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The Future: Huawei Mate 8 vs P9 Max vs LeMax (US and other LTE Bands?!?)

OK, maybe it's a subset of groups, but the quest for the Holy Grail >6" and <7" Phone continues.
There are a few mid-ranges like Oppo R2 plus, Lenova is just Phab, but a good truly modifiable flag ship type phone seems out of grasp (your mileage may vary). [I actually have been swapping back and forth between the X2 and Note4 enough to make my head spin. I love the customization on the Note4 (use TekHD and OverDrive). BUT 6.3" seems like the perfect sweet spot between the X2 and the Note4.]
Posting this thread to not dirty up the MediaPad/Honor X2 where did you buy from thread.
This is NOT intended to be a love what I got, it's better than you want thread. IF you are satisfied and want to defend your current purchase please go to those forums and express your deep love there.
This is for looking at what's next and what HAS USA LTE bands,
So some initial contenders.
1) The cool LeTV LeMax. Super cool actually, but misses the US LTE criteria which only partially reduces the pangs of want).
ajsmsg78 said:
...I was looking at another phone I think I want to buy called the LeTV LeMax. It's a 6.3 inch phone similar to our X2 but a fingerprint scanner, NFC, faster CPU, and 21MP Camera....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gsQs_2Vf2k
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
... There is a dev thread, http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/general/letv-one-max1-x900-main-thread-t3170154/page78...
Now the Rumor Mill. There is supposed to be a LeTV LeMax 2. It should have all bands, but they are talking shrinking the screen. :crying:
2) Next up is the Huawei Mate 8
Huawei Mate 8 Price Leaks For Two Versions Ahead Of Nov. 26 Launch
A flagship in the dark which should be public 28 Nov.
How a company does a 6P, Mate S, and now the Mate 8 as THE Flagship, but I'll like it if it is bigger than the 6" and does US LTE
3) So amongst the many Huawei flagships comes the P9 Max, which may be the favorite here in this forum as a successor phone.
P9 Max (6.2" sweet spot). Hope they are smart enough to include us dumb Americans.
4) Maybe the Vivo X6 also?
Vivo X6
Thoughts?

Rudolpht said:
OK, maybe it's a subset of groups, but the quest for the Holy Grail >6" and <7" Phone continues.
There are a few mid-ranges like Oppo R2 plus, Lenova is just Phab, but a good truly modifiable flag ship type phone seems out of grasp (your mileage may vary). [I actually have been swapping back and forth between the X2 and Note4 enough to make my head spin. I love the customization on the Note4 (use TekHD and OverDrive). BUT 6.3" seems like the perfect sweet spot between the X2 and the Note4.]
Posting this thread to not dirty up the MediaPad/Honor X2 where did you buy from thread.
This is NOT intended to be a love what I got, it's better than you want thread. IF you are satisfied and want to defend your current purchase please go to those forums and express your deep love there.
This is for looking at what's next and what HAS USA LTE bands,
So some initial contenders.
1) The cool LeTV LeMax. Super cool actually, but misses the US LTE criteria which only partially reduces the pangs of want).
... There is a dev thread, http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/general/letv-one-max1-x900-main-thread-t3170154/page78...
Now the Rumor Mill. There is supposed to be a LeTV LeMax 2. It should have all bands, but they are talking shrinking the screen. :crying:
2) Next up is the Huawei Mate 8
Huawei Mate 8 Price Leaks For Two Versions Ahead Of Nov. 26 Launch
A flagship in the dark which should be public 28 Nov.
How a company does a 6P, Mate S, and now the Mate 8 as THE Flagship, but I'll like it if it is bigger than the 6" and does US LTE
3) So amongst the many Huawei flagships comes the P9 Max, which may be the favorite here in this forum as a successor phone.
P9 Max (6.2" sweet spot). Hope they are smart enough to include us dumb Americans.
4) Maybe the Vivo X6 also?
Vivo X6
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My only thought is that a 7 inch screen with a 16:10 ratio IS the sweet spot for me, so if it's any smaller or bigger I'm not really interested. Unfortunately that rather restricts my choices, so it's a good job I'm happy with my X2 for now!

Moandal said:
My only thought is that a 7 inch screen with a 16:10 ratio IS the sweet spot for me, so if it's any smaller or bigger I'm not really interested. Unfortunately that rather restricts my choices, so it's a good job I'm happy with my X2 for now!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it had US LTE it would and the 702 took custom ROMs easily, it would probably be next to perfect for me, but looking for discussion on other devices.

Rudolpht said:
OK, maybe it's a subset of groups, but the quest for the Holy Grail >6" and <7" Phone continues.
There are a few mid-ranges like Oppo R2 plus, Lenova is just Phab, but a good truly modifiable flag ship type phone seems out of grasp (your mileage may vary). [I actually have been swapping back and forth between the X2 and Note4 enough to make my head spin. I love the customization on the Note4 (use TekHD and OverDrive). BUT 6.3" seems like the perfect sweet spot between the X2 and the Note4.]
Posting this thread to not dirty up the MediaPad/Honor X2 where did you buy from thread.
This is NOT intended to be a love what I got, it's better than you want thread. IF you are satisfied and want to defend your current purchase please go to those forums and express your deep love there.
This is for looking at what's next and what HAS USA LTE bands,
So some initial contenders.
1) The cool LeTV LeMax. Super cool actually, but misses the US LTE criteria which only partially reduces the pangs of want).
... There is a dev thread, http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/general/letv-one-max1-x900-main-thread-t3170154/page78...
Now the Rumor Mill. There is supposed to be a LeTV LeMax 2. It should have all bands, but they are talking shrinking the screen. :crying:
2) Next up is the Huawei Mate 8
Huawei Mate 8 Price Leaks For Two Versions Ahead Of Nov. 26 Launch
A flagship in the dark which should be public 28 Nov.
How a company does a 6P, Mate S, and now the Mate 8 as THE Flagship, but I'll like it if it is bigger than the 6" and does US LTE
3) So amongst the many Huawei flagships comes the P9 Max, which may be the favorite here in this forum as a successor phone.
P9 Max (6.2" sweet spot). Hope they are smart enough to include us dumb Americans.
4) Maybe the Vivo X6 also?
Vivo X6
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I purchased my X2 I actually wanted a P8 Max but the price was too high for me to drop the money on since it still didn't have LTE support here as well as the X2 having a larger battery helped make my decision. The Phab plus has too small of a battery for me to think about buying one. If the Mate 8 comes with full LTE support I'd probably buy one of those as well as the P9 Max. I'm looking for my next purchase to have LTE support as well as band 12 support now that it's pretty prevalent here on Long Island where I live. I'd like something around 6.2" to use as a daily driver and something 6.8 to 7 inches to use as well. I'll probably just stick to the X2 because I like it a lot. My Nexus 6 doesn't get the best battery life and that's the main reason I will sell it. Oh, and it's ONLY 6", lol. The problem is, on many forums I see people complaining that a phone is too big and they ask how others can use something so big. That annoys me as there are PLENTY of smaller phones out there as well as plenty of 5.5-5.7 inch phones as well but not too many over 6 inches.

The 24th and 26th coming up for some announcements.
I don't know if the P9 Max will be discussed or held until MWC.
I was on a trip this week and the lack of LTE really impacted me, compared to my work iPhone (blehck).

Ok, the Mate 8 is outted formally
Wow. If the 8 follows the Mate S trend to support the ATT/GSM frequency bands, this graduates from could buy to must buy. Only the P9 Max vaporware would hold me back.
Happy Thanksgiving all.

Huawei Mate 8 Hands On: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzHybzpuKWw

If the Mate 8 comes to my country (U.S.) then I will definitely be buying one to replace my Nexus 6. Then hopefully the P9 Max or Mediapad X3 support LTE here and if they do I'll be buying one of those as well. I'm really liking the design of some of these Chinese phones. They are much nicer than almost all the stuff they force down your throat here in the U.S and the batteries are much larger.

ajsmsg78 said:
If the Mate 8 comes to my country (U.S.) then I will definitely be buying one to replace my Nexus 6. Then hopefully the P9 Max or Mediapad X3 support LTE here and if they do I'll be buying one of those as well. I'm really liking the design of some of these Chinese phones. They are much nicer than almost all the stuff they force down your throat here in the U.S and the batteries are much larger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, somehow the Chinese phones have adopted a modern looking industrial design than what Samsung and LG are putting out in their flagship products. The design of the X2 attracted me immediately, as it looks like what I hoped the 2013 Nexus 7 would be. And it's a phone as well!
Anyway, I'm really liking the designs that Huawei, Meizu and Xiaomi are coming out with these days. I remember having a Meizu M6 MP3 player almost 10 years ago that had a surprisingly compelling design that mixed the iPod Nano and iPod Video. Them were the days: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meizu_M6_miniPlayer

ajsmsg78 said:
If the Mate 8 comes to my country (U.S.) then I will definitely be buying one to replace my Nexus 6. Then hopefully the P9 Max or Mediapad X3 support LTE here and if they do I'll be buying one of those as well. I'm really liking the design of some of these Chinese phones. ....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will trade in my Note 4 for a Mate 8 and maybe X2 for an X3 predicated on US LTE support. I agree the designs are going upscale, and beating the US in battery and other Phablet features. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and Gionee GN8001 would sell here I think if local LTE supported.

More on the P9 Max https://www.whatech.com/mobile/reviews/111433-huawei-p9-max-big-on-everything-6-2-inch-quad-hd-screen-fast-octa-core-with-4gb-ram-and-20mp-5mp-camera

Rudolpht said:
More on the P9 Max https://www.whatech.com/mobile/revi...st-octa-core-with-4gb-ram-and-20mp-5mp-camera
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The screenshot says it has a 16:10 2560x1600 screen but the article says it has a 16:9 2560x1440 screen. Which one is it? I'm guessing it's 16:9 as 1440p panels are likely more common at that screen size than 1600p. Either way, I think 1440p/1600p panels make more sense on larger screens than on the current crop of 5-5.7 inch phones.
I hope Huawei doesn't discontinue the Mediapad X series however, just because it is so unique.

Review of LeTV Le Max. More disappointing than I expected. http://www.androidheadlines.com/2015/12/featured-review-letv-le-max-x900.html

Xperia Z6 will include an Ultra version with a 6.4 inch screen. The last Xperia Z Ultra phone was in 2013, with a 1080P 6.44" screen.
http://www.gsmarena.com/a_total_of_5_sony_xperia_z6s_expected_a_4inch_mini_among_them-news-15343.php

I saw that today also. There is a press conference at CES which was thought to be tge Z5 Ultra. I owned the Z Ultra and has been painful watching the 5 successive models go by. We'll see what rumors come true.

For some reason I have never liked Sony's Phones. I had a Z Ultra before the X2 and hated it so much I returned it. I hated the bezels being too large, I hated the undersized battery and I especially hated the door for the MicroUSB charger which ended up falling off constantly. If new Z Ultra has less bezel and a large battery I'd consider picking one up though.

ajsmsg78 said:
For some reason I have never liked Sony's Phones. I had a Z Ultra before the X2 and hated it so much I returned it. I hated the bezels being too large, I hated the undersized battery and I especially hated the door for the MicroUSB charger which ended up falling off constantly. If new Z Ultra has less bezel and a large battery I'd consider picking one up though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm kinda' anti-sony now, regardless. They were always good with replacement phones but my last one they said sorry, won't even fix (for the price of one on swappa). At this point I think a new Ultra may never come out despite Z5 & Z6 rumors. They didn't pan out for Z2 Ultra, Z3 Ultra, Z4 Ultra. It's actually part of the reason I'm waiting on you getting the 702L. I bricked the last "extra" ultra and don't want to do same with the 702L, which is more than a hold over phone with all the improvements by you and in the forum.

Rudolpht said:
I'm kinda' anti-sony now, regardless. They were always good with replacement phones but my last one they said sorry, won't even fix (for the price of one on swappa). At this point I think a new Ultra may never come out despite Z5 & Z6 rumors. They didn't pan out for Z2 Ultra, Z3 Ultra, Z4 Ultra. It's actually part of the reason I'm waiting on you getting the 702L. I bricked the last "extra" ultra and don't want to do same with the 702L, which is more than a hold over phone with all the improvements by you and in the forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HA, I bricked the Ultra as well but not with software. I bought one of those magnetic charging cables for it and plugged it in upside down (it never said anywhere it couldn't be plugged in either way) and the phone shut off and that was all she wrote.

Yup, I was considering getting the Google Play edition of the Z Ultra, but the lack of camera flash (??!) and the enormous top and bottom bezels made it a non-starter. Part of me also thinks that a Z6 Ultra will ultimately be vaporware.
Sony Mobile isn't doing well at all, and I don't see how they would risk their brand name by attaching it to so many different models.

aniym said:
Yup, I was considering getting the Google Play edition of the Z Ultra, but the lack of camera flash (??!) and the enormous top and bottom bezels made it a non-starter. Part of me also thinks that a Z6 Ultra will ultimately be vaporware.
Sony Mobile isn't doing well at all, and I don't see how they would risk their brand name by attaching it to so many different models.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I forgot about the camera not having a flash. That was a big thing as well as I use the flash for a flashlight all the time. Let's hope they learned from their mistakes (although even the new models they just put out still have huge bezels.

Mediapad X3 (yes, THREE). Is this legit?

This site claims to list specs for the Mediapad X3. Anyone know if
1.) These specs are legit?
2.) This site is legit?
Thanx.
LINK: http://www.ghdeal.com/huawei-mediapad-x3.html

shassouneh said:
This site claims to list specs for the Mediapad X3. Anyone know if
1.) These specs are legit?
2.) This site is legit?
Thanx.
LINK: http://www.ghdeal.com/huawei-mediapad-x3.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, that can't be legit. I think they have mistaken it for an X2, the X3 won't be out for a few more months. I hope they don't use a 4K screen, 1080P is fine especially with the crazy battery life we get now.

If that is legit, with specs like that and no 4glte band for the usa, I am going to stick with my x2. Only features that would win me over would be a finger print reader, better camera, built in wireless charging, nfc, and the Internation version being showed more attention by huawei dealing with updates. Then I would think about it. I would highly doubt it would be selling ($459) for that price. Hardware like that would make it the fastest fablet every. Just like comparing the LeTV Le Max 2 (when it is released) to the rest of the phones. And you know that will be about $800-$900. China Need to shake hands with google and start putting thoses gapps properly on these phones. Would improve sales 100 times over.

ajsmsg78 said:
No, that can't be legit. I think they have mistaken it for an X2, the X3 won't be out for a few more months. I hope they don't use a 4K screen, 1080P is fine especially with the crazy battery life we get now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree about the battery life. The X2 is the best phone I have ever had. There is a bit of discoloration on my screen (I think the hanging air freshner hit the scree too many times), plus my "phone period" is acting up, so I'm starting to drool over the X3. I do agree though that 1080p on a 7 inch screen is plenty. Anything higher won't add any value. I mean if I wanted 4k, i'd buy an 80 inch TV
mtyler7807 said:
If that is legit, with specs like that and no 4glte band for the usa, I am going to stick with my x2. Only features that would win me over would be a finger print reader, better camera, built in wireless charging, nfc, and the Internation version being showed more attention by huawei dealing with updates. Then I would think about it. I would highly doubt it would be selling ($459) for that price. Hardware like that would make it the fastest fablet every. Just like comparing the LeTV Le Max 2 (when it is released) to the rest of the phones. And you know that will be about $800-$900. China Need to shake hands with google and start putting thoses gapps properly on these phones. Would improve sales 100 times over.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There will never be 4G LTE US bands. The phone was never designed for North American markets. Actually, I find that HSDPA is more than sufficient for 99% of the tasks, including watching YouTube. I actually bought a nexus 6 SPECIFICALLY to get 4G LTE and I couldn't stand it. It was clear the mediapad is a far superior device even at HSDPA+, so I returned the nexus in a hurry.
What I would LOVE to see in the X3:
1.) More RAM. Android keeps killing my background apps as part of its memory management.
2.) Better camera (yes I know the mediapad X2 has excellent cameras), but icing on the cake is a good thing right?
3.) EMUI (I actually like it). Please please Huawei don't F**** with something that works
4.) Google apps built in
and finally
5.) 4G LTE Us Bands (I know I know this won't happen, but I can dream right?)

mtyler7807 said:
If that is legit, with specs like that and no 4glte band for the usa, I am going to stick with my x2. Only features that would win me over would be a finger print reader, better camera, built in wireless charging, nfc, and the Internation version being showed more attention by huawei dealing with updates. Then I would think about it. I would highly doubt it would be selling ($459) for that price. Hardware like that would make it the fastest fablet every. Just like comparing the LeTV Le Max 2 (when it is released) to the rest of the phones. And you know that will be about $800-$900. China Need to shake hands with google and start putting thoses gapps properly on these phones. Would improve sales 100 times over.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, and speaking of the Le max 2, I just looked it up (haven't heard of it before)
http://www.gizchina.com/2015/09/30/letv-le-max-2-specs-rumoured-to-include-6gb-ram-snapdragon-820-imx300/
I lost interest as soon as I read this sentence: "5.7-inch 2K display"
5.7? What is this 1983? I may as well go back in time, Back-To-The-Future style and get a (GAG ME) iPhone!

I think I'm picking up a Huawei Mate 8 to go alongside my X2's. It has the LTE Bands for the US supposedly and even has band 12 for T-Mobile.

ajsmsg78 said:
I think I'm picking up a Huawei Mate 8 to go alongside my X2's. It has the LTE Bands for the US supposedly and even has band 12 for T-Mobile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just looked it up. Really nice specs. I also like the design language Huawei used.
Only one problem (for me): Its TINY! I returned the nexus 6 (even though its about as good of an android phone as it gets) because it was way too small for me

shassouneh said:
Just looked it up. Really nice specs. I also like the design language Huawei used.
Only one problem (for me): Its TINY! I returned the nexus 6 (even though its about as good of an android phone as it gets) because it was way too small for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. I have a nexus 6 as well but I don't use it that much because the X2 battery is worlds better and the X2 pulls in a better signal most of the time. The problem is when I go to any wedding or party or the city it's sometimes hard to carry the X2 with me as I can't really sit down with it in my pocket. The Nexus 6 also has a better camera so I take it with me a lot of times. So I like to have both a 7 inch phone and a 6 inch smaller phone to carry with me sometimes. I'm selling the 6 to a friend and getting the 64GB Mate 8.

ajsmsg78 said:
I agree. I have a nexus 6 as well but I don't use it that much because the X2 battery is worlds better and the X2 pulls in a better signal most of the time. The problem is when I go to any wedding or party or the city it's sometimes hard to carry the X2 with me as I can't really sit down with it in my pocket. The Nexus 6 also has a better camera so I take it with me a lot of times. So I like to have both a 7 inch phone and a 6 inch smaller phone to carry with me sometimes. I'm selling the 6 to a friend and getting the 64GB Mate 8.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice! Yes, Android updates aside the Mate 8 is way better than nexus 6. I wasn't really impressed much with the nexus 6. Nice phone at all, but it seems mediapad x2 is much more of a premium device, even with the lack of US 4G LTE.
I use my mediapad as a daily driver and watch youtube even when in the car (it helps immensely with my school work or when I'm driving to go take a calculus test). I tried doing that with the nexus and it became apparent a 6" is far too small. Heck I even had a Z Ultra (awesome phone btw) but I felt it was too small

mtyler7807 said:
If that is legit, with specs like that and no 4glte band for the usa, I am going to stick with my x2. Only features that would win me over would be a finger print reader, better camera, built in wireless charging, nfc, and the Internation version being showed more attention by huawei dealing with updates. Then I would think about it. I would highly doubt it would be selling ($459) for that price. Hardware like that would make it the fastest fablet every. Just like comparing the LeTV Le Max 2 (when it is released) to the rest of the phones. And you know that will be about $800-$900. China Need to shake hands with google and start putting thoses gapps properly on these phones. Would improve sales 100 times over.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just for curiosity - how much would you be willing to pay for a device with such specs ? Because I would also seriously consider it also

I'll just wait for the X4 coz our x2 will still get a sweet marshmallow update soon. If that x3 will have bezelfree screen and significantly lighter (maybe 200g) then it will be very tempting to buy it asap.

mcdhol_24 said:
I'll just wait for the X4 coz our x2 will still get a sweet marshmallow update soon. If that x3 will have bezelfree screen and significantly lighter (maybe 200g) then it will be very tempting to buy it asap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only if you haven't rooted like I have

Seasons Greetings X2 owners, what do we think of this just announced LG G Pad II 8.3 LTE ? A successor to the X2 ? I am always looking for a larger screen device which I can still use as a phone

elio321 said:
Seasons Greetings X2 owners, what do we think of this just announced LG G Pad II 8.3 LTE ? A successor to the X2 ? I am always looking for a larger screen device which I can still use as a phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's Just a tablet. It will be nowhere near as good as the Mediapad M2.

astuntas said:
Just for curiosity - how much would you be willing to pay for a device with such specs ? Because I would also seriously consider it also
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No Gapps and usa lte $550 because of the of the performance. My honor x2 is a fast phone. I would sell this for $325 and put $225 to it. now with usa lte and gapps, I would have to wait, it would cost $1000 or better. look at the price of the nexus 6 and 6p.

mtyler7807 said:
No Gapps and usa lte $550 because of the of the performance. My honor x2 is a fast phone. I would sell this for $325 and put $225 to it. now with usa lte and gapps, I would have to wait, it would cost $1000 or better. look at the price of the nexus 6 and 6p.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just love your signiture (death to iPhones)

shassouneh said:
I just love your signiture (death to iPhones)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you¡!!! I speak the truth in the signature. Haha

ajsmsg78 said:
No, that can't be legit. I think they have mistaken it for an X2, the X3 won't be out for a few more months. I hope they don't use a 4K screen, 1080P is fine especially with the crazy battery life we get now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.ainol-novo.com/huawei-mediapad-x3-phablet.html They put them out fast as lighting. I still wish they would add some more bands to it. They will be available soon.

I have the mediapad x2 and I thought for sure I would get the mediapad x3 when it comes out but I decided to wait for Samsung's 8 inch phone(Galaxy Tab s3 8.0 LTE) that comes out in Sept or Oct of this year instead. 7 inch phones are just too tiny for me now, probably gonna get a 9 inch phone next year if Samsung makes one.

This thread seems pretty active so... thought I would ask you pros.
When i reference this page: https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-4988
It shows bands 2/4 for HSPA+.
When I look at this page: http://consumer.huawei.com/en/tablets/tech-specs/mediapad-x2.htm
It shows that it supports GSM/UMTS band 2 (I don't know which of these HSPA+ would fall into). I'm pretty sure that T-Mobile Band 2 is area specific and isn't nation-wide, am I SOL in terms of being able to get this awesome device for T-Mobile?
EDIT.. maybe I'm thinking of band 2 lte specifically. idk.
alright found another thread, sorry guys ignore this question.

Sold my X2

Hey guys. After enjoying this phone for the last year and a half the time has come to sell the device. A friend of mine wanted it so I sold it to him for a good deal. I'll still do whatever I can here for all of you. Thanks to everyone who supported me over the last year. I own a Xiaomi Mi Max now and am thinking of a buying a Huawei Honor Note 8 soon.

Thank you very much aj and good luck
Sent from my GEM-702L using XDA-Developers mobile app

ajsmsg78 said:
Hey guys. After enjoying this phone for the last year (well making the roms for it mostly) the time has come to sell the device and move on to something else. I'll still do whatever I can here for all of you. Thanks to everyone who supported me over the last year. You can find the listing on swappa.com.
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Click to collapse
A.J, special thank you for all the work you have done for the X2 community bro, hats off...

What phone are you moving into?
and Thanks!

omniphil said:
What phone are you moving into?
and Thanks!
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Click to collapse
I was gonna pick up a Mi Max but now I'm not sure what I want. Maybe I should keep the X2 until something comes out in the US larger than 6.2". One of my close friends is from China and his parents and his family are always going back and forth. We were thinking of starting an online store similar to something like Gizok where he can have his family bring the phones back or ship them here and we can sell them. This way anyone in the US who buys them will be buying from a US seller. I'll also provide support on here. His aunt is going to bring me back a Mi Max in a few weeks. In China it's $299 for the 4GB 128GB version. On sites like Gizok, after shipping it will cost around $410-$420 for the same phone so I think I'm going to wait.

ajsmsg78 said:
I was gonna pick up a Mi Max but now I'm not sure what I want. Maybe I should keep the X2 until something comes out in the US larger than 6.2". One of my close friends is from China and his parents and his family are always going back and forth. We were thinking of starting an online store similar to something like Gizok where he can have his family bring the phones back or ship them here and we can sell them. This way anyone in the US who buys them will be buying from a US seller. I'll also provide support on here. His aunt is going to bring me back a Mi Max in a few weeks. In China it's $299 for the 4GB 128GB version. On sites like Gizok, after shipping it will cost around $410-$420 for the same phone so I think I'm going to wait.
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Click to collapse
Mi Max looks pretty decent. I'd want a bigger screen. I'm still holding out for the X3 :/

omniphil said:
Mi Max looks pretty decent. I'd want a bigger screen. I'm still holding out for the X3 :/
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Click to collapse
The X3 is out. It's called the Mediapad M2 7.0.. It has a fingerprint scanner and a snapdragon processor . I love the X2 but it's just too big to carry around all day when I'm not working. I want to try something around 6.5 inches.

ajsmsg78 said:
The X3 is out. It's called the Mediapad M2 7.0.. It has a fingerprint scanner and a snapdragon processor . I love the X2 but it's just too big to carry around all day when I'm not working. I want to try something around 6.5 inches.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, they changed the name.. nice , ill have to check that out, thanks! I wonder how the snapdragon 615 compares with the x2 cpu? 615 sound like a lower end cpu?
I hear you tho, 7 inch is a pretty big phone. but it does fit fine in my jeans pocket...

omniphil said:
Oh, they changed the name.. nice , ill have to check that out, thanks! I wonder how the snapdragon 615 compares with the x2 cpu? 615 sound like a lower end cpu?
I hear you tho, 7 inch is a pretty big phone. but it does fit fine in my jeans pocket...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It should be faster than the Kirin in the X2 and will also probably get CM13.

ajsmsg78 said:
It shoukd be faster than the Kirin in the X2 and will also probably get CM13.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Been looking over the specs, and really it doesn't look much different than the X2. slower cpu, less battery.. I'm not seeing anything compelling?

omniphil said:
Been looking over the specs, and really it doesn't look much different than the X2. slower cpu, less battery.. I'm not seeing anything compelling?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think huawei is focusing on the Mediapad models any longer because they don't sell that many. It stinks because we all like the larger phones but they are definitely for a niche market.

ajsmsg78 said:
I don't think huawei is focusing on the Mediapad models any longer because they don't sell that many. It stinks because we all like the larger phones but they are definitely for a niche market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True enough. We are a small market. I guess i'll just hang onto my X2 unless I find something 6.5 inch and larger that had better specs (faster cpu, more ram, android 6)

omniphil said:
True enough. We are a small market. I guess i'll just hang onto my X2 unless I find something 6.5 inch and larger that had better specs (faster cpu, more ram, android 6)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ajsmsg78 said:
I don't think huawei is focusing on the Mediapad models any longer because they don't sell that many. It stinks because we all like the larger phones but they are definitely for a niche market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm definitely a part of this niche and love this device. My needs definitely include a big screen and especially battery and some manufactures are already starting to include batteries of over 6000mah. Keep me in the loop if you find something as good as the X2!

E--Man said:
I'm definitely a part of this niche and love this device. My needs definitely include a big screen and especially battery and some manufactures are already starting to include batteries of over 6000mah. Keep me in the loop if you find something as good as the X2!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra ?

omniphil said:
Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra ?
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Click to collapse
I haven't even seen a place to buy one. Even on eBay the preorders are selling for $799. Totally inflated and ridiculous.

ajsmsg78 said:
I haven't even seen a place to buy one. Even on eBay the preorders are selling foe $799. Totally inflated and ridiculous.
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Click to collapse
So I have been considering the Honor X2 for a while as an upgrade from my Xperia Z ultra because I wanted the extra screen size and nice to have smaller bezels.
Is it wise to buy it still or is the new M2 better or lower specs? I would love it to have NFC as I use it often with my Sony camera which the X2 does not have.
Thanks!

Yessssss ....
You are not selling it which means all the devices we have we get updets and fixes ..
Thank you AJ
Sent from my GEM-702L using XDA-Developers mobile app

Xiaomi Mi Max looks decent.

shaolin95 said:
So I have been considering the Honor X2 for a while as an upgrade from my Xperia Z ultra because I wanted the extra screen size and nice to have smaller bezels.
Is it wise to buy it still or is the new M2 better or lower specs? I would love it to have NFC as I use it often with my Sony camera which the X2 does not have.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The M2 7.0 has a fingerprint scanner and a snapdragon processor but the X2 is more mature and has development going on for it. I'd just get the X2. I had a Z Ultra before my X2 and I hated it. If you like your Z Ultra then you'll really like the X2. Get the 702L model it you can.

ajsmsg78 said:
The M2 7.0 has a fingerprint scanner and a snapdragon processor but the X2 is more mature and has development going on for it. I'd just get the X2. I had a Z Ultra before my X2 and I hated it. If you like your Z Ultra then you'll really like the X2. Get the 702L model it you can.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love my Ultra but want a slight bigger screen and bigger battery life. I was looking to get the GEM-703L, I thought it was better to get that one if possible...isnt it?

Would you recommend the Honor 8 ?

Hey guys im looking to buy a new phone and for my budget i can get the Honor 8 , Sony X performance or the Galaxy S6 . Does the honor 8 have any bugs and would you recommend it over the other phones i listed ? Also how is the root ,rom , kernel support and is it easy to flash because i saw a guide for rooting with 12-13 steps including typing imei in huawei's site to get a code and so on .

Tarbruh said:
Hey guys im looking to buy a new phone and for my budget i can get the Honor 8 , Sony X performance or the Galaxy S6 . Does the honor 8 have any bugs and would you recommend it over the other phones i listed ? Also how is the root ,rom , kernel support and is it easy to flash because i saw a guide for rooting with 12-13 steps including typing imei in huawei's site to get a code and so on .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got mine on a black friday sale and I'm happy with it. but at full price I would consider something else.
This phone has the Kirin processor and you can root it but the custom rom's will be few because of the processor
The Galaxy S6 is a nice phone but the bootloaders are locked.
I don't know anything about the Sony.
If you have $400 for the full priced H8 I would recommend a used Nexus 6p or a One plus 3 for flashing customs roms and developer support.
If those phones are too big for your taste theirs also the HTC 9 and 10 to consider... they have a great developer community

Tarbruh said:
Hey guys im looking to buy a new phone and for my budget i can get the Honor 8 , Sony X performance or the Galaxy S6 . Does the honor 8 have any bugs and would you recommend it over the other phones i listed ? Also how is the root ,rom , kernel support and is it easy to flash because i saw a guide for rooting with 12-13 steps including typing imei in huawei's site to get a code and so on .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly how clsA said,it's a very good phone. It's fast and have a nice design. But it's Huawei after all, so the custom roms will be a problem. I would sugest you to look for OP3 or OP3T if you want a good development comunity. If you don't care about development too much and want a fu**ing nice looking phone i would recommend it xD
IDK what to say about S6 and Xperia X, as i know the S6 is bad in battery and Xperia X doesn't seems to be as good as the Honor 8.
Other phones to look : Axon 7, Nubia Z11,Xiaomi MI 5,Asus Zenfone 3 (No custom roms).
There are more but i dont remember them.

clsA said:
I got mine on a black friday sale and I'm happy with it. but at full price I would consider something else.
This phone has the Kirin processor and you can root it but the custom rom's will be few because of the processor
The Galaxy S6 is a nice phone but the bootloaders are locked.
I don't know anything about the Sony.
If you have $400 for the full priced H8 I would recommend a used Nexus 6p or a One plus 3 for flashing customs roms and developer support.
If those phones are too big for your taste theirs also the HTC 9 and 10 to consider... they have a great developer community
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have around 450 max for a phone and the Oneplus 3 would have been great because it was 430 dollars but now they only sell the 3T for about 500 and its an import so i think it will have taxes . I looked at the One M9 and the one thing i didn't like is that it is missing a fingerprint scanner and from reviews they say if your chosing between the M9 and S6 go for the S6 so idk . The HTC 10 is good but if i had the money for it (650$) i would have bought the S7 Edge .

Sheldd said:
Exactly how clsA said,it's a very good phone. It's fast and have a nice design. But it's Huawei after all, so the custom roms will be a problem. I would sugest you to look for OP3 or OP3T if you want a good development comunity. If you don't care about development too much and want a fu**ing nice looking phone i would recommend it xD
IDK what to say about S6 and Xperia X, as i know the S6 is bad in battery and Xperia X doesn't seems to be as good as the Honor 8.
Other phones to look : Axon 7, Nubia Z11,Xiaomi MI 5,Asus Zenfone 3 (No custom roms).
There are more but i dont remember them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Xperia X has the edge in performance over the H8 but it overheats when using the camera idk if sony fixed it or not.Axon 7 is pricey for me 600 dollars but its a great phone.The Xiaomi MI 5S is cheap and packs perfromance with the SD 821 but being a Xiaomi doesn't it have poor software ?

Tarbruh said:
Hey guys im looking to buy a new phone and for my budget i can get the Honor 8 , Sony X performance or the Galaxy S6 . Does the honor 8 have any bugs and would you recommend it over the other phones i listed ? Also how is the root ,rom , kernel support and is it easy to flash because i saw a guide for rooting with 12-13 steps including typing imei in huawei's site to get a code and so on .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just bought the Honor 8 after a long evaluation and endless comparisons (price for me was 320 EUR discounted, so really mid-range price territory).
The hardware is great and having such a fast fingerprint sensor is really awesome. Biggest two drawbacks for me are:
- the user interface: I don't like EMUI at all and it's pretty far from the Android standard, but you can use a custom launcher and hopefully an unofficial near-stock theme will be available soon;
- the screen: has a quite poor calibration and looks like a significant step back from my previous Sony Z1 Compact.
Sony devices are nice but heavily bloated. Also I was quite disappointed with my Z1 Compact camera: it looks like they didn't provide adequate support in the transition from KitKat to Lollipop and there was a performance degradation killing an otherwise interesting sensor. I haven't tried a Samsung since the death of my S3 due to eMMC failure and my experience with that device had not been stellar (given I did paid full price for it), but I have read that the UI has improved in the latest interations.
As for root and custom ROMs the thing is: while every device can be rooted one way or another, for a good custom ROM support you should consider only Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets (the Honor has a HiSilicon Kirin) and even in that case the proper support for camera and other advanced hardware features could be not easy. So you may root the Honor but don't expect an AOSP / LineageOS ROM to work properly (there is some work underway but if Huawei doesn't change its politics I wouldn't expect acceptable results).
As for me the only device I could have bought instead of the Honor was the HTC 10, but at a cost significantly higher.
P.S.: Xiaomi devices are interesting but most of them have limited LTE band support, so you may want to check against the bands used in your country (the GSMArena website has a great search tool you could take advantage of).

maxlnc said:
I just bought the Honor 8 after a long evaluation and endless comparisons (price for me was 320 EUR discounted, so really mid-range price territory).
The hardware is great and having such a fast fingerprint sensor is really awesome. Biggest two drawbacks for me are:
- the user interface: I don't like EMUI at all and it's pretty far from the Android standard, but you can use a custom launcher and hopefully an unofficial near-stock theme will be available soon;
- the screen: has a quite poor calibration and looks like a significant step back from my previous Sony Z1 Compact.
Sony devices are nice but heavily bloated. Also I was quite disappointed with my Z1 Compact camera: it looks like they didn't provide adequate support in the transition from KitKat to Lollipop and there was a performance degradation killing an otherwise interesting sensor. I haven't tried a Samsung since the death of my S3 due to eMMC failure and my experience with that device had not been stellar (given I did paid full price for it), but I have read that the UI has improved in the latest interations.
As for root and custom ROMs the thing is: while every device can be rooted one way or another, for a good custom ROM support you should consider only Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets (the Honor has a HiSilicon Kirin) and even in that case the proper support for camera and other advanced hardware features could be not easy. So you may root the Honor but don't expect an AOSP / LineageOS ROM to work properly (there is some work underway but if Huawei doesn't change its politics I wouldn't expect acceptable results).
As for me the only device I could have bought instead of the Honor was the HTC 10, but at a cost significantly higher.
P.S.: Xiaomi devices are interesting but most of them have limited LTE band support, so you may want to check against the bands used in your country (the GSMArena website has a great search tool you could take advantage of).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im in the same state of endless comparisons and watching reviews for phones . From reviews and speed tests the Honor 8 seems like a great deal , in app opening comparsion it was leading 15 to 5 againts the Iphone 7 Plus if 100% true in normal use its a pretty fast phone and is concidered as one of the best 400 dollar phones . My concern is the UI and support i will slap google now launcher but for support updates and so on its a Huawei after all and i don't have experience with them . Most of my root and rom adventures were made with my Galaxy S3 Neo because it came with Android 4.4.2 and never got an update and with the help of roms it had 6.0.1 from the S6 with an overclocked Kernel and slow motion camera mod. All of the reviews for the X performance say that Sony are asking too much (700$) for the flaws it has . I put a thread on the Sony forum but no response yet . For me the price is lower 430$ for the Xperia but if the bugs are not fixed by Sony its dissapointing . I really like the Galaxy S6 but after all its a 2015 model . Xiaomi MI 5s supports my 4G network but being a Xiaomi software wise i think its badly optimized.

Sheldd said:
Exactly how clsA said,it's a very good phone. It's fast and have a nice design. But it's Huawei after all, so the custom roms will be a problem. I would sugest you to look for OP3 or OP3T if you want a good development comunity. If you don't care about development too much and want a fu**ing nice looking phone i would recommend it xD
IDK what to say about S6 and Xperia X, as i know the S6 is bad in battery and Xperia X doesn't seems to be as good as the Honor 8.
Other phones to look : Axon 7, Nubia Z11,Xiaomi MI 5,Asus Zenfone 3 (No custom roms).
There are more but i dont remember them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the Honor 8 and have been using it for the last 3 months or so.
I'm not into all these tests but I know that the phone has stood up to everything that I have thrown at it and I use my phone allot.
If you want a good, solid phone that looks good and will be kept upto date for the next couple of years then get the Honor 8
My flat mate has got the pixel and after using it I really can't see how it's worth the extra couple of £100
John

In my mind, the only phones that are worth getting if you want to flash roms are OnePlus and Google, the rest are not worthwhile. These two phones are the only ones that will get great support on XDA. If this is your purpose then don't even bother considering any other brand, it's just a waste of your time. Even if it is available for other phones you run into hassle with losing warranty by unlocking bootloader and doing more steps than needed. It's better just to get a OnePlus where all the custom rom features are already built in.
If you can get the Honor 8 for $300 new or less and wants a good camera it's worth it. I'm very happy with the camera for still shots which is what I mainly bought the phone for. It's the best camera I've used outside of Samsung so far, I think the Huawei and Samsung are the tops right now for camera. It's better than the Nexus 6P in term of dynamic and colors. Also Huawei currently make the best fingerprint scanner, albeit on the back. The hardware is fast, but expect lots of thermal throttling while gaming.
You will have to deal with some goofy battery management which turns off notification and background running apps, although there is a way to fix this but you have to whitelist the apps in two different nearly hidden places in the settings, although the new Nougat updates is supposed to improve this.
In term of updates support, I think it's pretty poor, at least in term of speed. Many phones are already on Nougat before this one. I do like the fact they made the stock firmware publicly available. The main thing that hampers this phone is the software.

Hey there. I was in the dilemma you are right now two months ago when I bought the Honor 8. I'm not disappointed at all, in the past few years I've used almost every brand there is, HTC, Samsung s3, Lg G2, Sony z3 Compact, Moto G 1 and 2, Sony z3, z3+ and m5, and my last phone was the Huawei p9 lite, I was astonished as to how that "cheap phone" camera could beat my Sony z3+ that I loved so much. That's when I paid attention To Huawei, and man they're doing a great job. Yes maybe in development you won't be able to do much, if that's what you're looking for, maybe it's better to look elsewhere, but in terms of battery, daily use performance and heavy usage, camera, good looking phone, this is a great deal. I bought for 400 when it was released. A few weeks ago my brother got it at 330, which was like stealing haha. And I know this month it will get Nougat. Emui software will be better with the update, not saying it was bad but many disliked it, I'm fine with it to be honest. And Honor offers 2 years of support after the date of release. So you'll get Android updates until mid-2018.
Hope this helps.

I really don't recommend buying a phone at the moment, as u know it's a new year
New phones and chipsets are released and prices eventually will drop. I recommend waiting for couple of months if you can.
Regarding the Honor 8 itself, I know there's something about this phone makes you want it although u can just save a little and get axon 7 or 1+3 and it's not a perfect phone either it lacks some things like OIS for videos and 4K for video.
Other than that it offers a great camera you should check threads here for camera samples, it does take very great still images!
I saw lots of comparisons too between that phone and others. Well in everyday usage there's no difference between it and a snapdragon 820 powered phone regarding opening apps and so .. The kirin 950 is pretty strong scoring 90K+ in antutu benchmark which is okay.. You shouldn't be worried about a game that won't run smoothly on it at the moment! But it's not the best developer friendly unlike snapdragon chipsets!
Beside all that it's a pretty phone ( sexy design, great camera, decent battery & good performance ) it has USB C and fast charging and the chipset supports Vulkan API which makes somewhat it future proof. Also about the EMUI, it can grow on you over time it has neat features not laggy as people might suggest it has theme engine too plenty of customizability and gestures, I don't see it lacking other than the looks of the pure android but that can be fixed by using nova launcher.
Bottom line, if u don't mind the UI and the development area ( it exists but it may take a while ) definitely go for it .. Otherwise u may consider saving or buying One Plus 3 if you're a flashaholic there are plenty of ROMs for the one plus, And a strong development community!

I have the FRD-L14 (64 GB USA version) for $340 total from Amazon. It has replaced my Sony Z3 Compact that I had for two years bought for $500. Tell you what the Honor 8 is worth the money. Fast and responsive. The 4 GB of memory is awesome since apps stay in memory so multitasking is mostly instant. 64 GB memory + 64 GB microSD = awesome. Camera is fast enough with good quality. The screen is the only downside compared to flagship phones costing $600+ but I came from the Sony Z3 Compact display so it's not a problem for me. Maybe I am also lucky but I don't have a blue-ish tint on certain reviews.
The best thing about this is it has Band 12 LTE for TMOBILE. I now have 3 bars of signal sitting in my office instead of 1 or zero or searching all the time. The HD Voice call is also super clear. The speaker phone, though, could be better. The fingerprint scanner is just as good as the Samsung or Apple. Two THUMBS UP. I would upgrade to the Honor 9-10 down the road assuming they keep the price competitive.

Price of Honor 8
Tarbruh said:
I have around 450 max for a phone and the Oneplus 3 would have been great because it was 430 dollars but now they only sell the 3T for about 500 and its an import so i think it will have taxes . I looked at the One M9 and the one thing i didn't like is that it is missing a fingerprint scanner and from reviews they say if your chosing between the M9 and S6 go for the S6 so idk . The HTC 10 is good but if i had the money for it (650$) i would have bought the S7 Edge .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just bought a Honor 8 from a dealer on ebay..paid $250....New but no box..

Exactly as the others say the Honor 8 is a great phone! It is fast, good looking and has a great camera! So in 2015 I was looking for a new phone to replace my old Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini and this seller showed me the Honor 7 but it didn't really appeal to me that much (Mostly because of EMUI) and I decided to keep on using my S4 Mini.
But a few weeks ago I got the Honor 8 for 325€ (Discounted) even if I didn't really like EMUI that much I must say, it is better than I expected! Now there is a few things I still don't like in EMUI (Like the split Notifications and Shortcuts) but in the new EMUI 5 update that is currently being rolled out, it will just get a whole lot better and many of the things I find annoying is fixed
So would I recommend this phone? Yes I would definitivtly recommend this phone for someone who is looking for a great phone but still not to expensive, even though it doesn't have that many custom ROMS yet (Coming from someone who used Custom ROMS a lot previously) I think we will get more custom ROMS within a few months

Tarbruh said:
Does the honor 8 have any bugs and would you recommend it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been using it since 1st December 2016 and I wouldn't recommend it, 'cause:
1. It has no system-level equalizer;
2. It has no system-level audio balance tweaker(?);
3. When using the app com.rubycell.pianisthd, the audio output is full of "clicks"; no longer with android 7
4. It's kirin-based, therefore "good luck" with custom roms.
edit:
I'm not gonna sell it any soon 'cause I can kinda live with it thanks to Poweramp, but come on, the audio subsystem of this phone is sh*t. You should only get it if you're deaf or for some reason you don't enjoy listening to music.
I apologize for being this rude.

The aesthetics are amazing and the performance is really decent. The software is mediocre, though it might be better with the Android & UI update--but that's been a slow process and I've yet to see the update myself.
The hardware is impressive and in many ways exceeded my expectations. The Kirin 950 opens apps quickly and the 4gb of what I believe to be DDR3 memory allows for multiple app usage without any trouble. DDR4 would be amazing, but it holds its own with what it has.
The GPU is only OK. It runs a bit hot when in 1080 mode, playing games like War Robots. 720 seems to cool it down a bit. No problems with older games like the GTA series, no problems with Real Racing 3 or the Riptide series.
Still, the 3d AnTuTu benchmarks combine for a score of about 20k, where as the OP3T is over 40k combined. Overall, my phone grabbed a 94,000. The overall for the OP3T is over 135,000. The difference in the score is due to the GPU and memory being slower than the OP3T's Adreno 530 and 6gb of DDR4. The Kirin 950 itself, holds its own against the Snapdragon 820 and 821.
The price point is all over the place in the US market. I picked mine up for $319.00, but I've seen them on shelves for $400.00 USD. At 300, it's not bad, but if you are going to hit the 400 mark, might as well go with the OP3T.
I have 2 weeks left to return mine, if I don't see the update by then, it will go back and I'll drop few extra for the OP3T. If I get the update and it feels smooth, I'll probably stick with it.
Would I recommend it? If you can get it for 300 USD or close to it, yes, it's a good phone for that price point. If you see it in your market and it is closer to 400, go for the OP3T. If you LOVE mods, regardless of price, go for the OP3T.
Note: The ZUK Z2 Pro is in the same price range, but I hear the software is awful and build quality questionable, that's why I didn't bring it up in comparison.
Note II: I've updated to B360 via Firmware Finder. So far the phone doesn't feel too much different, but there are changes. The UI is a bit cleaner, my benchmark went up by 6000 overall, but no change in GPU scores. The app drawer is laid out nicely, the notification bar looks better, the native sms message system is upgraded and more functional.
I have to stick with my original opinion. If you can get the phone for 300-ish USD, if you are OK with WYSIWYG, it's a solid, aesthetically beautiful device. If you are creeping into the 400.00 range, take a very serious look at the OP3T. Again, if you are a modder or love the bleeding edge, OP3T is your device.

PErsonally, I like it over the S7 Edge. Faster and smoother.
Handful of reasons the S7 Edge is the daily driver:
Larger screen
Better video and slightly better camera shots
Audio can be tweaked
Only major con is the ugly IOS skin on the Honor 8. Personally i like it a ton.

Sheldd said:
Exactly how clsA said,it's a very good phone. It's fast and have a nice design. But it's Huawei after all, so the custom roms will be a problem. I would sugest you to look for OP3 or OP3T if you want a good development comunity. If you don't care about development too much and want a fu**ing nice looking phone i would recommend it xD
IDK what to say about S6 and Xperia X, as i know the S6 is bad in battery and Xperia X doesn't seems to be as good as the Honor 8.
Other phones to look : Axon 7, Nubia Z11,Xiaomi MI 5,Asus Zenfone 3 (No custom roms).
There are more but i dont remember them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately the OP3 and OP3T have no microSD-cardslot.
You have to consider this.
the Honor 8 has the following advantages.
- fairly fast (Arm Cortex A72 CPU's) and due to a FHD-screen the gfx-perfomance is even slightly faster than e.g. the galaxy S5.
--> so many (older) high-end games run quite good.
- great screen (wide gamut LCD screen)
- IR-blaster
--> and reviewers don't mention this but the Honor's IR-blaster is both output AND input, which means it can "learn" codes from other remotes while the e.g. Samsung's can't.
--> works also good with other IR-blaster apps too.
- microSD-slot
- price compared to known-brand flagships and mid-range devices (bar the oneplus models)
--> the standard Honor 8 (32GB) has a great price/performance-ratio IMHO and there's usually some sale somewhere
--> got mine with a free 64GB card so it was even greater value for money
- camera is good for the price
--> great quick shortcut (with volume-keys or fingerscanner-button)
- EMUI has some nice tricks with the fingerprint-scanner
--> e.g. there's a "safe" to store private files which can be locked/unlocked with fingerprint
- bootloader CAN be unlocked and is fairly easy to root.
--> Huawei themselves supply the unlock codes which is great, isn't it?
- beautifull design. It looks great and the camera is completely flush
- mirrorcast (to non-Samsung TV's) works fine without rooting and tampering with the build.prop
disadvantages.
- it is VERY slippery
- not as fast as particularly Oneplus 3 (and 3T) which cost the same
--> Honor 8 premium cost the same as OnePlus 3/T and has the same internal storage capacity
- some people prefer QHD
--> this doesn't bother me personally but it might be a dealbreaker for some
- no EQ on the standard music app or anywhere else on the device
--> so you need another music-player if you really want this or other audio-enhancements.
- Samsung's still have better camera's for low-light photography especially the S6 (IMHO the S6 is even better than the S7 in this respect)
- no DLNA so you'll need an optional app for this. Though screencast works fine.
--> I tried the old Skifta-app myself from qualcomm and it works great. Unfortunately you have to look hard to find this though asit isn't on Play anymore.
IMHO the Honor 8 is a great little device. Sufficiently powerful and it has most of important points covered.
As for me, the SD-card slot, IR-blaster and the better deal (with a free 64GB card) were the main reasons to go for the Honor8 instead for the OP3T
There's probably a lot more that I haven't covered but I have my device just 4 days so I'm not a "pro" just yet
So I hope this is helpful.

LaserChicken said:
The aesthetics are amazing and the performance is really decent. The software is mediocre, though it might be better with the Android & UI update--but that's been a slow process and I've yet to see the update myself.
The hardware is impressive and in many ways exceeded my expectations. The Kirin 950 opens apps quickly and the 4gb of what I believe to be DDR3 memory allows for multiple app usage without any trouble. DDR4 would be amazing, but it holds its own with what it has.
The GPU is only OK. It runs a bit hot when in 1080 mode, playing games like War Robots. 720 seems to cool it down a bit. No problems with older games like the GTA series, no problems with Real Racing 3 or the Riptide series.
Still, the 3d AnTuTu benchmarks combine for a score of about 20k, where as the OP3T is over 40k combined. Overall, my phone grabbed a 94,000. The overall for the OP3T is over 135,000. The difference in the score is due to the GPU and memory being slower than the OP3T's Adreno 530 and 6gb of DDR4. The Kirin 950 itself, holds its own against the Snapdragon 820 and 821.
The price point is all over the place in the US market. I picked mine up for $319.00, but I've seen them on shelves for $400.00 USD. At 300, it's not bad, but if you are going to hit the 400 mark, might as well go with the OP3T.
I have 2 weeks left to return mine, if I don't see the update by then, it will go back and I'll drop few extra for the OP3T. If I get the update and it feels smooth, I'll probably stick with it.
Would I recommend it? If you can get it for 300 USD or close to it, yes, it's a good phone for that price point. If you see it in your market and it is closer to 400, go for the OP3T. If you LOVE mods, regardless of price, go for the OP3T.
Note: The ZUK Z2 Pro is in the same price range, but I hear the software is awful and build quality questionable, that's why I didn't bring it up in comparison.
Note II: I've updated to B360 via Firmware Finder. So far the phone doesn't feel too much different, but there are changes. The UI is a bit cleaner, my benchmark went up by 6000 overall, but no change in GPU scores. The app drawer is laid out nicely, the notification bar looks better, the native sms message system is upgraded and more functional.
I have to stick with my original opinion. If you can get the phone for 300-ish USD, if you are OK with WYSIWYG, it's a solid, aesthetically beautiful device. If you are creeping into the 400.00 range, take a very serious look at the OP3T. Again, if you are a modder or love the bleeding edge, OP3T is your device.
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Thanks for the long and explained point of view it seems that only on the honor 8 forum people comment on stuff like this because it made a thread on the x perfromance forum still 0 comments . The OP3T is a great phone and comes for about 470 dollars . Over the past few days i've got the conclusion that im not getting the honor 8 because its priced at 420 ish dollars and for and for the same price i can get the xperia which has the SD820 with a 1080p screen so it will perform 23 MP camera will fine compared to my current 12 or i can get for 460 the Zte Axon 7 also with SD820 2k display and amazing audio and if i go even higher i can get the S7 for 490 . But im thinking on not going too far for the S7 because the Xperia and Axon offer the same performance just losing on camera and ips sertification if i got with the axon but it has one of the best if not the best speakers and headphone output.

I just got a used one off of Amazon for $235. Honestly, I think it's worth that price, but I would recommend waiting for MWC at the very least. I only pulled the trigger on it right now because the only other phones in the price range I had (about $200 - $300), were the upcoming MOTO G5 series. I have been using a Moto E 2015, but I felt that since the Honor 8 had higher specs, a better design, a better camera, etc. that it was worth it.
Additionally, I think Huawei promised 2 years of support and the phone just came out, so we will definitely see Android O at the very least (which is pretty great).

Best Phone - $250 Budget

Hey, I have $250 to drop on a new phone.
I was gonna grab the unlocked Moto G5 Plus, but then I read about its "tinny" sounding camera.
I was also thinking about the HTC One M9, but that seems to be the exact opposite.. dual, stereo, speakers, but lacks performance multitasking.
I only use my phone for internet, music and just basic functions. I don't care about a quality camera, I don't play games and don't want a screen larger than 5" (tho it seems like I need to settle on 5.2" to get a half decent phone).
With this information, does anyone have any suggestions on a phone?
Thanks.

I don't think you can beat the unlocked (no ads) 64gb version of the Moto G5plus on sale right now for just $224 on Amazon right now.
My wife has that phone and I've played with it some. I just bought an Honor 8, but that was before the current sale on the G5 plus. You would be hard pressed to find a Honor 8 in the <2 $250 range and the two phones are very close in operation IMHO. All this to say I don't think you will be disappointed in the G5 plus.

sic0048 said:
I don't think you can beat the unlocked (no ads) 64gb version of the Moto G5plus on sale right now for just $224 on Amazon right now.
My wife has that phone and I've played with it some. I just bought an Honor 8, but that was before the current sale on the G5 plus. You would be hard pressed to find a Honor 8 in the <2 $250 range and the two phones are very close in operation IMHO. All this to say I don't think you will be disappointed in the G5 plus.
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There are multiple (like 20-30) threads in the Moto G5 Plus forums regarding the poor quality/low volume if the G5 Plus. It's unclear if it's the speaker that's feeble or a software issue that an update could fix.
Huawei P10 Lite was recommended and it seems pretty solid. However, it doesn't come with Gorilla Glass, nor does it specify what type of protective glass is has, if any. I've never really heard of Huawei before, which makes me a bit hesitant.

Huawei builds good phones. The only complaint or negative with them is the lack of developer support here on XDA. This is because they use their own processor design called the Kirin and Huawei has historically released few tools to help developers.
They do offer unlocked versions that can be bootloader unlocked and rooted quite easily. I found that the 5.0.1 EMUI Rom on my Honor 8 is pretty good. I definitely wanted to root it to get ad blockers, Viper4android, etc, but I don't feel a need to change the ROM. If you are a hard core tweaker and want the ability to change to the latest and greatest Rom, don't get the Huawei. Otherwise you will be fine.
PS - I have to laugh because your signature says you use a Huawei Prism. Perhaps you know Huawei better than you think.

sic0048 said:
Huawei builds good phones. The only complaint or negative with them is the lack of developer support here on XDA. This is because they use their own processor design called the Kirin and Huawei has historically released few tools to help developers.
They do offer unlocked versions that can be bootloader unlocked and rooted quite easily. I found that the 5.0.1 EMUI Rom on my Honor 8 is pretty good. I definitely wanted to root it to get ad blockers, Viper4android, etc, but I don't feel a need to change the ROM. If you are a hard core tweaker and want the ability to change to the latest and greatest Rom, don't get the Huawei. Otherwise you will be fine.
PS - I have to laugh because your signature says you use a Huawei Prism. Perhaps you know Huawei better than you think.
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Nah uh?! Haha. Did know I even had a signature.. at least it doesn't show up, on my end, in any of my posts.
Now that I think about it, I vaguely remember owning one, although it was a bottom of the barrel budget phone, where this one is a mid-range.
It's too bad that the 4gb version of the P10 Lite aren't available in the states; they only gave us the 3gb model. Does that one extra GB make a big difference? I'm pretty sure all the reviews and performance tests I've seen are for the 4gb.
Are there any other comparable phones to the P10 Lite? I'm batting 1000 when it comes to breaking screens, so the fact that it does have Gorilla Glass or even the scratch resistant screen coating worries me. I've read that buying and applying Gorilla Glass does take well to the P10 Lite due to its wrap around screen. This true?