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Don't misunderstand. I like this phone very very much.
I have Note 2, and except the pen and battery, S4 is way better. However, these are too important for me to change to S4. Besides, I bought the S4 with 30% sale off, so I can have some profit from selling it. After using the phone for a week, here is my mini-review
Feel: A little bit angular, but still much better than S3 and Note 2. Feel quite gorgeous. However the side is a little bit iPhone-alike.
Screen:
- Brightness: Oh well, the maximum manual brightness is not as bright as my Note 2 (A Brighter Note app activated), but outdoor visibility is way better. Under sun light with auto brightness, white is much whiter (brighter), black under s much less blueish - mean darker. I can feel a little better in reflective level. I think most reviewers forget to turn automatic brightness on.
- Color: colors with Standard mode or Professional mode (AdobeRGB mode) are great, sometimes I prefer the formal, sometimes I prefer the latter (actually it's still a little bit over saturated compared to Note 2 - master sequence Perseus kernel, but I feel more pleasant with it. Black is, true black. Every AMOLED screen I had before is still bright in dark room, but not S4. Don't worry about ink spots or black spots, even there are some you cannot recognize, believe me,
- Viewing angle: better than Note 2, truely
Best screen I have ever had so far.
Heat and Battery: Oh well. It's quite hot with 3G browsing or benchmarking, but still bearable. Battery is quite good, at the middle between S3 and Note 2 (both with mature kernels, so battery of S4 will be greater later)
Camera Compared to Note 2: better white balance (a bit), similar color reproduction and saturation, much sharper (I like zooming and cropping, but for most it's not very easy to recognize), better in shooting moving objects (not as good as One). Night photos is much similar to Note 2 (brightness, color) but much less noise.
But I could not find outdoor visibility mode like Note 2, a minus point.
User experience: benchmark king in almost any area: 630 ms in Sunspider, 13k Quadrant, 28k Antutu, 40fps GLBenchmark, 2600 Browsermark, 3630 Geekbench 2,... (I recorded the best scores). It's quick like Usain Bolt, shooting a low-light photo 2-3 times faster than Note 2.
However, there are still a few strange hipcups in browsing (when zooming maximum and then scrolling) but I'm sure that it's software problem. But the browser is bad, really bad. No quick control and flash support (or I didn't find out how), tab-switching is a pain in the ass. No direct bookmark syncing from desktop chrome. I used Ocean Browser, much much much better (I recommend everyone uses this app)
Sound: The same speaker as Note 2, but better with amplifier.
I don't want to spend a lot for phones, so I decided to wait for Note 3, which is surely better than S4 in important areas (screen, camera, speed) or at least on par.
hung2900 said:
Don't misunderstand. I like this phone very very much.
I have Note 2, and except the pen and battery, S4 is way better. However, these are too important for me to change to S4. Besides, I bought the S4 with 30% sale off, so I can have some profit from selling it. After using the phone for a week, here is my mini-review
Feel: A little bit angular, but still much better than S3 and Note 2. Feel quite gorgeous. However the side is a little bit iPhone-alike.
Screen:
- Brightness: Oh well, the maximum manual brightness is not as bright as my Note 2 (A Brighter Note app activated), but outdoor visibility is way better. Under sun light with auto brightness, white is much whiter (brighter), black under s much less blueish - mean darker. I can feel a little better in reflective level. I think most reviewers forget to turn automatic brightness on.
- Color: colors with Standard mode or Professional mode (AdobeRGB mode) are great, sometimes I prefer the formal, sometimes I prefer the latter (actually it's still a little bit over saturated compared to Note 2 - master sequence Perseus kernel, but I feel more pleasant with it. Black is, true black. Every AMOLED screen I had before is still bright in dark room, but not S4. Don't worry about ink spots or black spots, even there are some you cannot recognize, believe me,
- Viewing angle: better than Note 2, truely
Best screen I have ever had so far.
Heat and Battery: Oh well. It's quite hot with 3G browsing or benchmarking, but still bearable. Battery is quite good, at the middle between S3 and Note 2 (both with mature kernels, so battery of S4 will be greater later)
Camera Compared to Note 2: better white balance (a bit), similar color reproduction and saturation, much sharper (I like zooming and cropping, but for most it's not very easy to recognize), better in shooting moving objects (not as good as One). Night photos is much similar to Note 2 (brightness, color) but much less noise.
But I could not find outdoor visibility mode like Note 2, a minus point.
User experience: benchmark king in almost any area: 630 ms in Sunspider, 13k Quadrant, 28k Antutu, 40fps GLBenchmark, 2600 Browsermark, 3630 Geekbench 2,... (I recorded the best scores). It's quick like Usain Bolt, shooting a low-light photo 2-3 times faster than Note 2.
However, there are still a few strange hipcups in browsing (when zooming maximum and then scrolling) but I'm sure that it's software problem. But the browser is bad, really bad. No quick control and flash support (or I didn't find out how), tab-switching is a pain in the ass. No direct bookmark syncing from desktop chrome. I used Ocean Browser, much much much better (I recommend everyone uses this app)
Sound: The same speaker as Note 2, but better with amplifier.
I don't want to spend a lot for phones, so I decided to wait for Note 3, which is surely better than S4 in important areas (screen, camera, speed) or at least on par.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the review. Apart from benchmarking, does the phone tend to heat up a lot in normal use? Also, which variant of the S4 did you have, the snapdragon one or exynos?
How did you get 30% off?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
ilabs said:
Thank you for the review. Apart from benchmarking, does the phone tend to heat up a lot in normal use? Also, which variant of the S4 did you have, the snapdragon one or exynos?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I9500 octa.
It's hotter than S3 and Note 2 in almost any case, but not much
cell128 said:
How did you get 30% off?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Special sale event in Vietnam where first 100 get 30%, second 100 get 20% and last 100 get 10% off
Yeah, I think if you're a Note user who enjoys the S Pen features and huge display as well as the incredible batt life then the GS4 isn't for you.
Your benchmarks are pretty much the same as mine, I also got the Octa beast
Quick question but now that there's Air View does the S-Pen still have any advantages over just using your fingers? Besides some people finding it easier to draw with the pen then by hand.
Masonfield said:
Quick question but now that there's Air View does the S-Pen still have any advantages over just using your fingers? Besides some people finding it easier to draw with the pen then by hand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. Watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB7ydrYmOmc
tuxonhtc said:
Yes. Watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB7ydrYmOmc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah so if I'm understanding correctly the S-Pen still works on other browsers and things that aren't supported by the normal air view with Samsung on stock browser?
Masonfield said:
Ah so if I'm understanding correctly the S-Pen still works on other browsers and things that aren't supported by the normal air view with Samsung on stock browser?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no "dot" presenting the location of your finger, I think SS will update this feature soon.
hung2900 said:
I9500 octa.
It's hotter than S3 and Note 2 in almost any case, but not much
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This just makes me sad hope it doesn't get noticebly hot while using on wifi atleast......Was hoping they wouldve improved this by now.
I've been using mine on WiFi non stop with no major heating up for 5h32mins now, still got 55% batt.
POLO_i780 said:
I've been using mine on WiFi non stop with no major heating up for 5h32mins now, still got 55% batt.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is that the screen on time or the general use time?
POLO_i780 said:
I also got the Octa beast
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Snap bro, picked my 32gb Black Frost Octa from Vodacom in Durban :good:
hung2900 said:
I9500 octa.
It's hotter than S3 and Note 2 in almost any case, but not much
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They say the octa gets warmer then the snapdragon version
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
barondebxl said:
They say the octa gets warmer then the snapdragon version
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe thats the issue samsung was having with the octa, overheating. I doubt you could overclock the octa much without it overheating.
prodigyX said:
Snap bro, picked my 32gb Black Frost Octa from Vodacom in Durban :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How awesome is it??? Must say, Samsung spoilt us, most other regions got 16GB S600.
By the way, its Tsepz_011 from MyBB.
hung2900 said:
... outdoor visibility is way better. Under sun light with auto brightness, white is much whiter (brighter), black under s much less blueish - mean darker. I can feel a little better in reflective level. I think most reviewers forget to turn automatic brightness on...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to hear about this directly from users :victory:
The poor outdoor visibility and ultra-slow charging were the main problems that Samsung needed to fix before I switched from my iPhone.
day 2 of using it... trade in my s3... love it so much.. definitely not selling (i said the same thg for my s3 )
Jinsuke32 said:
Is that the screen on time or the general use time?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
probably general use time. I think that 5 and half hours of screen on time would be more than a dream for a smartphone.
I was looking at buying a nexus 5 for $200, and was wondering about the following...
1. General performance for gaming, social media apps, chrome ,and the UI.
2. Battery life.( Screen on time, standby etc.)
3. Anything else I should know before buying.
Thanks guys
1. its good enough for gaming, the sd800 is no slouch.
2. 3 hours is what i get, also depends how intensive your use is.
3. you should easily find it for under 200
For general usage (like gaming, browsing, texting, etc), the phone runs absolutely well. It has some great multitasking capability, most of the time you won't feel stuttering at all.
Battery life is not good nor great, it's poor to be precise. Average screen on time you'll get is 2.5 hours to 3.5 hours. The standby, however, with Android 6.0 is absurdly amazing (personal opinion), you can get some days on standby without charging (again, this is a personal result).
You might want to give your hope for camera if you actually use it, it's not bad but it's not decent too. The HDR+ (from Google Camera) helps a lot, tho.
Also, the built-in microphone is bad, it's just bad. There's some tweak around to fix or improve it.
- This is all I can write, most of these are personal result and some user might experience a different result. -
The N5 is still a great little powerhouse. The only knocks on it that I can attest to are: screen is slightly washed out compared to a lot of phones, battery life is average at best, and 2 of the 3 N5's I've owned have just died for no known reason. (but that's more of a personal experience and not saying you will too) Camera is average, but not bad, and the speaker could be a little louder. But performance wise, it still kicks butt. It can still keep pace with the most recent phones punch for punch.
Now it's time for you to decide.
Everything sounds good!! How would you say the N5 screen compares to the 3rd gen moto g?(I'm talking colors contrast etc, I know the nexus kills it when it comes to pixel density) because moto g's screen looked excellent to me to minus the resolution.
If you like a warm color / screen, it's not that bad actually. I actually prefer a warmer screen because they are less harsh when turned on at night. Since I've never saw the third gen Moto G, I can't really say. What I can say is, the screen has a significant (at least on my N5) yellowish tint (hence the warmness), it might irritate you but you'll get used to it after using it for some time.
I do like everything about this phone except battery size. Its sad that google did not upgraded battery and it remain 2700mAh which is rather poor for this price range . Would it give at least 4 hour screen on time with this capacity ? If not then what else phone you will recommend with camera as good as pixel 2 ?
I would expect similar to slightly better than last year's Pixel battery life. My opinion is based on what I've seen from next gen devices from the beginning of Android.
Rajaasim1980 said:
I do like everything about this phone except battery size. Its sad that google did not upgraded battery and it remain 2700mAh which is rather poor for this price range . Would it give at least 4 hour screen on time with this capacity ? If not then what else phone you will recommend with camera as good as pixel 2 ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the Z2 Force. With my usage between the Z2, S8+, Note8, and my Nexus 5X they get similar numbers with the 5X being the lowest overall time. Z2 Force did a lot better than I expected and people thought the battery was way too small.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
giant22000 said:
I would expect similar to slightly better than last year's Pixel battery life. My opinion is based on what I've seen from next gen devices from the beginning of Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not used normal pixel though pixel XL was great in battery but what was the average screen on time for last year pixel with same battery size?
Tidbits said:
I have the Z2 Force. With my usage between the Z2, S8+, Note8, and my Nexus 5X they get similar numbers with the 5X being the lowest overall time. Z2 Force did a lot better than I expected and people thought the battery was way too small.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I have also used 5X and excellent camera but very poor battery as i was getting maximum 2.30 to 3 hour screen on time so have returned it . 6P has no good reputation about battery either.
we dont have z2 force in here and i assume its camera is not as good as you get from note 8 or pixel..By the way if you have used boht note 8 and s8 plus then which camera is better between these two?
thought because of sd835, amoled display and 3520mAh batterylife will be nice but we will see in reviews.
Rajaasim1980 said:
Yes I have also used 5X and excellent camera but very poor battery as i was getting maximum 2.30 to 3 hour screen on time so have returned it . 6P has no good reputation about battery either.
we dont have z2 force in here and i assume its camera is not as good as you get from note 8 or pixel..By the way if you have used boht note 8 and s8 plus then which camera is better between these two?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not much of a camera guy. They both look better than the Z2. I give the Note8 the edge because of camera tricks you can do cause other than that I can't tell the difference between photos. Personally if you like photos you can't go wrong with either.
The Z2 has those mods going for it. Personally I use 2 mods. The projector and the battery. With the battery I get 3 days of usage between charges. The projector I use it to watch something at night in my bed. Great for my neck lol.
Personally if I can get 6 hours of SoT per day is all good for me.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
Tidbits said:
I am not much of a camera guy. They both look better than the Z2. I give the Note8 the edge because of camera tricks you can do cause other than that I can't tell the difference between photos. Personally if you like photos you can't go wrong with either.
The Z2 has those mods going for it. Personally I use 2 mods. The projector and the battery. With the battery I get 3 days of usage between charges. The projector I use it to watch something at night in my bed. Great for my neck lol.
Personally if I can get 6 hours of SoT per day is all good for me.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
6 hour screen on time is excellent and few phones can give this SOT with consistency
I had s7 edge before and was happy with battery(5 to 6 hour SOT on 4G) but still photography was not as good as on Pixel or even Nexus 5x/6p .
I don't know why high end phones don't look at battery department because all midrange or low end phones coming up with 4000mAh aand 5000mAh capacity and that also on 720 p screen . I don't mind extra weight as long as battery is excellent
Rajaasim1980 said:
6 hour screen on time is excellent and few phones can give this SOT with consistency
I had s7 edge before and was happy with battery(5 to 6 hour SOT on 4G) but still photography was not as good as on Pixel or even Nexus 5x/6p .
I don't know why high end phones don't look at battery department because all midrange or low end phones coming up with 4000mAh aand 5000mAh capacity and that also on 720 p screen . I don't mind extra weight as long as battery is excellent
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sadly that's the problem. There are people want thinner, waterproof, and lighter phones. There has also been no strides is battery for the hardware department. There's some promising projects but the costs currently isn't worth it.
Ironically the only reason why I got the battery mod for my Z2 was because that phone is lighter than the 5X.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
The original pixel would last me a solid day. I don't watch a lot of videos though so... If you're a youtube fanatic you're probably screwed.
yeah, pixel 1 is 2700mah and it seems ok..honestly, i get the same battery life out of this (if not better) than i did my v20 which was like 3200mah
mrnathanr said:
The original pixel would last me a solid day. I don't watch a lot of videos though so... If you're a youtube fanatic you're probably screwed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know too much about YouTube on mobile usage, but generally video playing doesn't requires too much finger input and that's what consumes more battery. And I don't consider YouTube in WiFi to be so battery killer.
What really kills my battery are video calls......I never had a good battery with video calls.
I don't think your statement about YouTube giving you better battery is accurate at all. In fact I think that's completely false. Almost everyone review site uses screen on while running video because streaming , brightness, and video all eat up your battery quicker than say a static e-reader image.
For instance, almost every review site uses video run down tests on the phone. The run down tests usually knock a battery out in half the SOT.
ndonnine said:
I don't think your statement about YouTube giving you better battery is accurate at all. In fact I think that's completely false. Almost everyone review site uses screen on while running video because streaming , brightness, and video all eat up your battery quicker than say a static e-reader image.
For instance, almost every review site uses video run down tests on the phone. The run down tests usually knock a battery out in half the SOT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right, I don't know too much about YouTube because I always use it via WiFi. I should had mentioned "video playing" (and not YouTube), so I don't bring the battery consumption used by LTE modem into this. I'll edit my post.
Now, in my experience browsing (tapatalk, whatsapp, chrome, all the apps that constantly requires you to be touching the display) consumes more battery than a video (at least a local video or movie downloaded in your memory).
It's about the same capacity as last year, and the s835 seems to be rather more efficient than the s820/821 judging by other manufacturers' results, so I expect it will be fine.
i currently own a note 9. yes its power house with features but i hardly use the s-pen. i dont care for it.
its got expandable storage but 128 built in is fine for me and i could care less for expandable. 128 suffice for me.
i am VERY attracted to the full no bezel screen and the slider for the camera is a WOW for me. i love it.
my own only beef at the moment is WHY the battery is 3200mah?
the note 9 has 4000. thats the only thing pissing me off. a con for the mix 3 and a pro for the note 9.
and no i dont want the mi 9 (i dont want notches) so please dont recommend it.
at the current shop its going for $459. which means if i sell my note 9 for lets say $425 i only pay a difference of $34 dollars.
i am a fan of miui interface and its tweaks ...
however, since the battery is minuscule at 3200 you'd think xioami would add dark mode since it has an amoled screen thereby help conserving battery ... yet from what i am reading all over the web the feature is still missing. or is available only on the global beta. and another option would be to use dark themes which may cause issues on some apps.
i also noticed there are pixel aosp based roms with "Smart pixels" feature. is that the same as dark mode? and will installing such rom lose the sliding functionality?
i am not a gamer. i use basic apps. rarely facebook. whatsapp, telegram and the usual chrome and youtube-vanced (which can be themed to dark mode).
i am not gonna ask about rooting and magisk cause i know its doable.
please help me. will the battery disappoint me?
on a side note, i noticed the usb type c in mix 3 is type 2 not 3 while the note 9 is 3.1
also, the addition of the free wireless charger out of the box is very nice. but does it do fast charging?
if the battery that trouble you, watch this video
https://youtu.be/eKyYdMdTfD8?t=456
even with 800mAh difference, Mix 3 only lost for about 30 minutes to Note 9.
edit
charging speed comparison
https://youtu.be/aDcJI7q1TTE
Note 9 lost to Mix 3 about 1 hour :shocked:
cylent said:
i currently own a note 9. yes its power house with features but i hardly use the s-pen. i dont care for it.
its got expandable storage but 128 built in is fine for me and i could care less for expandable. 128 suffice for me.
i am VERY attracted to the full no bezel screen and the slider for the camera is a WOW for me. i love it.
my own only beef at the moment is WHY the battery is 3200mah?
the note 9 has 4000. thats the only thing pissing me off. a con for the mix 3 and a pro for the note 9.
and no i dont want the mi 9 (i dont want notches) so please dont recommend it.
at the current shop its going for $459. which means if i sell my note 9 for lets say $425 i only pay a difference of $34 dollars.
i am a fan of miui interface and its tweaks ...
however, since the battery is minuscule at 3200 you'd think xioami would add dark mode since it has an amoled screen thereby help conserving battery ... yet from what i am reading all over the web the feature is still missing. or is available only on the global beta. and another option would be to use dark themes which may cause issues on some apps.
i also noticed there are pixel aosp based roms with "Smart pixels" feature. is that the same as dark mode? and will installing such rom lose the sliding functionality?
i am not a gamer. i use basic apps. rarely facebook. whatsapp, telegram and the usual chrome and youtube-vanced (which can be themed to dark mode).
i am not gonna ask about rooting and magisk cause i know its doable.
please help me. will the battery disappoint me?
on a side note, i noticed the usb type c in mix 3 is type 2 not 3 while the note 9 is 3.1
also, the addition of the free wireless charger out of the box is very nice. but does it do fast charging?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't sell the note 9 and contribute more for a phone that's half as good
AMZMA said:
if the battery that trouble you, watch this video
https://youtu.be/eKyYdMdTfD8?t=456
even with 800mAh difference, Mix 3 only lost for about 30 minutes to Note 9.
edit
charging speed comparison
https://youtu.be/aDcJI7q1TTE
Note 9 lost to Mix 3 about 1 hour :shocked:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so the first video, battery life, the mix 3 died at 5 hours and 19 minutes. note 9 5 hours and 46 minutes. 27 minutes difference. not a big deal to be honest.
the note 9 and the mix 3 share the same processor, sd 845. yes, samsung has lots of bloatware crap and it may drain faster than the mix 3.
still though, i want to enable dark mode as i have gotten accustomed to it on the note 9 of using it.
furthermore, i have my note 9 set to the lowest resolution at hd+ (1480 x 720). not sure what the default is on the mix 3. (set to dark mode always on)
i plan on rooting and using titanium backup to freeze apps so i will tinker to my hearts desire to save battery!
Anyways, price wise,
i found the phone even cheaper at $445 (mix 3) as opposed to the shop at the mall of $459 which says he gives a year warranty. i dont give a damn about warranties cause i am always in the mood to switch phones. funny thing is its the same company with a branch shop at the mall. i guess they charge more cause of the mall.
i dont know. i may take the bullet and go for it.
the latest offer i got for my note 9 is $425 dollars. so i'd be adding only $20 dollars to purchase the mix 3.
would you do it?
cylent said:
so the first video, battery life, the mix 3 died at 5 hours and 19 minutes. note 9 5 hours and 46 minutes. 27 minutes difference. not a big deal to be honest.
the note 9 and the mix 3 share the same processor, sd 845. yes, samsung has lots of bloatware crap and it may drain faster than the mix 3.
still though, i want to enable dark mode as i have gotten accustomed to it on the note 9 of using it.
furthermore, i have my note 9 set to the lowest resolution at hd+ (1480 x 720). not sure what the default is on the mix 3. (set to dark mode always on)
i plan on rooting and using titanium backup to freeze apps so i will tinker to my hearts desire to save battery!
Anyways, price wise,
i found the phone even cheaper at $445 (mix 3) as opposed to the shop at the mall of $459 which says he gives a year warranty. i dont give a damn about warranties cause i am always in the mood to switch phones. funny thing is its the same company with a branch shop at the mall. i guess they charge more cause of the mall.
i dont know. i may take the bullet and go for it.
the latest offer i got for my note 9 is $425 dollars. so i'd be adding only $20 dollars to purchase the mix 3.
would you do it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't pay to downgrade
Mackay53 said:
Don't pay to downgrade
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
true true. but day after day my note 9 decreases in price so next week i may get a crappier offer.
cylent said:
true true. but day after day my note 9 decreases in price so next week i may get a crappier offer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And it will still be better than the mix 3 which will also drop on price next week.
Only benefit over note 9 is the smaller bezels but they aren't that much smaller
Mackay53 said:
And it will still be better than the mix 3 which will also drop on price next week.
Only benefit over note 9 is the smaller bezels but they aren't that much smaller
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's not much I like in the note 9 that the mix 3 doesn't already have expect for the battery.
I hate the s pen.
I hate the bezelz on the note 9 and they are not small.
I gave the guy who wants my note 9 a final price of 440$. If he accepts ill go for it.
If not, I'll stick to my note 9.
What I do like about the mix 3 is the slider. It's an absurd reason to do the trade. ? Plus as I said it shares all the same hardware expect for the battery.
Furthermore, I tend to like miui more Samsungs one ui crap interface.
On a side note I also considered the honor magic 2 but it lacks wireless charging so that's out of the question.
cylent said:
There's not much I like in the note 9 that the mix 3 doesn't already have expect for the battery.
I hate the s pen.
I hate the bezelz on the note 9 and they are not small.
I gave the guy who wants my note 9 a final price of 440$. If he accepts ill go for it.
If not, I'll stick to my note 9.
What I do like about the mix 3 is the slider. It's an absurd reason to do the trade. ? Plus as I said it shares all the same hardware expect for the battery.
Furthermore, I tend to like miui more Samsungs one ui crap interface.
On a side note I also considered the honor magic 2 but it lacks wireless charging so that's out of the question.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Screen to body ratio for note 9 is approx 83.4% while mix 3 is 85%, not really much difference. Mix 3 still has bezels.
Will lose IP rating, better build quality, better components, UI that works etc
Mackay53 said:
Screen to body ratio for note 9 is approx 83.4% while mix 3 is 85%, not really much difference. Mix 3 still has bezels.
Will lose IP rating, better build quality, better components, UI that works etc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suppose the 83.4 and 85 on paper might not seem big but in the hand and visually it looks better (the mix 3)
IP rating of water resistance you mean?
I don't go diving in swimming pools all day ?
Better components such as what? The build quality on both is on par. I literally compared them both at the store.... Not an issue.
UI that works? I stated I hated one ui which is samsungs ui and prefer miui.
Anywho. I think I am closing the question as I am not in the mood to do the switch and lose $25 for one. Then I have to install a beta version of miui just to get the dark mode feature.
And, my whole attraction to the sliding gimmick I gave to get over. I hardly take selfies so how is the slider benefiting me?
I just saw the phones next to each other and the mix 3 looked so much nicer. That's really it.
cylent said:
I suppose the 83.4 and 85 on paper might not seem big but in the hand and visually it looks better (the mix 3)
IP rating of water resistance you mean?
I don't go diving in swimming pools all day ?
Better components such as what? The build quality on both is on par. I literally compared them both at the store.... Not an issue.
UI that works? I stated I hated one ui which is samsungs ui and prefer miui.
Anywho. I think I am closing the question as I am not in the mood to do the switch and lose $25 for one. Then I have to install a beta version of miui just to get the dark mode feature.
And, my whole attraction to the sliding gimmick I gave to get over. I hardly take selfies so how is the slider benefiting me?
I just saw the phones next to each other and the mix 3 looked so much nicer. That's really it.
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IP isn't just for water...
Build quality goes beyond looks. The wobble on the mix 3 is an example. Slider will get scratched
No point downgrading for a slider you'll hardly ever use
You don't need to install the beta as the theme store has identical themes to what the dark mode would do, pretty pointless feature to introduce in the system
Miui breaks notifications etc
Mix price is cheap for a reason
Mackay53 said:
IP isn't just for water...
Build quality goes beyond looks. The wobble on the mix 3 is an example. Slider will get scratched
No point downgrading for a slider you'll hardly ever use
You don't need to install the beta as the theme store has identical themes to what the dark mode would do, pretty pointless feature to introduce in the system
Miui breaks notifications etc
Mix price is cheap for a reason
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Click to collapse
What do you mean by the slider will get scratched? The phone comes with a back cover.... Isn't that enough to somewhat protect it?
I don't consider it a downgrade unless you're talking battery capacity. As far as cpu, gpu, ram, internal storage... These are the same. As well as the screen which is also amoled.
Dark mode has made a huge battery difference in my note 9.as you may know amoled screens don't need to spend power to make the pixel white or any other color. If its black then the pixel is turned off thus conserving power. I don't know about the themes cause some use dark grey or near black and not true black. The whole dark mode feature is a true turn off the pixel.
Also, what do you mean by miui breaks notifications? I had a pocophone before and didn't have this issue.
cylent said:
What do you mean by the slider will get scratched? The phone comes with a back cover.... Isn't that enough to somewhat protect it?
I don't consider it a downgrade unless you're talking battery capacity. As far as cpu, gpu, ram, internal storage... These are the same. As well as the screen which is also amoled.
Dark mode has made a huge battery difference in my note 9.as you may know amoled screens don't need to spend power to make the pixel white or any other color. If its black then the pixel is turned off thus conserving power. I don't know about the themes cause some use dark grey or near black and not true black. The whole dark mode feature is a true turn off the pixel.
Also, what do you mean by miui breaks notifications? I had a pocophone before and didn't have this issue.
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You'll get grit and dirt between the screen and the back and over time when you slide you'll get scratches, potentially on the front cameras.
Screen might be amoled but it's not super amoled like the note 9 which is superior.
Have a look at the threads here where people moan about miui notifications.
If you're going to upgrade just to shave 1 or 2mm off the bezel then in my opinion it's a waste. I'll be going back to bezels with next phone later this month.
If you like the phone, just buy it and enjoy it. It's a good phone.
crabamer said:
If you like the phone, just buy it and enjoy it. It's a good phone.
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so i found the answer.
https://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_mi_mix_3_5g-9602.php
Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G
guess i'll have to wait.
decided not to sell the note 9. its a power house. literally!
Buying the Mix 3 5G might be the worst of the three options. Which 5G carrier are you planning to use it on??
invisiblewave said:
Buying the Mix 3 5G might be the worst of the three options. Which 5G carrier are you planning to use it on??
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Why? It has a 3800 mah battery + better features. A better cpu and gpu.
See comparison
https://m.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=9378&idPhone2=9602
I am in the middle east and its either 4g or 3.9g. That's not important for me. It's the bigger battery and other improvements
There aren't any improvements. The bigger battery is required to support the beta hardware, with a separate modem and antennas. You also indicated that price was very important to you. You also mentioned you're not a gamer, so I'm curious what you're going to do with all that extra CPU & GPU horsepower. I've yet to find anything, including games, that the 4G version can't handle perfectly already.
invisiblewave said:
There aren't any improvements. The bigger battery is required to support the beta hardware, with a separate modem and antennas. You also indicated that price was very important to you. You also mentioned you're not a gamer, so I'm curious what you're going to do with all that extra CPU & GPU horsepower. I've yet to find anything, including games, that the 4G version can't handle perfectly already.
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Click to collapse
Hmm. I suppose you're right. So is my note 9 with 4000mah battery overkill?
You're making a good argument here. But then comes an important question: what's better at better battery management.... Miui or Samsungs one ui?
In regards to the price sure it's important. Xiaomi can get away with cheaper price and they don't include a few necessities like headphones or a otg adaptor which comes in the box with the note 9. These two accessories are important.
Does the Note 9 come with a 20W wireless charger? And are you telling me you don't already have headphones that will work with the Mix? I think the OTG adapter I bought some time ago was about $5. Also, define "better" when it comes to battery management. MIUI is about the best I've seen for battery management in terms of battery life, but not the best for killing background processes (which is how battery life is extended). The PE rom does a better job of battery management for me, battery life is about the same, but it's not as zealous when it comes to killing background processes. Unless I'm running secure DNS, the battery on my phone doesn't get below 50% by the end of the day.
I was so excited that my Pixel 4a arrived yesterday, been shopping for a new phone for quite some times. My old phone is HTC U11, which I still love a lot, but it's getting a bit unreliable, and the picture quality is a bit lacking compared with phones these days.
So, my first impressions:
1. It is so small, almost too small! It's good and bad. Screen size on paper is bigger than my U11, but Pixel 4a screen is narrower, so it's taking some times to get used to.
2. The screen color is a little warm (yellowish) to my taste... I hope there will be tweaks in the future to fix that. Also, the brightness of the screen is not as strong as my U11. I need to set it to around 75% even indoor...
3. The Android 10 gesture navigation needs some getting used to as well. I run an app called "All in One Gestures" on the U11, it allows me to launch 3 different apps of choice on both edges of the screen, swiping in at different directions. So, I don't want to use the Android 10 gestures which take up the side edges for "back" function. Anyway, "All in One Gestures" keep crashing on Pixel 4a, I think maybe it needs root access, or it just won't run on Android 10... I found another app that is similar in functionalities that seems to work ok for now, it can run 4 apps (2 on each side, depending on short vs long swipe). So, I still prefer the traditional 3 button navigation.
4. I wish they have in screen fingerprint sensor, or power button fingerprint sensor, I usually have my phone lay down on a table and I want to unlock it.
5. I miss the edge sense on U11 - squeeze to launch cam, squeeze again to take pictures. I am ok to work with double-tab power to launch camera, but then there is no convenient way to take picture (like squeeze), have to press the shutter on screen. (Edit: just found out can use power down button to take picture, seems quite convenient...)
So sounds like a lot of negatives, but after setting it up to my taste, I am starting to like it. Every good things you heard from the Internet are true. Night mode cameras are magic. I weighted camera as an important feature and so I am expecting that the good camera would greatly offset the other negatives I listed.
My only complaint is the screen brightness. Anything less than 80% and stuff just starts dissapearing on the screen. At the lower levels you can't even tell the screen is on. Just going to have to turn adaptive off and set it to 100% brightness full time.
hmm... Comin from a op7pro, the screen brightness to me seems totally fine out of the box really. maybe 10 or so percent higher than what I kept the 7pro on, ~60% instead of ~50% but don't need it maxed or anything crazy. High brightness is a bit less than HBM mode on 7pro but it works, I also like how they alter the screen colors to help visibility when in direct sunlight. The OP devices don't do that.
My 4a screen looks pretty well calibrated, doesn't look too warm or cold at all to me. No tint issues at low brightness.
Audio quality is actually pretty good, especially for such an inexpensive device, I was having flashbacks of nexus devices and no, this 4a is better than those.
Not seen any stutter or lag at all really, maybe 3 times for a split second during all of phone setup/installing ~80 apps.
Camera takes pics fast, no lag on snapping to seeing the pic. Haven't tried with HDR+ but regular HDR for sure is quicker than anything else but other pixels. The camera preview is indeed garbage, not so much in good lighting but especially in dark/night shots, the picture you get looks a million times better than what the preview showed before you took it.
I got my 4a on 20th, Aug.
I don't have enough time, I haven't tried much yet.
But it's very smooth and fast. Good for me.
I found a Bug(?), NFC cannot ON/OFF by pressing NFC icon in QS Panel.
(NFC can be turned ON/OFF by following the setting menu)
a few functions I've confirmed:
aptX music playback with Bluetooth Headset (w/ Shure RMCE-BT2)
LTE Carrier aggregation by "4G+" sign
VoLTE (call and receive)
I will try various things from now on.
First evening of using. I agree with points already mentioned. But the one thing bothering me most I'm noticing is the adaptive brightness constantly jumping around. Anyone else with adaptive brightness issues?
More thoughts after 1st full day of use (work from home due to COVID-19):
1. Battery barely lasted my full day at home. I think my phone usage is less while working from home compared to a"normal" day at work. So a little disappointed, probably need to charge mid day.
2. I love the call screen function, it's so useful, can read what the other party on the line has to say.
I think it's too early to decide/discuss battery life.
At this moment, as you say, it feels like "keep one day".
But I don't think it's right for now.
I think that Currently the "Screen On Time" is longer than in normal(usual) use.
my previous phone (Motorola Moto G5 Plus) was kept for about 3 days with one full charge.
I would like to expect the same for my 4a....
About "Adapitive Brightness"
no problems found. my pixel4a looks like working properly.
andyshinn said:
First evening of using. I agree with points already mentioned. But the one thing bothering me most I'm noticing is the adaptive brightness constantly jumping around. Anyone else with adaptive brightness issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes! This has been driving me crazy. I can't always reproduce it but it seems to be the worst in a dimly lit room.
I am loving the phone so far. I was previously using a OnePlus 3T so this is my first new phone in 4 years. It's much snappier than the 3T (obviously) and I'm not having any problems with the apps I've migrated over. The only complaint I have is a lack of a pulsing notification light. I've seen a few alternatives that add a ring around the camera but would prefer to wait for an official app made specifically for the 4a.
Quick question,
I have the pixel 3a XL. I am looking for an overall smaller phone, and do not use the phone for gaming, etc. Am an average user at best, really use the phone more as a phone than a multimedia unit, etc.
on paper, the pixel 4a seems to meet my needs and is an upgrade in ram / memory, etc. I enjoy the simplicity of the pixel experience and appreciate the security update schedule.
I did pre-order and still have two / three weeks before they start shipping in Canada so am tracking feedbacks and issues reported. My intention is not to cancel the order with Google, but.....
Based on first impressions - would anyone see an immediate reason to not go ahead with the purchase ?
thanks in advance,
Sent from my coral using Tapatalk
I gave the battery a good test today. Constant Spotify pass through to bluetooth + constant GPS program running and tracking movement for 7.25 hours. The screen was off for most of this time, though screen-on time was ~40 minutes. Battery was at 50% and 18W car charger then charged it at about 1%/minute. My previous phone, a OnePlus 5, with a slightly larger capacity and running at three-years old, exact same setup running A10 except for a custom kernel that underclocks the CPUs and GPU, was giving me about 35% remaining several weeks in a row under the same usage. So, Pixel 4A was draining at 7%/hr and the OP5 was draining at 9% with an underclocked kernel.
HolyAngel said:
hmm... Comin from a op7pro, the screen brightness to me seems totally fine out of the box really. maybe 10 or so percent higher than what I kept the 7pro on, ~60% instead of ~50% but don't need it maxed or anything crazy. High brightness is a bit less than HBM mode on 7pro but it works, I also like how they alter the screen colors to help visibility when in direct sunlight. The OP devices don't do that.
My 4a screen looks pretty well calibrated, doesn't look too warm or cold at all to me. No tint issues at low brightness.
Audio quality is actually pretty good, especially for such an inexpensive device, I was having flashbacks of nexus devices and no, this 4a is better than those.
Not seen any stutter or lag at all really, maybe 3 times for a split second during all of phone setup/installing ~80 apps.
Camera takes pics fast, no lag on snapping to seeing the pic. Haven't tried with HDR+ but regular HDR for sure is quicker than anything else but other pixels. The camera preview is indeed garbage, not so much in good lighting but especially in dark/night shots, the picture you get looks a million times better than what the preview showed before you took it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the 7 pro and thought about getting a 4a. Does the 4a feel more like a side step or an actual upgrade? I can't imagine it's faster than the pro, but Google support would be nice.
This is def an upgrade from my Pixel 3a and I loved that phone! I kinda like the smaller form and the display seems as good as or better than previous iterations. For the price point you really cant beat this phone.
I recently bought a op 7t for 400$ on sale. I really like the specs, os, and performance but prefer the headphone jack an smaller size of the 4a. How do you both devices compare in terms of performance and experience overall? I'm worried that the 4a would lag or whatnot due to its processor. What do you guys think?
nickster1 said:
I have the 7 pro and thought about getting a 4a. Does the 4a feel more like a side step or an actual upgrade? I can't imagine it's faster than the pro, but Google support would be nice.
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Click to collapse
Compared to the 7pro, the 4a is a downgrade in every way except for maybe the camera. And if the smaller size is a plus to you or not..
I made the switch for development as I'm tired of OP's crap sources and late af updates, in that regard, this phone is totally fine. But in no way does it feel like a side-grade much less an upgrade. It's a downgrade for sure, but you'll be on latest OS updates.. The phone is definitely worth it for the money though, no argument here.
I got a mi9t but it is too heavy and too big for me. Do you think performance and autonomy will be better with the 4a ? I got 8 hours sot with lineage actually..
andyshinn said:
First evening of using. I agree with points already mentioned. But the one thing bothering me most I'm noticing is the adaptive brightness constantly jumping around. Anyone else with adaptive brightness issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'm having the same issue. adaptive brightness seems to be wonky. hopefully they will have a fix for this.
btw, don't use blokada app! it tracks your data and it borks the keyboard (it bugs out the keyboard)
overall i like it. i'm using this as an extra 'just in case' phone if needed for certain trips or need a better phone than the xs max.
comparing xs max and 4a side by side, clearly the display is better on the xs max (less blue tint, more natural colors), and brighter.
photos are much better on the 4a obviously. i like the smaller form factor. its a no frills phone so i'm content with what it can do and okay with the limitations.
Front camera is a big negative on this phone,the selfies are very very soft even with outstretched arm over 16 inches as said by Google experts,don't know why no one is highlighting this issue,this has been going on from pixel 3a ,the lens is set to infinity focus and it's so wide that face will never be in proper focus unless you use a selfie stick to hold it way further
Delete, please