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thinking of picking up a RAZR hd from Fido Canada. Long term thoughts?

So here goes, I can now get a Razr HD for free through Fido canada. Not a bad deal considering from what I can tell, this phone will be a perfect replacement for my Nexus S running 4.1.2
From the reviews I read online, people are really enjoying this phone and it seems to have a fairly pure android experience that, coming from a nexus device, I want. The main selling point for me is LTE and SDHC. These two things alone are what I am switching phones for mostly.
1. So I ask you this, would you reccomend this phone to someone else?
2. How is rom support? is it easy to unlock and load aftermarket roms on this like CM etc and does it take to it well?
3. How is the device quality physically? It looks terrific online.
4. Anything else you might add?
Thanks again for the help!

sspikey said:
1. So I ask you this, would you reccomend this phone to someone else?
2. How is rom support? is it easy to unlock and load aftermarket roms on this like CM etc and does it take to it well?
3. How is the device quality physically? It looks terrific online.
4. Anything else you might add?
Thanks again for the help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Yes. I am quite happy with my Rogers Razr HD.
2. Rom support so far is ... in progress. There's not a huge user base for this device yet and it's only been available since October. Rogers/Fido won't see Jellybean stock upgrade until "1st Quarter" which might be as late as March, provided they don't change the scheduling again. Having said that, France and Australia already have JB, so maybe we'll see it sooner than that. It is easy to unlock and load aftermarket roms, BUT you have to unlock it through Motorola and you void your warranty to do so. Just so you know.
3. Physical build is really good, imo. Battery life is excellent, screen is bright, volume is loud. Only weakness is the camera, which is mediocre.
4. There's no decent desk dock available for it yet. There's a car dock, and a couple crappy options for a desk dock but we might have to wait for a third party to make one. Also, hdmi out options are lacking ... As there are no options. IMO, it should allow screen off with hdmi on, or different resolutions output, but only has overscan and hdmi enable... And once you upgrade to JB, you lose overscan.

EdwardN said:
1. Yes. I am quite happy with my Rogers Razr HD.
2. Rom support so far is ... in progress. There's not a huge user base for this device yet and it's only been available since October. Rogers/Fido won't see Jellybean stock upgrade until "1st Quarter" which might be as late as March, provided they don't change the scheduling again. Having said that, France and Australia already have JB, so maybe we'll see it sooner than that. It is easy to unlock and load aftermarket roms, BUT you have to unlock it through Motorola and you void your warranty to do so. Just so you know.
3. Physical build is really good, imo. Battery life is excellent, screen is bright, volume is loud. Only weakness is the camera, which is mediocre.
4. There's no decent desk dock available for it yet. There's a car dock, and a couple crappy options for a desk dock but we might have to wait for a third party to make one. Also, hdmi out options are lacking ... As there are no options. IMO, it should allow screen off with hdmi on, or different resolutions output, but only has overscan and hdmi enable... And once you upgrade to JB, you lose overscan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it wasnt for the damn rom options and slow updates, I would be ALL over this thing right now!
Why cant all updates be pushed from google directly and be done with it! Damnit!

sspikey said:
If it wasnt for the damn rom options and slow updates, I would be ALL over this thing right now!
Why cant all updates be pushed from google directly and be done with it! Damnit!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just get it anyway, and practice patience. That's what I did.

Did you get it with 2 year contract or month to month? I got it free with 2 year.

sspikey said:
If it wasnt for the damn rom options and slow updates, I would be ALL over this thing right now!
Why cant all updates be pushed from google directly and be done with it! Damnit!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the way I look at it:
If you want custom ROMs because you actually enjoy playing around with new ROMs every two weeks (and intend to do so for the life of the device), then don't buy a Droid Razr HD now. Wait for the phone to get better support, or buy a Google Nexus branded device. You are looking for a tinker-toy more than you are looking for a reliable daily-use smartphone.
If you need a reliable daily-use smartphone, then the current state of ROM support is irrelevant. Sure, you are going to play around with custom ROMs to start. But eventually, you will settle on a ROM that you like, and then stick with that ROM for several months before changing. If that describes you, then you'll be fine getting a Droid RAZR HD. Remember, it's easy to improve on software (ROMs) after you buy a device. But once you buy hardware, you're stuck with it.

May I ask, what is hdmi overscan?
Sent from my XT925

Royalfox said:
May I ask, what is hdmi overscan?
Sent from my XT925
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Basically changing the output resolution to eliminate black bars around the borders. The native resolution of the Razr HD is 1280x720, but it'll fill a webtop screen resolution of 1366x768 using hdmi overscan.

1 - I picked this up on Rogers and I'm pretty happy with it. Having a slightly less modified version of android is something I prefer since I'd rather do the tweaking instead of rely on manufacturers to decide what I need. Yeah, I'd recommend it but it depends how flashy people expect a phone to be out of the box.
2 - I bought it without expecting to root and fiddle with it for a year or two. That's because I don't think development for it will catch up until then since it's not nearly as popular as something like the S3, but also because it simply works right now. I have one phone and I need it to work every day so flashing roms frequently isn't something I have time for.
3 - It's just as nice as it looks online. It reminds me of an iPhone 4 / 4s with a more durable feel to it. I dropped my last phone onto steel from 20ft and it cracked the screen under the gorilla glass. This gives me a lot more confidence that the thicker first gen glass (as opposed to the thinner gorilla glass 2) will hold up to the occasional beating it takes at work.
4 - Motorola remembered to make this phone a phone. It seems a lot of companies forget that with smartphones. It's really nice to have a phone with a loud speaker, earpiece and fantastic reception. The whole time I had a Samsung Galaxy S I was battling with the quiet earpiece and yet with this I've answered calls at work with 32dB ear plugs in without issues.
I live in a city with some major dead spots and quite often my friends will realize they haven't had reception for hours and have missed calls while I maintain a couple bars. After making a switch to the Razr HD I'm always the last to lose reception :good:

hi
can someone let me know how the camera quality is? how does it do in low light settings and is the flash bright enough?
thx

I got this phone a few days ago from future shop on the 56$ promo plan. I've never had an android phone before, but so far i like the phone a lot. The kevlar on the back in the chevron pattern looks really nice and makes it stand out. It has a little lip that goes around the edge of the screen which i personally think is greatest idea ever. I dropped the phone from about 3 feet onto the sidewalk and it landed on the front facing corner of the phone. When i flipped it over the phone was undamaged. The camera isn't bad but isn't anything special either. If you decide to get the phone, get it from future shop. They offer a protection plan for 12$ a month, but you can convince them to throw some goodies in. I got a $150 in gift card and a 32gb micro sd card. The plan covers a replacement battery, but since the phone's battery can't be replaced, they will replace the phone with another phone for an equivalent value ($680 including tax).

I just picked this phone from Fido.
1: Physically speaking, this phone really looks nice ,but not ergonomic, maybe suitable for those guys with big hands.
2:Android experience is not so good, when my phone is on, there is always 1**M available RAM, not very smooth. I'am tired of rooting cell phones.I think if RAZR HD got updated to 4.2 would be very smooth.

sspikey said:
1. So I ask you this, would you reccomend this phone to someone else?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I absolutely would, I have had many androids over the years and am loving this one so far.
sspikey said:
2. How is rom support? is it easy to unlock and load aftermarket roms on this like CM etc and does it take to it well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I noticed epinter is working on this phone, he was awesome for the Atrix 4G and still is....which means great roms support for us here.
I've already got Jellybean running even though Fido/Rogers won't be releasing the update until late January. There is a couple CM10 betas out but the best working one does not have bluetooth music working yet....so I'm holding off until then.
sspikey said:
3. How is the device quality physically? It looks terrific online.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It has a wonderful build quality to it, mush superior to the Droid Razr that my room-mate has. I like that they did away with the stupid camera hump.
sspikey said:
4. Anything else you might add?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was a no-brainer to me, even if I cancelled my contract with Fido in a few months I would have paid less for the phone through them than on ebay or elsewhere.

suggest me ! i am about to buy an atrix 2 !

hello friends !
i am about to get an atrix 2 from a friend in cheap !
so i was asking whether it would be good to buy this phone !
i know the chipset is old and all and that is not of my primary concern !
things i want to know about are
-battery life (main concern)
-camera and camcorder quality
-headphones output
-screen quality
-loudspeaker output
would also like to know about the jellybean update and how would you compare it to ics ?
i have been through many reviews of this device but would like to get personal user experiences from y'all..
you can also compare this device to the used devices in my signature pic so i'll get a very clear idea !
thanks...

buy it lets share the joys and regrets of this, well in my opinion is "UNIQUE" phone,, and if its cheap.. why think twice..

hafizkris90 said:
buy it lets share the joys and regrets of this, well in my opinion is "UNIQUE" phone,, and if its cheap.. why think twice..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
your comments regarding the points i mentioned above ??

aaki_rocker said:
hello friends !
i am about to get an atrix 2 from a friend in cheap !
so i was asking whether it would be good to buy this phone !
i know the chipset is old and all and that is not of my primary concern !
things i want to know about are
-battery life (main concern)
-camera and camcorder quality
-headphones output
-screen quality
-loudspeaker output
would also like to know about the jellybean update and how would you compare it to ics ?
i have been through many reviews of this device but would like to get personal user experiences from y'all..
you can also compare this device to the used devices in my signature pic so i'll get a very clear idea !
thanks...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it is old, and therefor will not perform like new devices, but it was good for it's time, so is still not half bad.
Battery life can be good, but keep in mind you are buying a used phone, so it will have lost capacity over time. if it is bad, you might want to invest in a new battery.
Camera was one of the best of the time, and still is very good.
headphones work fine, but I doubt you will see anything particularly bad or good with them. keep in mind, as with all phones with the jack on the top, lint from your pants pocket often gets jammed in it, causing loss of audio or poor connections. you can remove it carefully with a bent paper clip (google it).
The screen is higher resolution than most phones when i came out, but it still is not as good as the phones today. Some people complain about a yellow tint, but generally the screen is very good.
Can't say much on the loudspeaker, I have never really used a different phones, but it does sound loud and good to me.
Jelly Bean really speeds things up, and most of the custom ROMs are JB anyways so you are probably going to want it.

And if you dont like to root the phone and flash the roms....
if can always install the official JB leak... this is pretty cool...
JB obviously much better than ICS.... It runs really really smooth...
Its been over an year now.. but still loving Atrix2 alot....

aaki_rocker said:
hello friends !
i am about to get an atrix 2 from a friend in cheap !
things i want to know about are
-battery life (main concern)- 2 Days on 2G and 6hrs on 3G
-camera and camcorder quality- Average quality camera
-headphones output- Nice audio quality
-screen quality- Warm tint and pales in comparison to IPS LCDs
-loudspeaker output- VERY loud. One of the loudest phones I've used
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My answers to your query in bold.
Battery life is phenomenal in 2G mode. I suggest you use tasker to toggle 3G/2G according to your need. The phone is strictly average in the present day. In addition, the non-existent Motorola presence in India makes spares harder to come by. So, even if you buy it for a pittance and later need a new battery, that alone would cost you 1500 Rs, and broken screen takes 1month to repair.
I suggest you not to rush into the purchase and regret it later .

raffmonster said:
My answers to your query in bold.
Battery life is phenomenal in 2G mode. I suggest you use tasker to toggle 3G/2G according to your need. The phone is strictly average in the present day. In addition, the non-existent Motorola presence in India makes spares harder to come by. So, even if you buy it for a pittance and later need a new battery, that alone would cost you 1500 Rs, and broken screen takes 1month to repair.
I suggest you not to rush into the purchase and regret it later .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
perfect answer !
doubts cleared !
thanks buddy...
getting a mint one black & white for 8k buddy !
what do you think. should I ??

Also just to point out, this phone has been locked down a lot by Motorola and our devs have worked hard to find work arounds. If you love flashing Roms and would require an unlocked boot loader then I can't suggest that you buy this phone.
That said, it is not a low end phone. Pretty fast and smooth. It has a good camera that takes quality pictures. Lastly it's pretty durable in comparison to other smart phones.
Press the thanks button if this post helped you

aaki_rocker said:
perfect answer !
doubts cleared !
thanks buddy...
getting a mint one black & white for 8k buddy !
what do you think. should I ??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
8K is the current going rate for Atrix 2s. What I would suggest is that you be thoroughly aware and ready to accept any pitfalls that might occur in the near future with this phone as far as Motorola support is concerned, if you intend to buy it.Agreed, it is a durable phone, a daily driver and runs Jellybean 4.1. However, what I got to know in the 3-4 months after I bought this phone that it is the Software that makes up the phone, the dev support, the variety of features and custom ROMs available. The locked bootloader on this model makes any stable Key Lime Pie upgrade doubtful, and the customizations for this are even lesser than that for Droid RAZR. And I presume that you know that this phone doesn't support 3G videocall over GSM network. You'll get bored after a day or two with this phone after having owned the likes of Razr and the One X.
I bought this phone over the Galaxy S II in September 2012 , very well knowing that even ICS upgrade might not come for this phone, and that it had more durability and better resolution than the former. But now, it feels ancient in the current lineup of Quads and 2GB RAM phones.
In short:
Don't buy it just because it is being sold for peanuts. Buy it if you really intend to use it despite the abovesaid facts.

raffmonster said:
8K is the current going rate for Atrix 2s. What I would suggest is that you be thoroughly aware and ready to accept any pitfalls that might occur in the near future with this phone as far as Motorola support is concerned.It is a durable phone, a daily driver and runs Jellybean 4.1. However, I got to know in the 3-4 months after I bought this phone that it is the Software that makes up the phone, the dev support, the variety of features and custom ROMs available. The locked bootloader on this model makes any stable Key Lime Pie upgrade doubtful, and the customizations for this are even lesser than that for Droid RAZR. And I presume that you know that this phone doesn't support 3G videocall over GSM network. You'll get bored after a day or two with this phone after having owned the likes of Razr and the One X.
I bought this phone over the Galaxy S II in September 2012 , very well knowing that even ICS upgrade might not come for this phone, and that it had more durability and better resolution than the former. But now, it feels ancient in the current lineup of Quads and 2GB RAM phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
right buddy !
i will think again and decide!
thanks for your valuable opinion..
i had an eye on this phone for its battery life though !

Among all the phones that were below 20K INR last year, this is the only one you can run Jelly Bean on. Most of the hardware purchased by others last year, are stuck to GB (and rarely upgraded to ICS). That way, the phone has given enormous return of investment to people who bought it new last year. Even now, if you're looking to run JB - this is one of your best options (assuming you're not interested in micromax/carbon etc) as value for money.

A Journey - From Note 4 to the LG US996

Note 4 Story
Why this thread? Short background - I am building a '61 Chevy Bubbletop, and have a thread in a Chevy fourm that I have been posting pics, etc. Have had a lot of interest and helpful feedback. I thought it would be fun, and maybe helpful to some (maybe even me), so here goes.
I will have the phone in hand Monday. So first, background on my Note 4, and what I'm hoping to experience with the V20.
I have come to the point that I prefer to not install ROMs. I find that typically, no matter how great and stable everyone says a ROM is, it always has some issue of some kind. (Of course even stock ones do to).
So I went a long time w/o rooting or applying a ROM. I finally just had to have root. So I sold my AT&T Note 4 (couldn't root it), and purchased a T-Mobile Note 4 which could be rooted. I rooted it and used like that for quite a while.
I am one that uses a LOT of apps. (The phone is to use, no?) And with that comes more memory use, and lag. The phone got so laggy I just had to try a ROM. I tried 2-3 with varying success. I finally tried Maximum Overdrive's ROM for the Note 4 (he is now working on a ROM for the V20).
It was like a different phone. Fairly fast, not near as much lag. It has allowed me to extend the life of the phone over the past year. In fact, it works well enough that I wonder how smart I am spending several hundred dollars for a new phone.
So why the new phone? I moved to Florida a year and half ago, and AT&T's data here sucks ripe lemons. I'm going to move to Verizon. (My daughter has them, and we have compared speeds etc., and Verizon is much better here).
Choosing the V20
It has been a few months that I have been on the watch for my next phone. I won't bore you with the long story of that...just a few details.
One of my 'must haves' for the next phone was to have 6GB of memory...due to my high application load. Over time my highest priority switch from 6GB of memory to capability to use a phone on both GSM and CDMA (read that AT&T/Verizon) networks. That way I can tergiversate regarding carriers.
So, some of my top phone choices dropped off the list. In fact, pretty much all of them except for the US996.
Concerns
I do have a few concerns about the V20 that I hope will be alleviated quickly:
Battery - I've been reading posts regarding battery and it does not sound good. Since moving to the Max Overdrive ROM on the Note 4, my battery is unbelievable. I'd hate to go downhill with this phone. This may be something that necessiates rooting.
Camera Lens - I'm sure everyone knows why this is a concern
Performance - I read, for the most part, that this phone performs well. But I also read a lot of complaints about LAG. Ugh...my high app use may make this a likely scenario for me
Camera - I see some complaints about low light pics. But I've seen a lot of praise for the camera as well
Initial Plans
Once I get all apps installed, and data imported/restored for those that need it, I plan to use it stock for at least 30 days and see how it goes. Depending on how it goes, especially related to the concerns above, I'll either keep it and move forward, or return it.
I'll start out with it on AT&T. May hold off moving to Verizon until I pass the 30 day return availablility.
Rooting
I would really like to root the phone. But, as that the only way to unlock the bootloader is via the LG site for this phone, I don't know if I will or not...at least this early with the phone. Why does that make a difference? Will lose warranty, as they indicate that on the LG site where you go to get it unlocked.
Apply Rom?
Given that there is a Maximum Overdrive rom for the V20, you'd think I would want to put that on. Actually, this is true...but he is only making one for the 918, as that is the phone he has. So, I will miss out on that honey.
I have read some positive info on a couple others out there, but do see constant issues, even with just rooting. It's not near as smooth as a Samsung (I base that opinion on the issues I see here vs. have experienced with the Samsung). So, I'm skittish about doing anything to it. Given the 996 unlocking flags the phone as out of warranty, I fear that a bricked phone will be a several hundred dollar loss.
Summary
So, looking forward to getting the phone and seeing how it goes, and having fun communicating here about the journey.

ewingr said:
Note 4 Story
Why this thread? Short background - I am building a '61 Chevy Bubbletop, and have a thread in a Chevy fourm that I have been posting pics, etc. Have had a lot of interest and helpful feedback. I thought it would be fun, and maybe helpful to some (maybe even me), so here goes.
I will have the phone in hand Monday. So first, background on my Note 4, and what I'm hoping to experience with the V20.
I have come to the point that I prefer to not install ROMs. I find that typically, no matter how great and stable everyone says a ROM is, it always has some issue of some kind. (Of course even stock ones do to).
So I went a long time w/o rooting or applying a ROM. I finally just had to have root. So I sold my AT&T Note 4 (couldn't root it), and purchased a T-Mobile Note 4 which could be rooted. I rooted it and used like that for quite a while.
I am one that uses a LOT of apps. (The phone is to use, no?) And with that comes more memory use, and lag. The phone got so laggy I just had to try a ROM. I tried 2-3 with varying success. I finally tried Maximum Overdrive's ROM for the Note 4 (he is now working on a ROM for the V20).
It was like a different phone. Fairly fast, not near as much lag. It has allowed me to extend the life of the phone over the past year. In fact, it works well enough that I wonder how smart I am spending several hundred dollars for a new phone.
So why the new phone? I moved to Florida a year and half ago, and AT&T's data here sucks ripe lemons. I'm going to move to Verizon. (My daughter has them, and we have compared speeds etc., and Verizon is much better here).
Choosing the V20
It has been a few months that I have been on the watch for my next phone. I won't bore you with the long story of that...just a few details.
One of my 'must haves' for the next phone was to have 6GB of memory...due to my high application load. Over time my highest priority switch from 6GB of memory to capability to use a phone on both GSM and CDMA (read that AT&T/Verizon) networks. That way I can tergiversate regarding carriers.
So, some of my top phone choices dropped off the list. In fact, pretty much all of them except for the US996.
Concerns
I do have a few concerns about the V20 that I hope will be alleviated quickly:
Battery - I've been reading posts regarding battery and it does not sound good. Since moving to the Max Overdrive ROM on the Note 4, my battery is unbelievable. I'd hate to go downhill with this phone. This may be something that necessiates rooting.
Camera Lens - I'm sure everyone knows why this is a concern
Performance - I read, for the most part, that this phone performs well. But I also read a lot of complaints about LAG. Ugh...my high app use may make this a likely scenario for me
Camera - I see some complaints about low light pics. But I've seen a lot of praise for the camera as well
Initial Plans
Once I get all apps installed, and data imported/restored for those that need it, I plan to use it stock for at least 30 days and see how it goes. Depending on how it goes, especially related to the concerns above, I'll either keep it and move forward, or return it.
I'll start out with it on AT&T. May hold off moving to Verizon until I pass the 30 day return availablility.
Rooting
I would really like to root the phone. But, as that the only way to unlock the bootloader is via the LG site for this phone, I don't know if I will or not...at least this early with the phone. Why does that make a difference? Will lose warranty, as they indicate that on the LG site where you go to get it unlocked.
Apply Rom?
Given that there is a Maximum Overdrive rom for the V20, you'd think I would want to put that on. Actually, this is true...but he is only making one for the 918, as that is the phone he has. So, I will miss out on that honey.
I have read some positive info on a couple others out there, but do see constant issues, even with just rooting. It's not near as smooth as a Samsung (I base that opinion on the issues I see here vs. have experienced with the Samsung). So, I'm skittish about doing anything to it. Given the 996 unlocking flags the phone as out of warranty, I fear that a bricked phone will be a several hundred dollar loss.
Summary
So, looking forward to getting the phone and seeing how it goes, and having fun communicating here about the journey.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just so you know att only has a 14 day return policy

jerrycoffman45 said:
just so you know att only has a 14 day return policy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know. I purchased from B&H Photo. Besides. AT&T doesn't sell the 996, I don't think.
But thanks for the warning. Had I purchase it from them, and expected 30 days, it would have been a pain to learn the hard way that I can't return it if I decide to.

I had the Note 3, 4 then 7 and this phone is larger than all 3. I just recently switched from Sprint and traded in my s7 edge for the V20 and I am happy so far. I purchased a OtterBox Defender case for the phone and with it installed I no longer have any worries of the camera glass, the case is very solid. Plus I left the factory plastic on the camera which people say will help if the phone was to be dropped.
Good luck!

I had been anxiously awaiting the Note 7. At the time 6GB memory was the top of my 'must have' list. So, when it came with 4GB, I was disappointed and decided to watch for a while. Then we know what happened.
I've actually been very interested in chasing some of the better priced competitors, such as Axon 7 or OnePlus 3t. But both the cameras were rated poorly, and then are GSM only.
But, I'm getting tired of these $800 prices. Rumor now is 1K for the Samsung 8.
I ended up purchasing an open box V20 from B&H, has full factory warranty. Got it for 675, no tax, no shipping.
ON the case, I have been using a Bestbuy PLatinum case, which comes with a belt clipped holster, and a kickstand in the case itself. Been great for me. Coming from IT and needing the phone on my at all times, and not wanting to fight the pocket, I used that.
Turns out it is made by Seido, and they have the same for the V20. It arrived from Amazon today. I'll add some pics when I get the phone and get it set up.
This story will continue. Hopefully it will be a pleasant one.

ewingr said:
Note 4 Story
Why this thread? Short background - I am building a '61 Chevy Bubbletop, and have a thread in a Chevy fourm that I have been posting pics, etc. Have had a lot of interest and helpful feedback. I thought it would be fun, and maybe helpful to some (maybe even me), so here goes.
I will have the phone in hand Monday. So first, background on my Note 4, and what I'm hoping to experience with the V20.
I have come to the point that I prefer to not install ROMs. I find that typically, no matter how great and stable everyone says a ROM is, it always has some issue of some kind. (Of course even stock ones do to).
So I went a long time w/o rooting or applying a ROM. I finally just had to have root. So I sold my AT&T Note 4 (couldn't root it), and purchased a T-Mobile Note 4 which could be rooted. I rooted it and used like that for quite a while.
I am one that uses a LOT of apps. (The phone is to use, no?) And with that comes more memory use, and lag. The phone got so laggy I just had to try a ROM. I tried 2-3 with varying success. I finally tried Maximum Overdrive's ROM for the Note 4 (he is now working on a ROM for the V20).
It was like a different phone. Fairly fast, not near as much lag. It has allowed me to extend the life of the phone over the past year. In fact, it works well enough that I wonder how smart I am spending several hundred dollars for a new phone.
So why the new phone? I moved to Florida a year and half ago, and AT&T's data here sucks ripe lemons. I'm going to move to Verizon. (My daughter has them, and we have compared speeds etc., and Verizon is much better here).
Choosing the V20
It has been a few months that I have been on the watch for my next phone. I won't bore you with the long story of that...just a few details.
One of my 'must haves' for the next phone was to have 6GB of memory...due to my high application load. Over time my highest priority switch from 6GB of memory to capability to use a phone on both GSM and CDMA (read that AT&T/Verizon) networks. That way I can tergiversate regarding carriers.
So, some of my top phone choices dropped off the list. In fact, pretty much all of them except for the US996.
Concerns
I do have a few concerns about the V20 that I hope will be alleviated quickly:
Battery - I've been reading posts regarding battery and it does not sound good. Since moving to the Max Overdrive ROM on the Note 4, my battery is unbelievable. I'd hate to go downhill with this phone. This may be something that necessiates rooting.
Camera Lens - I'm sure everyone knows why this is a concern
Performance - I read, for the most part, that this phone performs well. But I also read a lot of complaints about LAG. Ugh...my high app use may make this a likely scenario for me
Camera - I see some complaints about low light pics. But I've seen a lot of praise for the camera as well
Initial Plans
Once I get all apps installed, and data imported/restored for those that need it, I plan to use it stock for at least 30 days and see how it goes. Depending on how it goes, especially related to the concerns above, I'll either keep it and move forward, or return it.
I'll start out with it on AT&T. May hold off moving to Verizon until I pass the 30 day return availablility.
Rooting
I would really like to root the phone. But, as that the only way to unlock the bootloader is via the LG site for this phone, I don't know if I will or not...at least this early with the phone. Why does that make a difference? Will lose warranty, as they indicate that on the LG site where you go to get it unlocked.
Apply Rom?
Given that there is a Maximum Overdrive rom for the V20, you'd think I would want to put that on. Actually, this is true...but he is only making one for the 918, as that is the phone he has. So, I will miss out on that honey.
I have read some positive info on a couple others out there, but do see constant issues, even with just rooting. It's not near as smooth as a Samsung (I base that opinion on the issues I see here vs. have experienced with the Samsung). So, I'm skittish about doing anything to it. Given the 996 unlocking flags the phone as out of warranty, I fear that a bricked phone will be a several hundred dollar loss.
Summary
So, looking forward to getting the phone and seeing how it goes, and having fun communicating here about the journey.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
About Battery>> Remember that a) you will be dealing with a phone with IPS screen instead of AMOLED (this has a huge impact on the battery). b)the amount of apps that you have (specially those that requires to sync in the background are often part of the issue of battery drainage (my v20 used to last up to 7+ or 8+ with screen on with just about 7 user apps and the rest system apps, now i have 85 user apps + the system apps which make my phone last about 5+ hours screen on). On the other hand, The Doze mode of this phone is INSANE!!!! OUTSTANDING! With screen off your phone can easily last a day or even two (if you like to listen to music with pandora or Spotify >>> it will still last a lot with screen off).
About Camera Lens>> This is just an opinion but im starting to believe that the camera lens sensitivity is just to a small percent of the stock. Believe me when i tell you that i have throw my phone so hard to the wall (by accident) and with that kind of pressure (even with the poetic revolution cover) it should have made the glass of the camera crack (not to mention my phone has fell a lot). On the other hand, do not remove the plastic it comes with , just to be safe.
About Performance>> The phone is fast but just like any other phone, regardless of the processor, or the amount of ram, it has its limits. Thus, at the beginning i had a blazing fast LG V20. But put 85 user apps inside any phone and see how this will change lol. IT still fast. But every once in a while i experience a little lag. But that is just when i have only 500+mb left of ram. ( how can i know my ram quickly? OvrDrive Rom has the ram bar)
About Camera>> The camera does become slower when you are at very dark environments. But many report, including me, that using manual mode and adjusting it to your liking will make it very fast. I believe the issue is the automatic mode. Although sometimes for me the automatic mode in the dark works great. Also, some people report their photos looking like water paint (it does happen to me only with the wide angle camera. Not very often, but it does)
Now, if you are looking for developments and all that, this phone seems to be going in the right direction. We pretty much have root for every variant, we have some custom stock roms, and also we have LineageOS, Resurrection Remix, and AOKP among others so far for almost every variants.

Appreciate the input. We'll see how my experience goes.
I have a comment/reply or two in blue down in the quote of your response.
jinkerz9430 said:
About Battery>> Remember that a) you will be dealing with a phone with IPS screen instead of AMOLED (this has a huge impact on the battery). b)the amount of apps that you have (specially those that requires to sync in the background are often part of the issue of battery drainage (my v20 used to last up to 7+ or 8+ with screen on with just about 7 user apps and the rest system apps, now i have 85 user apps + the system apps which make my phone last about 5+ hours screen on). On the other hand, The Doze mode of this phone is INSANE!!!! OUTSTANDING! With screen off your phone can easily last a day or even two (if you like to listen to music with pandora or Spotify >>> it will still last a lot with screen off).
Yup. All understood. My comparison will be to my almost 3 year old Note 4. It has all the apps I will have on the V20, Doze mode (Max Overdrive ROM), etc. This has a just barely smaller battery than the Note 4 (which is disappointing...would prefer a fatter phone with fatter battery). So, I would hope the processer is more efficient, and in the end, at least as good on battery as my Note 4.
About Camera Lens>> This is just an opinion but im starting to believe that the camera lens sensitivity is just to a small percent of the stock. Believe me when i tell you that i have throw my phone so hard to the wall (by accident) and with that kind of pressure (even with the poetic revolution cover) it should have made the glass of the camera crack (not to mention my phone has fell a lot). On the other hand, do not remove the plastic it comes with , just to be safe.
I will definitely have the phone in cases. Hopefully I'll have same experience as you.
About Performance>> The phone is fast but just like any other phone, regardless of the processor, or the amount of ram, it has its limits. Thus, at the beginning i had a blazing fast LG V20. But put 85 user apps inside any phone and see how this will change lol. IT still fast. But every once in a while i experience a little lag. But that is just when i have only 500+mb left of ram. ( how can i know my ram quickly? OvrDrive Rom has the ram bar)
I'm sure it has it's limits. I do abuse them, with lots of apps. MOre than 85, I'm sure. I do have a tendency to freeze apps I don't use often. But of course that requires root. With the Maximum Overdrive ROM on my Note 4, the lags aren't too bad. I'm thinking (hoping) that this phone will shine in comparison to my Note 4 with the better specs.
About Camera>> The camera does become slower when you are at very dark environments. But many report, including me, that using manual mode and adjusting it to your liking will make it very fast. I believe the issue is the automatic mode. Although sometimes for me the automatic mode in the dark works great. Also, some people report their photos looking like water paint (it does happen to me only with the wide angle camera. Not very often, but it does)
I use some modes other than automatic on my Canon. I'm excited to see the capabilities of the camera on this phone. With an understanding of shutter and aperture as an advantage, maybe I'll be very happy with it.
Now, if you are looking for developments and all that, this phone seems to be going in the right direction. We pretty much have root for every variant, we have some custom stock roms, and also we have LineageOS, Resurrection Remix, and AOKP among others so far for almost every variants.
If only Overdrive developed for the 996, I would know what ROM to use. I will likely hold off on ROMS for a while. I still see lots of folks struggling with the ROMS and reporting issues or help needed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tomorrow...the journey begins

SHAMELESS PLUG, to remind everyone that not everyone has 800$ to throw at a phone upfront.
I was in your boat. I had my eyes dead set on the US996.
Did my research and ended up on the H918.
Look at the ROM development, it's flooded with H918 support.
Will the US996 pick up traction and have as much support as the H918? Who knows.
I even wanted the dual sim, but that isn't even rooted if my memory serves correctly.
Regardless, this phone is stellar.
WETA rom has an US996 version, which I'd definitely recommend. I have my eyes on Max Overdrive, NATF and Resurrection remix, but after flashing WETA, i wouldn't change a thing.
Best of luck to you, m9.

Thanks for the best luck wishes.
I am seeing more dev for the 996. I am hopeful that I'll be happy with it stock. Although, I really want Root, so I may give in.
One thing for sure, it is confusing having all various models in the same forums, and most folks don't indicate which model they are on.

ewingr said:
Appreciate the input. We'll see how my experience goes.
I have a comment/reply or two in blue down in the quote of your response.
Tomorrow...the journey begins
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah i would say that Max ovrdrive and Weta are the 2 most stable ones regarding stock roms. Have you tried to talk with OvrDrive ? The h918 and US996 are pretty much alike in all the aspects except some frequencies added to the us996. Maybe you can be a tester for the us996 version. But yeah, first try the phone for a while without any root until the 14 days or possibly some more days are over. If you decide to keep it, then you can jump into the v20's board lol . By the way, you said that you rather a fatter phone? I have seen some battery replacements from third party brands such as zero lemon (which is usually a great brand that produces great batteries) their batteries have way more mah than the original battery from the v20. But it comes with a cost that you might get along with them. It requires to put a very fat case to the phone. I personally dont like it but if you dont care about how fat it looks then you coupd go for it.

I didn't personally talk to Overdrive, but it was asked in his thread of his ROM would work on the 996, and his reply was he would not be supporting it as he does not have one. I too have noticed that ROMs are working on more than one model.
I'll wait and see how the stock battery works out before I go try a fatter one. I'm hoping to stay in the Seido case and belt clip I had already purchased.

Good news/Bad news
Bad news first...but not that bad
I won't have the phone in hand until late Thursday, instead of today
Now the great news
I'll have a brand new phone instead of open big phone, and will sane $175.
I went to Phandroid a bit ago and they announced a sale of the V20 at B&H for $499.99. I had paid $675 for the open box. I called B&H to see if they would refund the difference. Nope. Buy the sale phone and return the open box phone.
Fine with me ?

ewingr said:
Bad news first...but not that bad
I won't have the phone in hand until late Thursday, instead of today
Now the great news
I'll have a brand new phone instead of open big phone, and will sane $175.
I went to Phandroid a bit ago and they announced a sale of the V20 at B&H for $499.99. I had paid $675 for the open box. I called B&H to see if they would refund the difference. Nope. Buy the sale phone and return the open box phone.
Fine with me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my v20's price was practically speaking $331 dollars Brand new sealed . Because of the promotion of the $200 off and the earphone of $149 plus an extra earphone ($149) sent to me from the defective lg v20 returned. I think im going to finish of paying by the 27 of this month

tl;dr version: If I see a US996 for sale that says it "only works with US Cellular" do I take the seller's word for it, or do I know better that the US996 is unlocked for all carriers if you have the right SIM card?
"I've got time" version:
I too am considering a journey from a Note 4 to a US996.
I'm on Verizon, and I just dropped my Note 4 Dev Edition (not that the DE means anything now that the BL unlock was released), cracking the LCD and rendering the digitizer useless. A new(ish) Note 4 is around $200... so I wouldn't bother replacing the screen on my otherwise well-used phone. PS... The phone was in a case, in a belt holster (Spigen Slim Armor / Seidio respectively) and a tempered glass screen protector. ugh.
If it wasn't obvious from my owning a Developer Edition phone... I like to have an unlocked bootloader and root. I had CM13 installed on the Note 4 because TouchWiz was so far behind in a lot of ways. So, I'm considering a V20. I'd rather spend a little more and get a phone that has a SUPPORTED BL unlock method. The Verizon V20 version can be BL unlocked via a hack with a debug bootloader, but it's irreversible and that may lead to issues with being painted into a corner. Enter the US996.
So, I started researching the V20, making sure that there was stable bootloader unlock method, the dev base for ROMs is strong, the reviews are good, etc... and I came across some sales that say that the phone is ONLY for US Cellular. Is this true? The US996 is the unlocked version, correct?
I tried to navigate LG's and USC's websites to get a model number and some info... but I'm not seeing it. Could US Cellular have somehow SIM-locked the phone so that only USC's SIMs work in it? Or... does the seller just not know any better, or wants to play it safe by saying it will only work with the carrier listed?
Thanks for the help! Also... anyone switching from the Note 4, please let me know what you miss. I use my stylus a lot for drawing or annotating on pictures and screenshots... so I think it will be the hardest thing to give up if I go to a V20 or other stylus-less phone.

DrPhant0m said:
tl;dr version: If I see a US996 for sale that says it "only works with US Cellular" do I take the seller's word for it, or do I know better that the US996 is unlocked for all carriers if you have the right SIM card?
"I've got time" version:
I too am considering a journey from a Note 4 to a US996.
I'm on Verizon, and I just dropped my Note 4 Dev Edition (not that the DE means anything now that the BL unlock was released), cracking the LCD and rendering the digitizer useless. A new(ish) Note 4 is around $200... so I wouldn't bother replacing the screen on my otherwise well-used phone. PS... The phone was in a case, in a belt holster (Spigen Slim Armor / Seidio respectively) and a tempered glass screen protector. ugh.
If it wasn't obvious from my owning a Developer Edition phone... I like to have an unlocked bootloader and root. I had CM13 installed on the Note 4 because TouchWiz was so far behind in a lot of ways. So, I'm considering a V20. I'd rather spend a little more and get a phone that has a SUPPORTED BL unlock method. The Verizon V20 version can be BL unlocked via a hack with a debug bootloader, but it's irreversible and that may lead to issues with being painted into a corner. Enter the US996.
So, I started researching the V20, making sure that there was stable bootloader unlock method, the dev base for ROMs is strong, the reviews are good, etc... and I came across some sales that say that the phone is ONLY for US Cellular. Is this true? The US996 is the unlocked version, correct?
I tried to navigate LG's and USC's websites to get a model number and some info... but I'm not seeing it. Could US Cellular have somehow SIM-locked the phone so that only USC's SIMs work in it? Or... does the seller just not know any better, or wants to play it safe by saying it will only work with the carrier listed?
Thanks for the help! Also... anyone switching from the Note 4, please let me know what you miss. I use my stylus a lot for drawing or annotating on pictures and screenshots... so I think it will be the hardest thing to give up if I go to a V20 or other stylus-less phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure what to say. Can you link the one you are looking at? I think by only work with US Cellular, they MAY (I don't know) mean a U.S. Carrier, ie. Verizon, AT&T, Sprint or T-Mobile, as opposed to the company US Celluar.
One thing you need to be aware of for the US996...the only way, right now, that it can be bootloader unlocked is by going to a LG site to get an unlock code from them. At that point it will lose warranty. Due to that, I'll be holding off on unlocking for a while. At least, that is my current plan.

Only thing I miss is the stylus going from the note 3 to the v10.
Though I suppose I don't miss the stylus that much since I jumped from the v10 to v20 instead of going back to the note series.
I would love to see lg put some effort into it and make a stylus based top end model instead of putting a stylus version as a middle model. I was hoping the v series would feature a stylus and the g series be a non stylus version but alas it hasn't happened.
Sent from my LG-H918 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

evo4g63t said:
Only thing I miss is the stylus going from the note 3 to the v10.
Though I suppose I don't miss the stylus that much since I jumped from the v10 to v20 instead of going back to the note series.
I would love to see lg put some effort into it and make a stylus based top end model instead of putting a stylus version as a middle model. I was hoping the v series would feature a stylus and the g series be a non stylus version but alas it hasn't happened.
Sent from my LG-H918 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But i think that LG is trying not to copy other brands such as samsung. For this reason they should limit the amount of resemblance between the features of each phone. Thus, there are just a handful of LG's with stylus in comparison to the note series . After all i doubt LG wants to experience the same thing that happened with samsung been sued by apple, and then apple been sued back by samsung (quite a hilarious story though lol) but if i had a company such as LG, i would definitely not want to even put a step in court for a battle that can easily last more than a month of constant interventions and proofs and etc... and could easily cost me 100+ or 200+ millions. In a lg v20 , i believe the stylus is not a necessity (Even for people that would love to have stylus for the v series). On the other hand, one could buy one of this or similars:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1xTouch-Scr...485550?hash=item33c8e075ee:g:0RkAAOSwIgNXmXla
and see if there is an application that resembles what one can do with the note's stylus. you will definitely wont find one that will be exactly the same. But maybe similar and who knows maybe better.

DrPhant0m said:
tl;dr version: If I see a US996 for sale that says it "only works with US Cellular" do I take the seller's word for it, or do I know better that the US996 is unlocked for all carriers if you have the right SIM card?
"I've got time" version:
I too am considering a journey from a Note 4 to a US996.
I'm on Verizon, and I just dropped my Note 4 Dev Edition (not that the DE means anything now that the BL unlock was released), cracking the LCD and rendering the digitizer useless. A new(ish) Note 4 is around $200... so I wouldn't bother replacing the screen on my otherwise well-used phone. PS... The phone was in a case, in a belt holster (Spigen Slim Armor / Seidio respectively) and a tempered glass screen protector. ugh.
If it wasn't obvious from my owning a Developer Edition phone... I like to have an unlocked bootloader and root. I had CM13 installed on the Note 4 because TouchWiz was so far behind in a lot of ways. So, I'm considering a V20. I'd rather spend a little more and get a phone that has a SUPPORTED BL unlock method. The Verizon V20 version can be BL unlocked via a hack with a debug bootloader, but it's irreversible and that may lead to issues with being painted into a corner. Enter the US996.
So, I started researching the V20, making sure that there was stable bootloader unlock method, the dev base for ROMs is strong, the reviews are good, etc... and I came across some sales that say that the phone is ONLY for US Cellular. Is this true? The US996 is the unlocked version, correct?
I tried to navigate LG's and USC's websites to get a model number and some info... but I'm not seeing it. Could US Cellular have somehow SIM-locked the phone so that only USC's SIMs work in it? Or... does the seller just not know any better, or wants to play it safe by saying it will only work with the carrier listed?
Thanks for the help! Also... anyone switching from the Note 4, please let me know what you miss. I use my stylus a lot for drawing or annotating on pictures and screenshots... so I think it will be the hardest thing to give up if I go to a V20 or other stylus-less phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been thinking a bit. I know I saw in a thread somewhere about the US996 being the same model for the Unlocked and for a carrier (don't recall if it was US Cellular). I think the key is 'Unlocked'. Maybe you should put your question in it's own post. May bet more input, from someone who knows for sure.

Thanks for the replies. Take a look at this auction: http://www.ebay.com/itm/381960164377
The seller says they are an authorized US Cellular reseller… so it seems they'd know. And I doubt that they'd distort the truth about the phone being unlocked just to keep USC customers. So maybe there are US996s out there that are locked to USC. It doesn't make sense that there'd be a carrier-locked version of the US996 sold by LG… so maybe USC is locking them. Perhaps I'll ask the seller.
I ended up ordering a "like new" note 4 for $200 before I found out that B&H was selling the US996 for $300 off retail, and now I've missed that deal. So hopefully this Note4 really is in new condition and it will serve long enough for me to try out a V20 while the price drops again somewhere else.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

Update… this is the response I got from the seller:
Thank you for your question. We are not selling the phone as compatible with other carriers or carrier-unlocked. We can't guarantee that the phone will work with an another carrier. We are only saying the phone will work with the carrier US Cellular. We can only guarantee that it works with US Cellular.*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you all think?
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

(Discussion) Is This the End of the Line?

I thought nothing could replace my bootloader unlocked and rooted LG G3 running SkyDragon and the Xposed framework. Then came my US996 V20 factory unlocked, rooted and also with Xposed framework. This phone nearly had it all for me. I wanted FM radio but all attempts at getting it with Verizon as a carrier were unsuccessful. But I still loved and love myV20! Now is a very sad time for me because my 2.5 year old V20 is showing signs of advanced age. One of the primary reasons for choosing it was the replaceable battery. I don't give a rat's rear end about waterproof design, selfie cameras, using near field to pay for purchases or fingerprint unlocking but apparently the marketplace is driven by those desires. I do care about the ability to root and unlock the bootloader and, above all, the ability to replace the battery in any phone I own. Looks like I'm screwed on the latter!
If I bite the bullet on replaceable battery but absolutely must have root, what are my primary options? I would really like to hear from you guys and perhaps start a discussion on this subject. I paid $800 for my V20 and think it was nearly worth it but I do not have to have a flagship, especially when prices are getting absurd. I also would prefer a phone physically no larger than the V20 (absolutely loved the G3 sizewise!) and require a display that is visible in sunny outdoors. I would also like to be able to use my 256 GB SD card. I know my quest is practically hopeless but when the time comes I would like to get a phone that I feel I haven't paid for a lot of those trendy features I don't want or will never use.
Sorry about the rant – but the current state of affairs sucks, imho! BTW, 5G will "never" get to my area either but most of my usage is WiFi and I have a Gigabit FiOS connection but my V20 does not do well in the WiFi speed category.

PhoneBill said:
I thought nothing could replace my bootloader unlocked and rooted LG G3 running SkyDragon and the Xposed framework. Then came my US996 V20 factory unlocked, rooted and also with Xposed framework. This phone nearly had it all for me. I wanted FM radio but all attempts at getting it with Verizon as a carrier were unsuccessful. But I still loved and love myV20! Now is a very sad time for me because my 2.5 year old V20 is showing signs of advanced age. One of the primary reasons for choosing it was the replaceable battery. I don't give a rat's rear end about waterproof design, selfie cameras, using near field to pay for purchases or fingerprint unlocking but apparently the marketplace is driven by those desires. I do care about the ability to root and unlock the bootloader and, above all, the ability to replace the battery in any phone I own. Looks like I'm screwed on the latter!
If I bite the bullet on replaceable battery but absolutely must have root, what are my primary options? I would really like to hear from you guys and perhaps start a discussion on this subject. I paid $800 for my V20 and think it was nearly worth it but I do not have to have a flagship, especially when prices are getting absurd. I also would prefer a phone physically no larger than the V20 (absolutely loved the G3 sizewise!) and require a display that is visible in sunny outdoors. I would also like to be able to use my 256 GB SD card. I know my quest is practically hopeless but when the time comes I would like to get a phone that I feel I haven't paid for a lot of those trendy features I don't want or will never use.
Sorry about the rant – but the current state of affairs sucks, imho! BTW, 5G will "never" get to my area either but most of my usage is WiFi and I have a Gigabit FiOS connection but my V20 does not do well in the WiFi speed category.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought an Essential phone and then moved to a new Mi mix 2S and both have been great replacement for the V20.
The new Mi 9 is also a great alternative
Sent from my Mi MIX 2S using Tapatalk

OnePlus is also very good, that's where I moved to from V20 and S8+.

No matter what people say I'll stick with my us996 and f800k.......this ticks all the boxes for me.

Same problem I have with all the new devices. I tried the non-replaceable battery in a Nexus 6. Never again. Sucks when it dies, and they all will. It's just chemistry. And you can't get known good quality cells, just random China crap that is completely unknown. Perhaps a bigger name flagship like the S8 would have some options for good quality cells. Everyone else gets the rejects. It's a bit harsh, but I've personally tested random batteries and they are nearly universally crap that don't meet the stated capacity and lifetime. Not just in a phone either, real discharge testing. There are a couple decent manufacturers, but you pay more and they don't make batteries for every device, they just can't. Particularly when "normal" people don't go opening up a glued together device to replace the battery.
I get that my desires mean I'm not the "mass market". But it would be nice to have a couple options to pick from. Maybe just a big and small? I like larger devices, but not everyone does.
If they want more than about $300, I demand replaceable batteries, expandable storage, and headphone jack. And, most important, root. If I don't have root, I don't own the device. If I don't own it, I'm not paying nearly a grand for it. Hell, I got all that on my V20 for about $400. Sadly, at the moment there is no upgrade path. The best thing is, the things I ask for are cheap as hell, maybe $5 total in quantity, so the potential profit margin is huge. Everyone is just too busy trying to look like Apple. If I wanted that, I'd have already bought an iPhone.

stinka318 said:
No matter what people say I'll stick with my us996 and f800k.......this ticks all the boxes for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree. The V20 is the last of it's kind and they did most things right for it's time.. it even has an IR blaster, which I use as a universal remote. Like it's been mentioned before: the replaceable battery, expandable memory, quad dac+3.5mm jack, and decent all around specs for it's time makes this phone one of a kind. They don't make phones like this anymore, at least on the hardware level. Even though we all complained about LG and their crappy software updates, at least I gotta give credit to LG for making a phone like this (hardware wise).
Hopefully the dev community keeps it running for some time, in retrospect, this phone is a legend.

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
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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 ?