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Would you be interested in this phone?

A Simple Phone for "Smartphone Enthusiasts".
Dual Core 1ghz processor, 1gb of ram, 1gb of rom. Front 1.3mp camera and back 5mp camera with led flash and a good design.
Nice 480*800 screen or qHD. We are still working out screen resolution/size. It would be 4inch (480x800) or 4.3" (qHD
The catch here is. It would be off-contract ( unlocked ). With a choice of roms staring with CyanogenMod and Stock Android.
People could port more to it, like MeeGo or MIUI
All this for $299-$349. Remember the Off Contract part
Would you buy something like this? Or would you go with a contract phone that you get with your carrier?
Please leave feedback below

Sounds pretty nice to me, so it would come unlocked? I think it would sell if it had qHD screen and you sent it to review to the big companies, get some publicity. Although, sometimes contract is important, what carriers would it work on? You should work it out with carriers to make it free.
Please thank me if I helped.

For that price, yes, absolutely. That sounds like a great value. The physical design, however, would likely play a large role in the people's decision-making process. Likewise, so do the bands.
I'd agree with the previous poster on publicity though. Get it out to some popular sites for a review and you'll likely sell a few.

techno-update said:
Sounds pretty nice to me, so it would come unlocked? I think it would sell if it had qHD screen and you sent it to review to the big companies, get some publicity. Although, sometimes contract is important, what carriers would it work on? You should work it out with carriers to make it free.
Please thank me if I helped.
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The antenna is still in debate, we have separate AT&T 3G and a T-Mobile 3G antennas. We will probably go for the At&t compatible one just to reach a larger audience. Pentaband GSM antennas are very hard to come buy for small buyers ( 1k or less). But definitively not CDMA carriers.
Our "game plan" is to go to the community once we have the prototype ready and ask for investment, on like Kickstarter or some other website like that for the first wave of devices, if we sell those we can make more.
I find it very unlikely that we can get contracts any time soon. We will really target the "Enthusiast" market with the phone.
The design will be out soon enough. it will be "ICS ready", since neither meego nor android will use physical buttons bellow the display.
We are really grateful that Android exists so we can work on products like this for a smaller group of people that love their devices.

Sounds like a phone I would buy. And I am quite the "smartphone enthusiast" and I'm a big fan of buying off contract.
Of course I'm on T-Mobile, but regardless, assuming I was on AT&T I would seriously consider it.
I would like to point out that you would want to consider by the time you would be able to "realistically" release this phone, are the specs going to be sufficient for your target audience? I'm not talking about releasing a "cutting edge" phone, at this very moment phones are pushing 1.5 dual core, and I know (currently owning a 1.0 dual core phone) that my phone is more than sufficient for all my tasks, heavy-duty or not, and will continue to be for quite some time.

Sounds awesome I'm sure you'd sell many but the design and size will play a big part even if you have great internals,, But I would buy just for the modding capabilities,, add on parts like keyboard, better camera, betters flash for pictures,, that be nice make it unique.

Absolutely! I just purchased my Motorola Defy free of contract for approximately $299. My last 2 android phones were also purchased free of contracts, so I would deffinitely consider it and be glad it's not with a contract. Would it be available in Europe?

If it were to be released soon, yes, because then it would have a running chance at the competing phones being released. The later it would be released, the more beefed up the specs would have to be. Im sure in 6 months we'll be seeing 1.5-2.0 dual core or hell even maybe even a quad core seeing as how fast tech moves nowadays

I usually don't buy contract phones, but get the devices of my choice from amazon.
The specs sound nice, but one of the most important factors would be the design.

[Q] Phone upgrade recommendation.

I'm running cm7.2 on my Motorola defy, and due to a need for more storage(64gb sd support) I am upgrading. I primarily do emails, music, and occasional photography and web browsing.
I am looking for a phone that has:
- Some sort of cyanogenmod support, official would be preferable.
- 64gb sd support.
- Decent battery life.
- 8mp camera, a good lense would also be nice.
- Gorilla glass.
- Smaller than the Galaxy S2, as my hands are too small.
- Decent specs.
I had a look at the htc sensation(not 4g), and it looked fine- except I've heard things about it overheating, and having abysmal battery life. I had a look at anker batteries, and the like but getting them shipped to my country would be expensive. It's my primary choice currently, but I'm still iffy about it, hence this thread.
Thankyou in advance.

Even though the Development is fantastic, I didn't find the Sensation much chop.
So far, the 64GB card has worked for me in:
HTC Vivid 4G
LG Nitro HD
Samsung Galaxy S2 i9100
Samsung Galaxy Note N7000 and i717
Dell Streak 5
HTC Incredible S (a bit patchy - required a few formats before it recognised)
There are some reports of it working in the Motorola Atrix also, although I didn't try it.
Hope this helps! It probably works in a lot more, these are just the ones I've tried personally

Thanks.
So as an opinion, would you recommend the Incredible S over the sensation if the two were relatively similar in price?

get the vivid or s2 9100, both fit ur needa to the T.

choovanski said:
Thanks.
So as an opinion, would you recommend the Incredible S over the sensation if the two were relatively similar in price?
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No. If they are similar in price, get the Sensation. The Incredible S, while excellent in everyday use, is much older on paper and is not worth the price of a Sensation.
The Development for Sensation here makes it a good phone. The only reasons I didn't like it was the out-of-box performance (no modifications), and the fact that out of three units I've owned, two have overheated or shorted out and died completely. Those experiences just left a bitter taste for me
I'd recommend a Vivid/Raider/Velocity (all the same phone) over anything else HTC at the moment. It's a pity you can't be pursuaded to the size of the GS2, as that's the best all-rounder on the market currently

Sensation is good. but if you like smaller hanset, I think Xperia sola is good for you. it's dual core and the rest of the specs are good too. they dont say that if its capable to use a 64GB sd card, but you can try it anyway. its a lil bit pricy tho..
...alternatively you can consider Droid Razr. a 64GB sdcard works in Razr too,

The vivid is twice the price of the sensation, and I will not be able to take advantage of the 4g.
My step-dad has the S2, and it's very nice- but I'm only 5'8 and have girly hands, so I can't reach all of the screen. It's a bummer.
Due to the sensation's overheating problems, would you recommend avoiding it completely? I'm getting mine(regardless of the price) shipped from Australia, or Singapore so I'm not sure how htc are about warranty. I have had terrible overheating problems, fire and all that with hp computers and would rather not go down that road again.

choovanski said:
The vivid is twice the price of the sensation, and I will not be able to take advantage of the 4g.
My step-dad has the S2, and it's very nice- but I'm only 5'8 and have girly hands, so I can't reach all of the screen. It's a bummer.
Due to the sensation's overheating problems, would you recommend avoiding it completely? I'm getting mine(regardless of the price) shipped from Australia, or Singapore so I'm not sure how htc are about warranty. I have had terrible overheating problems, fire and all that with hp computers and would rather not go down that road again.
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What radio bands does your network use?
I found my Vivid right here on XDA for 300 dollars. Sensations here are around the 230 mark, so there isn't a whole lot of difference, unless you are looking at retail prices in which case there will be.
I personally will not touch another Sensation, but it may be completely bad luck on my part. There are plenty here who love it, and it's important to remember that for every member who raises an issue with their handset, there are 100 who have none
As far as warranty goes, handsets have to go back to country of origin for servicing if they are carrier branded. I believe an International warranty applied only on unbranded handsets - this may be incorrect though.
Even though I'm in Australia and ship a few phones myself, I'd recommend against sourcing from here if you can. Getting phones out of Australia is a nightmare due to silly Lithium battery regulations. I source most of my handsets from the US and Hong Kong Also, prices here are over-inflated for personal technology. We are one of the most expensive nations in the world for gadgets.
Out of curiosity, where are you located?

New Zealand. The prices for tech are stupidly high here, I would never buy in this country.
My network, 2degrees says "we run a 900MHz GSM network. Data is provided using both GPRS and EDGE technology. We provide HSDPA at 2100MHZ within our Mobile Broadband Zones. Outside our Mobile Broadband Zones we use 2G 900 MHz or 3G 2100MHz."
So those are the kind of specs I would need.
The Vivid is even bigger than the galaxy.. Wow. The sensation seems to be the same size, but feels a lot smaller. Maybe its the case my step-dad has on his. Will have to do a test.
Out of interest, how do you get phones on xda? Also how much is the S2 on here?

choovanski said:
New Zealand. The prices for tech are stupidly high here, I would never buy in this country.
My network, 2degrees says "we run a 900MHz GSM network. Data is provided using both GPRS and EDGE technology. We provide HSDPA at 2100MHZ within our Mobile Broadband Zones. Outside our Mobile Broadband Zones we use 2G 900 MHz or 3G 2100MHz."
So those are the kind of specs I would need.
The Vivid is even bigger than the galaxy.. Wow. The sensation seems to be the same size, but feels a lot smaller. Maybe its the case my step-dad has on his. Will have to do a test.
Out of interest, how do you get phones on xda? Also how much is the S2 on here?
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Yeah, you poor buggers get hit harder than what we do. How's petrol there these days? It was 1.80 a litre last time I was there. We're not far off that here, now
2100MHz 3G you'll get on just about every phone in existence, same with 900MHz GSM. I use a Vivid daily and it's marginally smaller than the GS2, and very close to the size of the Sensation (just heavier).
There's a Marketplace here on XDA. Unfortunately they've just put a rule in place limiting access for newer members. Average going price here for a GS2 is around US350 for a black model. White ones a little higher. You're lucky in that you can take any model and it will work so long as it's unlocked. You'll need to factor in shipping also, it's around US50 for a phone and US60 for a tablet to Australia, don't expect it'd be much more to NZ.

I don't drive, and for that I am glad. Things are expensive here.
Well, I won't be able to use the market place due to restrictions. So I will have to settle for an import. Is AUSD410 a good price for a sensation, as I have a relative who would be able to pick one up for me in Australia when they go.
When you mentioned the lithium customs problem, does that go for the luggage that is not the carry on?
Sorry if it's too many questions, it's just I'm a student and I don't want to sink my money into a bad phone.

choovanski said:
I don't drive, and for that I am glad. Things are expensive here.
Well, I won't be able to use the market place due to restrictions. So I will have to settle for an import. Is AUSD410 a good price for a sensation, as I have a relative who would be able to pick one up for me in Australia when they go.
When you mentioned the lithium customs problem, does that go for the luggage that is not the carry on?
Sorry if it's too many questions, it's just I'm a student and I don't want to sink my money into a bad phone.
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Carry-on luggage doesn't seem to be a problem (at least domestically), I carried multiple phones/tablets with me on my last couple of trips and didn't run into any issues.
To be honest, that's GS2 territory price-wise. What's your budget, and what do you most desire?

I just really want a device that supports 64gb sd, has a decent camera, a good battery and isn't huge. I'm still really iffy about phones the size of the galaxy S2, because I just can't reach all of the screen. The Incredible S is looking tempting, because of the size and the fact people say good things about it's battery life.
I wouldn't want want to spend much more than NZD550, which is AUD430 and USD450.

choovanski said:
I just really want a device that supports 64gb sd, has a decent camera, a good battery and isn't huge. I'm still really iffy about phones the size of the galaxy S2, because I just can't reach all of the screen. The Incredible S is looking tempting, because of the size and the fact people say good things about it's battery life.
I wouldn't want want to spend much more than NZD550, which is AUD430 and USD450.
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There's quite aa few options in your budget, but the size limitation rules out the majority, although I definitely understand it. I don't think I could comfortably use any of my phones one-handed!
You should be able to pick up an Incredible S for around the AU300 mark. I'm not 100% sure on comparability with a 64GB card, mine did work eventually but it took a few formats and a bit of coaxing, it certainly wasn't just drop-in-and-go.
What about one of the newer Sony Ericsson phones, like the Arc or Arc S, or even the Ray might be a better fit for you?
Sent from my HTC Vivid

The arc S looks very nice, and there are some cases where people have been able to get 64gb cards to work on it. While the headphone jack placement is bad, it's of a good size and has a great camera. If you know of a way that I could buy one for a decent price, I would be very grateful.

Nice choice. There is limited difference between the Arc and Arc S (just a hifher-clocked SoC and 1080p video) and no size difference at all, so even if the Arc S is out of budget, there wouldn't be a lot of difference in taking the Arc instead.
Is the width of the GS2 the off-putting feature? The Arc is narrower and thinner, but about the same length overall?
I'll see what I can dig up for you
Sent from my HTC Vivid

And the hight of the screen, I couldn't actually reach the status bar.
The arc is well within my price range, but I would like the faster processor of the arc s.
Thankyou so much for the help.

choovanski said:
And the hight of the screen, I couldn't actually reach the status bar.
The arc is well within my price range, but I would like the faster processor of the arc s.
Thankyou so much for the help.
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You can use this tool at PhoneArena to compare dimensions if you like. Remove the TyTN and add any four phones you like.
Chapest prices I could find you on the Arc S in Australia are eBay unfortunately. There are a couple here on the MP, but after shipping to Australia they'll come out more.
You're looking at around the 410 mark, that's including postage to Australia. I dug it up in white, silver and blue. I can't speak for the seller with the silver and blue units, but I can tell you that even though IMobilePhoneX send their stuff from Hong Kong, it is genuine and always factory fresh. I have dealt with them multiple times.
Anything else I can help with, let me know

Massive thanks.
I just order the arc S from IMobilePhoneX. Thanks for the recommendation. I assume it should be arriving before next Sunday, am I correct in that assumption?
Also, on a related note- are you running ICS, and if so is it really that much better than gingerbread?
Once again, thankyou.

choovanski said:
Massive thanks.
I just order the arc S from IMobilePhoneX. Thanks for the recommendation. I assume it should be arriving before next Sunday, am I correct in that assumption?
Also, on a related note- are you running ICS, and if so is it really that much better than gingerbread?
Once again, thankyou.
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My pleasure.
I would guess so. That gives it seven days from HK, which is possible as they usually use a courier.
I am running ICS, but am not the biggest advocate for it. I dislike the 'stock' ICS launcher/UI, and only enjoy ICS on my Vivid because it has Sense over the top. It takes a few cues from Honeycomb naturally, and I wasn't the biggest fan of that UI either.
Performance-wise it is a definite improvement, especially with the GPU now rendering the little things like homescreen flicking, opening/flicking the app drawer etc. ICS on the Vivid is much more fluid and responsive than GB (not that GB was bad by any means - ICS is just noticeably better).
What annoys me the most is that it breaks compatibility with my favourite launcher, LauncherPro. There's no development for it anymore either, so it's probably going to be that way for a long time.
It all comes down to personal preference on the look, but the performance and rendering gains are definitely there

Cheap, knockoff phablets that sacrifice the least performance

I was browsing the web earlier, looking for a cheap upgrade to my LG Nitro which is slowly getting on my nerves with its battery life. I came across these two phones, which are fairly impressive knockoffs of the Samsung Galaxy S4:
http://technokarak.com/orient-n9500-samsung-galaxy-s4-clone.html
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1qUhm...agon-v89-specs-samsung-galaxy-mega-clone.html
The Orient N9500 is most impressive, delivering similar performance as the S4 at only $234 USD. The only problem is that it doesn't support LTE, which for me is a total deal breaker living in one of the largest US metro areas.
Does anyone know of any similar knockoff phones and/or cheap phablets that support LTE? The Nexus 4 would be a no brainer with it's ROM support and quality at $299, but once again, no LTE.

Technocian said:
I was browsing the web earlier, looking for a cheap upgrade to my LG Nitro which is slowly getting on my nerves with its battery life. I came across these two phones, which are fairly impressive knockoffs of the Samsung Galaxy S4:
http://technokarak.com/orient-n9500-samsung-galaxy-s4-clone.html
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1qUhm...agon-v89-specs-samsung-galaxy-mega-clone.html
The Orient N9500 is most impressive, delivering similar performance as the S4 at only $234 USD. The only problem is that it doesn't support LTE, which for me is a total deal breaker living in one of the largest US metro areas.
Does anyone know of any similar knockoff phones and/or cheap phablets that support LTE? The Nexus 4 would be a no brainer with it's ROM support and quality at $299, but once again, no LTE.
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Although the Orient / Star n9500 has a smaller battery than preferred for such a beefy package, I'm seriously considering it. If its relatively steady - and that price range - it will probably see massive outspread - wich means mods & ROM galore ^^,
As to LTE, You'll most likely have to look in a different price range, "china phones" targeted for international marked - as China wont be getting LTE services untill estm. early 2014. And The largest network provider by far, China Mobile - is backing LTE TDD - a different standard.

pr0xZen said:
Although the Orient / Star n9500 has a smaller battery than preferred for such a beefy package, I'm seriously considering it. If its relatively steady - and that price range - it will probably see massive outspread - wich means mods & ROM galore ^^,
As to LTE, You'll most likely have to look in a different price range, "china phones" targeted for international marked - as China wont be getting LTE services untill estm. early 2014. And The largest network provider by far, China Mobile - is backing LTE TDD - a different standard.
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Yeah, I assumed when they meant "Galaxy S4 clone" that it included the pentaband/multicarrier radio.
Oh well, the Orient is still amazing for the price and honestly HSPA+ really is good enough! If you are streaming Pandora and it never skips or buffers, you can't tell the difference between even a good EDGE connection and LTE unless you ran Speedtest. Wifi is the thing to be on anyways so you don't go over any data limits. I might go for it myself.

It's official, the 7 and 7+ will be Snap 450

Announced this morning 6/14. Looks as though the 7a only will have the mediatek chip.
The other thing mentioned was price, and for the 7+ the Korean price is converted to US 500 plus! Seems very high to me. As is usual, the price will probably drop significantly after a few months.
The SD450 is built with 14nm tech, which is fairly recent. Has a 3.5 jack, nfc, 145g weight, decent cameras, LTE band 71, quick charge type-C, a lot going for it.
No word on availability in the States yet, I hope soon.

It might come with SD450 only in Korea.
In Europe, at least, it looks like it's coming with that outdated, slow, energy inefficient Mediatek chip:
http://www.lg.com/it/telefoni-cellulari/lg-LMQ610EM-lg-q7
I reaaaally hope it's a mistake and it's actually SD450, because that Mediatek chip is even slower than Q6's SD435, which didn't perform well at all, especially on FHD+ resolution.
And Mediatek phones are rarely or never updated to the next version of Android. This + LG's track record with updates = not good at all.
So far, I haven't found any hands-on video or article outside of Korea, so I'm still waiting with my money.
If it's Mediatek, I'd rather buy a Huawei P Smart / Honor 9 Lite instead - same price as Q6 (cheaper than Q7 will be), but twice the performance; not water resistant and bigger size than Q7, though, those are my reasons for waiting for LG.

It's difficult to tell which markets will get which version @nick_white ... wish I knew also.
Here's one of the sources I saw indicating sd450: https://www.gizmochina.com/2018/06/14/lg-q7-plus-launched-korea-specs-price/
I'm taking a wait and see attitude now, partly because of the uncertainties you mention, and partly because we just don't know what we'll get in the States. Another indication has it that there will be an Android One version of the phone exclusive to T-Mo (which does make some sense in that the Q7 does have LTE band 71, and the only carrier that uses that band is T-Mo).
I was close to selling my Huawei Mate SE, glad I didn't now, it's a great phone and now I've decided not to give it up and take the monetary loss with the *hope* I'd like the Q7. I may not like it!
Lot's and lot's of new phones coming out, the potential for a great Google midrange is there, I'm just waiting now also, but happy with the Mate SE at the mo.

This just got reported, the q7 and q7+ launched in Korea, both have the SD450. Price for the q7+ is about 515, but I've read the mobiles in Korea are always priced excessively high and not indicative of price elsewhere.
We'll see about that fairly soon I'd guess.
https://www.mysmartprice.com/gear/2...launched-korea-price-specifications-features/

There is a hands-on article: https://translate.googleusercontent...700201&usg=ALkJrhiYxnFrZKoyckA8be8mwbuQZHVnYQ
It says that the back is plastic! Not again, LG?! This was one of the biggest complaints for the Q6 - that the back was scratched extremely easy, even on the first day of usage.
There's another, newer article on that site, that says it has Mediatek processor, and the launch price is higher than the current price of the G6 (not Q6)...

nick_white said:
There is a hands-on article: https://translate.googleusercontent...700201&usg=ALkJrhiYxnFrZKoyckA8be8mwbuQZHVnYQ
It says that the back is plastic! Not again, LG?! This was one of the biggest complaints for the Q6 - that the back was scratched extremely easy, even on the first day of usage.
There's another, newer article on that site, that says it has Mediatek processor, and the launch price is higher than the current price of the G6 (not Q6)...
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I'm taking a wait and see approach re the processor. I blame LG for all the confusion, of course! I'm sure they think they can save money by having the lesser capable processor for countries that it's appropriate, but now no Country knows what it will get until it's actually released there.
Plastic? Not a problem for me. I prefer it. The dead give a way is that the specs show the phone only weighs 145g. I don't think there's any phone with a 5.5" screen with that weight that isn't plastic back. Just not possible.
While the back may show up scratches easily (I believe you), that's because of the finish. The Nexus 5 or 5x (both plastic), didn't show scratches easily. Many OEM's try to make the plastic look like a **mirror**... all the trend lately. Personally, I hate it. Total waste. All flashy flash crap imho.
Can always get a skin for the back, my preference for anything that scratches easily.

According to this report, the Q7 plus, in India, will be about US equivalent 265$ and have the SD450.
http://www.mysmartprice.com/mobile/lg-q7-plus-msp14845

Seriously, a Motorola G6 competitor with almost twice the price (launch price)?
It's almost the perfect smartphone for me... except for that low end SoC. Give it a Snapdragon 636 or 660!

The things that the Q7 has, that Moto G6 doesn't are:
- IP68 and MIL certification
- considerably more compact: smaller, ligher, smaller bezels, no nonsense wasted space (Motorola, did you reaaaly have to include that useless logo above the fingerprint reader?!)
---------- Post added at 04:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:39 PM ----------
It's also sold in Japan as LG Style L-03K, there are some hands-on articles & videos.

nick_white said:
The things that the Q7 has, that Moto G6 doesn't are:
- IP68 and MIL certification
- considerably more compact: smaller, ligher, smaller bezels, no nonsense wasted space (Motorola, did you reaaaly have to include that useless logo above the fingerprint reader?!)
---------- Post added at 04:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:39 PM ----------
It's also sold in Japan as LG Style L-03K, there are some hands-on articles & videos.
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Exactly Nick. Not many phones anymore are less than 150 grams. To some, that may not matter, but to others it means quite a bit. Additionally, a 5.5" screen is getting rarer and rarer. I'd prefer an SD 6xxx, but the 450 isn't going to kill me. I don't play games on my phone, I don't use it as a 'small' computer, I use it as a... wait for it... PHONE!!
hahahaha. Everything else is pretty much secondary. Top priority: Lightweight and workable phone. Camera and screen are very important also, but not top priority. I certainly don't need a thousand dollar phone because it has a Leica lens. A phone camera will never take the place of an interchangeable lens mirrorless camera.
It's all what your priorities / needs are. We all differ. For me, the Q7 fits the bill mostly. The unlockable bootloader is a concern. There's no 'official' way to unlock the Q6 (assuming the Q7 will be the same).
Have a Mate SE now and it's great really. But that metal uni-body makes for a heavy phone, along with the 6" screen. To me, it's way more of a small computer than a mobile phone, for my preferences.

AsItLies said:
Exactly Nick. Not many phones anymore are less than 150 grams. To some, that may not matter, but to others it means quite a bit. Additionally, a 5.5" screen is getting rarer and rarer. I'd prefer an SD 6xxx, but the 450 isn't going to kill me. I don't play games on my phone, I don't use it as a 'small' computer, I use it as a... wait for it... PHONE!!
hahahaha. Everything else is pretty much secondary. Top priority: Lightweight and workable phone. Camera and screen are very important also, but not top priority. I certainly don't need a thousand dollar phone because it has a Leica lens. A phone camera will never take the place of an interchangeable lens mirrorless camera.
It's all what your priorities / needs are. We all differ. For me, the Q7 fits the bill mostly.
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Fully agree up to that point.
AsItLies said:
The unlockable bootloader is a concern. There's no 'official' way to unlock the Q6 (assuming the Q7 will be the same).
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But that's where I am out. With the known history of updates, or rather the lack of them, from manufacturers and "intended" lifecycles of two years (mine seem to be much longer), having third party OS support (LOS,...) is a must.
I was really looking forward to the Q7. With dimensions smaller than most, nice display, DualSIM, dedicated SD-slot, fingerprint reader, IP68, 3,5mm audio connector, etc. it was pretty close to my requirements. But if there is no way to unlocked the bootloader it's out.

Speedmatze said:
Fully agree up to that point.
But that's where I am out. With the known history of updates, or rather the lack of them, from manufacturers and "intended" lifecycles of two years (mine seem to be much longer), having third party OS support (LOS,...) is a must.
I was really looking forward to the Q7. With dimensions smaller than most, nice display, DualSIM, dedicated SD-slot, fingerprint reader, IP68, 3,5mm audio connector, etc. it was pretty close to my requirements. But if there is no way to unlocked the bootloader it's out.
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I can absolutely understand your concern there. It would be a tough choice for me to go from a Mate SE, with my unlock code, to a phone that may not be unlockable. How much bloatware will the Q7 have? Will they update it regularly? Lot's of questions.
But, there are reports that T-Mo will have a version of this phone, and it will be an Android One phone (but also it said the SD450 would be running in 32bit mode? wtf?). It's also **possible** LG will put this phone on the list of officially unlockable phones (the Q6 is not on it).
I'm taking a wait and see on the Q7, I tend to keep a phone for quite a few years also, much to the dismay of manufacturers I'm sure
My Nexus 5 has Los Nougat and it's doing great. I hate running bloatware.

The Q7+ for the European market is available now and all sources say it has the Mediatek processor.
And no bootloader unlock in sight.
Sorry LG, the Q7 is out of question for me.

Here's one of the first reviews, you can use Google Translate: https://www.tomsguide.fr/article/test-lg-q7-smartphone,2-2325.html
LG really messed up by using that outdated, slow, inefficient processor...
In graphics, it's more than twice as slow as the Q6, which was already struggling with the FHD+ resolution!
The back is also plastic, just like Q6, you can see the scratches in the pictures.
And LG is asking twice the amount for Q6, the same as a new G6, which is superior in all ways (but bigger and bulkier).
I decided to just buy a Q6, my main attractions for the Q7 were the compactness and the screen, and you get both on Q6 as well, for half the price. And a faster processor...

nick_white said:
Here's one of the first reviews, you can use Google Translate: https://www.tomsguide.fr/article/test-lg-q7-smartphone,2-2325.html
LG really messed up by using that outdated, slow, inefficient processor...
In graphics, it's more than twice as slow as the Q6, which was already struggling with the FHD+ resolution!
The back is also plastic, just like Q6, you can see the scratches in the pictures.
And LG is asking twice the amount for Q6, the same as a new G6, which is superior in all ways (but bigger and bulkier).
I decided to just buy a Q6, my main attractions for the Q7 were the compactness and the screen, and you get both on Q6 as well, for half the price. And a faster processor...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm almost certain that the US market will get the Q7 with the snap 450, not the mediatek. Yeah, I would not get one with the mediatek, that's for sure.
Thought about going with a Q6 myself. Pretty difficult to make a decision. Ended up with (another) LG G6. The G6 has a fair amount of development for it, in just a few days have completely debloated it and have the google camera port for wide angle and normal lense.
Had a lot of hope for the Q7 though. But the article you cite is disappointing, the cameras sound bad, and one of the reasons I was interested are the wide angle lenses!
Google is coming out with some new devices, rumor about a new Nexus style also. A lot to choose from

GSMArena is reporting this morning the Q7 will be available soon on the T-Mo site. And yes, it will be snap 450 and support band 71.
https://www.gsmarena.com/lg_q7_to_launch_on_tmobile_with_support_for_600_mhz_band-news-32512.php

The L-03K is Japan's Q7+ and is more powerful than its American counterpart
https://www.lg.com/jp/mobile-phone/lg-L-03K

Exynos v Snapdragon for light UK-based user

Hi team,
Want to get a few opinions on which version I should get. I'm on O2 and the choice is between the Exynos Global version or the N986n Korea version based on reports here that it has the highest chance of getting 5G.
I am quite a light user. I listen to music during commutes. Browse the Internet throughout the day, check banking, reddit, watch a few YouTube videos and regularly check social media. I DON'T do any gaming or workloads that are considered heavy. I do, however, love taking photos.
Currently rocking a S20 FE 5G and usually have around 40% battery at the end of the day on 120hz.
I don't use a second sim and have no need for native call recording. I am a tinkerer and happy to change CSCs, flash new roms etc but I don't plan on rooting and intend to keep Knox intact.
Let's pretend price is not a factor in this decision making process.
The lesser performance of the Exynos will likely be unnoticed by me. As long as the battery gets me comfortably through the day I'm happy. From what I have seen there is minimal difference in camera quality between the two models.
Is the Exynos model for me or is the Snapdragon still the way to go?

Do you need the S-pen? If not, or even if you do, can you wait to see what the S21 brings, possibly in only a few weeks?
Price and performance aside, are you bothered about warranty and/or local support?
Here are some thoughts based on my experience with the Hong Kong N9860....
5G does not work for me on EE, but it does on Three and probably Vodafone. Nobody seems to be able to comment on 5G on O2. I'm not that bothered about 5G in all honesty. Technology and bands are still in flux and the future will probably not be met by current models. Rollout is thin on the ground and I've seen speeds locally of 200Mbps using 4G+, which is ample. I have to go out of my way to find a 5G signal, so lack of support is moot for me.
Nonetheless, I have tried contacting both EE support and Samsung support about the absent 5G and nobody wants to know. As an imported device they really couldn't care.
Firmware updates are slow. I am still on November security updates, despite a new firmware released in December. UK models have the December update already and, I believe, were included in the beta program, unlike my phone. I don't think the HK N20U is receiving the attention customers would like and there is nowhere to turn for resolution. If the phone actually goes wrong it's a return to HK. How long and how much cost involved? Who knows?
Basically, the phone meets my needs, has the superior processor and I saved a bundle on price, but support in the UK for this model kinda sucks. That's the gamble. Would I import again? Not sure. I think I'd rather wait until the UK versions (of whichever phone) are shipped with a non-inferior processor. With hindsight maybe I would have been happier with the S20FE5G - except the cameras. Arrrrrggggghhhhh!!!
I have no idea how function and support would be for the Korean version. Maybe it would just work and no support required, but....... ?

p.s. Supposedly firmware optimisations have improved the Exynos Note. No idea if true, but if you're happy to tinker you can always debloat and hopefully save some juice that way.

I did the same thing with the S20 plus, 5G did not work (not a huge issue right now) and updates were slow.
Other than performance I was also hoping for a decent functioning gcam but had no luck with that, plenty of apks but never found a config and ultimately the stock camera was better.
I would not import again. Currently have the exynos N20U

Snapdragon battery rocks. Have never charged mine more than 80% and end a heavy use day with around 20% left. Everything works but Samsung Pay and 5G on EE. Samsung S20FE is a great deal though, everything but the S- pen, why change?