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THIS ANDROID PHONE: Why won't ANY manufacturer make it???

A decade ago to yesterday, there's been so many developments in mobile technology....we used to see a release of 1 or 2 types of phones to suit certain markets/demographics. Now; rather than seeing this, it's generally unheard of, or extremely uncommon for a big manufacturer to release fewer than 6-10 different types of phones in a calendar year. So my question is this; with the market so heavily flooded with competition of making and selling the best smartphone and so much more variety and pricepoints to choose from, WHY in the BLUE hell can 1 manufacturer NOT make this?? ---
These are of course, my personal preferences and some features or functions I'm sure m,any of you can live without. But that's my point; these features/functions are NOT big changes or improvements, so living without is really not acceptable when all of these can be made and found on ONE device:
Screen/body size and type - Just give me something that looks vibrant, accurate AND is comfortable to operate in ONE hand
Not only that, just let it fit easily in and out of my pocket!
The trend has been pretty obvious - smart phones and screens are getting bigger! As a result over the last 5-6 years, screen sizes have become ridiculously large and now phablets are a 'thing'.
5" is probably the ideal screen size. The dimensions of my Huawei P10+ seem rather acceptable for me, at: 153.5 x 74.2 x 7 mm (6.04 x 2.92 x 0.28 in)
We should be championing better technology of 2K AMOLED or OLED screens and not falling back to cost cutting with crappy 720/1080p FHD TFT LCD types
LED Notification Light - I care about notifications without having to pick up[ my phone to check it!
Just give me something where I have control over the colour/intensity and frequency and stop locking these features away.
The LED notification light has shrunk from a large vibrant size to the pin-head size we can barely make out on phones that currently adopt it.
I'm in Australia and care about fast download speeds; so until 5G is here, give me band 28 - 700Mhz
My carrier and most phones support the 4G network, or Telstra's '4GX'. So I need a phone with the capability and to not offer it (or lock certain bands down) is preposterous.
DUAL SIM popularity is increasing and I want this capability for personal AND work purposes!
Dual-active! Not dual standy-by; because 2G is switched off in my country. Give me 3G/4G dual or 4G/4G with the abilty to switch off data (for 1 SIM) if I don't need or want it.
I have friends carrying 2 phones and one carrying 3 phones around, which IMO is utterly pointless. One truly 'smart' phone will do, thanks.
Technological advancements allow it, so why not make it? TWO sim slots with the microSD card that --DOES NOT-- take up a SIM slot: #separateslot
Is it really asking so much to have a dual SIM phone with microSD card slot as an extra slot for memory?
Seriously! You know what...If it is, then just give me inbuilt memory of 32GB bare minimum inside the phone itself. If one manufacturer can do it, all can.
Camera - High quality point and shoot in low light will no that can take a pretty decent video
12mp minimum rear-shooter with f1.8. Ideally I want to take 4K videos at 30fps as well with good stabilisation
I'm not a selfie-maniac, so anything from a 5mp and UP as a front shooter camera at f2 is fine for me
Every year I see these changes in camera types, megapixel and feature rich enhancements...yet my P10+ fails to take good quality sharp images in medium to low light. Some cameras like my P10+ over-saturate in post production...one of many adjustments manufacturers make within their apps. Just give me a pretty basic 12-13mp camera that is top of its class for taking brilliant sharp pictures in any light but also able to shoot good video at 30 or 60fps 1080p and 4k videos at least 30fps; nothing too fancy, just minimum expected these days.
Accessibility is everything - so give me what all-half decent phones have today...
Bluebooth (4.0 minimum)
NFC
WIFI 802.11ac, DLNA, WiFi Direct, Hotspot
All the sensors for smartphones; accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
Wireless charging
Why are Samsung seemingly the ones ones who want to offer this?
I can go without, but don't see why so many manufacturers who do offer this, cut so many other corners on other features mentioned here
A newish OS without excessive bloatware
I'd be happy with Android 7 Nougat or 8 (Oreo). Take off the bloat and give me the basic apps required on the phone without locking them down
CPU/RAM - Just give me a chip which handles dual-active SIM's with battery efficiency
I'm happy with a 4GB amount of RAM. It doesn't need to be 6GB or above top of the line.
Look at Asus Zenfone 2 from 2015. It handled dual-active SIM slots using Intel Atom Z3580 Quad-core 2.3 GHz with GPU PowerVR G6430. I'd suggest 3 years on from this release, anything above this will do...as this is really, a bare minimum.
Can't forget about connectivity - the basic ports will do
- USB Type C (USB 3.0 idea) with fast charge capabilities
- 3.5mm headphone jack; even though I'm moving to a bluetooth ear or headphones, the port should still exist for users who want and need it
- REAR MOUNTED Fingerprint sensor
While I'm not fussed, I liked the idea of LG v20's fingerprint sensor which doubled as a power button. 2 in 1. Also hard to accidentally knock if it's in a case. I can't stand front facing sensors, it's much more easy and convenient to whip the phone out of your pocket and lock without having to get your thumb fiddling with front sensors.
Battery technologies and improvements have been made, so STOP giving us 3000mAh to 3200!
If Huawei and other manufacturers can do it, why can't all phones by 3600 to 4000mAh at minimum now?
Infrared (IR) blaster. WHY is this a dying art?!
If your phone can be used as a backup remote for your TV, set top box, air con years ago, then why is this economical option disappearing from phones? Include one!
If we truly want to make an all in one device and have it be really smart, give it an IR blaster, or even a sensor for learning other IR remotes.
I do not need me phone to
- Be an all metal design; if plastic helps boost the mobile/data signal then I'll just use a case on it!
- Be WATERPROOF; unlike all those idiots with videos on youtube, scratching, dropping, burning and swimming with their phones. DONT need it! Splashproof maybe.
- Be squeezed for a certain action to take place
- have a 99.5% "screen to body" ratio. This is silly, just give me a good screen!
- Have one over-the-top insanely expensive feature, like a 22mp camera; or 8GB of RAM
- Destroy all geeky benchmarks. Nope. Just perform standard or above average. One that performs will with multi-tasking apps, the occasional games and FHD video playbacks
So what do you think? Agree/disagree? If apps or key features like controlling certain pro camera features or changing the LED notification light colour is locked down, the manufacturer needs to open this up up their consumers who will want to use the phone in their own way. Googling phone by feature and popping these features in yields no results, and only 3 or 4 phones come fairly close. LG v20 and P10+ which has a faint LED light and lacks system root; only OS root.
/end rant
RoOSTA

No one likes the idea of a smartphone with those features?
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app

There's been hundreds of these posts/threads over the years. Everyone has their own idea of a perfect phone, most of which will differ completely to yours (There's several things i would have that you haven't mentioned and 4 things you don't want, i do).
Not sure what kind of answer you are expecting to a rant about phone specs on a hacking forum - This would be better directed at the actual manufacturers.

Perhaps that's the idea of a forum..? Shares thoughts, interests and ideas...and this is general smart phone discussion isn't it? Have you found sending a single request as a sole consumer to manufacturers has helped (and led to actual product development in the past) ? Don't think so.
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app

My post still stands. Yes the iea of a forum is to share ideas - Yours is a rant.
And yes, i have made a change with a manufacturer (In vaping) by myself (In the correct place).

So share it?
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app

Overall love

Yes, yes, it's possible to love a phone. Heck, you sleep next to it, don't you? Rate this thread to indicate your love for the Samsung Galaxy A70, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the Samsung Galaxy A70 is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!

Half baked A70, coming from S7 edge
Half baked Samsung A70, coming from Samsung S7 edge.
Pluses
- enormous screen 6.7", while keeping the size of iPhone 6s Plus (car mount still works )
- some apps do use full screen - youtube being primary
- big battery and 2.5 days battery life (with disabled Samsung Max!)
- fast charger
- price, value ($350 USD from amazon for A705MN): mine came with case, preinstalled screen protector, and microSD 128GB
- CPU/GPU performance is very good even in battery saving mode
- more LTE bands support for me (North America, I have A705MN model)
- integrated Samsung Max data compression VPN, to save mobile data
- dual sim
- sdcard slot
- headphone jack
- Dolby Atmos and Adjust Sound equlizer and customization work well for headphones
- speaker sound and volume is very good, not sure where mainstream reviewers were coming from
- camera is pretty good with updated software, you can also use gCam. I like LiveView and Portrait modes for their fake bokeh effect
- face recognition works, unless you r wearing glasses or your skin is not white
- bootloader is unlockable, xda recovery released, root is available, custom ROMs here we come!
Minuses
- not all apps use full screen estate, leaving unused notch and navbar area
- some apps like Waze have navbar in white background (AMOLED burnout issue), despite theme being black
- I tried autohiding navbar (with swipe gestures for home, back, recent), but that was way too awkward, I reset it back to normal navbar
- dark or black OS-wide mode is desperately needed, I tried some themes, they do not customize all the screens in OS, let alone the apps, apps follow their own theming
- there is no notification led, but u can turn on "notification reminders", which will turn on the screen periodically
- "Samsung Max VPN" and "Cell Standby" are biggest battery drainers. Luckily Samsung Max can be disabled. That tremendously improves battery life.
- camera has no stabilization of any kind, so good luck getting unshaking videos, or trying to zoom in for photos, I tried both updated camera and gCam
- phone piece (on top of phone) is kinda weak sounding (not the bottom speaker)
- headphone jack sound quality is average even after applying Dolby Atmos and Adjust sound gimmicks. S7edge (with Exynos CPU and CS DAC) rules the king of HiFi headphone sound.
- fingerprint reader works at first, but then the reader area gets too smudged and it stops recognizing even after 5 long attempts. do not use.
Bottom line:
none of the minuses are killers.
full screen issue with the apps will be fixed by app developers, I'm hoping.
Black mode for OS either going to be released by Samsung, some good theme developer, or I will use CyanogenMod.
Shaking camera is a let down, but if u don't zoom - u will be perfectly fine. Pictures r good otherwise.
Notification led - there r ways around it. Vibration/screen/flash - pick your poison.
Alternatives - take a big long hard look at S9 Plus. It retails for $333 right now. Has smaller screen 6.2, smaller battery, better everything else. Or, wait til Note 9 falls in price, as of right now (refurbished!) Note9 is double the price of A70. Note9 does have 6.4" screen and big battery. Plus that S-Pen which nobody uses, but it is cool nevertheless. If u want save some money - consider A50 - while offering the cost savings, it also offers everything less. The phones and manufacturers who offer no sdcard and no headphone jack should reconsider (Apple, Xiaomi, Huawei, OnePlus, Oppo), if they want to have my attention.

I would not say I love my A70 pocket computer - I prefer to sleep with my wife
I find it very usefull for many reasons and I'll certainly keep it a long time but
- the finger unlock is poor,
- the camera is really... just a kind of bloc note but really not a camera, shame on Samsung for this,
- I hate the apps that are installed and I cannot remove.

@bravomail "- face recognition works, unless you r wearing glasses or your skin is not white"
You have the option to register your face with glasses and then without. Both options are registered.

Posted update to battery life: disable Samsung Max VPN and get 2.5 days of life vs 1.5

4 week of usage and currently on sg6 firmware with may security patch and every Samsung app updated to its latest version along with disabling/Uninstalling Samsung bloatware as much as i could, I still can't get over the fact that fingerprint scanner is not reliable and the camera is a let down.
Coming from Samsung note 4 snapdragon version, I feel like A70 is a step back rather than a step forward.
Yes the screen is amazing, the battery life is solid and sound quality is okayish ( for music using poweramp makes a huge difference) the cpu/gpu performance is better than my note 4 and the one UI and night mode is something I dearly missed.
But the optical fingerprint scanner works at times and that too slowly and then other times completely becomes a baboon.
The camera megapixels are sort off deception. They don't let you choose megapixels for your pictures. Rather it's all hidden under 1:1 3:4h and 9:16 with 3:4h using the full megapixels count.
The absence of ois is noticeable, the sharpness and focus is soft at times. Low light performance is meh. The camera2api is supported uptil level 3 not allowing for full manual control of every aspect.
Zoom in a little and see how the quality detoriates significantly with absence of OIS really messing with picture capturing.
The two biggest issues namely the fingerprint scanner and camera can be improved via software updates, only if Samsung stops messing with it. Just because this isn't note 10 doesn't mean it need to have its quality artificially messed up

I would love it, very bad software updates, only few setting in camera. Anyway for daily driver OK. It is on the border of regreting that i bought it, and satisfaction. For the money I should have chosen different brand.

samsung phones have the worst quality/price ratio. ?
worst camera, touch screen freezing all the time, fingerprint scanner not reading frequently. phone is awkward, fingerprint scanner needs both hands to be used.

Phone dead after 6 months of normal usage. Samsung denies guarantee and claims it "cannot order spare parts", because it was bought in wrong country (replacement for an S7 of which the battery died during travel). Phone repair shop says mainboard is defect.
Symptoms: bootloop first, then

great phone i kept a70 and got rid of my s10 duel sim brand new

Max Screen Brightness ?

As I posted in another thread earlier today, even though this Pixel 4XL is a huge disappointment in many ways to me, I still will consider buying it to replace my Nexus 6 - which is still doing decent job for me.
Google has never given us bright display, and this XDA article analyzing Pixel 4 displays explains it pretty well -
My question is - anybody with Pixel 4XL -> have you been able to get high-brightness mode for regular [while outdoors] display? Anyone can try?
To me, the state of pretty much every Google-branded phone and display is a step-behind the leaders. Here, we've got Pixel 4XL with a last-generation display that is dimmer and takes more power than Samsung's latest. And then, Google disables the high-brightness (high-battery-drain) mode - so you can't see the display in bright sunlight. So competitors using the same last-generation display have brighter phones (and better battery life). For me, if I can't see the damn display, it doesn't matter what the battery life is - the phone is unusable for lots of things if you can't see the display.
Recommend reading Dylan Raga's entire article, but here my highlight, and just so sad that Google is so bad in this area:
The Pixel devices have historically been unimpressive when it comes to display brightness. This year is no different. While every other major smartphone maker has made their OLEDs significantly brighter, Google has shown little-to-no progress. Google did manage to increase its newest phones’ brightness this year, from about 400 nits up to 450 nits, but it still leaves them as some of the dimmest flagship smartphones in recent years.
Lack of high brightness mode
The reason Google is so far behind is that they are refusing to incorporate a higher-power brightness state for their system brightness. Furthermore, Google is using last-generation display panels that cannot compete in power efficiency or in rated brightness with Samsung’s latest panels. What’s interesting is that Google has had a higher brightness mode within their phones, which they can tap into during HDR playback (or with root). But for reasons likely related to battery, Google does not allow their phones to use this extra brightness for normal use. Higher brightness modes do require significantly more power to drive — an 800-nit peak brightness state drains significantly more power than twice that of a 400-nit brightness state — but if the competition is able to support higher brightness levels and maintain better battery life than the Pixel devices, then Google is severely falling behind in both departments.
When enabling high brightness mode within the Pixel 4s’, their displays approach acceptable levels of brightness. At 600 nits, this ranks the Google Pixel 4 displays competitively with last years’ OLEDs in brightness. But in 2019, 600 nits is about the baseline for every major smartphone company, while the best are pushing 800 nits (100% APL). These are simply the limits of Google’s outdated panels, as the same panels found in the Huawei Mate 30 Pro and the OnePlus 7 Pro push the same brightness levels — except those phones actually push those brightness levels in normal use.​

I'm not sure why it's such a huge disappointment for you, but why would you consider getting it if you dislike it so much?

airmaxx23 said:
I'm not sure why it's such a huge disappointment for you, but why would you consider getting it if you dislike it so much?
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Because there is no phone that has everything I want.
I will not get a phone I can't root - must have unlocked/unlockable bootloader.
I will not get a phone that won't have custom ROM/kernel devs.
So, what's left after those 2 requirements?

I really wanted Asus rog 2 but it's nice not having to front the money pretty happy with the pixel 4xl but hate I have to be vigelent on background processes to keep the battery life
And the screen is a bit dim for direct sunlight but not an issue most of the time
Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

relaxable said:
Because there is no phone that has everything I want.
I will not get a phone I can't root - must have unlocked/unlockable bootloader.
I will not get a phone that won't have custom ROM/kernel devs.
So, what's left after those 2 requirements?
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Click to collapse
Realme x2 pro, xiaomi mi 9t pro, both are flagship phones with 855 and unlockable bootloader's and plenty of development

srimay said:
Realme x2 pro, xiaomi mi 9t pro, both are flagship phones with 855 and unlockable bootloader's and plenty of development
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that reply.
As I live in a location where Google does not charge re-stocking fee (!) I decided to purchase the deals on the Pixel 4XL.
Then, I decided to also purchase a Pixel 3a XL.
The 4XL has arrived and I have been using it for about 24hrs. There's a huge difference in performance compared to the Nexus 6 - and probably will prefer Android 10 over earlier versions, BUT, there are a lot of things I don't like. And quite a bit shocked at how easily the phone breaks! The JerryRig youtube review shows how easily the phone snaps and breaks in four different places :crying:- here's a writeup with the video embedded at bottom of the page.
(I really enjoyed the video - here's Youtube link this guy has such a calming voice and dry witty humor, and makes a lot of good points about how awful a job Google really did - hinting cannabis may have played a part in Google's decisions - but certainly not a piece that's going to make Pixel 4xl owners feel good...)
I took some photos last night and they turned out horrible. In fact it was so bad I thought there might be some protective shipping plastic on the camera hump. But no, not the case. I guess I need to dig a little more to learn how to take a photo with the included camera app....
I did root the phone, but really super disappointed that /system remains mostly untouchable. And more than a bit annoyed that, if you start initial setup with a SIM installed, a bunch of SYSTEM carrier-bloatware apps are installed during the first-time setup! So you get junk (MyVerizon and more in my case) apps that you can't remove even with root! (This is not unique to this phone - it's Android 10 limitation as best I can tell.) I think this can be avoided if you do the initial setup without a SIM, and then disable the system app the enables this forced stuffing of carrier apps on your phone.
So, since I know I wouldn't want to keep this 4XL for >5 years like I did with the Nexus 6, and since I'd probably want to replace it before next year's hopefully better (although Google has consistently disappointed me ever since Nexus 6) Pixel design, I'm hoping that either the Pixel 3a XL will be 'good enough' or perhaps another of the rootable/dev-supported phones....
That said - there are some things I like or am impressed with -> the sound is pretty good considering the tiny holes - when I saw the holes, I thought no way this phone can have decent audio for music, but it's a lot better than I expected.
The screen is brighter than I expected as well - but I haven't tried it yet in direct sunlight.....

Nice thing about Google is they don't care if you root or unlock and warranty is still in tact. That with the advanced replacement option should there by any warranty issues makes this a no brainer for me.
I told a Google rep on chat the other day I was having an issue with the "oem unlocking" switch greyed out and that should not be the case since I ordered directly from the Google store - I told him I got the phone specifically for rooting and he didn't blink an eye

First Impressions

I was so excited that my Pixel 4a arrived yesterday, been shopping for a new phone for quite some times. My old phone is HTC U11, which I still love a lot, but it's getting a bit unreliable, and the picture quality is a bit lacking compared with phones these days.
So, my first impressions:
1. It is so small, almost too small! It's good and bad. Screen size on paper is bigger than my U11, but Pixel 4a screen is narrower, so it's taking some times to get used to.
2. The screen color is a little warm (yellowish) to my taste... I hope there will be tweaks in the future to fix that. Also, the brightness of the screen is not as strong as my U11. I need to set it to around 75% even indoor...
3. The Android 10 gesture navigation needs some getting used to as well. I run an app called "All in One Gestures" on the U11, it allows me to launch 3 different apps of choice on both edges of the screen, swiping in at different directions. So, I don't want to use the Android 10 gestures which take up the side edges for "back" function. Anyway, "All in One Gestures" keep crashing on Pixel 4a, I think maybe it needs root access, or it just won't run on Android 10... I found another app that is similar in functionalities that seems to work ok for now, it can run 4 apps (2 on each side, depending on short vs long swipe). So, I still prefer the traditional 3 button navigation.
4. I wish they have in screen fingerprint sensor, or power button fingerprint sensor, I usually have my phone lay down on a table and I want to unlock it.
5. I miss the edge sense on U11 - squeeze to launch cam, squeeze again to take pictures. I am ok to work with double-tab power to launch camera, but then there is no convenient way to take picture (like squeeze), have to press the shutter on screen. (Edit: just found out can use power down button to take picture, seems quite convenient...)
So sounds like a lot of negatives, but after setting it up to my taste, I am starting to like it. Every good things you heard from the Internet are true. Night mode cameras are magic. I weighted camera as an important feature and so I am expecting that the good camera would greatly offset the other negatives I listed.

My only complaint is the screen brightness. Anything less than 80% and stuff just starts dissapearing on the screen. At the lower levels you can't even tell the screen is on. Just going to have to turn adaptive off and set it to 100% brightness full time.

hmm... Comin from a op7pro, the screen brightness to me seems totally fine out of the box really. maybe 10 or so percent higher than what I kept the 7pro on, ~60% instead of ~50% but don't need it maxed or anything crazy. High brightness is a bit less than HBM mode on 7pro but it works, I also like how they alter the screen colors to help visibility when in direct sunlight. The OP devices don't do that.
My 4a screen looks pretty well calibrated, doesn't look too warm or cold at all to me. No tint issues at low brightness.
Audio quality is actually pretty good, especially for such an inexpensive device, I was having flashbacks of nexus devices and no, this 4a is better than those.
Not seen any stutter or lag at all really, maybe 3 times for a split second during all of phone setup/installing ~80 apps.
Camera takes pics fast, no lag on snapping to seeing the pic. Haven't tried with HDR+ but regular HDR for sure is quicker than anything else but other pixels. The camera preview is indeed garbage, not so much in good lighting but especially in dark/night shots, the picture you get looks a million times better than what the preview showed before you took it.

I got my 4a on 20th, Aug.
I don't have enough time, I haven't tried much yet.
But it's very smooth and fast. Good for me.
I found a Bug(?), NFC cannot ON/OFF by pressing NFC icon in QS Panel.
(NFC can be turned ON/OFF by following the setting menu)
a few functions I've confirmed:
aptX music playback with Bluetooth Headset (w/ Shure RMCE-BT2)
LTE Carrier aggregation by "4G+" sign
VoLTE (call and receive)
I will try various things from now on.

First evening of using. I agree with points already mentioned. But the one thing bothering me most I'm noticing is the adaptive brightness constantly jumping around. Anyone else with adaptive brightness issues?

More thoughts after 1st full day of use (work from home due to COVID-19):
1. Battery barely lasted my full day at home. I think my phone usage is less while working from home compared to a"normal" day at work. So a little disappointed, probably need to charge mid day.
2. I love the call screen function, it's so useful, can read what the other party on the line has to say.

I think it's too early to decide/discuss battery life.
At this moment, as you say, it feels like "keep one day".
But I don't think it's right for now.
I think that Currently the "Screen On Time" is longer than in normal(usual) use.
my previous phone (Motorola Moto G5 Plus) was kept for about 3 days with one full charge.
I would like to expect the same for my 4a....
About "Adapitive Brightness"
no problems found. my pixel4a looks like working properly.

andyshinn said:
First evening of using. I agree with points already mentioned. But the one thing bothering me most I'm noticing is the adaptive brightness constantly jumping around. Anyone else with adaptive brightness issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes! This has been driving me crazy. I can't always reproduce it but it seems to be the worst in a dimly lit room.

I am loving the phone so far. I was previously using a OnePlus 3T so this is my first new phone in 4 years. It's much snappier than the 3T (obviously) and I'm not having any problems with the apps I've migrated over. The only complaint I have is a lack of a pulsing notification light. I've seen a few alternatives that add a ring around the camera but would prefer to wait for an official app made specifically for the 4a.

Quick question,
I have the pixel 3a XL. I am looking for an overall smaller phone, and do not use the phone for gaming, etc. Am an average user at best, really use the phone more as a phone than a multimedia unit, etc.
on paper, the pixel 4a seems to meet my needs and is an upgrade in ram / memory, etc. I enjoy the simplicity of the pixel experience and appreciate the security update schedule.
I did pre-order and still have two / three weeks before they start shipping in Canada so am tracking feedbacks and issues reported. My intention is not to cancel the order with Google, but.....
Based on first impressions - would anyone see an immediate reason to not go ahead with the purchase ?
thanks in advance,
Sent from my coral using Tapatalk

I gave the battery a good test today. Constant Spotify pass through to bluetooth + constant GPS program running and tracking movement for 7.25 hours. The screen was off for most of this time, though screen-on time was ~40 minutes. Battery was at 50% and 18W car charger then charged it at about 1%/minute. My previous phone, a OnePlus 5, with a slightly larger capacity and running at three-years old, exact same setup running A10 except for a custom kernel that underclocks the CPUs and GPU, was giving me about 35% remaining several weeks in a row under the same usage. So, Pixel 4A was draining at 7%/hr and the OP5 was draining at 9% with an underclocked kernel.

HolyAngel said:
hmm... Comin from a op7pro, the screen brightness to me seems totally fine out of the box really. maybe 10 or so percent higher than what I kept the 7pro on, ~60% instead of ~50% but don't need it maxed or anything crazy. High brightness is a bit less than HBM mode on 7pro but it works, I also like how they alter the screen colors to help visibility when in direct sunlight. The OP devices don't do that.
My 4a screen looks pretty well calibrated, doesn't look too warm or cold at all to me. No tint issues at low brightness.
Audio quality is actually pretty good, especially for such an inexpensive device, I was having flashbacks of nexus devices and no, this 4a is better than those.
Not seen any stutter or lag at all really, maybe 3 times for a split second during all of phone setup/installing ~80 apps.
Camera takes pics fast, no lag on snapping to seeing the pic. Haven't tried with HDR+ but regular HDR for sure is quicker than anything else but other pixels. The camera preview is indeed garbage, not so much in good lighting but especially in dark/night shots, the picture you get looks a million times better than what the preview showed before you took it.
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Click to collapse
I have the 7 pro and thought about getting a 4a. Does the 4a feel more like a side step or an actual upgrade? I can't imagine it's faster than the pro, but Google support would be nice.

This is def an upgrade from my Pixel 3a and I loved that phone! I kinda like the smaller form and the display seems as good as or better than previous iterations. For the price point you really cant beat this phone.

I recently bought a op 7t for 400$ on sale. I really like the specs, os, and performance but prefer the headphone jack an smaller size of the 4a. How do you both devices compare in terms of performance and experience overall? I'm worried that the 4a would lag or whatnot due to its processor. What do you guys think?

nickster1 said:
I have the 7 pro and thought about getting a 4a. Does the 4a feel more like a side step or an actual upgrade? I can't imagine it's faster than the pro, but Google support would be nice.
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Click to collapse
Compared to the 7pro, the 4a is a downgrade in every way except for maybe the camera. And if the smaller size is a plus to you or not..
I made the switch for development as I'm tired of OP's crap sources and late af updates, in that regard, this phone is totally fine. But in no way does it feel like a side-grade much less an upgrade. It's a downgrade for sure, but you'll be on latest OS updates.. The phone is definitely worth it for the money though, no argument here.

I got a mi9t but it is too heavy and too big for me. Do you think performance and autonomy will be better with the 4a ? I got 8 hours sot with lineage actually..

andyshinn said:
First evening of using. I agree with points already mentioned. But the one thing bothering me most I'm noticing is the adaptive brightness constantly jumping around. Anyone else with adaptive brightness issues?
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Click to collapse
i'm having the same issue. adaptive brightness seems to be wonky. hopefully they will have a fix for this.
btw, don't use blokada app! it tracks your data and it borks the keyboard (it bugs out the keyboard)
overall i like it. i'm using this as an extra 'just in case' phone if needed for certain trips or need a better phone than the xs max.
comparing xs max and 4a side by side, clearly the display is better on the xs max (less blue tint, more natural colors), and brighter.
photos are much better on the 4a obviously. i like the smaller form factor. its a no frills phone so i'm content with what it can do and okay with the limitations.

Front camera is a big negative on this phone,the selfies are very very soft even with outstretched arm over 16 inches as said by Google experts,don't know why no one is highlighting this issue,this has been going on from pixel 3a ,the lens is set to infinity focus and it's so wide that face will never be in proper focus unless you use a selfie stick to hold it way further

Delete, please

General Brutally Honest Review of the A52 4G

Hi guys. I bought an A52 4G for myself a few weeks ago and here is my brutally honest review. As you will see, there are some things I wasn't satisfied with but I needed a phone quickly and for my budget and availability, I thought I'd give Samsung a chance.
Pros​
1. Lots of QoL services by Samsung like always on display and apps like Gallery by Samsung can be more useful than Photos by Google. I also mapped the double tap power button to start the flashlight.
2. The 720G chipset along with a 90hz display feels plenty powerful especially for those coming from an older midrange device. However, it's not as fast and instantaneous as stock Android or OxygenOS. Also, you will face lots of stutters and bugs if you enable animation to .5x. At default 1x, animations are too damn slow.
3. Stereo speakers. Sound quality is average though. I don't use it much so I don't care.
4. Water resistance. It's nice of Samsung to bring this feature to a midrange device.
5. The macro camera can be useful for taking pictures of very small items like coins. The selfie camera seems alright.
6. The display, despite having kind of inaccurate colors is actually a lot better looking than most Chinese brand (OnePlus, Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi, Realme, etc) phone displays. Most Chinese brand displays tend to have a washed out, pale look to them despite having high refresh rates.
7. Battery life is pretty decent. If you don't use it much, it'll last a couple days easily. Of course, battery will degrade over time so a few years later, you might need to change the battery or the phone itself.
Cons​
1. Sound quality output through the 3.5mm jack is very bad. My previous phone (Moto G5s Plus) had a much better built-in DAC. But at least the jack is there so I guess it's better than nothing but I'd suggest you get a good type-c to 3.5mm converter and use that instead if you're looking for decent audio.
2. The display isn't bad (the 90hz is definitely an upgrade over 60hz) but the color calibration out of the box by Samsung is very inaccurate and kind of pale. You can switch to "vibrant" mode but it over saturates everything. The saturation is so off the charts that you have no choice but to go back to the pale "natural" mode. Also, the amoled screen can be fatiguing to your eyes. Not everyone faces this but personally I have this problem.
3. The charger provided is really weak. Sometimes I like to use my phone while it's charging. Sadly this charger is too weak to do that and can't keep up. I did have a faster charger from my previous budget moto phone and it does a much better job charging the A52. It would be better if Samsung didn't provide this crappy 15 watt charger and made the phone cheaper so I could buy a 25 watt charger myself. I don't see the logic in this. The phone supports 25 watt charging but Samsung includes a 15 watt charger in the box.
4. The lightly colored matte plastic back looks awesome in the beginning but with some mild use, the colors are already starting to fade and become yellowish. So put a case or skin on it if you wanna preserve that awesome color.
5. The colors and details of the main camera are not very good for an upper midrange device in 2021. I saw some reviews on YouTube with review units provided by Samsung that showed much better camera quality than what I'm getting with my retail unit. Especially after you take a picture, if you zoom in on a person's face for example, the details are just not there. Also, the colors are inaccurate and not life like. Hopefully, someone can make a good GCAM for this phone. Otherwise, expect to live with an average camera.
6. Random spammy apps like Dailyhunt get automatically installed every few days. I set all settings to not update anything automatically but it still does that. I even contacted customer care about this and they couldn't provide any solutions. EDIT: Luckily, it stopped doing this.
7. If the bezels were a bit narrower especially the sides and top, it would have quite a flagship killer look. Even the A51 has narrower bezels on the side. But I know Samsung did this on purpose so their more expensive S series phones would look more special than the A series.
8. It's a bit on the heavier side if you compare it to the A51. Putting a case and tempered glass on it will only increase the weight further. I find myself having to put the phone down on a table or bed to use it. I can't hold it in the air for long due to its weight.
Bugs​1. "Force dark mode" option in developer settings automatically turns itself off whenever you restart your device.
2. If you set animation to .5x instead of the default 1x, and cycle through your recent apps, there's a weird stutter.
Conclusion​
If you can live with Samsung's annoying OneUI stutters or slow animations, this isn't a bad phone especially if you can get it for around $300 USD. I'd call this a good phone for moms/dads and grandmas/grandpas. If you're a young millennial trying to live on the cutting edge, I'd pass on this one and get something that's a little faster, maybe the new Nord CE (it has a more washed out display than the A52 though).

Well! My phone have just arrived. I'm switching from an S7 edge that I've been using for the last 4 years. So far I find that the screen is pretty good! Better than the S7E. The speed is excellent and of course, the ONE UI 3.1 is superb. I've already uninstalled some unwanted apps. As regards the camera, haven't tested it yet. But obviously, the GCAM will make it better.

LanguageSoez said:
Well! My phone have just arrived. I'm switching from an S7 edge that I've been using for the last 4 years. So far I find that the screen is pretty good! Better than the S7E. The speed is excellent and of course, the ONE UI 3.1 is superb. I've already uninstalled some unwanted apps. As regards the camera, haven't tested it yet. But obviously, the GCAM will make it better.
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Of course it'll be better than a 4 year old phone lol. If you think one UI is superb, try using stock android or oxygenos, you will be blown away.

I got A72 and the picture quality coming out from the stabilized Sony IMX 686 sensor with pixel binned 16 MP pictures is superior to Samsung HM2 108 MP giving just 12MP images ... So is A52, I don't believe your "honest review" ....

neoxcool said:
I got A72 and the picture quality coming out from the stabilized Sony IMX 686 sensor with pixel binned 16 MP pictures is superior to Samsung HM2 108 MP giving just 12MP images ... So is A52, I don't believe your "honest review" ....
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A72 is not A52. Specs are one thing, software is another. You don't have to believe anything. As I said in my review, you should experience the phones in person preferably from friends who bought it and then make a decision.

The OP is obviously a satisfied customer
Griping about it being water resistant is really picking at nits. It adds little cost and help to seal out dust, extending the usable service life of the device.
Charging a phone while using isn't a good idea and it should charge slow whilst using regardless of the wattage capacity of the charger brick being used.

NiceGuyIncel said:
Hi guys. I bought an A52 4G for myself a few weeks ago and here is my brutally honest review. As you will see, there are a lot of things I wasn't satisfied with but for my budget and availability, this was one of the better ones.
Pros:
1. Lots of QoL services by Samsung like always on display and apps like Gallery by Samsung can be more useful than Photos by Google. I also mapped the double tap power button to start the flashlight.
2. The 720G chipset along with a 90hz display feels plenty smooth especially for those coming from an older midrange device. It's not as fast and instantaneous as stock android or oxygenos but this is probably the fastest that Samsung OneUI has ever been.
3. Stereo speakers. Quality is average though. I don't use it much so I don't care.
4. Water resistance. It can be useful if you like to take your phone to the bathroom or live in a rainy area but I feel this feature is more suitable for flagship phones. The 4G version of the A52 really don't need this feature and it would be better if the device was slightly cheaper instead.
Cons:
1. Sound quality output through the 3.5mm jack is very bland. My previous phone (Moto G5s Plus) had a much better built-in DAC. But at least the jack is there so I guess it's better than nothing but I'd suggest you get a good type-c to 3.5mm converter and use that instead if you're looking for quality audio.
2. The display isn't bad (the 90hz is definitely an upgrade over 60hz) but the color calibration out of the box by Samsung is very boring and washed out. You can switch to "vibrant" mode but it over saturates everything. The saturation is so off the charts that you have no choice but to go back to the pale "natural" mode. Hopefully, the xda community will do something about this, maybe a graphics engine or some app that can tinker with the display settings more finely.
3. The charger provided is really weak. Sometimes I like to use my phone while it's charging. Sadly this charger is too weak to do that and can't keep up. I did have a faster charger from my previous budget moto phone and it does a much better job charging the A52. So I really don't know why Samsung pulled an Apple with the charger.
4. The lightly colored matte plastic back looks awesome in the beginning but with some mild use, the colors are already starting to fade and become yellowish. So put a case or skin on it if you wanna preserve that awesome color.
5. The colors and details of the main camera really sucks for an upper midrange device in 2021. I saw some reviews on YouTube with review units provided by Samsung that showed much better camera quality than what I'm getting with my retail unit. Luckily, some people have already started working on gcam for this device and from what I've heard the results are much better than Samsung's default camera app.
6. Random spammy apps like Dailyhunt get automatically installed every few days. I set all settings to not update anything automatically but it still does that. I even contacted customer care about this and they couldn't provide any solutions.
7. If the bezels were a bit narrower especially the sides and top, it would have quite a flagship killer look. But I know Samsung did this on purpose so their more expensive S series phones would look more special than the A series.
8. It's a bit on the heavier side if you compare it to the A51. Putting a case and tempered glass on it will only increase the weight further.
9. The amoled screen can be fatiguing to your eyes. Not everyone faces this but personally I have this problem.
Conclusion: That wraps up my brutally honest review of the A52 4G. I hope you enjoyed the fact that I didn't jump up and down and say this is the best phone ever like most YouTube "reviewers". They say that whenever a new phone comes out. Of course the people who are gonna upgrade from a 5 year old phone will also say this is the best phone they ever used. From their perspective, it makes sense but I believe you should thoroughly research the market and only buy what YOU like the most. I was moving to another country where phones are quite expensive so I just grabbed this cause I was in a hurry. If you have the time, research other phones and try to use them in person. That way you will know for sure what you're getting because specs can be misleading. I'd suggest you look into Poco F3, OnePlus Nord, Moto G100, Moto G60 and other similarly priced devices before going for the A52. Don't assume that just because it's a Samsung, it's gonna be a great phone. Samsung intentionally nerfed this phone so there is more incentive for people to go for the more expensive S series phones.
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I appreciate your feedback. I'm certain most of those who are still undecided will as well.
To be frank, this device has received overwhelming amounts of good press, which, as a consumer, is a good thing.
That said, constructive criticism is a key component towards improving upon future A series models and/or polishing the current user experience.

AHE_XDA said:
I appreciate your feedback. I'm certain most of those who are still undecided will as well.
To be frank, this device has received overwhelming amounts of good press, which, as a consumer, is a good thing.
That said, constructive criticism is a key component towards improving upon future A series models and/or polishing the current user experience.
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Paid press is always good press...
The Samsung Fold series always get rave reviews but they're expensive, fragile and limited devices. Worse I'm being kind in my criticism.

6. Random spammy apps like Dailyhunt get automatically installed every few days. I set all settings to not update anything automatically but it still does that. I even contacted customer care about this and they couldn't provide any solutions.
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Weird, I have never encountered this.
3. The charger provided is really weak. Sometimes I like to use my phone while it's charging. Sadly this charger is too weak to do that and can't keep up. I did have a faster charger from my previous budget moto phone and it does a much better job charging the A52. So I really don't know why Samsung pulled an Apple with the charger
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Click to collapse
I don't mind this at all since it's already proven that fast charging does hurt your battery longevity.
2. The display isn't bad (the 90hz is definitely an upgrade over 60hz) but the color calibration out of the box by Samsung is very boring and washed out. You can switch to "vibrant" mode but it over saturates everything. The saturation is so off the charts that you have no choice but to go back to the pale "natural" mode. Hopefully, the xda community will do something about this, maybe a graphics engine or some app that can tinker with the display settings more finely.
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Click to collapse
I agree with this, although I prefer it for the occasional media consumption. For general usage, it might lead to some eye strain for some people which includes me.
The build despite plastic is decent enough considering the trade-offs with its other specs at this price point and an IP6X is always welcome. The camera is nothing spectacular but not bad, given that it's harder to quantify the expected degrees of quality per $ at this price range. Performance is fine for the majority of the time but there are occasional stutters or lag you will encounter. Overall, I'm very satisfied with my purchase. It's also worth noting that warranty and software support tend to get overlooked when looking at the price.
I was considering Poco F3 as an alternative before getting my A52 however, I didn't go through with the Poco F3 because of various issues and concerns that I can't be arsed to list.

This phone is on my list to upgrade from my Essential PH-1. Keeping an eye on ROM development and Gcam development. I can get it for around $354 depending on the COP to USD conversion rate in Colombia. Anyone know better deals out in the wild?

NiceGuyIncel said:
Hi guys. I bought an A52 4G for myself a few weeks ago and here is my brutally honest review. As you will see, there are some things I wasn't satisfied with but I needed a phone quickly and for my budget and availability, I thought I'd give Samsung a chance.
Pros​
1. Lots of QoL services by Samsung like always on display and apps like Gallery by Samsung can be more useful than Photos by Google. I also mapped the double tap power button to start the flashlight.
2. The 720G chipset along with a 90hz display feels plenty powerful especially for those coming from an older midrange device. However, it's not as fast and instantaneous as stock Android or OxygenOS. Also, you will face lots of stutters and bugs if you enable animation to .5x. At default 1x, animations are too damn slow.
3. Stereo speakers. Sound quality is average though. I don't use it much so I don't care.
4. Water resistance. It's nice of Samsung to bring this feature to a midrange device.
5. The macro camera can be useful for taking pictures of very small items like coins. The selfie camera seems alright.
6. The display, despite having kind of inaccurate colors is actually a lot better looking than most Chinese brand (OnePlus, Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi, Realme, etc) phone displays. Most Chinese brand displays tend to have a washed out, pale look to them despite having high refresh rates.
7. Battery life is pretty decent. If you don't use it much, it'll last a couple days easily. Of course, battery will degrade over time so a few years later, you might need to change the battery or the phone itself.
Cons​
1. Sound quality output through the 3.5mm jack is very bad. My previous phone (Moto G5s Plus) had a much better built-in DAC. But at least the jack is there so I guess it's better than nothing but I'd suggest you get a good type-c to 3.5mm converter and use that instead if you're looking for decent audio.
2. The display isn't bad (the 90hz is definitely an upgrade over 60hz) but the color calibration out of the box by Samsung is very inaccurate and kind of pale. You can switch to "vibrant" mode but it over saturates everything. The saturation is so off the charts that you have no choice but to go back to the pale "natural" mode. Also, the amoled screen can be fatiguing to your eyes. Not everyone faces this but personally I have this problem.
3. The charger provided is really weak. Sometimes I like to use my phone while it's charging. Sadly this charger is too weak to do that and can't keep up. I did have a faster charger from my previous budget moto phone and it does a much better job charging the A52. It would be better if Samsung didn't provide this crappy 15 watt charger and made the phone cheaper so I could buy a 25 watt charger myself. I don't see the logic in this. The phone supports 25 watt charging but Samsung includes a 15 watt charger in the box.
4. The lightly colored matte plastic back looks awesome in the beginning but with some mild use, the colors are already starting to fade and become yellowish. So put a case or skin on it if you wanna preserve that awesome color.
5. The colors and details of the main camera are not very good for an upper midrange device in 2021. I saw some reviews on YouTube with review units provided by Samsung that showed much better camera quality than what I'm getting with my retail unit. Especially after you take a picture, if you zoom in on a person's face for example, the details are just not there. Also, the colors are inaccurate and not life like. Hopefully, someone can make a good GCAM for this phone. Otherwise, expect to live with an average camera.
6. Random spammy apps like Dailyhunt get automatically installed every few days. I set all settings to not update anything automatically but it still does that. I even contacted customer care about this and they couldn't provide any solutions. EDIT: Luckily, it stopped doing this.
7. If the bezels were a bit narrower especially the sides and top, it would have quite a flagship killer look. Even the A51 has narrower bezels on the side. But I know Samsung did this on purpose so their more expensive S series phones would look more special than the A series.
8. It's a bit on the heavier side if you compare it to the A51. Putting a case and tempered glass on it will only increase the weight further. I find myself having to put the phone down on a table or bed to use it. I can't hold it in the air for long due to its weight.
Bugs​1. "Force dark mode" option in developer settings automatically turns itself off whenever you restart your device.
2. If you set animation to .5x instead of the default 1x, and cycle through your recent apps, there's a weird stutter.
Conclusion​
If you can live with Samsung's annoying OneUI stutters or slow animations, this isn't a bad phone especially if you can get it for around $300 USD. I'd call this a good phone for moms/dads and grandmas/grandpas. If you're a young millennial trying to live on the cutting edge, I'd pass on this one and get something that's a little faster, maybe the new Nord CE (it has a more washed out display than the A52 though).
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Click to collapse
Well, I will answer this from the perspective of an Indian Millenial coming from Mi A2 (and having only used crappy Micromax and Redmi phones in the past, this is something which I think most Indian youth can relate to). Let's go point by point :
1. UI
Having used stock android and MIUI, I can confidently say that OneUI is definitely a bit clumsy, but it is easy to get used to compared to FuncTouch and MIUI. Also, *there is no Google dialer*, meaning you can safely do call recording. Also OneUI has "Link to Windows" baked right into it, which is a huge boon in my opinion as it kinda compensates for the lack of DeX support, I think this is one of the most underrated feature of Samsung phones.
2. Ads and Bloatware scene
Now this maybe specific to India only. I set the device up using GeekyRanjit's guide on "How to setup Samssung devices" on YT, and so far (1 month later) I have got no ads except wallpaper services message when I swipe from right on lock screen. Also, all bloatware can be either disabled or uninstalled (unlike MIUI and ColourOS), so no problem there. Overall it is much much better than Redmi, Poco and Realme offerings. Though here Oneplus NORD maybe better.
3. Camera
TBH I bought this phone for the camera, and consider the competition it did not let me down, sure there is a bit of over sharpening going on in most images and indoor/low light photos and videos have a ton of noise but considering the competition in 15k-25k INR, it is definitely better. I use Gcam 7.3.018 by Urynx05, and it does improve video stabilisation a lot thanks to OIS (only Oneplus NORD has OIS in this price). For night mode, stock night mode is better than night sight (much brighter and well balanced). Daylight pics, it is a mixed bag, macro camera is good but could have been better,but considering how rarely it is used, it is fine.
4. Display
Most Indian milllenials like me are currently upgrading from LCD to Amoled. I having never used an Amoled, am satisfied with the display. But yeah you are right Amoled displays do cause more eye fatigue than LCD.
5. Availability and Customer support
This is where this phone shines! Here in India, this phone is available like everywhere, in most mobile shop in any market no matter, how small or rural the area, this unfortunately is not the case for OnePlus and Redmi, POCO (infamous for flash sales and black-marketing)etc., thus Galaxy A52's actual competitors are phones from Vivo and Oppo, which are usually more pricey. Also, Samsung customer services is next to Apple.
Set your priorities before buying a phone and you won't be disappointed, my suggestion, if you want good camera hardware and reliable phone go for it, but if you want to do gaming I would suggest you to look elsewhere say iQOO Z3 for 20k INR.

I am trying to get either this phone or s10? I was leaning more towards a52 since it could get up to android 14 opposed to 12 on s10.
Which one should i get?