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Hi there,
I have been an avid iOS user since it came out in 2007. I owned an iPad 2 for long time and was very used to its speed. Surfing was really fun because scrolling was as soft as cutting through butter. I was thinking that this is how surfing was meant in the first place. Hence the iPad redefined "surfing" for me. I rarely used my Laptop after the iPad.
And... well, recently I bought the new Nexus 7 to see how far Android has gone. I never owned an Android device before. But i occasionally tested it over the years. My overall impression was, that it's too laggy. Even though today's android devices have strong hardware specs. It was laggy.
But I thought to myself: Google had 5 years to tune android. When I got the Nexus 7 I was hoping to get a fluent experience that I was used to from my iPad 2.
But no. One of the first things I did was to install Adobe Reader, because the main purpose was reading PDFs on the Nexus besides surfing. I was shocked. It was sluggish and really laggy. Even though the device had 2 GB of Ram and a high-speed CPU? I compared it to my 2 years old iPhone 4S. I installed the iOS version of Adobe reader and compared it to the nexus. It was fun to scroll. No, I mean it. After seeing it on the Nexus 7 it was great to have the speedy iOS below my finger tips. Then I spent several hours on searching for other PDF readers. I tried out many. Only a few had a considerably good speed. But those also had many downsides. Either they were really ugly or didn't provide important functions like bookmarks. Eventually I gave up and stuck to Adobe reader. What a miserable fail.
Surfing on the Nexus wasn't fun either. Chrome is even more sluggish. Not comparable to Safari on the iPad. Remember when I wrote that I put my Laptop aside in the most cases when I first got the iPad? In this case there was no urge to do so. Surfing was a pain.
I installed the AOSP browser. It was way better than Chrome considering speed and scrolling/zooming. But it had bugs on non root 4.3. The control elements disappeared regularly. And, yes, it wasn't beautiful.
How is this possible? Is this real? How come the Nexus fails at its two most important tasks? Surfing and reading PDFs?
In my eyes Google has failed. I gave them 5 years to make up their mistakes. They ended up making a device, that's behind my iPhone 4S considering the real life usage speed.
I don't care much about the specs. If it runs smooth, it's good. If not, it's not. My iPhone 4S has 512 MB of RAM and runs smoother than Google's state of the art device.
Ok, now I want to know your opinion about this matter. Did I do something wrong by having the same expectations that were set as standard for me by using an iPad?
ABBCC11 said:
Hi there,
I have been an avid iOS user since it came out in 2007. I owned an iPad 2 for long time and was very used to its speed. Surfing was really fun because scrolling was as soft as cutting through butter. I was thinking that this is how surfing was meant in the first place. Hence the iPad redefined "surfing" for me. I rarely used my Laptop after the iPad.
And... well, recently I bought the new Nexus 7 to see how far Android has gone. I never owned an Android device before. But i occasionally tested it over the years. My overall impression was, that it's too laggy. Even though today's android devices have strong hardware specs. It was laggy.
But I thought to myself: Google had 5 years to tune android. When I got the Nexus 7 I was hoping to get a fluent experience that I was used to from my iPad 2.
But no. One of the first things I did was to install Adobe Reader, because the main purpose was reading PDFs on the Nexus besides surfing. I was shocked. It was sluggish and really laggy. Even though the device had 2 GB of Ram and a high-speed CPU? I compared it to my 2 years old iPhone 4S. I installed the iOS version of Adobe reader and compared it to the nexus. It was fun to scroll. No, I mean it. After seeing it on the Nexus 7 it was great to have the speedy iOS below my finger tips. Then I spent several hours on searching for other PDF readers. I tried out many. Only a few had a considerably good speed. But those also had many downsides. Either they were really ugly or didn't provide important functions like bookmarks. Eventually I gave up and stuck to Adobe reader. What a miserable fail.
Surfing on the Nexus wasn't fun either. Chrome is even more sluggish. Not comparable to Safari on the iPad. Remember when I wrote that I put my Laptop aside in the most cases when I first got the iPad? In this case there was no urge to do so. Surfing was a pain.
I installed the AOSP browser. It was way better than Chrome considering speed and scrolling/zooming. But it had bugs on non root 4.3. The control elements disappeared regularly. And, yes, it wasn't beautiful.
How is this possible? Is this real? How come the Nexus fails at its two most important tasks? Surfing and reading PDFs?
In my eyes Google has failed. I gave them 5 years to make up their mistakes. They ended up making a device, that's behind my iPhone 4S considering the real life usage speed.
I don't care much about the specs. If it runs smooth, it's good. If not, it's not. My iPhone 4S has 512 MB of RAM and runs smoother than Google's state of the art device.
Ok, now I want to know your opinion about this matter. Did I do something wrong by having the same expectations that were set as standard for me by using an iPad?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure what you want. Are you asking a question?
As for your observations, I have a Nexus 7 and a Galaxy Note 8, as well as an iPad 2. I don't have the same experience that you describe even with the nexus 7 stock.
In terms of comparing the devices, they don't even come close. The iPad is an overpriced, crippled Kindle.
There are so many things that an Android based device can do that iOS device will never LET you do, even if you jailbreak.
Use the device you like ... it's as simple as that.
quattros said:
I'm not sure what you want. Are you asking a question?
As for your observations, I have a Nexus 7 and a Galaxy Note 8, as well as an iPad 2. I don't have the same experience that you describe even with the nexus 7 stock.
In terms of comparing the devices, they don't even come close. The iPad is an overpriced, crippled Kindle.
There are so many things that an Android based device can do that iOS device will never LET you do, even if you jailbreak.
Use the device you like ... it's as simple as that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here i have an ipad mini and a Note 2 and I even Use my Note more often then the ipad to surf the web etc...
The Android system is so more Open and has much more to offer...
The iPad is like a overpriced Browser for the Couch...
Sent from my Note 2
Ok, sorry guys. Let's stick to the following two questions:
1. Safari on iPad is smoother than any Android browser out there. Do you agree? Yes/No? Why not?
2. There is no good PDF reader for Android. They are all sluggish and/or don't provide good interface and/or bookmarks functionality. Do you agree? Yes/No? Why not?
What browser do you use on your note 2?
ABBCC11 said:
Ok, sorry guys. Let's stick to the following two questions:
1. Safari on iPad is smoother than any Android browser out there. Do you agree? Yes/No? Why not?
2. There is no good PDF reader for Android. They are all sluggish and/or don't provide good interface and/or bookmarks functionality. Do you agree? Yes/No? Why not?
What browser do you use on your note 2?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check out Dolphin browser.
Frankly I've seen ios based devices be sluggish / have crappy apps / not work right / fail just as much as any other device ... they're not made with fairy dust.
Well, I am not sure if this is intentional, but the tone you use is that of a biased fan, not of a person that wishes to hold an objective discussion.
Let's start from the beginning: Google does not manufacture every Android device. They do not manufacture your Nexus 7 (ASUS does), and they do not tinker their OS specifically for a particular device. Google release their code, and then manufacturers are tasked to implement it as they see fit. The issue at hand here is that Google's developers do not really have a 'base minimum' architecture with which to work. When they develop Android they have to take into account that their code will be run by 256MB as well as 3GB RAM devices. Or from single-core A7 700MhZ devices all the way to quad-core beasts. By default, it is hard to find the right balance. The end result is that Android is not designed/catered for a particular architecture.
By comparison, Apple works with specific architectures, which they were even involved in designing. They have a small handful devices to support, and they can make sure that things work smoothly from one device to another.
Objectively, I agree that iOS is more stable, fluid and responsive on the same hardware compared to an Android device of the same specifications. Of course, the problem here is that even with the same specification, due to different Android implementations you could have Android devices performing vastly differently. The beast in question here is complexity.
Nexus 7 is a decent device, but it is far from being high-end in Android. Given that Android seems to use more resources than iOS (in terms of RAM, but also in terms of CPU/GPU requirements -- and this is a direct consequence of having to work for a huge range of different architectures), it seems to me that almost no Android devices can offer you indisputably superior stability, fluidity and responsiveness. But it is hard to understand why Android can be 'slow'. For example, HTC One S overclocked running custom ROMs can be blazing fast. I would say almost, if not even better than (in certain situations) any iPhone device. Then, on the other hand, the Sony Xperia T which has the same CPU as the HTC One S is a very slow device, with many hangs and freezes with its stock ROM. The reason is different optimization, and the main culprit behind any discrepancies in performance for Android.
Apple's iPhone 'works out of the box'. It is stable, fluid and responsive. For the average user, I can completely understand why this is beneficial. To get the most out of Android, you are on the right way as there are many intelligent and hard-working people around here who work with particular devices trying to get the most out of them. I am certain that there is the right ROM + Kernel configuration for you out there that will help you get the most out of your Nexus 7.
With that said however, keep an eye on the new Spandragon 800 and Mediatek octacore devices. We are already seeing some incredibly powerful Android phones that I really believe you will find much faster on every account than the best iPhone out there right now.
grcd said:
Well, I am not sure if this is intentional, but the tone you use is that of a biased fan, not of a person that wishes to hold an objective discussion.
Let's start from the beginning: Google does not manufacture every Android device. They do not manufacture your Nexus 7 (ASUS does), and they do not tinker their OS specifically for a particular device. Google release their code, and then manufacturers are tasked to implement it as they see fit. The issue at hand here is that Google's developers do not really have a 'base minimum' architecture with which to work. When they develop Android they have to take into account that their code will be run by 256MB as well as 3GB RAM devices. Or from single-core A7 700MhZ devices all the way to quad-core beasts. By default, it is hard to find the right balance. The end result is that Android is not designed/catered for a particular architecture.
By comparison, Apple works with specific architectures, which they were even involved in designing. They have a small handful devices to support, and they can make sure that things work smoothly from one device to another.
Objectively, I agree that iOS is more stable, fluid and responsive on the same hardware compared to an Android device of the same specifications. Of course, the problem here is that even with the same specification, due to different Android implementations you could have Android devices performing vastly differently. The beast in question here is complexity.
Nexus 7 is a decent device, but it is far from being high-end in Android. Given that Android seems to use more resources than iOS (in terms of RAM, but also in terms of CPU/GPU requirements -- and this is a direct consequence of having to work for a huge range of different architectures), it seems to me that almost no Android devices can offer you indisputably superior stability, fluidity and responsiveness. But it is hard to understand why Android can be 'slow'. For example, HTC One S overclocked running custom ROMs can be blazing fast. I would say almost, if not even better than (in certain situations) any iPhone device. Then, on the other hand, the Sony Xperia T which has the same CPU as the HTC One S is a very slow device, with many hangs and freezes with its stock ROM. The reason is different optimization, and the main culprit behind any discrepancies in performance for Android.
Apple's iPhone 'works out of the box'. It is stable, fluid and responsive. For the average user, I can completely understand why this is beneficial. To get the most out of Android, you are on the right way as there are many intelligent and hard-working people around here who work with particular devices trying to get the most out of them. I am certain that there is the right ROM + Kernel configuration for you out there that will help you get the most out of your Nexus 7.
With that said however, keep an eye on the new Spandragon 800 and Mediatek octacore devices. We are already seeing some incredibly powerful Android phones that I really believe you will find much faster on every account than the best iPhone out there right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good, I've never paid attention to those.
I think it is not the hardware, but the software that is important.
No doubt the Nexus 7 has enough power to deliver a smooth browsing and PDF reading experience (see AOSP browser for example).
But the sluggish apps make you have no fun with the device. There is no decent PDF reader out there. Chrome is slow and AOSP is hard to install on non root devices.
Try dolphin 10 with jetpack browsing and ezpdf pro for pdfs.
mashed_ash said:
Try dolphin 10 with jetpack browsing and ezpdf pro for pdfs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Big agreement on Dolphin 10 with jetpack. Chrome and firefox are laggy, Stock browser stinks too.
Also agree w/ summary by 'grcd' above re: different hardware implementations using a stock OS. Take-away: Find the OEMs who are most responsive / most attentive / focused on quality and user experience. If you're a business user - find those that cater to business. If you only care about consumer media / gaming - the world is your oyster, eat it at your peril.
I work at the largest networking company in the world, and only two device vendors are 'recommended' buys for BYOD: Apple and Samsung... read between the lines.
FWIW:
My experience with Android (3 devices since 2.x) - on phones, 'multi-tasking' takes away from core phone functionality that should ALWAYS be prioritized. Phone functions should preempt all other actions in the device, every time, no exceptions. When i want to dial a number or respond to an incoming call, every other process had better bail / suspend / hibernate, whatever it takes to get out of the way. Think fire truck and heavy traffic - pull right / left and stop to get out of the way.
On tablets not used as phones, there should simply be consistency of operation, smoothness of interaction, it should feel elegant. Apple wins this hands down from what I've seen. I've never owned an apple product for daily use, and that still comes across loud and clear.
20 years in IT - I'm a tech geek by choice, love to fiddle with the bits... but starting to lean to less distraction with the apple hardware/software package. Thinking 'more do... less fiddle'.
Biggest apple gripes off topic: arbitrary cellular download limits (100MB in iOS 7), no SD/MicroSD, no USB, no Flash... hmmm, can I really live with that. May have to try one out for a couple of weeks.
happy computing!
I've always preferred the way Android devices scroll. On iOS you have to swipe a lot more to scroll through a page, where on Android one fast swipe will keep scrolling. iOS also has that annoying overscroll feature where the page keeps scrolling and then bounces back. I find that annoying as you have to wait for the bounce back to stop before you can start reading the page.
If you are ok with the limitations of iOS, nobody is stopping you from using it. For me personally I'd rather put up with a bit of lag if it means I get more features.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 4
2 troll points for effort but that's it.
I've also noticed that pdf and office software in general is very sluggish when compared to iOS. Browsing definitely isn't as smooth as well. Regardless, iOS 7 killed any love I had left for my iPad, so it looks like I'm on to a Windows tablet in the near future.
On an overclocked note 2, running a debloated ROM whips an iphone's speeds, coming from using both. Adobe reader is just slow by itself.
Sent from carbon note 2 on XDA premium app
I find it odd that no one's mentioned Naked Browser or Easy Browser!?
I use Naked Browser and it's very fast, no lags. Very efficient browser, very small RAM usage.
Only downside for some ppl would be the GUI, it's not meant to be pretty.
Hello, when my Note PRO 12.2 works, it is quite useful. However, when it fails, it is very bad. One time I fully charged the device in the evening. In the middle of the day, it ran out of power. I could not take photo with a beautiful girl I met. Last week, when I asked somebody to take photo of me and a cute girl, the device rebooted again itself when the guy pressed the camera app button. I also failed to take a few important photos when this malfunction happened. Although somebody pointed out that this might be due to a loose connection problem, it seems to be software related. Why always the camera apps (one built in and another 3rd party)? It seems that when the apps tried to access the camera, the device rebooted.
Anyway, I am considering to move to another platform. How many of you plan to get an iPad PRO, Surface Pro 4 or Pixel C? Due to the camera-reboot issue, I consider to stay away from Android device. Don't know the battery consumption and actual weight of the iPad PRO and Surface Pro 4 yet. I do want cellar phone function and a stylus. Is the Surface Pro 4 my best bet?
petercohen said:
Although somebody pointed out that this might be due to a loose connection problem, it seems to be software related. Why always the camera apps (one built in and another 3rd party)? It seems that when the apps tried to access the camera, the device rebooted.
Anyway, I am considering to move to another platform. How many of you plan to get an iPad PRO, Surface Pro 4 or Pixel C? Due to the camera-reboot issue, I consider to stay away from Android device. Don't know the battery consumption and actual weight of the iPad PRO and Surface Pro 4 yet. I do want cellar phone function and a stylus. Is the Surface Pro 4 my best bet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not beyond the realm of possibility for the loose connection to be such that pushing power requirements beyond a certain point causes stability issues. Like Beut said in the other thread, you could always do a factory reset and then immediately test the camera to see if you regain stability in its use.
As for buying into another platform, you say that you want cell phone function . . Is that even possible with the other options? Highly unlikely with the iPad for sure . .
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk
I have the p905 model
I did not take many pictures with because i have my note edge and nikon d750 dslr but i did not have any problems with taking pictures with
Anyway
I don't think that there is any tablet in similar size that can compete with the note pro
Maybe some specs are outdated compares to others but it function very well for me
If they make a new note pro with an amoled screen then i might consider buying it or the samsung view 18.4" if it is released
Mine has never rebooted itself.
Which is a vast improvement over my previous Asus Transformer TF700T... That thing rebooted constantly. (It had some serious I/O issues. Update 3 apps at once and it reboots.).
At any rate, I will certainly consider a Surface Pro 4, on one very vital condition: That it has an Nvidia GPU, as opposed to that IntelHD piece of ****. Anything with an IntelHD isn't worth more than 5 quid.
Edit: The Surface Pro 4 comes with an IntelHD. I will not spend a single euro on such crap.
It seems that the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Note do not have LTE option
Mine too never rebooted, and it is rooted with lollipop. The only problems I had was a couple of reboot stuck at samsung logo while installing applications that required a reboot, such as AD-Away.
Problem solved long pressing the power button and then booting again.
Even the battery still gives me 10 full working hours.
So, I plan to use it until Samsung releases a new comparable device.
A second one, not rooted, as it is in the hands of my daughter and the rest of the family, performs equally well.
SM-P905
I'll wait for the next Android of a similar or larger size device.
Surface Pro 4 is too expensive and Windows applications (and many of it's internal components) do not scale well at high DPI. I had the Yoga Pro 3 (3200x1800) and returned it due to it's bad scaling. I got a laptop in exchange at 17.3" at 1920x1080 and still scaling is bad (not as bad). Windows 8.1/10 at high DPI is not as near as good as Android. So no Windows tablet for me, thank you.
iPad is too closed of a system for me, even for multimedia consumption everything has to go through iTunes, so no.
Pixel C, although a good idea with stock Android is too small compared to NotePRO 12.2, so no.
I' d love a "Pixel C" type of tablet at 12.2" with stock Android for smoothness and fast updates. If you come across one drop me a line.
My current tablet is the SM-P905, Lollipop, rooted (never had blue screens, never had reboots)
Windows tablets are better at productivity and Android tablets are better for consumption. Android fakes productivity way better than Windows tablets fake consumption. With 12" tablets being made chic by Apple it proves the Note 12 was ahead of its time. For me, there's no reason to go anywhere else. With the Pixel C there may be some developer interest in building more/better Android productivity apps that'll only benefit us.
I wanted the surface but battery life and lack of lte are holding me back. I have the 907a.
I was praying that the surface would have at least 10 hours.
I still have hope that Samsung will announce something between 12-13 inches with decent specs and battery life, as dell failed to impress.
petercohen said:
Hello, when my Note PRO 12.2 works, it is quite useful. However, when it fails, it is very bad. One time I fully charged the device in the evening. In the middle of the day, it ran out of power. I could not take photo with a beautiful girl I met. Last week, when I asked somebody to take photo of me and a cute girl, the device rebooted again itself when the guy pressed the camera app button. I also failed to take a few important photos when this malfunction happened. Although somebody pointed out that this might be due to a loose connection problem, it seems to be software related. Why always the camera apps (one built in and another 3rd party)? It seems that when the apps tried to access the camera, the device rebooted.
Anyway, I am considering to move to another platform. How many of you plan to get an iPad PRO, Surface Pro 4 or Pixel C? Due to the camera-reboot issue, I consider to stay away from Android device. Don't know the battery consumption and actual weight of the iPad PRO and Surface Pro 4 yet. I do want cellar phone function and a stylus. Is the Surface Pro 4 my best bet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I'm getting a surface pro 4. I'm going to use it mostly for photo and video editing. My note can process raw files OK with photometers r2 but it drains the battery very quickly. Would rather have the fully powered and featured windows machine. Plus I'll run something like bluestockings if I need a few android apps. Not that I use many apps anyways. Mostly lecture notes and the browser.
I'll keep my note pro though. Still trying to get the thing to work properly though....
Just picked up an i7 Surface Pro 4 to replace my Note 12.2.
I have been looking for a replacement for mine (lte on Verizon) because of the poor battery life I have been getting. I need it to last all day. The problem I've found is that there still isn't anything that would be an "upgrade" that would be worth buying. I think I just need to doggie out my battery issue for now.
Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
I chose the GN Pro 12.2 because it was 12.2" with Android.
I need Android (I play on a game which is only available on Android) and I need a 12,2" screen (I read comics).
Surface is Windows
Ipad is IOS
Pixel c is Android but 10,2" so too small.
And because I got many issues with Samsung devices (Tablet, TV, smartphone, etc...), I will never buy any other Samsung devices.
If you got something else, than the proposed tablet, it would be interesting to share.
luffy092 said:
I chose the GN Pro 12.2 because it was 12.2" with Android.
I need Android (I play on a game which is only available on Android) and I need a 12,2" screen (I read comics).
Surface is Windows
Ipad is IOS
Pixel c is Android but 10,2" so too small.
And because I got many issues with Samsung devices (Tablet, TV, smartphone, etc...), I will never buy any other Samsung devices.
If you got something else, than the proposed tablet, it would be interesting to share.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have had the note pro 12.3
2 since it came out. As a digital artist it was the best for me. Always being an android lover I stayed away until 3 weeks ago and several months of searching and trying Android and windows tablets and 2 in 1's. It really sucks that android did not continue with evolving the note pro 12.2. Finally after much internal torture I bought the iPad pro 12.9 gen 3 tablet and the Apple pencil. All I can say is wow! Now I'm not going to become an apple convert because I love my note 8 (have no desire to upgrade at this time). But the tablet is phenomenal for digital art and all the basic stuff I used to do on my note pro. The only thing I can't stand on the iPad is the file management system. It's like your personal files are top secret. Android is light-years ahead in that aspect. If Samsung decides to put out a larger more powerful tablet I may go back to Android tablets. I absolutely loved infinite painter. It just blows my mind that they don't even try to compete with apple in the tablet world... But maybe that says something about apple's tablets.
I am not an Apple fan, but I did have an iPad Pro 12.2 LTE with 128 GB. It was a very nice and usable device.
I did not play games on it. I mostly read books, news articles and watched videos. It even had split screen which was nice. Long battery life. I was part of Apple's beta group which got new iOS operating systems before the general public. I never had an issue with the iPad. I am a Samsung devotee. Even though Samsung is terrible at updates and supporting older devices, I still love their products. My Note FE is great. I also do android development, so my Note FE and other devices have custom ROMs. If Apple would install android on their hardware, I would buy in a heartbeat. Or, if they had a developers version of their devices (unlocked, jail broken), I would buy.
I'm not sure I understand the initial media plaudits from yesterday's unveiling.
With the latest flagship phones so far released or announced, I feel this is very much a step backwards from the competition (though, rather a smaller step forward than everyone else)
Realistically, this is a most minor iteration. We have the obligatory upgrade to the latest Qualcomm flagship SoC, then..?
We have more screen real estate, though at the expense of the notch and what, initially, appears to be a relatively minor upgrade to the camera, when compared to everyone else.
Aesthetically, I personally think, this is by far the best looking OnePlus device and it's really on a par with the competition here. I don't have an issue with the look of the notch, though having never used a phone with a notch, I may well hate it in use.
Elsewhere, it seems to lag behind. Of all the competition, i.e. those with the Snapdragon 845, OnePlus seems to be the least innovative in its use. Nowhere do they advertise use of its AI / ML capabilities. I'm not suggesting they go down the Asus route and call everything AI, but at least show your making use of it.
I appreciate that most 'AI' features are mostly marketing nonsense, but some of it appears very useful. We are seeing phones with translation apps using AI, rather than connecting to the web. We're seeing phones use AI to learn how people use the phone, and continually change how they manage apps memory and power usage to improve both performance and battery life.
OnePlus have not made any claims towards anything like this, so if they are doing these types of things, why keep quiet.
This 'season' most of the innovation has been centred on the use of AI with the camera and so far we've seen some very amazing results from that. The big hitter being the Huawei P20 pro, though an honorable mention goes to the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S also, especially considering it's budget flagship price (very much in the OnePlus 6 range).
OnePlus have always lagged behind in the camera department. It seems one of its big sacrifices in order to keep the prices so low. Last year's 5T, the first OnePlus with a dual lens arrangement, was routinely savaged by critics and considered on par with the average mid range phones. So here is where many considered it needed to vastly improve.
Initial impressions do seem to suggest that great improvements have been made. However, it seems like they've really only arrived at the point other flagships were at last year. Considering the huge leap forward AI has taken in-phone photography this year, it seems that OnePlus still have a lot of work to do in order to catch up with the rest and, this year, still seem just as far behind.
Hardware wise, mobile technology is now very mature, so we're only ever, mostly, seeing small iterative improvements, so phone manufacturers can only offer iterative updates, from a hardware perspective. And this is what we've come to see over the last few years.
This year the majority of mobile innovation, on flagship models more so, has come through the use of AI, something OnePlus seems to have strangely overlooked with this latest release.
This year, this iteration feels like something I'd expect from a top end, mid range phone, not from something that used to sell itself as a flagship killer.
With some serious hard work from the OnePlus software team, much AI innovation seen elsewhere could be rolled out to the OnePlus 6 in the future, which would see it much more competitive in the flagship phone sector. Though, I imagine they'll wait until the 6T to implement such changes, which may give the competition too much of a head start.
I'm currently on my third OnePlus device but if I do decide to upgrade this year, I doubt I'll be spending my money on the OnePlus 6. I feel it's time for a change, Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S anyone?
Though if by some miracle I actually win the xda competition, I'll be happy to keep the phone for the foreseeable future
I think I'll wait to see what the Xiaomi Mi7/8 will bring
That's one way of looking at it.
I think it's a fine phone compared to the Galaxy S9+ which costs approx. €250,- more.
Yes, the Samsung has a higher screenresolution, probably a better camera and a slightly higher capacity battery, but I don't want to spend that extra money on that and get a lot of bloatware in the process.
Since I'm currently still using a Oneplus One, the 6 is awesome compared to that...
Was looking forward to the oneplus 6.
I was thinking to upgrade to either a Mi Mix 2s or OP6. But I don't see what the OP6 offers, besides non-IP rated waterproofing over the Mi Mix 2s.
Same innards.
Same price
Ugly notch
Better blacks?
Arguably worse camera on paper
No wireless charging.
I don't see why you would pick an OP6 over Mix 2s. Miui sucks (got a lot better though lately), but is very easy to replace with a custom ROM.
Disappointed
Compared to the S9 and £9+, yes it is a very fine phone and probably runs it very close.
Samsung was also seen this 'season' to only come to the table with an uninspired iterative update. I think that they've suffered in being one of the first this year to roll out the release and have been caught lagging by some of the other manufacturers that came later.
Last year the S8+ was considered to have one of the best cameras in a smart phone. This year, although the S9+ camera has improved, it is only a minor improvement. Huawei and Xiaomi through heavy use of AI, have made huge leaps forward compared to last year, probably equivalent to 5 years worth of normal iterative upgrades. They have also both brought some other, worthwhile, uses of AI with their latest phones to further push themselves ahead of the competition.
OnePlus originally made 2 big sacrifices in order to keep costs low. These were LCD screens and cameras that would be typically found on mid range phones. However they were pretty much alone in the budget flagship market back then and so this wasn't seen as a big issue. With the arrival of some competition they've had to adjust accordingly.
Last year OnePlus came with a fairly large price increase, which allowed them to switch to AMOLED screens, this year another price increase sees them moving to premium camera modules expected on flagship phones.
In terms of where OnePlus was with the One and even where they were last year, yes this is a great phone and a good improvement. But considering some of the innovations some of the competition has brought this year, they have lagged behind. I no longer believe they are the first choice for those looking at the budget flagship market. Xiaomi would appear to have taken on that title.
If Xiaomi would embrace the custom ROM community the same way OnePlus have, OnePlus could find themselves losing some loyal customers.
Firipu said:
I don't see why you would pick an OP6 over Mix 2s. Miui sucks (got a lot better though lately), but is very easy to replace with a custom ROM.
Disappointed
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Only once you've got passed Xiaomi's ridiculous 360 hour bootloader unlock shenanigans.
The OP6 is a compelling candidate because of good mfg support for bootloader unlock without voiding warranty, lots of dev support for root etc., 3.5mm audio jack, now packaged with water resistance, at a lower price given the top processor/RAM specs.
Camera and display of OP6 are apparently not the tip-top of the field, but in the thin upper range where discerning the minor differences between competitors is splitting hairs IMO.
AI is a flaky gimmick that causes more problems than it solves in all phones in 2018, IMO. Same goes for voice assistants and most of the other bells and whistles. I'm going to shut off all that on any phone I get. K.I.S.S.
Watching now for more to come on OP6... extensive reviews, puddle-dunking, bootloader unlock, TWRP, root, clip cases, audio quality impressions (3.5mm output), initial OS "bug" fixes...
Robbo.5000 said:
I'm not sure I understand the initial media plaudits from yesterday's unveiling.
With the latest flagship phones so far released or announced, I feel this is very much a step backwards from the competition (though, rather a smaller step forward than everyone else)
Realistically, this is a most minor iteration. We have the obligatory upgrade to the latest Qualcomm flagship SoC, then..?
We have more screen real estate, though at the expense of the notch and what, initially, appears to be a relatively minor upgrade to the camera, when compared to everyone else.
Aesthetically, I personally think, this is by far the best looking OnePlus device and it's really on a par with the competition here. I don't have an issue with the look of the notch, though having never used a phone with a notch, I may well hate it in use.
Elsewhere, it seems to lag behind. Of all the competition, i.e. those with the Snapdragon 845, OnePlus seems to be the least innovative in its use. Nowhere do they advertise use of its AI / ML capabilities. I'm not suggesting they go down the Asus route and call everything AI, but at least show your making use of it.
I appreciate that most 'AI' features are mostly marketing nonsense, but some of it appears very useful. We are seeing phones with translation apps using AI, rather than connecting to the web. We're seeing phones use AI to learn how people use the phone, and continually change how they manage apps memory and power usage to improve both performance and battery life.
OnePlus have not made any claims towards anything like this, so if they are doing these types of things, why keep quiet.
This 'season' most of the innovation has been centred on the use of AI with the camera and so far we've seen some very amazing results from that. The big hitter being the Huawei P20 pro, though an honorable mention goes to the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S also, especially considering it's budget flagship price (very much in the OnePlus 6 range).
OnePlus have always lagged behind in the camera department. It seems one of its big sacrifices in order to keep the prices so low. Last year's 5T, the first OnePlus with a dual lens arrangement, was routinely savaged by critics and considered on par with the average mid range phones. So here is where many considered it needed to vastly improve.
Initial impressions do seem to suggest that great improvements have been made. However, it seems like they've really only arrived at the point other flagships were at last year. Considering the huge leap forward AI has taken in-phone photography this year, it seems that OnePlus still have a lot of work to do in order to catch up with the rest and, this year, still seem just as far behind.
Hardware wise, mobile technology is now very mature, so we're only ever, mostly, seeing small iterative improvements, so phone manufacturers can only offer iterative updates, from a hardware perspective. And this is what we've come to see over the last few years.
This year the majority of mobile innovation, on flagship models more so, has come through the use of AI, something OnePlus seems to have strangely overlooked with this latest release.
This year, this iteration feels like something I'd expect from a top end, mid range phone, not from something that used to sell itself as a flagship killer.
With some serious hard work from the OnePlus software team, much AI innovation seen elsewhere could be rolled out to the OnePlus 6 in the future, which would see it much more competitive in the flagship phone sector. Though, I imagine they'll wait until the 6T to implement such changes, which may give the competition too much of a head start.
I'm currently on my third OnePlus device but if I do decide to upgrade this year, I doubt I'll be spending my money on the OnePlus 6. I feel it's time for a change, Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S anyone?
Though if by some miracle I actually win the xda competition, I'll be happy to keep the phone for the foreseeable future
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I had similar feelings/experience. Ended up my story with oneplus by selling my op5t and bought a p20 pro. I won't buy the 6 and waiting for the 6t... Who knows. Also interested by the Mi Mix 2s.
hunhool said:
I had similar feelings/experience. Ended up my story with oneplus by selling my op5t and bought a p20 pro. I won't buy the 6 and waiting for the 6t... Who knows. Also interested by the Mi Mix 2s.
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What improvements hardware/software wise will the 6T bring do you think ?
SlyUK said:
What improvements hardware/software wise will the 6T bring do you think ?
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Maybe wireless charging..but I don't really know.
SlyUK said:
What improvements hardware/software wise will the 6T bring do you think ?
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Maybe better battery, 3D Face unlock, fingerprint sensor under display
refedit said:
Maybe better battery, 3D Face unlock, fingerprint sensor under display
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The only realistic item you listed is the battery which I 100% agree at least by a few hundred Mah.
The fingerprint sensor under the display isn't ready yet. Samsung has been trying to get this tech for their galaxy phones buts its just not there.
Huawei has a 2k device that has it and all the reviews states its not good.
They definitely could have done something special to make more of a splash but i think this rounds they did it with design.
where they fall short for me is :
1) Camera
2) Display
3) USB standard.
4) Battery
1) i think they should have done a bit more with the cameras on paper like larger pixels maybe dualpixel AF i think the 16 MP should have matched last years pixel 2 specs but with 16 MP then for the 20MP fo a wider angle monocrom so a max of LG / huawei. But i wait on official review to see if the current setup works well
2) Display i think OP should go to QHD its about time but leave the resolution at 1080p via software like what sony does but nit picking again as one plus screens are not bad its a Samsung panel so. Just they could add a AOD option via software.
3)The main let down for me why is the USB C port still usb 2.0 standard every one else uses usb 3.0 or 3.1 to allow for faster file transfers. For a lunch focused on speed this is the major let down smh the rest i was being nit picky but the usb really.
4) one plus should really try to get in the 4000 mah and 3600 mah battery capacity ranges especially since they have dash charge and goodish battery life
hunhool said:
I had similar feelings/experience. Ended up my story with oneplus by selling my op5t and bought a p20 pro. I won't buy the 6 and waiting for the 6t... Who knows. Also interested by the Mi Mix 2s.
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I bought and returned a View 10 and P20 (non-pro) and neither would play my favorite game Hill Climb Racing 2. Major stutters so bad I couldn't even play. The P20 purchase was 9 weeks after the View. I was hoping it was a fluke deal. I did try a few other games that played well but I've also seen it mentioned that the 970 has GPU issues. I held off on the Mix 2s until the curtain was pulled back for the OP6 but I'm also on the fence. Think I'll order the 6 and if not wowed just return it and get the 2s.
Glass back on the 6
hunhool said:
Maybe wireless charging..but I don't really know.
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Now that theyve swapped from metal to glass backing, i think you are correct.
I find it weird that it wasnt included in the 6 though.
Robbo.5000 said:
Compared to the S9 and £9+, yes it is a very fine phone and probably runs it very close.
Samsung was also seen this 'season' to only come to the table with an uninspired iterative update. I think that they've suffered in being one of the first this year to roll out the release and have been caught lagging by some of the other manufacturers that came later.
Last year the S8+ was considered to have one of the best cameras in a smart phone. This year, although the S9+ camera has improved, it is only a minor improvement. Huawei and Xiaomi through heavy use of AI, have made huge leaps forward compared to last year, probably equivalent to 5 years worth of normal iterative upgrades. They have also both brought some other, worthwhile, uses of AI with their latest phones to further push themselves ahead of the competition.
OnePlus originally made 2 big sacrifices in order to keep costs low. These were LCD screens and cameras that would be typically found on mid range phones. However they were pretty much alone in the budget flagship market back then and so this wasn't seen as a big issue. With the arrival of some competition they've had to adjust accordingly.
Last year OnePlus came with a fairly large price increase, which allowed them to switch to AMOLED screens, this year another price increase sees them moving to premium camera modules expected on flagship phones.
In terms of where OnePlus was with the One and even where they were last year, yes this is a great phone and a good improvement. But considering some of the innovations some of the competition has brought this year, they have lagged behind. I no longer believe they are the first choice for those looking at the budget flagship market. Xiaomi would appear to have taken on that title.
If Xiaomi would embrace the custom ROM community the same way OnePlus have, OnePlus could find themselves losing some loyal customers.
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Click to collapse
Well no offence, but the AI in mobiles at this point of time is a bit overrated... We have been seeing phones detect scenes and boost colors based on the scene long before companies started marketing it as AI (Coming from Honor View 10 User) , predictive app mamagement has also been a thing for a long time now.... Sure AI helps do it better... But does it really have to be marketed so much.. In reality my phone with AI doesnt feel as smooth as my friends Oneplus 5t, so im willing to bet oneplus 6 will be even smoother...
Since no one has posted any real camera samples and reviews as of now... I cant say much about it...
Onething that i did notice using the View 10 is the battery life. Its great.. Maybe thanks to the NPU, lets see if oneplus is doing something similar without making a fuss about it...
Overall it looks to be a very 2018 phone with all features te current flagships have - the AI advertising
Firipu said:
Was looking forward to the oneplus 6.
I was thinking to upgrade to either a Mi Mix 2s or OP6. But I don't see what the OP6 offers, besides non-IP rated waterproofing over the Mi Mix 2s.
Same innards.
Same price
Ugly notch
Better blacks?
Arguably worse camera on paper
No wireless charging.
I don't see why you would pick an OP6 over Mix 2s. Miui sucks (got a lot better though lately), but is very easy to replace with a custom ROM.
Disappointed
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Mi mix 2s disadvantages are ,very poor development & community...
If you like to modify your phone ..rooting , trying custom kernels , custom ROMs...etc.. then definitely OP6...
Otherwise Mix2s ..
I'm surprised by some of these comments. You're all asking for features that would clearly bump the price way up? I think you have unrealistic expectations - if you want it to be a s9, buy an s9 lol!
4k panel? Why? Your eyes can't see it, worse battery and more expensive.
The wireless charging, yes it's interesting, but doesn't matter at all to me. It's slower than with wires and I can't play on my phone whilst charging.
The camera is probably the only Biggie for me. I really hope it's low light shots are at least usable. I'm coming from my nexus 6P and this camera has served me very well - I hope the OnePlus 6 is better.
As for other things like the notch - I mean come on guys, if you disable it you can't even see it. With it there you get more screen size.
I think for the price it's a fantastic phone, and the software is a great experience compared to many other cheap alternatives!
cultofluna said:
Mi mix 2s disadvantages are ,very poor development & community...
If you like to modify your phone ..rooting , trying custom kernels , custom ROMs...etc.. then definitely OP6...
Otherwise Mix2s ..
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Not disagreeing, but I have a Mix 2 and redmi note 4. They both have a very active dev community. Really can't complain. Not as amazing as e.g. Nexus devices, but still very good imo. Can't comment on Oneplus dev community though.
And the 2s is a treble device.
wireless charging will always be asked for but hardly be undestood by me.
It's utterly slow compared to any charging solution on market.
Then you go on the charge for a day... it's somewhat convenient, but takes some more room in the phone internals, and on your desk with the charger.
The glass back is more for the awesome mobile network speeds and wifi reception.
As much as I hate glass for shattering, my experience always shown that metal chassis results in poor reception.
Well that's about it. I'm curiously waiting for the oneplus6 to arrive. It was a long time ago with the OnePlus One when I last saw how OnePlus fares...
I'm sure I'm gonna have the U12+ too as well this year, but I needed to check another qualcom rocketed device this year (no kirin or exynos for dev purposes on my end)
Hi my phone is up for renewal and I enjoy photography any advice on which phone has the best camera.
I find it hard keeping up with all this new tech lol.
Your Thought's please,
I like Notes. I had a N10+ 512/12gb Snapdragon for 2 years that's still running on Pie. It looks and runs like new, one replacement battery.
Supports up to a 1tb SD card and works seamlessly with a V30 rated card.
The display while limited to 60hz is still one of the best out there. Drop dead gorgeous and it's color rendering exceeds both of the newest Samsung flagships. Excellent for viewing photos with ICC calibration for separate app color profiles.
The cam is still very good and Android 10/UI 2 bumped up it's capabilities. The phone is a workhorse and very well built. Get a good case and it's good to go. It's 7mm profile, about 200gm weight makes it feel smaller than it is even in a case.
I simple wasn't satisfied with Samsung's offerings (no SD card slot and many issues) and think Android 11/12 are horrible.
So... got a new N10+ 256/12gb Snapdragon running on Android 10 for $800 3 weeks ago.
I simply love these phones. After configuration they run flawlessly with almost no maintenance.
My current Pie load is over 1.5 years old, still fast and stable. That was my solution...
Look inside here:
The best camera phone in 2023: which is the best smartphone for photography?
The best camera phones take photos and video that can rival traditional cameras – these are the top smartphone shooters
www.digitalcameraworld.com
Hi all,
I love battery life and a good camera experience in a phone. I have had both with my iPhone 11 Pro Max for the last two years. However, I can't deal with iOS anymore. I really would like to switch back to Android for many reasons.
What is the most stable / least buggy Android experience on a phone right now? It does not have to be stock Android if that comes with a bunch of bugs.
I ordered a Pixel 5A 10 days ago but Google has still not shipped it. Not sure what is going on.
I think you have the wrong idea about stability of Android in general.
Nevertheless, I use two phones atm, runing stock firmware and nova launcher pro
Xiaomi redmi note 9 pro, still holds up well, never had any serious issues. Bootloader unlocked, just rooted. Batteries on these are bests it can comfortably get me through the day. Camera is ok, still on the upper segment.
OnePlus 9R - a beast of a phone, but the battery is just not comparable to the note9 pro. Software is so-so, there are some bugs that can easily be fixed, for example some apps can keep the CPU awake and waste the battery, camera flash can heat up the phone and heat in general.
I think you should be fine with the pixel 5a. SD 765g runs much much cooler.
I have just been following the new Pixel 6 series for a while and wanted to upgrade but they seem to have so many bugs and issues. I have a Pixel 2XL and I loved it. Being in the US now, I was kind of forced to use an iPhone because of iMessage and I certainly enjoyed the battery life and the camera but I miss Android a lot. The iOS keyboard is just so bad in comparison for me and Apple does not really support third party keyboards very well. Still to this date and I am on iOS 16 dev channel. That is just one reason but certainly a big one for me.