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Huawei Mediapad X1 (Honor X1) 7" Phablet - Review

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Huawei Mediapad X1 (Honor X1) – Review
For a little over a year competing brands have been increasing their screen sizes and seeing just how far they can push the limits. Huawei’s latest entry to the big screen wars comes in with a huge 7 inch display. What I like about these new 7 inch devices is the borders have been scaled back making the finished product noticeably smaller than a tablet but giving you tons of screen real estate to work with. While the Huawei Mediapad X1 also known as the Huawei Honor X1 is not for everyone, those customers that are looking for a true phone, tablet hybrid might find the device they have been looking for.
Unboxing
I bought the Huawei Mediapad (Honor) X1 from Merimobiles and had it shipped by DHL. It took a few days for the order to process and ship, and then about 4 days to get it from DHL. The phone was well packaged to ensure no damage occurred.
The box had more of a flat design to accommodate the larger phablet, which allowed it to be removed out of the side. Inside was the X1, manuals, headphones, micro USB cable, and wall charging adaptor. I found it odd that a SIM tray tool was not provided. I had one already, but failing that something like a paperclip could be used.
Check out the Unboxing video here.
Specs
7 inch 1920 x 1200 display
1.6 Ghz Huawei Hisilicon Kirin 910 quad core (ARM Cortex A-9)
Mali 450MP4 GPU
2GB RAM
16GB internal storage with expansion slot
5MP front camera
13MP rear camera
5000 mAh battery
Check out the full video review here.
Physical features
The Huawei X1 measures in at 183.5 x 103.9 but is fairly thin at just 7.2 mm. Somehow Huawei have managed to cram a 5000 mAh battery into it. The device feels very solid yet only weights 239 grams. On the right hand side of the phone is a power button(bottom) and volume rocker(top).
On the right hand side at the top is the expansion card slot with the single SIM slot on the bottom.(Just a heads up, it’s a Micro SIM)
The bottom right has the micro USB connector.
The top just the right of centre has the 3.5mm headphone jack.
The front facing camera is on the right hand side.
The rear camera is on the top left, with the loudspeaker on the bottom right.
Overall you can tell this is a quality device.
Display
The X1′s giant 7 inch display is 1920 x 1200 with 323 ppi and is actually quite good. It is plenty bright and I didn’t find myself in a situation where I couldn’t see what was on the screen. It’s responsiveness was good in that it wasn’t too sensitive nor did I have to be overly firm to get it to do what I wanted.
Software
Huawei’s Emotion UI reminds me of Lenovo’s Vibe ROM. They both favour a system of dropping icons on the screens similar to that of the iPhone. I’m not a fan of that setup and also loaded on Nova launcher to ease my dissatisfaction. The pulldown menu was fairly standard. It had a main set of icon’s but with a second pulldown you could expose the rest of your essential settings. The settings menu has a simple “general” tab along with an “all” tab. Huawei have also given users more control of what the device does by default with a startup manager, a permissions manager, and a notification bar. If you want to get rid of the navigation buttons you can easily hide them, then bring them back when needed.
These are nice touches but the device did have some lag on it. Whether that is the software or the processor is unknown, but it is there and very noticeable. The device has also locked up on me several times.
Skype loaded but the bottom portion of the messaging screen was missing so you couldn’t write anything. I also experienced issues with apps that should periodically scan for new messages and send them to to notification bar to alert you. Even though I allowed them in the notification manager it still was hit and miss.
Hopefully updates will fix all of these issues.
WiFi
The Huawei Mediapad X1 only supports 2.4 Ghz WiFi. The way I tested it was by taking a speed test right beside the router, a second one at the furthest point of my upstairs level, and a third at the furthest point of my basement.
Router = 26.68mbps
Upstairs =10.44mbps
Basement = 10.11mbps
These aren’t the strongest results I’ve come across but are certainly acceptable. I can use the device in any location in my house with no issues, which includes streaming music or videos.
Call Quality
I promised myself that I wouldn’t put this monstrosity up to my ear in public, but at home I did for testing purposes. I imagine it looked very foolish, but the bottom line is the call quality is very good. If you don’t care about how silly it looks holding this huge device to your ear you will be able to enjoy the crystal clear call quality. I prefer to use a bluetooth headset with it, or a bluetooth car system when on the road.
Speakers
The speaker for the Huawei Mediapad X1 is located on the back of the device. I tested it with YouTube, movies, and of course a variety of music styles. It performed very well giving an added audio depth in all situations with just enough volume. With the DTS function disabled the movies still sounded good, but when I enabled it the results were quite impressive. In action scenes, gunfire and explosions were very full, adding to the experience. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like going to the theatre, but for a mobile device it was a very pleasant surprise.
With headphones the audio was very good with the music being clear and loud.
Video Playback
I tested the video playback with an assortment of formats in VLC player and all worked well. I had a good idea of how this device would perform in the graphics department as it is using the Mali 450MP4 which is the exact same GPU as all of the Mediatek MT6592 devices I’ve used. While it’s not top of the line graphics, it is more than capable. Watching videos on a 7” display when out and about is definitely pretty nice. I call the X1 my portable big screen tv.
Web Browsing
For some reason the X1 always redirected me to google.com.hk. No matter what I did to confirm my location it insisted on redirecting me. This forced me input a google.com/ncr which makes sure Google doesn’t change the location by country. Once I got that sorted out web browsing was fine and pretty much on par with other current devices other than the obvious bonus of viewing everything on a huge screen.
Cameras
I thought the 5 MP front and 13 MP rear cameras would be one of the strong points of the X1 but they weren’t quite as good as I expected. They were good in bright natural light, but did create some noise in fairly standard shots when indoors with less light. If you are expecting cameras on par with the newer flagship devices like the Lenovo Vibe Z,Oppo Find 7, or Vivo Xshot you aren’t going to find them here.
Good but not great.
GPS
The GPS on the Huawei Mediapad X1 works very well. I recently went on a trip and used the GPS extensively with Waze. I was very pleased with it’s performance and never experienced any confusion. Any navigation errors that occurred were entirely my fault (this is the only time I’ll admit that).
To test it I put it in airplane mode to eliminate any data assistance and got a cold lock in 11 seconds. Subsequent locks were immediate. Very slid GPS performance with the added luxury of it being on a 7” display.
Benchmarks
This is were the Huawei Hisilicon Kirin 910 gets revealed for what it is. Yes, it is underpowered by todays standards, but it is functional. The upside is, when paired with a 5000 mAh battery it does very well in the battery life department. More on that later.
Antutu
21,959
This puts the device ahead of things like the Samsung Note 2, Galaxy S3, and Nexus 4,but below the HTC One, Galaxy S4, and any of the Mediatek MT6592 devices on the market.
Nenamark 2
57.3 fps
This is a very good score considering most Mediatek MT6592 1080p devices are scoring less than 50 fps.
CPU Prime
2901
This puts it slightly ahead of the Nexus 4 but far behind the Samsung Galaxy S4.
Vellamo
HTML5
1900
Metal
686
As you can see, the results fall somewhere between this years tech and last years tech. Of course benchmarks aren’t everything and I found the functionality of the device just fine other than the slight lag here and there.
Battery
This is were the Huawei Mediapad X1 really shines. This thing just keeps going and going. With moderate use I can easily get two days of use.
One day I used it a fair amount which included screen on GPS. I thought I was charging it that night but my wife had unplugged it from the wall without me knowing. When I woke up the next morning it was still at 60%, so I didn’t bother charging it and it easily finished the next day with 11% remaining.
When I put it on a video loop with auto brightness, it managed an awesome 10 hours 10 minutes.
Gaming
I tested the X1 with Dead Trigger 2, Asphalt 8, and my new addiction, Front Line Commando 2.
The device uses a Mali 450MP4 so I expected performance on par with Mediatek MT6592 devices. This proved to be the case as it automatically put graphic settings in the mid range. Gameplay is smooth and VERY, VERY enjoyable on the 7 inch HD display. I played Front Line Commando for about an hour and a half and only lost 16% from my battery.
Final Thoughts
All phones have pro’s and con’s. So lets go over the Mediapad X1′s.
Pro’s
Huge HD screen in a fairly compact and thin device creating a great experience for anything Media related, hence the name Mediapad X1
Massive 5000 mAh battery that allows you to enjoy the size of the device without fearing battery is going to die on you
Expandable storage. Even though it has a sealed design Huawei prove you can have make room for an expansion slot. Rival phone makers take note!
Con’s
Lag. Not what you want to find on a just released device.
Processor. The Hisilicon Kirin 910 is so far behind the competition it’s not funny. Huawei need to step up their processors, or start using someone elses.
I really enjoy using the Huawei Mediapad X1. I feel like I can use it for whatever I want for as long as needed without ANY fear of running out of power. Huawei clearly built the phone around the name Mediapad, because media and games is where it really shines. While the phone is not a powerhouse or an over achiever, it is a great jack of all trades.
The bottom line is, those that like large devices are going to love it, and those that prefer the standard 5-5.5” phones are going to think it’s a freak show.
The question “Is it a tablet or a phone?” can only be answered by you. I call it a phone.

WiFi Display
MobileInkSlinger said:
For a little over a year competing brands have been increasing their screen sizes and seeing just how far they can push the limits. Huawei’s latest entry to the big screen wars comes in with a huge 7 inch display. What I like about these new 7 inch devices is the borders have been scaled back making the finished product noticeably smaller than a tablet but giving you tons of screen real estate to work with. While the Huawei Mediapad X1 also known as the Huawei Honor X1 is not for everyone, those customers that are looking for a true phone, tablet hybrid might find the device they have been looking for...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
could you tell me if it does support WiFi Display? (screen mirroring to tv)
i own an LG smart tv (miracast certified), i would like to know if i can do scrren mirroring wirelessly...or if i have to buy the huawei tv box (mediaq) to do that...
let me know
thanks!

Vicolodo said:
Hello,
could you tell me if it does support WiFi Display? (screen mirroring to tv)
i own an LG smart tv (miracast certified), i would like to know if i can do scrren mirroring wirelessly...or if i have to buy the huawei tv box (mediaq) to do that...
let me know
thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it support wifi display.

moviehunter2009 said:
Yes it support wifi display.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you,
so i can mirror the screen of the mediapad x1 to any wifi display (miracast) compatible smart tv,
without to buy additional tv box?
I don't find the mediapad x1 in the official list of miracast compatible devices...
Can you double check this?
I asked (via email) to huawei support , but they didn't answer me yet...
Thanks!

HUAWEI call it multi screen. I haven't tested it, but I'm pretty sure that will do it.
Sent from my MediaPad X1 7.0 using Tapatalk

does it support 4g lte network?

Can it fit in your pocket?

My version is just WCDMA, there is a 4g version but I'm not sure the supported bands.
Sent from my MediaPad X1 7.0 using Tapatalk

It fits in my pockets but I wear my pants fairly loose and with deeper pockets.
Sent from my MediaPad X1 7.0 using Tapatalk

MobileInkSlinger said:
HUAWEI call it multi screen. I haven't tested it, but I'm pretty sure that will do it.
Sent from my MediaPad X1 7.0 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you very much
i read on the user manual (available online) something about air sharing, but seems it needs a huawei tv box (mediaQ)
i would like to know if this box is needed, or if the x1 screen mirroring can work without it, if the tv is miracast compatible
specifically, if the screen is actually mirrored to the tv, not only when some media like photo or video is pushed to the tv via dlna
(for example during browsing, can i see the browser in the tv screen?)
with my xiaomi m2s when i activate wlan display , i can see the phone screen mirrored on the tv...
do you think that this happens also with the mediapad x1?
thanks!

Sorry, I can't say for sure. I don't have anything to test it with .
Sent from my MediaPad X1 7.0 using Tapatalk

MobileInkSlinger said:
Sorry, I can't say for sure. I don't have anything to test it with .
Sent from my MediaPad X1 7.0 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no problem,
thank you
but i have also another question (i will send you a postcard from italy if you can check this
about external webcam
with my tablet acer a500 (with stock rom, but rooted) i can connect an external webcam (logitech c270),
to the usb port and it works fine with app 'dashcam' (than can be downloaded freely from the play store)
i you have a webcam , can you try to connect it to the usb port of the mediapad x1 (via otg cable) and check if it works with app 'dashcam'?
Thank you very much!

Vicolodo said:
no problem,
thank you
but i have also another question (i will send you a postcard from italy if you can check this
about external webcam
with my tablet acer a500 (with stock rom, but rooted) i can connect an external webcam (logitech c270),
to the usb port and it works fine with app 'dashcam' (than can be downloaded freely from the play store)
i you have a webcam , can you try to connect it to the usb port of the mediapad x1 (via otg cable) and check if it works with app 'dashcam'?
Thank you very much!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A webcam? Hmmm, I remember those things. Unfortunately I haven't had one in a few years.
Sorry, I can't check that for you either.

MobileInkSlinger said:
A webcam? Hmmm, I remember those things. Unfortunately I haven't had one in a few years.
Sorry, I can't check that for you either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok no problem,
tks
probably if you try to download, install and launch the app 'dashcam' it tells you if the app is compatible with the device... (if not, it give the message 'uvc driver missing' or something like that...)
by the way, i bought a small webcam that is a microscope/endoscope, that can be used to inspect things such electronic circuits pcb, and also for medical purposes (included are some accessories), but also to inspect things that can not be seen directly (like a small screw in a hidden place of the engine of the car)
this works with my acer a500 (and app dashcam) so i was wondering if i could use the mediapad too (that is more portable)

Dashcam loads onto the device but like you said it gives a uvc driver error. Sounds like a really cool webcam you bought.
Sent from my MediaPad X1 7.0 using Tapatalk

MobileInkSlinger said:
Dashcam loads onto the device but like you said it gives a uvc driver error. Sounds like a really cool webcam you bought.
Sent from my MediaPad X1 7.0 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!
Yes,
take a look to this aliexpress store (they can send the items from UK warehouse):
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/127104

I've just got one of these, and it's so good I am retiring my Galaxy Note 2. I use Go Launcher on it, and don't see any lag. It's a perfect size for me - fits in my jacket pocket, small enough for the occasional phone call, and a tiny bezel yet a large screen make this as big a step up from the Note 2 as that was from my ZTE Blade. As noted, battery life is just amazing. Use it all day, and I'm still on 60% battery left. I got the Chinese version. Most of the interface is in English, but the utilities are in Chinese - the help app, and the Huawei market, in particular. It comes with some bloatware, but much of that can be uninstalled. There's a lot of fine control over app permissions, and a useful cleaner utility. SIP calling i not enabled so you will need a separate SIP app if that's your thing.

Root for honor x1
I received my honor x1 :good: (not bad so far), I was able to root on a link meant for the huawei honor 3c(listed below) . Hope it helps. Just wished there were more cases for this thing. Im using it with Cricket (was AIO Wireless) in the US with no problem. Im still using the Emoticon launcher (it's ok), with some tweaking it becomes very snappy(the quad core it's not the most powerful). Screen is excellent. no problems fitting in back pocket. Camera is ok (haven't really tested it). Any question let me know.
http://www.gizchina.com/2014/02/14/root-huawei-honor-3c/

natienn said:
I received my honor x1 :good: (not bad so far), I was able to root on a link meant for the huawei honor 3c(listed below) . Hope it helps. Just wished there were more cases for this thing. Im using it with Cricket (was AIO Wireless) in the US with no problem. Im still using the Emoticon launcher (it's ok), with some tweaking it becomes very snappy(the quad core it's not the most powerful). Screen is excellent. no problems fitting in back pocket. Camera is ok (haven't really tested it). Any question let me know.
http://www.gizchina.com/2014/02/14/root-huawei-honor-3c/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
with vRoot, is /system/xxx still write protected even after reboot?

Gelasius said:
with vRoot, is /system/xxx still write protected even after reboot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hello mediapad x1 owners...
can you please check if wifi display (miracast) works on your devices?
i am not able to get information if wifi display (miracast) is supported by the mediapad X1
if not, can you please try to install the apk
'wifi display (Miracast) helper'?
this should enable the option on the device, if missing
Let me know!
Thanks!
---------- Post added at 06:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:55 PM ----------
natienn said:
I received my honor x1 :good: (not bad so far), I was able to root on a link meant for the huawei honor 3c(listed below) . Hope it helps. Just wished there were more cases for this thing. Im using it with Cricket (was AIO Wireless) in the US with no problem. Im still using the Emoticon launcher (it's ok), with some tweaking it becomes very snappy(the quad core it's not the most powerful). Screen is excellent. no problems fitting in back pocket. Camera is ok (haven't really tested it). Any question let me know.
http://www.gizchina.com/2014/02/14/root-huawei-honor-3c/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hello mediapad x1 owners...
can you please check if wifi display (miracast) works on your devices?
i am not able to get information if wifi display (miracast) is supported by the mediapad X1
if not, can you please try to install the apk
'wifi display (Miracast) helper'?
this should enable the option on the device, if missing
Let me know!
Thanks!
---------- Post added at 07:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:59 PM ----------
ralphrmartin said:
I've just got one of these, and it's so good I am retiring my Galaxy Note 2. I use Go Launcher on it, and don't see any lag. It's a perfect size for me - fits in my jacket pocket, small enough for the occasional phone call, and a tiny bezel yet a large screen make this as big a step up from the Note 2 as that was from my ZTE Blade. As noted, battery life is just amazing. Use it all day, and I'm still on 60% battery left. I got the Chinese version. Most of the interface is in English, but the utilities are in Chinese - the help app, and the Huawei market, in particular. It comes with some bloatware, but much of that can be uninstalled. There's a lot of fine control over app permissions, and a useful cleaner utility. SIP calling i not enabled so you will need a separate SIP app if that's your thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hello mediapad x1 owners...
can you please check if wifi display (miracast) works on your devices?
i am not able to get information if wifi display (miracast) is supported by the mediapad X1
if not, can you please try to install the apk
'wifi display (Miracast) helper'?
this should enable the option on the device, if missing
Let me know!
Thanks!

Mediapad X2 vs P8 Max

Hey Mediapad owners,
I'm an owner of a Silver P8 Max and i was wondering which one was better.
Obviously the P8 Max has the better processor. but besides that i believe everything else is basically the same.
I kinda feel like i should trade down for the bigger screen and the battery, also i feel like the Mediapad is maybe closer to having a possible stock androidish rom created if it does ever happen.
Just let me know how you guys feel about you X2
Thanks

N166A LOG1K said:
Hey Mediapad owners,
I'm an owner of a Silver P8 Max and i was wondering which one was better.
Obviously the P8 Max has the better processor. but besides that i believe everything else is basically the same.
I kinda feel like i should trade down for the bigger screen and the battery, also i feel like the Mediapad is maybe closer to having a possible stock androidish rom created if it does ever happen.
Just let me know how you guys feel about you X2
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi
I was considering purchasing the P8 Max but when I considered the differences between them, I decided to opt for the X2 as I wanted the largest possible screen. I am delighted with my choice and would not consider switching to the P8 Max now.

N166A LOG1K said:
Hey Mediapad owners,
I'm an owner of a Silver P8 Max and i was wondering which one was better.
Obviously the P8 Max has the better processor. but besides that i believe everything else is basically the same.
I kinda feel like i should trade down for the bigger screen and the battery, also i feel like the Mediapad is maybe closer to having a possible stock androidish rom created if it does ever happen.
Just let me know how you guys feel about you X2
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to some websites the P8 Max has Band 12 LTE support and will work on T-Mobile which is a plus. The P8 Max is less wide due to the 16:9 aspect ratio of the screen vs. the 16:10 aspect ratio on the X2. I was thinking of getting a P8 Max as well but the battery isn't as large as the X2's. The X2 having the wider screen is better for web browsing in landscape mode but most videos have black bars at the top and bottom of the screen due to the 16:10 aspect ratio. The P8 Max also has gorilla glass 3 and the X2 does not.

For my part the deciding factor was the wider screen and the battery in favor of Mediapad X2.,both of this factors were fully justified.

ajsmsg78 said:
According to some websites the P8 Max has Band 12 LTE support and will work on T-Mobile which is a plus. The P8 Max is less wide due to the 16:9 aspect ratio of the screen vs. the 16:10 aspect ratio on the X2. I was thinking of getting a P8 Max as well but the battery isn't as large as the X2's. The X2 having the wider screen is better for web browsing in landscape mode but most videos have black bars at the top and bottom of the screen due to the 16:10 aspect ratio. The P8 Max also has gorilla glass 3 and the X2 does not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lets me say a few simple words: Battery life!
Gorilla glass is all good and well but anybody with a brain does not keep there phone in a easy to damage location.
Even basic glass is plenty strong. A large part of Gorilla glass is advertisement, making people feel good.
And yes, 16:10 means you may have a black bar with movies. Solution: Have your player play with 16:9 mode and you lose a few percentage on the sides. You will not notice if you do not deliberately pay attention to it.
On the other hand, you have more screen area for websites, comics and just about anything else.
Put the phone in 280DPI mode and suddenly you have a full blown tab browser and everything in desktop rendering ( and still perfectly readable )
Even coming from a Sony Z Ultra with 6.4" 1080p 320DPI, its a massive difference that this 7" 1200p 280DPI makes.
O ... and all that will allowing you to spend DAYS without looking at a power charger.
And frankly, i am sure the battery life can be even more improved if the 4G an be switched to 2G when your screen is off ( lets face it, 4G is useless when your phone is waiting for mail messages/text messages etc ).

I think I'm going to buy a media pad x2 from honormi.com and sell my p8 max

Benjiro said:
Lets me say a few simple words: Battery life!
Gorilla glass is all good and well but anybody with a brain does not keep there phone in a easy to damage location.
Even basic glass is plenty strong. A large part of Gorilla glass is advertisement, making people feel good.
And yes, 16:10 means you may have a black bar with movies. Solution: Have your player play with 16:9 mode and you lose a few percentage on the sides. You will not notice if you do not deliberately pay attention to it.
On the other hand, you have more screen area for websites, comics and just about anything else.
Put the phone in 280DPI mode and suddenly you have a full blown tab browser and everything in desktop rendering ( and still perfectly readable )
Even coming from a Sony Z Ultra with 6.4" 1080p 320DPI, its a massive difference that this 7" 1200p 280DPI makes.
O ... and all that will allowing you to spend DAYS without looking at a power charger.
And frankly, i am sure the battery life can be even more improved if the 4G an be switched to 2G when your screen is off ( lets face it, 4G is useless when your phone is waiting for mail messages/text messages etc ).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are correct Sir.

Benjiro said:
Lets me say a few simple words: Battery life!
Gorilla glass is all good and well but anybody with a brain does not keep there phone in a easy to damage location.
Even basic glass is plenty strong. A large part of Gorilla glass is advertisement, making people feel good.
And yes, 16:10 means you may have a black bar with movies. Solution: Have your player play with 16:9 mode and you lose a few percentage on the sides. You will not notice if you do not deliberately pay attention to it.
On the other hand, you have more screen area for websites, comics and just about anything else.
Put the phone in 280DPI mode and suddenly you have a full blown tab browser and everything in desktop rendering ( and still perfectly readable )
Even coming from a Sony Z Ultra with 6.4" 1080p 320DPI, its a massive difference that this 7" 1200p 280DPI makes.
O ... and all that will allowing you to spend DAYS without looking at a power charger.
And frankly, i am sure the battery life can be even more improved if the 4G an be switched to 2G when your screen is off ( lets face it, 4G is useless when your phone is waiting for mail messages/text messages etc ).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it possible to put the phone into 280 dpi without being rooted?.

hagba said:
Is it possible to put the phone into 280 dpi without being rooted?.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea... See this guide that i wrote last week: http://forum.xda-developers.com/mediapad-x2/general/mini-guide-adb-installation-usage-t3183906
Works like a charm. The same i can not say about the EUI that shows some bugs if you do not run the standard 400 resolution.

400 dpi seems to be working best, the others including 280 dpi, are not working well, eg: a folder icon is looking huge comparing to the other icons.

hagba said:
400 dpi seems to be working best, the others including 280 dpi, are not working well, eg: a folder icon is looking huge comparing to the other icons.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is because the default launcher from Huawei is set to 400 dpi. Use a alternative launcher and some of those problems go away. Unfortunately a lot is hard coded in Huawei there EUI software / settings.
The difference is best noticed in real applications that are not set to a fixed dpi.

The most important difference between them is the price

ajsmsg78 said:
According to some websites the P8 Max has Band 12 LTE support and will work on T-Mobile which is a plus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As usual with Huawei, you have different models under the same name, designed to various geogrpahic area:
Huawei P8max series:
P8max DAV-701L (4G LTE: 2100/1800MHz, source huawei th)
P8max DAV-702L (4G LTE: B1 / B3 / B7, source huawei jp)
P8max DAV-703L
P8max DAV-713L
but I have a lot of trouble to find some huawei sources for the LTE bands of each models, as third party web sites are usually wrong about that (when they precise the model number, wich is quite rare!!)

Hi! I am interested in buying a P8MAX. You've given me something to think about... I have never bought a phone not straight from Verizon so I am completely clueless about where to purchase an X2 for use in the USA. I am not a developer by any stretch of the imagination. I will use it as is out of the box. I realize that I will have to switch cell providers but don't know which one would best support either the P8max or the X2. Anyone have good experience with one they can recommend? I did message with someone in Virginia (same state that I am in) with a P8MAX who said that he uses Cricket with good results except that he gets 4G and not 4G LTE... any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated!
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

VillaRegina said:
Hi! I am interested in buying a P8MAX. You've given me something to think about... I have never bought a phone not straight from Verizon so I am completely clueless about where to purchase an X2 for use in the USA. I am not a developer by any stretch of the imagination. I will use it as is out of the box. I realize that I will have to switch cell providers but don't know which one would best support either the P8max or the X2. Anyone have good experience with one they can recommend? I did message with someone in Virginia (same state that I am in) with a P8MAX who said that he uses Cricket with good results except that he gets 4G and not 4G LTE... any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated!
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will only get 3G on T-mobile and AT&T with the X2. I think the same with the P8 Max (unless it has band 12 which you will get LTE on T-Mobile anywhere they upgraded to band 12. The X2 is cheaper so it's a better deal.

Noone is mentioning that the P8max comes in max 64GB ROM but X2 is only 32GB ROM. I just had an issue with not having enough ROM memory on my 16GB Note2 and had to delete some apps! I don't root or modify my phone in any way - don't know how! So how important is that extra 32GB in the P8max?
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

VillaRegina said:
Noone is mentioning that the P8max comes in max 64GB ROM but X2 is only 32GB ROM. I just had an issue with not having enough ROM memory on my 16GB Note2 and had to delete some apps! I don't root or modify my phone in any way - don't know how! So how important is that extra 32GB in the P8max?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally non-important because you can simply buy a 64GB SD card for 25 euro, giving you 96GB of data space on the X2. Or you can buy a 128GB card... Had 16GB+64GB SD on my ZU, still had 6GB left on my ZU's internal flash with two years of programs installed. The 32GB flash on the X2 made me lazy because i did not even remove the navigation maps to the SD card. *lol*
By the way: ROM stands for Read Only Memory.

Hi! Thanks for explaining ROM to me. Shows how little I know! But I have a 64GB sdcard in my Note2 (largest allowed, I believe) but my 16 GB internal phone memory (?) Got used up by (really, not too many) apps! All my files, pictures, etc. Are on the 64GB card! I really was shocked when I got the message!
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

I have had issues with not enough memory on 16GB devices but never on 32GB devices. I use the internal ROM for Apps and an SD card for data such as photos. 64GB is overkill if you have an SD card as well.

One saving grace for the P8max is that it has OIS for the camera. This would show up in the quality of photos taken on it vs others with no OIS.

Let's speculate about Daydream VR

I am questioning myself if I should buy the normal or XL Version of the phone. I normally prefer the 5 inch version of the phones but this time it's a bit different:
Do you think Daydream will be better on a bigger display? The logic consequence should be: bigger display=bigger field of view --> better experience
Also the resolution and pixel density is a topic. I honestly thought that the new nexus (now pixel) devices would come with 2k displays because of VR..
Could somebody with VR experience say something about this?
Thanks!

I will probably get the regular version unless the XL has a larger battery. The XL will definitely do better for Daydream

unrealmac said:
I am questioning myself if I should buy the normal or XL Version of the phone. I normally prefer the 5 inch version of the phones but this time it's a bit different:
Do you think Daydream will be better on a bigger display? The logic consequence should be: bigger display=bigger field of view --> better experience
Also the resolution and pixel density is a topic. I honestly thought that the new nexus (now pixel) devices would come with 2k displays because of VR..
Could somebody with VR experience say something about this?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The smaller will be with much more ppi than the large screen. So, for cardboard vr the one with high ppi will be good i.e The 5 inch phone. But in Pixel's case it's vice versa. Pixel XL has 540+ ppi, Pixel has 420+ ppi. So if you're a VR lover go for Pixel XL. But Pixel is good but not as XL.
Thanks ?

do you think there is a chance that the VR viewer will come with it's own display?

unrealmac said:
do you think there is a chance that the VR viewer will come with it's own display?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think this, or that a version of this will come to be. Daydream is supposed to be multiple-device functional, so an OEM could definitely make this happen if google doesn't. I expect it would triple the price, though.
Another thing to keep in mind is the PS VR is only 1080p, but its display is praised, due to the full subpixel grouping. Admittedly, I do think it was 2x1080p screens though.

To be honest I dont think they will put too much into the VR. With the medical reports and warnings of 15 min of use a day and doctors telling people to avoid its use all together, it still has a long way to go before it really gets any attention.

@unrealmac,
I don't know about Daydream. So my opinion is based in my cardboard experience. In my Nexus 5X ([email protected]" 423PPI) the PPI is not enough. I can see a lot of pixels. And I think that the Pixel XL is still not enough ([email protected]" 534PPI). So if you want a better VR quality, go for the biggest PPI screen available.
This is the only reason you should have an excessive resolution in your smartphone (things over 350 ppi or 400 ppi). Because (at least the Cardboard) they use a magnifying glass~ at a very short distance to the phone.
VR will be much better at 4K, or probably 8K resolutions with more than 100 fps.

Daydream unlock for unsopported phones?
Another question (i know, a bit off-topc, but also speculation) :
Do you think, that it would be possible to unlock the daydream feature on phones that are not offically supportet?
With root, a custom rom, or something else, to trick google.:silly: Is there hope, or nothing to expect, what do you think?
Sorry, if there are grammar mistakes, in my post, i´m german.

Is Mate9 DayDream ready?

From this link => vrheadsets3d.com/vr-news/list-google-daydream-ready-phones-far/
They tell only Mate9 pro is DayDream Ready.

judrummer said:
From this link => vrheadsets3d.com/vr-news/list-google-daydream-ready-phones-far/
They tell only Mate9 pro is DayDream Ready.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The next software update makes the Mate 9 Pro version compatible with DayDream, scource http://uploadvr.com/google-confirms-huawei-mate-9-pro-will-daydream-ready/. The regular Mate 9 will not be daydream compatible because of the screen resolution. Use Google bro, saves you typing and posting a thread

day dream specs
gee2012 said:
The next software update makes the Mate 9 Pro version compatible with DayDream, scource . The regular Mate 9 will not be daydream compatible because of the screen resolution. Use Google bro, saves you typing and posting a thread
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not really. lately Zenfone 3 Deluxe got confirm as daydream ready, and they have just full hd resolution... screen resolution condition was obviously relaxed...
and because cpu & graphic is same in mate 9 & mate 9pro, it would be just marketing decision from huawei......
but whatever... daydream is coming with 7.1, and mate 9 have jsut 7 atm.. so let see later...

Normal Pixel has the same pixel count as the Mate 9.
Skickat från min Nexus 6P via Tapatalk

I'll reiterate what I've said in previous threads.
Resolution might not be the limiting factor for the Mate 9 but latency probably is. I don't believe there is a single Daydream ready phone out there with an LCD display and that's probably because they can't get the latency low enough. AMOLED displays are inherently superior for VR due to its characteristics.

Trixanity said:
I'll reiterate what I've said in previous threads.
Resolution might not be the limiting factor for the Mate 9 but latency probably is. I don't believe there is a single Daydream ready phone out there with an LCD display and that's probably because they can't get the latency low enough. AMOLED displays are inherently superior for VR due to its characteristics.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have some study comparing how big difference is in latency? I mean numbers. So it is visible, how much significant it is to latency threshold, Google set for VT... ?
//I could not find anything, but claims without numbers... I am not disagreeing, your point is interesting, but I want to see details

tomraky said:
Do you have some study comparing how big difference is in latency? I mean numbers. So it is visible, how much significant it is to latency threshold, Google set for VT... ?
//I could not find anything, but claims without numbers... I am not disagreeing, your point is interesting, but I want to see details
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The difference is quite big. The Pixel is measured at 4 ms in both grey to grey and black to white. It also has a VR mode reducing latency further.
The Mate 9 is measured at 30 ms black to white and 57 grey to grey.
Daydream requires 3 ms latency. I don't think Huawei can tune it that much. Maybe they can get it down to 15 ms with some heavy Overdrive but I'm not sure. It still won't be enough. It seems like the LCD displays used in smartphones aren't made with latency in mind. I know you can get desktop monitors in the 4-8 ms range that are also IPS (IPS is the panel type used for all smartphone LCD displays).
Most reviewers don't measure display latencies but some do. That's why it can be difficult to find info on the displays. Most don't even measure color accuracy or anything. They just say something like "the display looks great. A bit cold. Over-saturated" etc etc, so no actual data on it.
Edit: I will note that it's not like Huawei cheaped out or anything. It's the same for other LCD displays. The LG G5 has 24 ms B2W and 41 ms G2G. The HTC 10 has 34 ms B2W and 51 ms G2G. The iPhone 7 has 32 ms B2W and 39 ms G2G.
Just to give some perspective.
AMOLED displays generally have lower latencies. Although looking at the phones like the Moto Z or the S7 Edge - it's not like those have any impressive latency like the Pixel (although still better than any LCD) but I think the latencies are improved through a VR mode like the Pixel because both the Moto Z (which is Daydream ready) and the S7 Edge (Gear VR) work with VR.

Trixanity said:
The difference is quite big. The Pixel is measured at 4 ms in both grey to grey and black to white. It also has a VR mode reducing latency further.
The Mate 9 is measured at 30 ms black to white and 57 grey to grey.
Daydream requires 3 ms latency. I don't think Huawei can tune it that much. Maybe they can get it down to 15 ms with some heavy Overdrive but I'm not sure. It still won't be enough. It seems like the LCD displays used in smartphones aren't made with latency in mind. I know you can get desktop monitors in the 4-8 ms range that are also IPS (IPS is the panel type used for all smartphone LCD displays).
Most reviewers don't measure display latencies but some do. That's why it can be difficult to find info on the displays. Most don't even measure color accuracy or anything. They just say something like "the display looks great. A bit cold. Over-saturated" etc etc, so no actual data on it.
Edit: I will note that it's not like Huawei cheaped out or anything. It's the same for other LCD displays. The LG G5 has 24 ms B2W and 41 ms G2G. The HTC 10 has 34 ms B2W and 51 ms G2G. The iPhone 7 has 32 ms B2W and 39 ms G2G.
Just to give some perspective.
AMOLED displays generally have lower latencies. Although looking at the phones like the Moto Z or the S7 Edge - it's not like those have any impressive latency like the Pixel (although still better than any LCD) but I think the latencies are improved through a VR mode like the Pixel because both the Moto Z (which is Daydream ready) and the S7 Edge (Gear VR) work with VR.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you for this explanation ( it deserve more then just click on thank this time )

tomraky said:
thank you for this explanation ( it deserve more then just click on thank this time )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe Huawei has a trick up their sleeve that I don't know about, so don't lose hope just yet but maybe try to ask Huawei about whether the regular Mate 9 models will get Daydream? The Pro/Porsche models will definitely get it because they have pretty much already confirmed it and they both use AMOLED displays. So there is nothing preventing those models that I can see, so it's just the regular model that is still up in the air.
I hope Huawei has a solution but I just don't see it. The industry is moving toward AMOLED for most high end models including Apple. I guess Huawei couldn't get a good 6" AMOLED display so they had to put an LCD display in it. I mean people complain about the "small" display on the Pro model, so it seems to be a supply problem. 5.5" is so common that Huawei had a lot of displays to choose from. Custom made displays cost a fortune, so 6" isn't viable.

I have a Mate 9, and can verify it does not work with Daydream. I get a message about an incompatible phone. I had to update a bunch of stuff and tweak some settings, from what came over from my Pixel, but still the message. Perhaps with this update folks speak of, BUT I am fearful it IS as someone explained a latency issue. We'll see hopefully soon after the US launch next month.

Update
Just in case nobody mentioned it yet, the Huawei Mate 9 and Mate 9 Pro are daydream ready, well at least somewhat. Google claims it is daydream ready, but it's up to the OEM to push out the necessary update to make "officially" ready for consumers.

xperia_nxt said:
Just in case nobody mentioned it yet, the Huawei Mate 9 and Mate 9 Pro are daydream ready, well at least somewhat. Google claims it is daydream ready, but it's up to the OEM to push out the necessary update to make "officially" ready for consumers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just the Mate 9 Pro and Porsche Design are Daydream capable. They will be update to support it.

Lodix said:
Just the Mate 9 Pro and Porsche Design are Daydream capable. They will be update to support it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did read on multiple sites claiming the regular mate 9 meets the requirements

xperia_nxt said:
I did read on multiple sites claiming the regular mate 9 meets the requirements
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've read the opposite. I believe only the Pro will get it.
Sent from my MHA-L29 using XDA Labs

xperia_nxt said:
I did read on multiple sites claiming the regular mate 9 meets the requirements
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Multiple sites are ignorant people who only copy/paste without reading the news. This is the official web from google: https://vr.google.com/daydream/phones/

what's taking them so long to add just a couple of commands to an xml file on mate 9 pro so it can be activated to be ready for daydream? they already announced it and it's still not compatible. it can be activated by rooting but do we have to resort on doing that just to utilize the feature that's already been announced?

Daydream

Hi, with that wonderful 4K HDR screen I would certainly not miss out on the VR. It seems that now LCD can show very low latency, so it could be as compatible as OLED.
Anyway if it might not meet the Google's exact requirements, would it have a way to still enable Daydream by a root or something?
Thanks for your help!

Aerocap said:
Hi, with that wonderful 4K HDR screen I would certainly not miss out on the VR. It seems that now LCD can show very low latency, so it could be compatible as OLED.
Anyway if it might not meet the Google's exact requirements, would it have a way to still enable Daydream by a root or something?
Thanks for your help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually want to know this as well. I think I read that even if the phone could get setup for daydream, overheating could be an issue. In any case, a professional input would be nice.

I also want to know.

Aerocap said:
Hi, with that wonderful 4K HDR screen I would certainly not miss out on the VR. It seems that now LCD can show very low latency, so it could be as compatible as OLED.
Anyway if it might not meet the Google's exact requirements, would it have a way to still enable Daydream by a root or something?
Thanks for your help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The LCD screen of the XZ Premium unfortunately doesn't have the minimum requirements of the response time, so DayDream doesn't work, but there's another way to get VR support on the XZP, it is called Trinus VR, works with CardBoard and other lenses, Trinus let you play all the Steam VR and NON-VR games that you have on your PC on your phone (in this case the XZ Premium), this is the only way to get contents in VR for the XZ Premium.
---------- Post added at 02:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:53 PM ----------
Aerocap said:
Hi, with that wonderful 4K HDR screen I would certainly not miss out on the VR. It seems that now LCD can show very low latency, so it could be as compatible as OLED.
Anyway if it might not meet the Google's exact requirements, would it have a way to still enable Daydream by a root or something?
Thanks for your help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know anything about elude the DayDream to get VR contents anyway, I hope that I helped.

Aerocap said:
Hi, with that wonderful 4K HDR screen I would certainly not miss out on the VR. It seems that now LCD can show very low latency, so it could be as compatible as OLED.
Anyway if it might not meet the Google's exact requirements, would it have a way to still enable Daydream by a root or something?
Thanks for your help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's already enabled. At least according to this review.

jplempka said:
It's already enabled. At least according to this review.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have installed the Daydream APK on the XZ Premium + the Controller Emulator on my old Xperia Z5, it shows the Bluetooth Emulated Controller as connected, but it doesn't get detected by the Daydream Application. If anyone makes progress on that, feel free to respond.

To anybody who's done this, How was the experience?? Do you suggest buying this phone for VR use?
Thanks.
Good Luck

The Xperia XZ Premium Does Not Support Daydream. But guess what! You don't need Daydream anyway. It's just a managing Application to access VR content. It's in no way a protocol necessary to process VR whatsoever. You don't even need google Cardboard. (don't even bother install it).
The XZP is the Best phone to experience VR, period. That 4K Display works, and It makes a real difference. Way better than the GearVR on the Note 7.
About the LCD display, the latency is a myth. There's no such thing as "LCD display is not responsive enough", etc... Maybe on the Z5 Premium there was some issue because the phone itself was not responsive enough. But the Snapdragon 835 too care of that for the XZP.
This said, yes, of course Amoled is more responsive. But that doesn't mean that "LCD is not responsive enough". At the processing level of the snapdragon 835, you won't notice any differences. But what you will definitely notice is that LCD has way more brightness and image quality to offer. LCD is not taboo for VR. The reason why Daydream is not available on the XZP is because of Sony's poor marketing strategy, lack of collaboration skills with other firms.
To give you an example to support this claim, here's a link to the Pimax 8K upcoming VR Headset, which itself uses LCD Display for VR:
https://www.roadtovr.com/hands-pimaxs-8k-headset-proves-high-fov-vr-coming/
---------------------- BUT
Before rushing to a store to get that XZP, you must first decide why do you want VR for:
- If you want to watch 360/180 videos and 3D movies on a big screen and maybe try some VR games available on the Playstore, then don't stop. Keep running fast!
- But if you focus way more on games and don't care much about videos, then there's the issue that you won't find any VR games that supports 4K. And if you use the ADB modification on your phone to make it display 4K all the time, then you may run into some "heating" problems. And even then, games may crash and not work properly. So don't go buy the XZP for 4K VR gaming. That won't happen. (Right now your only option for that is the Pimax 4K which requires a high end pc. Even the occulus, PSVR or HTC Vive can't offer 4k gaming). But if you're ok with 2k gaming available on the Playstore, then the XZP will play those without problems.
And finally, if for you a wider library of VR Games is too important, then you'd be better with a Samsung phone because of their Occulus app. Occulus has a very strong game library for the GearVR. And even more will come since the GearVR is by far the most successful VR headset.
-------- Conclusion:
1. Forget about Daydream. You don't need it.
2. The XZP's 4K Display offers the best VR experience available.
3. The XZP IS the phone to get to watch VR movies and videos.
4. The XZP will play any VR games available on the Google playstore at 2K resolution.
5. If you want a VR experience focused just on games and want a wider VR games library, you'll be better off with a high end Samsung phone.

nomailx said:
The Xperia XZ Premium Does Not Support Daydream. But guess what! You don't need Daydream anyway. It's just a managing Application to access VR content. It's in no way a protocol necessary to process VR whatsoever. You don't even need google Cardboard. (don't even bother install it).
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I still want to be able to use it though. There are some apps that are limited to it. I tried side loading Netflix VR but I can't control it without Daydream. What really irks me is that it works in the background but I can't use it because of the annoying pop up.
To be honest, I don't care if the experience is not "ideal", I'd at least like the option to judge for myself.
I guess I'll just have to wait for root and Magisk. Even then, we'll be stuck playing mouse and cat with Google if we want to keep Android Pay.

Xifar said:
I still want to be able to use it though. There are some apps that are limited to it. I tried side loading Netflix VR but I can't control it without Daydream. What really irks me is that it works in the background but I can't use it because of the annoying pop up.
To be honest, I don't care if the experience is not "ideal", I'd at least like the option to judge for myself.
I guess I'll just have to wait for root and Magisk. Even then, we'll be stuck playing mouse and cat with Google if we want to keep Android Pay.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I can tell you one thing, the worst case scenario is that the experience is exactly the same as in any other phones. The XZ premium plays any game available for cardboard "AT LEAST" as good as the Gear VR. And this is from someone who had to give his Note 7 back!
This said, there's an app called "Groovr", (a music visualization app) which is awesome, but it's only available for Occulus or Daydream. There are no cardboard options for it. Meaning that yes, some titles will not be available to you without Occulus or Daydream. Only a root can fix that.
What I find shameful is that those libraries are locked under false pretends. Google claiming that a display has to be Amoled for VR while an LCD 4K Display brings by far the best VR experience, is outrageous.
Steam tried to do a similar thing when they backed up HTC Vive and the Occulus Rift wasn't truly supported. They had to fix that later fearing a lawsuit from Facebook. That's the problem with companies and their formats / platform wars. In the end it's always the Customers who is confused.