5 2017 where you pay just the overpriced Samsung name..
So yes, it indeed is in some kind of price to value sweet spot..and I would recommend it evan now after one year.. so evan this year of 2017 it is a good phone to buy... Like an flagship for the midrange class

francesco_mnz said:
Hi everyone,
My Xperia Z3 which I love is unfortunately dying and I need to replace it.
I'm buying either Honor 8 or Redmi Note 4 (if I decide to save some money - and also I like the big screen).
So, my question is: is Honor 8 still worth buying now around 320-330€? Is it worth double the price of the Note 4? I know it has no custom rom support, but:
-will it get Android O?
-how's the display in sunlight?
-how's the battery?
If the answer of all these questions is meh, I'll go with Redmi Note 4.
Thanks to everyone who will reply!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just upgraded from the Z3 compact, and although the large format is hard to handle with one hand, mostly everything else about the phone is a huge step up from the Z3 series. The Honor's camera is very sharp with greater detail than the Z3 and at nearly half the price, it's hard to beat for the money. Like any phone in this price range, it's not perfect, but it's flaws are outweighed by it's value.
It doesn't hold charge while sleeping the way Sony does, but it sips battery while in use like a tiny bird. I easily get 6-7hrs of screen on time where I couldn't get more than 4 with the Z3C.
The single speaker is louder than the dual Sony speakers but won't win any awards for sound quality.
And though it has its quirks, EMUI is way more customizable than Sony ever could be, and I'm not talking about silly themes.
Finally, nothing beats this fingerprint reader.
Go for it! The Honor 9 might be better, but there's always something new coming out. If you really want to upgrade again, sell the Honor 8.

francesco_mnz said:
Hi everyone,
-will it get Android O?
-how's the display in sunlight?
-how's the battery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honor 6 was released with android 4 and later updated to 5.x and then to 6.0.x, if we are lucky, probably honor 8 will get O as well.
Display and battery are good.

Thanks to everyone. I don't know why, but the Honor 8 price is rising instead of dropping:/ a couple of months ago I could get it for more or less 320€, now it's like 345€:/

I'm in a very similar situation since I got my Honor 8 to replace a dying Sony Z2.
I really liked my Z2, and even being as old as it was, there is no phone out there that I would have voluntarily given up my Z2 for.
That said, I am happy with my H8, and I am not looking back.
In their times, the Z2 and Z3 were both high-end phones. I would call the H8 a mid-range phone.
If you are willing to spend upwards of US$500, then there are better phones out there -- Sony XZ, Huawei P9 Pro... etc.
Like a previous post said, the H8 does not have stereo speakers, but the sound from the single speaker at the bottom is better than my Z2 was. The Z2 had a specific problem with the speaker phone being low... I can now actually use my speaker phone.
The H8 also lacks the water proof feature of the high-end Sony's. While I never immersed my Z2, it seemed to die of something that could have been moisture intrusion.
Point is that I really do not miss either of those features in daily use.
Sony was excellent with updates. Only a Nexus device (or Pixel, or whatever) could have been better. I am hoping that Huawei supports this phone for a while, but I would have to say that IMHO expecting them to be as good as Sony was in this respect is not a reasonable expectation. Notice also that I said ..."as good as Sony was". Sony seems to be shrinking in the market, so going forward, they may not be as good as they were.
Camera: My Sony would shoot 4K video --- for about 30 seconds before it would either produce an file that ate all available storage, or it would over heat. I never used it. For anything other than comparing specs (anything practical) I think I can actually do more cool/impressive photography with the H8.
Speed: I have no speed complaints at all with the H8. I've never noticed a lag or anything happening at a speed that would even begin to cause frustration. Processor speed and cost caused the H8 to easily win out for me over the XZ.
Another thing that should not be ignored is Huawei's reputation for building better radios. With both this phone and an old Honor 2, I notice better signal (real, and number of bars) in fringe areas.
Lastly, the feel of the H8 must be mentioned. The feel/build quality/whatever you want to call it is better than any other phone in it's price class.
I agree with the other poster that said (as you mention -- especially in May of 2017) don't over pay for it. Today it should be viewed strictly as a mid-range daily use phone. Decide which range you are in and act/pay accordingly.

Sony have a great reputation for SW update. I've witness this. Z3C phone and tablet had update until 6.0.1, from a SD801. The only reason there is no oficial Nougat update is because Google doesn't want it to happen. But Z3C was beta for Nougat. I can't even remember how hold is my tablet but runs fantastic, zero bugs.
Now moving on to Huawei/Honor, Emui5.1 is coming out on new devices, not available on old.
P9 flagship is still Emui5. Not even mentioning 7.1.1 or latest security updates. When and if they're implemented, they're already outdated.
Honor7 got 1 OS version update and no Nougat. Not even the promised 2 year support.
If we take examples from other brands (OnePlus is also under fire due to false promises about software updates) software updates might be, if not are actually be, the number one thing users get disappointed.
There's definitely a trend amongst some manufacturers to drop support too soon for devices. Apple, very much bashed, is an example of OS support, which is sad.

I heard Honor US has promised to provide this region with two years of updated. Even if they don't, root.

Aside from being able to have exploits run that require root and breaking whatever OTAs we get It's unclear what the point of rooting would be on the Honor 8. There isn't much you can do unless I'm missing something.

Windvcloud said:
Recommend you consider the P10 lite
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
P10 lite instead of Honor 8?
P10 lite:
1. Micro USB
2. No IR
3. Kirin 658< Kirin 950
4. DDR3 RAM
5. Mali T830MP2 (40.8 GFlops)
Honor 8:
1. USB- C
2. IR blaster
3. Kirin 950> Kirin 658
4. DDR4 RAM for 4Gb version
5. Mali T840MP2 (122.4GFlops)
6. Fast battery charging

If you are concerned about constant update flagship phone are your best bet. Honor 8 is in a bad position because of it is a sub brand and has a smaller team you won't get update as often. However it is still a flagship of honor brand thus might qualify for 2 yr support. If you can buy it at the price of midrange phone like p10lite go ahead coz it's a capable phone you won't feel like it's a cheap phone performance wise come android O.

brljak83 said:
Hii @zinko_pt
Thanks for the answer
And I must say I had evan phones wich were missing evan what we have right now with this honor 8
Couse this phone has some software support but its slow like for the ota updates
But had some cheaper phones from like LG wich were stuck at what came out of the box and that was it.. but then I had some phones like Samsung A5 2016 wich are the same price but are not evan close to this phone with its premium build and better support and for the same price evan better benchmarks.. so that is also for A5 2017 where you pay just the overpriced Samsung name..
So yes, it indeed is in some kind of price to value sweet spot..and I would recommend it evan now after one year.. so evan this year of 2017 it is a good phone to buy... Like an flagship for the midrange class
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It all comes down to promises: if a brand makes a promise to support a device for 2 years and release the source code, and then disregard them, it makes untrustworthy. Simple.
---------- Post added at 11:55 ---------- Previous post was at 11:53 ----------
Rommco05 said:
Huawei have allready implemented features from 7.1.1 they dont need this update (except security patch). P8lite rollout with EMUI 4.0 and after some time was updated to EMUI
4.1. Its true Honor and users was confused with Nougat updates, but now start (slowly) pushing realy good updates... In my opinion, one time push to our devices EMUI 5.1 and maybe Android O...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That "except" is the tricky part isn't it? It's security, something with you should roll your dices and see how it goes. We can discuss features but not so security. And Huawei/Honor is always way behind schedule to release security patches. Just not acceptable.

Thinking about buying a Huawei phone but worried about future updates

I'm impressed with all video reviews about the Mate 9 and I was about to buy one for myself but I read by coincidence that the Mate 10 with EMUI 6 & Android O on board, hopefully, is on its way so probably I'll buy this model instead but one issue is bothering me with Huawei & their update policy. They said that their phones will get updates every 3 months approximately for the 1st year, then they will stop pushing EMUI updates but they 'll pass on security updates in the 2nd year. Source: http://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/news/huawei-commits-to-24-months-of-security-software-updates-for-its-devices-875550
& tons of people are complaining everywhere about very slow updates and/or being left behind even with costly phones they bought few months ago!!
The question is: if they stop EMUI updates after 1st year for Mate 10, do they mean I won't get OTA updates for EMUI 8 & Android Q in 2019?
i.e. Can i still be able to visit their site and download official updates & install it myself manually through some official software? or they mean there will be NO updates at all? (i.e. I'll have to go through all the hassle of unlocking, rooting and installing a custom ROM?)

Let use as an example the LG V20 "The first device with Android 7.0" released October 2016, And it's still on Android 7.0
LG G6 and G5 still on 7.0
Samsung S7 and of course S8 still on 7.0
unless you're using a Pixel/Nexus don't get your hopes up of timely updates from any OEM.
With that said, I'm confident the Mate 9 will get "O" but who knows when. Well I hope....
oh and wrong forum...

by something else
anything

Do not worry about it. There are several ways to update your ROM. But my suggestion is that if your current ROM works well,
then no need to update it. Every update brings trouble to user, data loss, not smooth, bug, etc. so the best way is to find a
ROM work well, then keep it, do not update any more. The fact is the newer ROM, worse using experience. I do hope to
downgrade my Mate 9 to be Andriod 6, so I can install Xposed Frame, which is very powerful.
Anyway, Mate 9 is the best phone at present, it worth to buy. Do not be hestiate.

luyongfeng said:
Do not worry about it. There are several ways to update your ROM. But my suggestion is that if your current ROM works well,
then no need to update it. Every update brings trouble to user, data loss, not smooth, bug, etc. so the best way is to find a
ROM work well, then keep it, do not update any more. The fact is the newer ROM, worse using experience. I do hope to
downgrade my Mate 9 to be Andriod 6, so I can install Xposed Frame, which is very powerful.
Anyway, Mate 9 is the best phone at present, it worth to buy. Do not be hestiate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Newer update should not make the device worse. And if it does, the OEM f***** up big time. And in my past experience Huawei is doing exactly that.

Both ridiculous advice.
Not updating your phone is bad from a security perspective, and blindly doing so without taking a full-backup is also suicidal.

This should be in the Q&A section.

Pretty much all Android manufacturers will be too slow to update.. or probably never will.. exception is Nexus/Pixel..
Had a Xiaomi Mi Max before.. the STABLE update is stupid slow.. DEVELOPER one is weekly basis, usually on latest version.. but can be buggy..
Bought the Mate 9 3 weeks ago.. and loving it so far.. especially its superb camera (which i feel is better than S8 ones and definitely better than Mi 6 which i returned after 2 days).. and big battery.. also its fast, comparable to Snapdragon 835 (on the Mi 6)..
If you got a good deal, go for it.. in my case, retail price was RM2699 (approx USD620) and i got it for MYR1905 (approx USD440) with free original flip case and glass protector and free shipping..

The Mate 9 is the best phone on the market atm, it doesn't have wow factor when you see it, but it will WOW you after you'll use it.
However, on recent updates(weren't approved by Huawei as far as i know, but released through Firmware Finder) the phone became laggy af, chrome and web browsing is slow and can't play tekken 6 at all, i had to go back to the safest and most stable update, B181.
As far as phone goes, it never slows down and it does everything just perfect, the battery is great at all times, as for updates don't expect much, though it isn't exclusive to Huawei, if you care a lot about updates, buy Pixel XL.

I have to agree. My Mate 9 is absolutely amazing. Coming off the 3t and Pixel, I knew development would be next to nothing in comparison and was comfortable with that. As another user stated though, it's the security updates Im worried about. I'm still on April security patch. Other than r YouTube but I can't shake, the phone is flawless and the learning your habits feature is great! Here's hoping they don't skimp on the ir blaster for the 10!

ikenvape said:
I have to agree. My Mate 9 is absolutely amazing. Coming off the 3t and Pixel, I knew development would be next to nothing in comparison and was comfortable with that. As another user stated though, it's the security updates Im worried about. I'm still on April security patch. Other than r YouTube but I can't shake, the phone is flawless and the learning your habits feature is great! Here's hoping they don't skimp on the ir blaster for the 10!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's funny, because they actually release updates each month for almost all different regions. BUT they don't approve peoples IMEI so they never get the updates...

ante0 said:
It's funny, because they actually release updates each month for almost all different regions. BUT they don't approve peoples IMEI so they never get the updates...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey if use vpn change region can get update ? My mate 9 l29c636b181 check np update always

nchmaster said:
hey if use vpn change region can get update ? My mate 9 l29c636b181 check np update always
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you need to use a sim for that region (Asian in this case, not sure if it has to be any specific).
I bought my phone in Germany so I think I'd need to use a German sim to get updates. I always use the Hwota method to update though.
Mate 9 was never released in Sweden so I don't think I'll ever get OTA updates.

This question is almost a month old now, but I'd like to put in my 2 cents in case someone else's wondering.
At the time of this writing, Mate 10 is supposed to be launched on the 16th of October and expected release is late October or November. If I was deciding between the two phones, I would wait a bit after the phone is available to see feedback on hits and misses, that's at the very least a month or two after release. So that effectively puts it at December / January for me. Other current factors for deciding between 10 and 9 is price as well how easy it is for you to resell should you decide to buy the Mate 9 now and upgrade later. I expect the Mate 10 to launch at a higher price than what you can get the Mate 9 for at the moment.
Huawei's marketing is promising big things for the Mate 10, even saying it'll be better than the upcoming iPhone, but I have a feeling that we've been through this before in the past and that we'll believe it when see it (not holding a breath here).
The rumours so far point towards improved, bezel-less display with slightly higher resolution, improved battery life and charging, as well as the possibility of seeing a new processor.
I would love too see a more globally available 128GB version (and to a lesser extent, a 256GB option). Speaking of internal storage limitations, it would be nice at the very least to have a dedicated SD card slot, making it easier to run a dual SIM setup without affecting storage capabilities. I'm not sure the Mate 10 would be addressing this. Waterproofing would be nice. I was a big fan of AMOLED in the past, but I think I may be leaning a little bit towards LCDs after using the Mate 9. Let's see what the 10's display is going to be like. I hope that Huawei doesn't go for a massive increase in resolution, in order to up their marketing game, as I'd hate to see it impact performance and battery life. I know all of you VR users would not like that, but the Mate is all about productivity and battery life for me. It would be nice if we can have higher, 4k resolution output to external displays though.
Now about the updates concern, I think it's a very valid question. And it does seem double-edged as some of the users have pointed out. I haven't had my Mate 9 for long (only a few days), but judging by what I read here, some firmware releases seem to have affected battery drain, although it's not clear to me whether this was caused by firmware approved by Huawei for mass-release or by users forcing installations of unapproved firmware.
On the other hand, security patches are important, and if downgrading was easy or straightforward, I would have said upgrade immediately and then roll-back afterwards if needed. Unfortunately, from what I can tell so far, it's not that straightforward. Nontheless, and regardless of how easy or difficult the process is, a good, validated backup is a must before any firmware upgrade or downgrade, and Huawei makes it relatively easy to backup using the built-in app which worked very well for me. I can very easily backup app data without the need for rooting (or enabling debugging), something that makes life very easy when upgrading and migrating.
To the user who said that it's messed up that a company would release a firmware that introduces bugs, I would say that the unfortunate truth is that many other companies are guilty of the same. Google is the first one that comes to mind, with long-standing and well documented issues on their Nexus line, particularly with battery drain and Bluetooth connectivity. So in my opinion, I wouldn't single out Huawei.
I do however feel that Huawei is, or at least was, very slow with major firmware upgrade releases, probably the slowest of all the major players. You can look up manufacturers track records for previous and current devices and draw your own conclusions (I get the impression that besides Google, HTC and Motorola lines are not so bad in contrast to Huawei, but that's just my uneducated impression). In the case of the Mate 9 though, looking at the firmware release history (check Team MT), I can see that the European (C432) and global Asian (C636) 'brands' are getting regular updates (almost monthly?). Although not all of those listed updates are necessarily approved for public release, it nevertheless does show evidence of active development. On the other hand, other regions such the US C567 and the Middle East C185, seem to get less frequent updates.
On the topic of major updates, we know it will get Android O. I have no idea whether it will get the next major update after it. My Mate 7 went through two major updates from Kit Kat to Marshmallow. of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that it'll be the same case with the Mate 9.
I wish major manufacturers would be more willing to release source code for drivers (and not just abide by the minimum source-code release requirement). It would definitely prolong the life of perfectly good hardware. If you take a look at Samsung, the situation is not that much better in terms of drivers' code release. Still, I would say custom firmware development on Huawei has got to be the worst among all the major vendors, with very little community backing. This could change seeing how some initiatives are picking up steam (see Openkirin work for other Huawei devices), but I would definitely not bank on it.
On the other hand, and as others have mentioned, the current firmware releases are solid and don't leave much to be desired, and I personally don't feel much of a need to root or mod the current state of this phone. I do run Nova launcher instead of EMUI, and phone seems to play nicely with it.
I was put off upgrading to the Mate 9 after the UFS 2.1 advertising scandal and waited as long as I could before deciding I can't live with the limitations of my previous device. Ended up going for a Mate 9 after all. Looking back, I wish I had gone for it much earlier as it's really a great phone and a pleasure to use.
Edit:
I forgot to mention that my device came with Toshiba UFS 2.0, not 2.1.

Should I buy this phone?

Hi Everyone
I'm looking to upgrade from a Oneplus 3. Previously it was a great price for good specs.
I noticed the magic 3 whilst looking at YouTube and the specs look amazing.
1 - Interested to know of those who have had it for a while would you recommend getting it?
2 - what are the main annoying factors about the phone?
3 - Are there any others in the price range I should consider? I mostly play pubg, do retoo gaming and watch films with my existing phone
Many thanks in advance
Jamie

1 - Difficult to answer....if you're not into rooting and customizing,but happy with a basic Android experience and raw power,you should buy it......otherwise,if you want 100% flagship bells and whistless for half the price,you'll have to search futher,as this phone does not 'has it all' for just €479.
2 - For me,the most annoying thing is that there's much more to squeeze out of the camera,if Nubia's app would match the capabilities......but hopefully, there will be a working Gcam release in the near future.
3 - Xiaomi Mi 9....but I fell for the RM3.....

Many thanks for the reply, I don't mind rooting if necessary.
Also happy with a basic android experience as my oneplus was pretty much that when it first came out.
Thanks for the suggestion I will look into that also ??

Jamie.bshop.1982 said:
Hi Everyone
I'm looking to upgrade from a Oneplus 3. Previously it was a great price for good specs.
I noticed the magic 3 whilst looking at YouTube and the specs look amazing.
1 - Interested to know of those who have had it for a while would you recommend getting it?
2 - what are the main annoying factors about the phone?
3 - Are there any others in the price range I should consider? I mostly play pubg, do retoo gaming and watch films with my existing phone
Many thanks in advance
Jamie
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can tell the battery backup is awesome. Only problem I have is the gaming buttons are too annoying when playing a video.

I have it unrooted without gapps and IMO its better then some flagships. Reason is the big screen and the big battery and the stereo sound.
Also I prefer metal over Glas backside. And NO Notch.
The camera is better than that on my Xiaomi mi mix 3.

this phone is amazing, the only bad thing i see it had is not hdmi usb-c to support

I would wait for two main reasons:
1) Asus is going to announce their new ROG phone at the end of this month. While it will probably be a good deal more expensive, It might have some cool features
2) Nubia just announced they are going to release an 855 Plus version of this phone.
Sent from my Note 9 using XDA Labs

Thing is,no matter how long you wait ,there will always be something better on the horizon after your purchase.......no matter which device you've bought...

Hi,
Considering the price and the specs, I think the Red Magic 3 is about the best phone you can have nowadays.
If you buy it, you should consider two things :
- Chinese UI has a lot of features but is ugly and themes are mostly paid ones ;
- Europe/US/Asia ROM has ZERO features.
Once I recovered from the disappointment, the second solution was clearly what I was looking for.
So here is my advice :
- take the Europe/US/Asia version and flash it to your device (if it doesn't ship with that as stock)
- unlock the bootloader
-root your phone.
All this is done in like 4/5 minutes...
Once done, install all apps to add the required features.
You will have a phone that has ONLY THE FEATURES YOU WANT.
No bloat, no unnecessary stuff...
A dream come true
Of course, it comes with a price : once rooted, you will get OTA notifications but won't be able to install them...
Regards.

roadworker said:
Thing is,no matter how long you wait ,there will always be something better on the horizon after your purchase.......no matter which device you've bought...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True

If you live in North America, I'd steer clear of this company.
I ordered one of their phones last week. I still have yet to receive my shipping notice. I ordered it with priority shipping, and according to their website, it should have shipped within 24 hours of payment.
4 days after it failed to ship, I contacted support, and was told "Be patient". Ever since then, they've stopped responding to emails. They won't give me any sort of clue as to when my order will ship. Apparently this is a frequent occurrence with Red Magic.
They're one of those companies that are only interested in getting devices out to reviewers, everyone else is to fend for themselves.
The support page on their website doesn't work. Apparently they didn't pay for it. Nubia cannot give any answers either, they just argue back in forth in the support email with several of the employees arguing about who's job it is to deal with.
If you ever receive a phone from them, and have an issue, good luck with that. Their current company (if you can call it that) shows that can't deal with supporting their devices. They can't even deal with fulfilling orders.
Stay far far away from this company, for you own good.

Is there likely to significant difference between the 8gb and 12gb ram? I think I'm going to get it but wonder if it's worth the extra money. Also just seen they mentioned the magic 4 by the end of the year. So maybe prices will come down

Well I'm in N.A. and I bought it from the site day it released. Great phone, few bugs at the moment and its a gaming phone at heart with stock Android, easily customizable. Honestly any game task you throw at it handles like a boss. It's an emulation dream with built in buttons. My controller and case should arrive the 22nd and I'm sure it will be great. I can tell you any Bluetooth controller works well on it too. The choice to buy is up to you, basically do you want a gaming phone or something else.

I have had this for two days in the USA and I love it. Usually I have buyer's remorse and would be looking for a new phone by now so I can say it really is great. Battery life is better than my S9 with a Mophie pack so far. Even with playing with it constantly I can't kill it in one day and usually my S9 needs to be plugged in by late afternoon. I have not rooted it yet, and may not. I love a clean version of Android. Not sure why people think that is bad. All the random customization sometimes comes with a speed cost. This phone is just plain fast. Usually I root to get rid of crap so you can see where I stand. If you hate big heavy phones, don't buy it. That is the negative. I had a ZTE Axon 7 and updates were slow so that's another negative. Other than that, super fast, great screen, great battery, strong data signal...it's a buy. Reminds me of the original OnePlus, or the Axon. Phones that were surprising values, but were big and heavy.
Sent from my NX629J using Tapatalk

I'm coming from the OnePlus 3(T) as well, looking for a new device. What I didn't like at the Oneplus were the original ROM (luckily Lineage helped a lot) and the sound and position of the speaker. I loved the front facing stereo speakers of my HTC One (m7) years ago.
So I'm thinking of purchasing the RM3, but at the moment there are no alternative ROMS. Another device I'm looking at is the Black Shark 2, but situation with ROMs and support seems to be even worse.
For the RM3, I have concerns, if a fan inside a mobile will really last for some years, or break down at some time...

I also had the 3T and 1 and the 6T obviously this is just a better phone due to the increases in tech. No way to tell on the fan, I will say...and not sure how ZTE vs it's company Nubia will work, but my Axon 7 had a couple of screen issues due to my dropping it and the speaker stopped working, not sure if it was due to that and ZTE fixed it every time free of charge within the first year. I was very happy with their service on that phone. ROM support will be lacking but it's a clean version of Android so I prefer that
Sent from my NX629J using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 10:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:22 AM ----------
To me...a clean, lean ROM, which the US version is, rooted with Magisk and other mods I choose myself is always the best option. Some custom ROMs can get pretty bloated themselves
Sent from my NX629J using Tapatalk

NexusPenguin said:
Hi,
Considering the price and the specs, I think the Red Magic 3 is about the best phone you can have nowadays.
If you buy it, you should consider two things :
- Chinese UI has a lot of features but is ugly and themes are mostly paid ones ;
- Europe/US/Asia ROM has ZERO features.
Once I recovered from the disappointment, the second solution was clearly what I was looking for.
So here is my advice :
- take the Europe/US/Asia version and flash it to your device (if it doesn't ship with that as stock)
- unlock the bootloader
-root your phone.
All this is done in like 4/5 minutes...
Once done, install all apps to add the required features.
You will have a phone that has ONLY THE FEATURES YOU WANT.
No bloat, no unnecessary stuff...
A dream come true
Of course, it comes with a price : once rooted, you will get OTA notifications but won't be able to install them...
Regards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It depends on what you are looking for an what you want to do?
If you are a person who is happy with stock ROMs an just leaves cellphones in the state they are in out of the box then yes buy it.
However if you are a person who likes tinkering modifications an custom ROMs the please do not buy this cellphone.
I tried to install TWRP over 2 months ago an got stuck in a fastboot bootloop. Every xda suggestion to fix this plus paying a cellphone repair center an trying heaps of suggestions an it's still non functional.
It has horrible software an is rediculously sensitive to any and all attempts to FLASH ANYTHING.
If red magic 3s break you might never be able to fix them at a software level.
Mine lives in a bag by my bed to remind me not to bite off more than I can chew.
I have a xiaomi Mi9 now an have no real issues with it.
Good luck with your decision

So the options are to buy on Ali are with a stock Global Rom or a Chinese ROM. I see some other posts about people flashing to the Chinese one. Is that the best option to choose? I take it you can still select the language as English and support here etc? Thanks for everyone's responded it's been really helpful. I was thinking of holding out for the 855plus but not sure if I can afford which will be most likely an additional cost for it.

I also have the same question but mine is a bit different. Im convinced i am going to buy it but...
Should i buy it now or wait for the 855+ version? Idc if its gonna be a bit more expensive

xorphaz said:
I also have the same question but mine is a bit different. Im convinced i am going to buy it but...
Should i buy it now or wait for the 855+ version? Idc if its gonna be a bit more expensive
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would of thought it would be more expensive as they still have the original to sell. Probably will stick another £100 on it or so I reckon ?