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8 generations of HTC & I switched... Initial Thoughts

I never thought I would be writing anything like this but wanted to share my initial thoughts of this device. I have been extremely loyal to HTC over the years with my first real smart phone being the Touch Pro 1, TP2, evo4G wimax, evo3D wimax, evo LTE, M7, M8 & M9. With rumors of the M10 ditching boomsound this year, I had enough. I firmly believed HTC designed and manufactured superior products over Samsung for many years but could never get ahead due to poor leadership at HTC such as messing up the camera & marketing to name a few. That said I don't think that is the case anymore. I saw the build quality jump on the S6 & now with the release of the S7 I don't see how HTC can keep running if the leaked M10 renders are true. I have worked and setup many Samsung phones over the years but this is my first real hands on for myself and wanted to share my initial thoughts on what stood out.
Build Quality: My M9 still feels more solid & premium over the S7 edge. That said the S7 edge certainly looks the part of premium and still a huge step up in build quality over previous S5 and below models.
Bloat/UI: I have always not liked TouchWiz and always preferred sense. While this is certainly more feature packed, many things on the phones are worthless and it still feels pretty bloated. I really miss the big HTC weather clock I have been using since the touch pro.
Boomsound: One of my favorite features of the M9 which rumors of ditching it on M10 caused me to be done. While the speaker sounds decent on this phone, covering it up while watching videos is annoying and you just can't replace front facing stereo speakers.
Rooting: I have been rooting for years, HTC has also been fairly root friendly with the exception of the evo3D and encrypted boot loader. M7, M8 & M9 I have all S-OFF for full control which I love. With Samsung having Knox, I have to choose between a warranty void or locked down phone. Yes HTC voided the warranty as well but if you had S-OFF you could reverse everything there is no e-fuse. Xposed on touchwiz roms from what I know isn't as friendly on Samsung devices having to use custom versions to get it to work.
Those things I already was well aware of, so the things I like so far that have stood out to me.
The screen: Higher resolution, always on display and colors have more pop. Screen is very nice, especially with a little bigger display. The edge I find pretty cool as well.
Notification Light: Much bigger and noticeable light on the Galaxy the my HTC. Might not be a big deal to some, but I like it.
Thin: Feels thinner and lighter than my M9 while still having a bigger screen.
Gear VR: While this is super cool and pretty wild, the resolution on the Gear VR sucks. Feels like watching 240P youtube videos. That said it's still pretty cool, it's cheap and I'm sure future versions are going to be insane.
Buttons: While I find a finger print scanner worthless, have a physical home button I like along with back lit back and recent apps keys vs having them on screen. I highly prefer this layout over on screen which means more usable screen. The M7 had this and the M8 they moved to on screen while still have the HTC black bar which I thought was just stupid and wasted screen space. I like how Samsung has it layed out.
I haven't had the device that long but this is my initial reaction after a short period of time with the phone. I wouldn't be oppose to going back to HTC in the coming years (if they are even around) if they can get there act together as I do prefer a lot of things on the HTC. There are a lot of other features other people might value more than me that I didn't even mention. My biggest concern at this point in time is if I want to trip knox or not as you can't go back. I'm leaning towards yes even if it breaks Samsung Pay as I really like having xposed assuming it works on this phone and of course full root access which I have become dependent on.

I understand what you are saying. I've been a completely dedicated HTC customer for about 12 years. My first HTC was the PPC-6600 Harrier (back in 2004 I believe). The last one was the OneMax. I have not been happy with anything they have made after that. They have cut corners and sacrificed features in an effort to save money. When they should be building better products.
So I decided to try Samsung. Although it is smaller than I would like, I'll make the best of it. But if the Edge Plus comes out is "Sept" as I've read, I'll most likely go with it.
I'm not going to compare the features of these phones. But I will say this, I do like Sense system more. And as soon as I root this it will have Sense apps and widgets.

I just read that root may not be possible on this phone. I'll give it a week and see how I really like it. But I'm thinking of taking it back and waiting on a larger screen Samsung or HTC.
It's not bad. I just don't know if I like it enough without root to keep it for very long. And if I'm going to take it back in don't have long.

Wow you have been even more loyal then me. HTC TP1 was my first real Smart phone. I use to buy Samsung flip phones A940 if you remember that which by the way had awesome speakers on it and even an accelerometer. I have actually been pretty happy with HTC's products. Boomsound on the M7 was fantastic, they did mess up the camera though while it took good lowlight shows, the resolution was awful and 4MP just isn't enough. Part of the reason I stayed away from the Galaxy for so long, I just viewed it as an over priced plastic phone which didn't feel premium at all. I noticed a change on the S6 last year which is when I for the first time considered changing. People didn't brace the M9, so they release the A9 to compete with itself just idiot leadership at HTC. Now the M10 no boomsound? They just seem to be going backwards. While I already really miss my front facing speakers on the M9, the features on the S7 edge are amazing. Not only am I done with HTC for the time being, but I have kept lots of friends loyal to the HTC brand. Not saying I wouldn't ever go back but losing super loyal customers like yourself & I is what could put HTC under.
Looks like this phone may never have root or anything custom as the bootloader is locked. Coming from S-OFF devices to a device locked down like fort knox sucks. I already miss root, Xposed, AdAway & TI just to name a few. Even if we get root it will trip knox rendering certain features useless like Samsung Pay which I would prob rather have root than Samsung Pay but I haven't tried it out yet. I'm gonna stick with it for now see what happens, I just think devices are only going to become more secure and locked down as we move forward.
As far as you waiting for the edge +, it will be interesting how they do that this year if at all since the S7 edge really isn't that much smaller than the Note 5 where last years S6 edge was smaller. I really like the size of the phone, lots of screen but doesn't feel too big. I do miss sense as well, I have never been a fan of TouchWiz and the amount of bloat on this thing is unbelievable but it can be cleaned up. I knew what I was getting into. I'm gonna stick with it for now as I think the pro's outway the cons at least at the moment.

Sim-X said:
Wow you have been even more loyal then me. HTC TP1 was my first real Smart phone. I use to buy Samsung flip phones A940 if you remember that which by the way had awesome speakers on it and even an accelerometer. I have actually been pretty happy with HTC's products. Boomsound on the M7 was fantastic, they did mess up the camera though while it took good lowlight shows, the resolution was awful and 4MP just isn't enough. Part of the reason I stayed away from the Galaxy for so long, I just viewed it as an over priced plastic phone which didn't feel premium at all. I noticed a change on the S6 last year which is when I for the first time considered changing. People didn't brace the M9, so they release the A9 to compete with itself just idiot leadership at HTC. Now the M10 no boomsound? They just seem to be going backwards. While I already really miss my front facing speakers on the M9, the features on the S7 edge are amazing. Not only am I done with HTC for the time being, but I have kept lots of friends loyal to the HTC brand. Not saying I wouldn't ever go back but losing super loyal customers like yourself & I is what could put HTC under.
Looks like this phone may never have root or anything custom as the bootloader is locked. Coming from S-OFF devices to a device locked down like fort knox sucks. I already miss root, Xposed, AdAway & TI just to name a few. Even if we get root it will trip knox rendering certain features useless like Samsung Pay which I would prob rather have root than Samsung Pay but I haven't tried it out yet. I'm gonna stick with it for now see what happens, I just think devices are only going to become more secure and locked down as we move forward.
As far as you waiting for the edge +, it will be interesting how they do that this year if at all since the S7 edge really isn't that much smaller than the Note 5 where last years S6 edge was smaller. I really like the size of the phone, lots of screen but doesn't feel too big. I do miss sense as well, I have never been a fan of TouchWiz and the amount of bloat on this thing is unbelievable but it can be cleaned up. I knew what I was getting into. I'm gonna stick with it for now as I think the pro's outway the cons at least at the moment.
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TW vs Sense... minor annoyance. I got used toit, I'm sure you can too.
Root vs Samsung pay... well, that's a little bit more complicated. Samsung pay works only with certain (quite limited) cards and banks. So far for me only AMEX and Citi credit card are supported. You need to find out first, whether you have a card that's supported otherwise this whole dilemma is moot. I live without root since last year's Note 5. Samsung pay is just more valuable to me than a few tweaks I can easily live without. It's quick, convenient and it just works. The only place so far I found it doesn't work is Walmart. Because Walmart registers don't support NFC and if you have a card with chip, they won't accept magnetic swipe. (which Samsung pay simulates if no NFC is possible)..

Stank0 said:
TW vs Sense... minor annoyance. I got used toit, I'm sure you can too.
Root vs Samsung pay... well, that's a little bit more complicated. Samsung pay works only with certain (quite limited) cards and banks. So far for me only AMEX and Citi credit card are supported. You need to find out first, whether you have a card that's supported otherwise this whole dilemma is moot. I live without root since last year's Note 5. Samsung pay is just more valuable to me than a few tweaks I can easily live without. It's quick, convenient and it just works. The only place so far I found it doesn't work is Walmart. Because Walmart registers don't support NFC and if you have a card with chip, they won't accept magnetic swipe. (which Samsung pay simulates if no NFC is possible)..
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Samsung Pay has been working for me at Walmart since Sept of 2015. I use a chipped Chase visa card. Be sure to tell the cashier it's a credit card & tell them you have the security numbers if they ask (which is the last 4 digits of your CC).
Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

I might have to give it a try at Wal-Mart and see how I like it. I had Google Wallet back in the day on evo LTE with very limited retailers at the time it would work at. When it did work it wasn't the smoothest so since then I haven't been using anything. I don't see Samsung Pay being valuable to me, but you make a good point if it doesn't work for my cards then decision should be easy. That said if the bootloader is locked from what I have read this year it is on Sprint then unless that changes there will be no knox trip anyway. I'll give it a whirl see if I like it, I have a chase card I can try at wal-mart next time I go.

optimummind said:
Samsung Pay has been working for me at Walmart since Sept of 2015. I use a chipped Chase visa card. Be sure to tell the cashier it's a credit card & tell them you have the security numbers if they ask (which is the last 4 digits of your CC).
Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Your Walmart must have upgraded their card readers. The Walmart I'm using does not accept magnetic swipe if your card is chipped. It will reject it and say to use the chip reader. Samsung pay emulates magnetic swipe so when I try it, it tells me to use the chip reader. They also don't have a NFC sensor, so I can't use it there. But that's a minor annoyance. I'm not frequent shopper at walmart anyway.
---------- Post added at 07:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:52 PM ----------
Chase should work AFAIK.
I've tried Google Wallet before too but that was a huge PITA. This is a completely different game. This Samsung Pay thing is actually useful.

Stank0 said:
Your Walmart must have upgraded their card readers. The Walmart I'm using does not accept magnetic swipe if your card is chipped. It will reject it and say to use the chip reader. Samsung pay emulates magnetic swipe so when I try it, it tells me to use the chip reader. They also don't have a NFC sensor, so I can't use it there. But that's a minor annoyance. I'm not frequent shopper at walmart anyway.
---------- Post added at 07:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:52 PM ----------
Chase should work AFAIK.
I've tried Google Wallet before too but that was a huge PITA. This is a completely different game. This Samsung Pay thing is actually useful.
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My Walmart has a card swipe On the right side + a chip card receptacle on the bottom.
Sometimes it doesn't work the first time but it's been due to cashier mistakes.
Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

optimummind said:
Sometimes it doesn't work the first time but it's been due to cashier mistakes.
Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk
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That wouldn't surprise me at all.
I don't have to be right ALL the time.

Been using htc android phones since the Dream on t-mobile.
I jumped on the S7 edge because of the aesthetically pleasing display, but more importantly because I had an old M8 that was chugging along. If the M10 had come out this month I would probably went with that. I may return the S7 edge and wait out till the M10 due to the seemingly large hurdles with how locked down it is.
Shame, since I really believe this is easily the best Samsung phone I have touched, but no foreseeable xposed functionality is a big no no in the long-term for me.

Slayix312 said:
Been using htc android phones since the Dream on t-mobile.
I jumped on the S7 edge because of the aesthetically pleasing display, but more importantly because I had an old M8 that was chugging along. If the M10 had come out this month I would probably went with that. I may return the S7 edge and wait out till the M10 due to the seemingly large hurdles with how locked down it is.
Shame, since I really believe this is easily the best Samsung phone I have touched, but no foreseeable xposed functionality is a big no no in the long-term for me.
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Click to collapse
I'm missing Xposed as well

Still liking it? I had my OneMax replace by Asuron. I got the LG flex 2. Its not a bad phone. With Xposed, debloated andall the Sense apps; the damn thing acts just like an HTC. But with a better screen.
Ive read the HTC 10 is going to be a tiny 5.1".
Ill hang on to this till someone makes a rootable 5.7-5.9"

Are you switching to the Note7?

So I was a bit impressed with the LG V10 when it first debuted so I picked it up especially after seeing the Note 5 specs, I do have to say the LG V10 did blew me away for at least the first 2-3 months plus the free battery and 200GB sd card made it a no-brainer for me, Now 10 months later my phone is having so many issues and especially after the Marshmallow update which caused some many issues with battery life, performance and heating issues (that's just me not sure if anyone had the same issue) with that being said I will be switching to the Note8 since at this point internal battery is no longer important to me and Samsung was really smart about bringing back the SDcard which to me is #1 on my priority list.
So are you switching? If so why?

I won't be switching for awhile. I'm not upgrading to quickly anymore. It's hard for me to justify a new phone that probably only has an upgraded CPU that won't really affect anything I do on my device. Waterproofing and the other updates are nice but I really don't need it. I'm enjoying root(which may get even more difficult on nouget) right now and I'll take a wait and see approach for now.
Sent from my LG-H901 using XDA-Developers mobile app

If I switch to anything it will be the V20 depending on what the specs are.... Waiting for someone to leak something besides the very vague leaks we have so far.
The main thing I like about the note 7 is the waterproofing but I just don't think I can go to non removable battery until it's the absolute only option. I love my zerolemon too much.
Sent from my pretty nifty brand new LG V10

I'm not.
Taking a break from AMOLED screens. Every unit i've had since the Galaxy Nexus, Note 3 and N6 has had burn in within 4-5 months. LGV10 does get em, but they go away since they're less susceptible to them.
I'm also way happy with V10 camera and build. Note 7 did catch my eye with the icon theme feature but have not seen anything that I need to upgrade to. V20 I probably wont but it all depends on looks and if it has a similar build to the V10 (solid)

V20 will be my next purchase. The Note 7 looks amazing, but $900 for a locked device is unacceptable and very Apple (or anti Android) imo.
I do wish LG would use a super AMOLED screen or come up with a alternative tech that is just as vibrant.
Also it would be nice if they moved the lower navigation buttons off the screen and into the black portion that serves no purpose other than making the current v10 bulky and long.

I'm staying with Lg for the double tap to wake device alone.
I might get the V20 depending on price, special offers or specs. Otherwise I'm still very happy with my V10.

Someone mentioned this before, but I am re-stating it. 900 for knox and locked down phone will not be very popular with this community. Samsung is becoming very apple-ish. Samsung is also very slow with their updates. it is shipping with Marshmallow, I think. Without root, and a locked bootloader, you have to wait for Samsung/T-mobile to release Nougat.

Probably will be switching. My V10 has been acting crazy since the MM update. It freezes randomly, feels like its burning my leg when I have it in my pocket, have had the battery drop from 100% to 90% in 15 minutes at times without the screen on, and random apps will crash one day then work fine the next. Never had problems with Lollipop.

Battery drain is ridiculous and there was a time in life I wanted root on all my phones but honestly its not a deal breaker anymore.

Honestly the Note 7 and the V220 both have me worried. I enjoy ad blocking. That in itself is high priority on my list. Im not heavily concerned about open bootloader, but root is a must. Samsung has recently been severely locking down their devices, but I think android 7.0 is gonna be worse with the system checks on boot. They were saying with a locked bootloader you phone "possibly" wont boot if it doesn't pass certain checks. I also remember 7.0 has the capability to uninstall malicious apps, no matter where the source came from. I don't know what they consider malicious, but I'm pretty sure the ad king, would file ad blocking under that category.

agentscuba314 said:
Honestly the Note 7 and the V220 both have me worried. I enjoy ad blocking. That in itself is high priority on my list. Im not heavily concerned about open bootloader, but root is a must. Samsung has recently been severely locking down their devices, but I think android 7.0 is gonna be worse with the system checks on boot. They were saying with a locked bootloader you phone "possibly" wont boot if it doesn't pass certain checks. I also remember 7.0 has the capability to uninstall malicious apps, no matter where the source came from. I don't know what they consider malicious, but I'm pretty sure the ad king, would file ad blocking under that category.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I myself is concerned with the future of handsets after all we buy these and we own them and we should have the right to root, unlock and modify our devices.

maxmotos said:
I myself is concerned with the future of handsets after all we buy these and we own them and we should have the right to root, unlock and modify our devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anything short of leasing a device, we should have the capability of unlocking the bootloader, similar to what HTC/Nexus has for their devices.

The Note 7 looks nice but is way too expensive!
Sent from my LG-H901 using XDA-Developers mobile app

Would you still recommend s7?

Hi, I am looking for a new phone and basically I am left with choosing between s7 (edge maybe) and Google pixel. So far I am leaning towards S7 as it is water resistant, it has expandable storage, bigger battery, and it is damn sexy.
I have couple questions though.
Firstly, how is TouchWiz? I remember that it used to be laggy af and not really useful.
Secondly, how is Samsung with updates? I understand that pixel will always get the newest updates and I don't expect Samsung do that, but I don't want the phone to be outdated in February when the S8 comes out.
Lastly, would you still recommend S7 as a great phone to buy, especially with today's competition (like pixel and lg v20)?

Speaking as a s7 edge owner, I would still recommend it
- TW is not as bad as it used to be, I am not experiencing disturbing lags or stutters
- HW is good, camera is still top of the pops
- at least security updates are coming regularly, big updates take longer though
- it's price dropped to a very reasonable level. No comparison to the pixel
- plus you named all the other advantages it has over the pixel
- if you're worried that you don't have the most up to date device available you shouldn't probably buy any phone at all

MisterKanister said:
Speaking as a s7 edge owner, I would still recommend it
- TW is not as bad as it used to be, I am not experiencing disturbing lags or stutters
- HW is good, camera is still top of the pops
- at least security updates are coming regularly, big updates take longer though
- it's price dropped to a very reasonable level. No comparison to the pixel
- plus you named all the other advantages it has over the pixel
- if you're worried that you don't have the most up to date device available you shouldn't probably buy any phone at all
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm in the same position but.. where are all the roms for the snapdragon S7?? Is the bootloader still locked or something? I'd be coming from an s6. Since I'm on T-Mobile, my only choices are the s7 and s7 edge, LG V20 and.. an iPhone ? I love T-Mobile but their phone selection is garbage. I called to ask about the HTC 10 and they pulled it. WTF T-MO???
Sent from my SM-G920K using XDA-Developers mobile app

H3adru5H said:
I'm in the same position but.. where are all the roms for the snapdragon S7?? Is the bootloader still locked or something?
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Can't tell you, I have the Exynos one
Anyway I refrain from flashing and rooting because I'd like to keep the warranty this time.
And there's really just only one thing I am missing, which is an ad blocker. Rest is working fine.

I also have the S7 Edge.
Great phone and Samsung is easy to root with Odin.
The Google Pixel is expensive for what you get.

MisterKanister said:
Can't tell you, I have the Exynos one
Anyway I refrain from flashing and rooting because I'd like to keep the warranty this time.
And there's really just only one thing I am missing, which is an ad blocker. Rest is working fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Adguard works perfectly for non rooted phones, it's not free but I have a lifetime subscription for phone and desktop.
Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

MisterKanister said:
And there's really just only one thing I am missing, which is an ad blocker. Rest is working fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No root needed - Free
https://block-this.com/

I would just go for the s7 becaise its cheaper then the pixel and you have more features like sd card and waterproof and also a QHD screen.

*Detection* said:
No root needed - Free
https://block-this.com/
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Click to collapse
Thanks! I used a VPN based ad blocker before, but used too much battery. Would like the good old hosts file changing
Nevertheless, will give block this a chance

MisterKanister said:
Thanks! I used a VPN based ad blocker before, but used too much battery. Would like the good old hosts file changing
Nevertheless, will give block this a chance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Galaxy app store search disconnect.

MisterKanister said:
Thanks! I used a VPN based ad blocker before, but used too much battery. Would like the good old hosts file changing
Nevertheless, will give block this a chance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good things said about this one and battery life, I've got it installed and haven't noticed any battery draining
Yep, hosts file is the ideal solution, but unfortunately is a system file and thus needs root

I had both Pixels here for a week and while they're certainly nice phones I don't think they're worth the price Google is asking for. The quite black is not black at all but some sort of brownish gray color which I didn't really like. The XL did have some issue with my WiFi, but I guess they'll fix this sooner or later with a software update. Android feels nice, blazing fast but the assistant is downright stupid.
I sent them back and went for an S7, which is a great phone with a reasonable price tag. Also I liked the S7 camera a lot more, I can take photos in really dim situations no probs something I couldn't do with the Pixels.

sbuttler said:
I had both Pixels here for a week and while they're certainly nice phones I don't think they're worth the price Google is asking for. The quite black is not black at all but some sort of brownish gray color which I didn't really like. The XL did have some issue with my WiFi, but I guess they'll fix this sooner or later with a software update. Android feels nice, blazing fast but the assistant is downright stupid.
I sent them back and went for an S7, which is a great phone with a reasonable price tag. Also I liked the S7 camera a lot more, I can take photos in really dim situations no probs something I couldn't do with the Pixels.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting, supposedly the Pixel has an amazing / best smartphone camera
Personally I couldn't see any justification for the ridiculous price-tag, specs were nothing special

Yup, it's a Solid device that I'd recommend over the Pixel any day. For its price it provides the best specifications and features, and as you've read from most reviews Online, The S7 is pretty much iterative perfection when it comes to a Smartphone.
Google's Flagship is great as well don't get me wrong but with that Price tag, I don't really see any practicality with buying unless you want Google Assistant ( which was already ported anyway )

Anyone getting the S10 or S10+?

Anyone considering the S10 or S10+? Why or why not? They're offering a $550 trade in with Pixel 3 XL, so just more curious what people are doing and why.
I'm considering it. Not sure if I can actually pull the trigger on a Samsung device.

Try it out in the store first, I had the s4 after my Galaxy Nexus, that was unlocked and had stock Android flashed, then the s5 which was rooted, but only years after I got rid of it, they got the bootloader unlocked.
The s5 was fast, but it doesn't hold a candle to stock Android.
If you won't miss the stock sounds, UI, apps, root, etc. Then go for it, I consider most of that stuff bloat and a lot of the exclusive features would go unused by me.
My own opinion, but everyone has their own taste.

dchurch85 said:
Anyone considering the S10 or S10+? Why or why not? They're offering a $550 trade in with Pixel 3 XL, so just more curious what people are doing and why.
I'm considering it. Not sure if I can actually pull the trigger on a Samsung device.
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Click to collapse
After the S9+, I'm done with Samsung. I always end up going back to Google devices. I had an S8+, Pixel 2 XL, S9+, and now Pixel 3 XL. Samsung just keeps making it harder and harder to modify MY PHONE, and I think that I should have the right to root, etc., when I pay for the phone outright. I enjoyed my Exynos S9+, dont get me wrong, but the Pixel is so much easier. Here in the US, you need to buy an international Samsung if you want to do anything with as far as Roms go, but then you loose functionality because the phone is not built for use in USA. There are ways to make things work, but it is tedious, and time consuming, then Samsung changes crap each time they update. Also, its to the point now that the Snapdragon processors are out performing the Exynos processors.

Phone looks pretty sick but still not enough to convince me to switch to sammy phone. Its a sammy........

lucky_strike33 said:
Phone looks pretty sick but still not enough to convince me to switch to sammy phone. Its a sammy........
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Click to collapse
Been with Sammy for so many year. Please no more. Happy with them, even happier with Google.
I still look forward every time to pick up my phone, turn it on and use it,. Loving it. I dont even have a need for Pix 4. I can easily go stay with it for another year. Knowing me id get P4 tho.
But yeah no more Samsung for me. My brother is getting one tho

--

do i like locked bootloaders? lmao

I have been very disappointed with my xl 3. I am getting either the s10 or LG v8

What is an S10? Until Google locks the bootloader, I wouldn't be able to tell you what other phones are out there.

I am on Pixel 3 and its been only like 2weeks now. Before this was using a S9+. Best in Pixel 3- rooting and using custom roms with hell lot of features and the bestest camera in the smartphone market now. Cons speaker and display.
Pros of S9+, the best display on a smartphone and speakers tuned by Harmon. Speakers are like the best I have heard ln a smartphone. But worst ever front camera for a flagship, it literally paints everybody in the scene.?

I'm not into locked bootloaders and phones that take 6+ months to update software. My TMo Note 8 is still waiting for official Pie o arrive. I don't care how amazing the hardware is if the software is 1/2 a year or more behind all the time.
Sent from my Pixel 3 XL

It’s very tempting but the updates are really slow with samsung even if it’s the international version.

I am proud of Pixel 3 getting updates first and all. Unfortunately Pie has been buggy since release and I feel like I have been beta testing the phone for them. I see Samsung's slower release as a more mature release after what Google has fixed.

garyHal said:
I am proud of Pixel 3 getting updates first and all. Unfortunately Pie has been buggy since release and I feel like I have been beta testing the phone for them. I see Samsung's slower release as a more mature release after what Google has fixed.
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Not sure which bugs you refer to, but my phone has run in top notch condition since day one. Good luck with your Samsung. All you have to do is look at the Note 9 forums to find million of complaints about the software. The only mature thing about their software is the release date because as per the many forums on XDA there is a ton of stuff wrong with it.
Sent from my Pixel 3 XL

Eudeferrer said:
Not sure which bugs you refer to, but my phone has run in top notch condition since day one. Good luck with your Samsung. All you have to do is look at the Note 9 forums to find million of complaints about the software. The only mature thing about their software is the release date because as per the many forums on XDA there is a ton of stuff wrong with it.
Sent from my Pixel 3 XL
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I have posted my issues on this forum before. Such problems include:
1) lag even after the most recent update
2) I restart my phone daily and on several occasions, the phone restarts to a dead black screen instead of Android
3) the clock on the status bar is stuck, restarting the phone fixes this
4) "always on display" gets stuck
5) LTE connection is bad. Instead of dropping down to 3g, it stays on "No Data" state.

I've got both the pixel and note 9, I've also had the s8 and s9+ wasn't impressed with them but I am with the note. The screen is amazing, no notch and the pen is a huge plus. I'm leaning on keeping my note for now and getting rid of the pixel. I've got the international one so bootloader is unlocked barely any bloat. Then maybe getting the S10+

garyHal said:
I have posted my issues on this forum before. Such problems include:
1) lag even after the most recent update
2) I restart my phone daily and on several occasions, the phone restarts to a dead black screen instead of Android
3) the clock on the status bar is stuck, restarting the phone fixes this
4) "always on display" gets stuck
5) LTE connection is bad. Instead of dropping down to 3g, it stays on "No Data" state.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Other than a rare lag when first opening the camera, I can honestly say I haven't had any of these issues on my phone. I guess which apps you use has a lot to do with it also, but it sounds to me like you got a bad Apple. Maybe the Note 9 is better for your use, but my Note 8 experience is crap (slow and painfully laggy). Good luck.
Sent from my Pixel 3 XL

I sold my P2XL & bought an S9+. They are good phones but I couldn't wait for the P3XL to come out. I'm happy with my Pixel. Everything I did with the S9+ was tweaking it to be more like a Pixel, both with looks and adding Google apps to use instead of the Samsung apps. I had duplicates of a bunch of apps. I tried to like Bixby but that was hopeless. I use the camera quite a bit, nothing like the Pixel's that I've ever used.

dmb219 said:
I sold my P2XL & bought an S9+. They are good phones but I couldn't wait for the P3XL to come out. I'm happy with my Pixel. Everything I did with the S9+ was tweaking it to be more like a Pixel, both with looks and adding Google apps to use instead of the Samsung apps. I had duplicates of a bunch of apps. I tried to like Bixby but that was hopeless. I use the camera quite a bit, nothing like the Pixel's that I've ever used.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am confused. You sold your Pixel 2 and now you couldn't wait for the Pixel 3? What phone are you using now?

garyHal said:
I am confused. You sold your Pixel 2 and now you couldn't wait for the Pixel 3? What phone are you using now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That wasn't very clear. I had a P2XL, sold it and bought an S9+. I used that until the P3XL came out. I sold the Samsung and bought the new Pixel. I take good care of my phone, keep the packaging & accessories in the box. I got a pretty good price for the last few phones I sold on Swappa. It makes it easier than paying big money for a phone every year. I probably got 70% of the cost after 9 or 10 months of use.

Looking into buying phone... need advice

Does this phone work well with US carriers? Mainly ATT? And how does everyone like the device? I'm coming from the essential phone ph-1 and would love to hear input on the 7 pro.
Thanks!

Been using this phone on AT&T (Boston area) since last June and it works flawlessly. Just put my SIM in, and it worked without a hitch. Pretty much the same experience with my last phone, which was the OnePlus 3T, which I had for 2 years.
7 Pro is a great phone. Really fast and smooth with the (at the time it was released) top of the line Snapdragon processor and 90 Hz screen. You get flagship performance for a much lower price than a Samsung or iPhone (okay, XDA users aren't really the type to buy iPhones - but you see where I'm coming from). The camera on those other phones might be a bit better. But really, you're getting 95% of the phone quality for a much lower price.
Just as important, the OS is really clean. Close to a stock Android feel, with a few (mostly useful and inobtrusive) added features. OP devices tend to be root friendly, and enjoy great developer and community support here on XDA.
One quibble is the curved screen edges. More flash than function. I feel like OnePlus was trying to make it look like the Samsung screens. But it occasionally makes it difficult and awkward to tap on things near the screen edge. It's a pretty minor thing. But enough to make me wish the phone had a flat screen, instead of curved edges.
Another minor comment (can't even call it a quibble really) is the pop-up selfie camera. It does allow the screen to be completely without any camera notch or cut-out. But some folks have been concerned about long term durability. Unless you are taking tons of selfies, I don't see it as much of any issue. Although if you use face unlock (which I do), you do have to wait for it to pop up and down. It happens pretty fast. But face unlock takes maybe a second (perhaps less) longer than my old 3T due to this (since that phone didn't have to pop a camera up). If you use the fingerprint unlock, this isn't a thing at all, of course. And the pop-up camera does make for a good party gimmick! :laugh:

jrodbrown58 said:
Does this phone work well with US carriers? Mainly ATT? And how does everyone like the device? I'm coming from the essential phone ph-1 and would love to hear input on the 7 pro.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This phone works fine
I'm using a OnePlus 7 pro Tmobile brand
I used a international rom which allows 2 Sim cards and I believe unlocks it to be used with other carriers
The device is very snappy, before the international rom flash it would boot in like 2 seconds
After I unlocked it the stupid integrity warning slows down the boot by like 10-30 seconds
The phone has one of the best benchmarks for any phone if not the best still.
Camera pop up is pretty fast and snappy
Updates were frequent until all the fuss about cornavirus started.
Issues - currently blackscreen when opening several game applications including
Clash of clans
Old school runescape
Cod mobile
And others.
But on earlier versions it was fine.
Other complaints that shouldn't effect much on the use of the phone.
System is locked making debloat ING harder then needs to be (Google apps are trash 99% of the time)
Custom Rom updates seem to be slow
Magisk roms seem to not always work
Wiping system makes the entire phone useless until you use the msm tool to re-upload your phones software
Could have Alot more tweaks and functionality if OnePlus added them (navigation bar specifically is limited, I don't use recent button I use it as a menu button)
Bloatware by Google. (I'd prefer to install what I want not be forced to use what they implement)
Overall I give this phone a 8/10 rating.
Would be 10/10 if they actually lived by their motto.
Its Alot to read but worth the time. (unless I don't make any sense then sorry)

I'm using my US unlocked model with Visible and Google fi. I was using VZW until I changed to Visible. No problems.
Sent from my SM-T830 using Tapatalk

I have the 7 Pro 5G, running on Sprint, bootloader unlocked and sim unlocked, definitely the best phone I've ever owned, I came from the LG V40 immediately prior, and the Pixel XL series before that, I also did breifly own the Essential phone,
-the 90Hz display is downright the absolute best screen I've ever had on any phone ever.
-256 gigabytes of storage is more than enough for me
-I have yet to encounter any tasks that caused any small amount of lag even.
-the cameras arent amazing, but they're decent, better than the essential.
-the pop up camera feature definitely is better than a notch and it's also just fun to watch it go up and down.
Overall this phone is 10/10, Just wish they cared more about the 5G variants and updated them faster...

redpoint73 said:
Been using this phone on AT&T (Boston area) since last June and it works flawlessly. Just put my SIM in, and it worked without a hitch. Pretty much the same experience with my last phone, which was the OnePlus 3T, which I had for 2 years.
7 Pro is a great phone. Really fast and smooth with the (at the time it was released) top of the line Snapdragon processor and 90 Hz screen. You get flagship performance for a much lower price than a Samsung or iPhone (okay, XDA users aren't really the type to buy iPhones - but you see where I'm coming from). The camera on those other phones might be a bit better. But really, you're getting 95% of the phone quality for a much lower price.
Just as important, the OS is really clean. Close to a stock Android feel, with a few (mostly useful and inobtrusive) added features. OP devices tend to be root friendly, and enjoy great developer and community support here on XDA.
One quibble is the curved screen edges. More flash than function. I feel like OnePlus was trying to make it look like the Samsung screens. But it occasionally makes it difficult and awkward to tap on things near the screen edge. It's a pretty minor thing. But enough to make me wish the phone had a flat screen, instead of curved edges.
Another minor comment (can't even call it a quibble really) is the pop-up selfie camera. It does allow the screen to be completely without any camera notch or cut-out. But some folks have been concerned about long term durability. Unless you are taking tons of selfies, I don't see it as much of any issue. Although if you use face unlock (which I do), you do have to wait for it to pop up and down. It happens pretty fast. But face unlock takes maybe a second (perhaps less) longer than my old 3T due to this (since that phone didn't have to pop a camera up). If you use the fingerprint unlock, this isn't a thing at all, of course. And the pop-up camera does make for a good party gimmick! :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm definitely gonna buy this phone when I get the cash, but noticed there's a few variants. Chinese, international unlocked and US. The US one is the one i know will work in the US but what about the international unlocked? I just don't want to have to spend the extra money if I don't have to

jrodbrown58 said:
I'm definitely gonna buy this phone when I get the cash, but noticed there's a few variants. Chinese, international unlocked and US. The US one is the one i know will work in the US but what about the international unlocked? I just don't want to have to spend the extra money if I don't have to
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can only speak for the version I bought, which is the US unlocked version.