General New XT2115-1 Owner w/questions - Moto G Stylus (2021)

I just bought a carrier unlocked version of this phone. It is the xt2115-1. Fastboot commands confirms it is boot loader unlockable. I have not yet unlocked it, or moved my SIM card to it, for that matter. I am coming from a Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite running PE Official, which I love, but the battery is almost toast after nearly 3 years, and my carrier Crickett Wireless keeps sending me messages that my XM8L is not supported after Feb '22.
So I got a pretty fair deal at Sam's Club on this phone ($219). I did look it up here to see how far development has progressed since it was released. I was disappointed to see, not much. Looks like nobody is able to access the /vendor mount and one other (it's late).
I would like to build PE (Pixel Experience) for this phone, but /vendor is pretty much required to do that. Has anyone succeeded in extracting this partition? Or has anyone figured out a reason why it cannot be extracted?
Anyway, I hope we can get some ROMs for this phone eventually. I will do all I can to assist, as I have built ROMs for a few phones, just not this one (or Android 11+). I would also like to eventually build Pitch Black Recovery for this phone, as PBR is the most easy to use recovery, and very powerful too. Just my opinion.

Yeah, just looking at the Sam's Club version of this phone as it is $25 off this weekend, and kind of bummed not much is available at this point. Crossing my fingers there will be some action on this front in the near future.

verbage said:
Yeah, just looking at the Sam's Club version of this phone as it is $25 off this weekend, and kind of bummed not much is available at this point. Crossing my fingers there will be some action on this front in the near future.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So did you buy one? I still have yet to root mine, but hopefully will have time this weekend. I hate getting a new phone, especially when the one I had was brilliant! (Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite) Cricket Wireless kept sending me messages that my phone would no longer work on their nework after February, and at nearly 3 years old, the battery is getting tired (easily replaceable, but that doesn't make it compatible with Cricket, and probably AT&T as well). I might wall mount it and use it as a Home Assistant kiosk or something similar, at some point.

Yup, ended up picking up one and it will be a gift for my daughter for X-mas. And I'll probably pick up one for my wife, too, when it goes back on sale again. I have not played with it extensively yet, but it seems pretty impressive for the price. Then again, my daily driver is an LG G4, which was released back in 2015, so probably anything relatively modern will be impressive for me!
We are upgrading for the same reason as you--we use Tracfone with AT&T towers, and yeah, we have been receiving messages about the Feb 2022 deadline.
I think I might take the plunge, and go for a Pixel 6 myself though the base model is like $600. I am dreading the lack of a MicroSD slot, but the camera is apparently stunning. And there is guaranteed tons of custom development on it from the very start given that Google releases the source code for it immediately.
OnePlus is having a flash sale on the OP9 starting in a few hours, and the price will be $600, too, but if you sign up they will give you a $60 voucher bringing it down to $540. But the camera is apparently not as good as the Pixel 6. And I took a look at teardown/repairability info on both, and the Pixel 6 seems much more friendly in this regard.

verbage said:
Yup, ended up picking up one and it will be a gift for my daughter for X-mas. And I'll probably pick up one for my wife, too, when it goes back on sale again. I have not played with it extensively yet, but it seems pretty impressive for the price. Then again, my daily driver is an LG G4, which was released back in 2015, so probably anything relatively modern will be impressive for me!
We are upgrading for the same reason as you--we use Tracfone with AT&T towers, and yeah, we have been receiving messages about the Feb 2022 deadline.
I think I might take the plunge, and go for a Pixel 6 myself though the base model is like $600. I am dreading the lack of a MicroSD slot, but the camera is apparently stunning. And there is guaranteed tons of custom development on it from the very start given that Google releases the source code for it immediately.
OnePlus is having a flash sale on the OP9 starting in a few hours, and the price will be $600, too, but if you sign up they will give you a $60 voucher bringing it down to $540. But the camera is apparently not as good as the Pixel 6. And I took a look at teardown/repairability info on both, and the Pixel 6 seems much more friendly in this regard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I too wanted a Pixel 6 but the lack of MicroSD killed it for me. There are kernel sources available for this phone, both for A10 and A11. I have grabbed the A11 source code. I want to attempt to build PE for this device at some point. I am still getting used to it however, as I had it a full week before I moved my SIM card to it. The only thing I dislike about it so far is the shear size of it. Such a HUGE phone and much more heavy than my Mi 8 Lite. Something I will just have to get used to. Also, Android Auto is very slow to start and the screen must be on and unlocked before my auto's head unit even detects its presence. Very odd.

Update: I am bootloader unlocked, rooted via Magisk, and have Orange Fox recovery installed (not my favorite). I have also managed to get the /vendor partition pulled. I have discovered a few quirks.
- Apex Launcher cannot backup or restore data. Seems to be some sort of permissions issue. This worked fine before unlocking and rooting, so not sure what the connection could be at this point.
EDIT: Apparently this is a problem with A11 and Apex Launcher. But, my Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite can backup and restore Apex data in A11.
- Magisk can not find nor download any modules. A search always reveals nothing.
I will continue to research the issues at hand. I have wiped and restored from Google cloud numerous times (3 so far) and nothing seems to fix this.

So I have a question when you bootloader unlocked were you on Android 10 or android 11 cause I'm on 11 and my code shows on Motorola site as not eligible

Android version does not matter. Try a different email address. If that doesn't work reset your router and modem and it should cycle the IP address. I get that error alot and both of those have worked equally as well.

Related

Moto X Style Official Nougat Update delayed till May.

Moto germany , confirmed the delay in update scheme due to some last minute issues.
http://m.gsmarena.com/motorola_delays_nougat_update_in_germany-news-23150.php
Very disappointed as the phone is almost two years old but no major update was done. Google may release Android 8.0 by May.
ntkhoa said:
Very disappointed as the phone is almost two years old but no major update was done. Google may release Android 8.0 by May.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
5.1.1 to 6.0 wasn't a major update? I am not thrilled with the delay, but let's not forget how quickly the MXPE received Marshmallow. The Z line is their primary focus now, that's how it goes!
cool, only 3 months more to get already outdated 7.0 thanks lenovo
iks8 said:
cool, only 3 months more to get already outdated 7.0 thanks lenovo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I know I love this phone but moving on to the OPO 3T because of this reason
zapty said:
due to some last minute issues. marketing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fixed that for you.
So typical for moto. They're going to wait for us to do all the hardwork for them, and then roll out an update right around the time that its no longer needed by us.
As long as lineage keeps updating the phone I will use it until the phone dies but this will definitely be my last Moto phone.
Everyone is all pissed but Google just ended support at 2 years sharp on the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9. The manufacturers are still in a 2 year support paradigm related to contracts.
This is largely why I went to AICP with 7.1.1 and on-time monthly Android security updates. Plus, a lot more functionality and customization. The same was true with LiquidSmooth when Samsung stopped supporting the Galaxy S3 before. Every device ceases to be supported at some point. That's why we hang out here and work together to extend the life of our favorite hardware. I, too, and disappointed that Lenovo dropped meaningful support for the Pure 2015 last year, but AICP has gotten me over the sting.
I am betting Google's announcement about killing the Google now launcher factors into this. OEMs now have to build their own launcher
We could get 7.1.2 directly also... We never know what's gonna happen anyways but now I'm pissed off by this and I'm surely going to buy nokia phone next time... This is such a disgrace...
I would like to use linageos but rom without fully working moto display is not for me, I bought this phone for this function and stereo speakers. Im ok with android 6, I dont feel loosing some functionality.
Tapatapatap Moto X Style
gemtin92 said:
I would like to use linageos but rom without fully working moto display is not for me, I bought this phone for this function and stereo speakers. Im ok with android 6, I dont feel loosing some functionality.
Tapatapatap Moto X Style
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what is not working in lineage? what do you mean "not fully working moto display"?
I am at same situation, would like to use Lineage instead of orig. rom. thx
IMO the guy who has regularly said he doesn't think we'll ever get Nougat will be vindicated. The MXPE has been a commercial failure and retailers regularly have it on fire sale for $250 or less - they can't get rid of them. There's almost no chance Lenovo will go out of their way to continue spending man hours on the update this spring if they're "having problems" (more likely, they never started working on an update to begin with).
Purchasing this phone is certainly one of my bigger electronics regrets. If I could go back in time, I'd pony up the extra $100 for a 6P, no question. Now the price differential between a used MXPE and 6P is even bigger than that, which says a lot.
Commercial failure perhaps but that is Lenovo's fault. They incorrectly thought that the Moto name meant they had no need to advertise.
Won't wait. Will buy Mate 9
ominousnimbus said:
IMO the guy who has regularly said he doesn't think we'll ever get Nougat will be vindicated. The MXPE has been a commercial failure and retailers regularly have it on fire sale for $250 or less - they can't get rid of them. There's almost no chance Lenovo will go out of their way to continue spending man hours on the update this spring if they're "having problems" (more likely, they never started working on an update to begin with).
Purchasing this phone is certainly one of my bigger electronics regrets. If I could go back in time, I'd pony up the extra $100 for a 6P, no question. Now the price differential between a used MXPE and 6P is even bigger than that, which says a lot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's always so interesting to see different peoples opinions.
I'm bought the 6P when it came out. It was a great phone, notice I said was. If you hit the XDA forums you will see loads of; bootloop of death, battery issues. It seems the battery is wearing prematurely and causing non repairable failures. This is the majority opinion of the reason for the failure, but again is only opinion. I kept my phone pristine and a few weeks ago got the dreaded BLOD. Huawei did send me a refurbished phone back; it was slightly dinged, but I sent them a 32gb and they sent me a 128gb back. They didn't offer a loaner, so I picked up a MXPE and have to say I like it so much when I got my 6P back and I've not bothered to do much with it.
jackpollard said:
It's always so interesting to see different peoples opinions.
I'm bought the 6P when it came out. It was a great phone, notice I said was. If you hit the XDA forums you will see loads of; bootloop of death, battery issues. It seems the battery is wearing prematurely and causing non repairable failures. This is the majority opinion of the reason for the failure, but again is only opinion. I kept my phone pristine and a few weeks ago got the dreaded BLOD. Huawei did send me a refurbished phone back; it was slightly dinged, but I sent them a 32gb and they sent me a 128gb back. They didn't offer a loaner, so I picked up a MXPE and have to say I like it so much when I got my 6P back and I've not bothered to do much with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, this may be a case of "the grass is always greener" for me. I wasn't aware of widespread 6P issues, but a bit of research indicates they've sprung up over the past few months.
On paper, the 6P is a slightly faster version of the MXPE (plus fingerprint sensor) that still gets regular updates, whereas the MXPE was more or less abandoned in the software department within 6 months of release. The microSD slot was a big factor that swayed me at the time of purchase, but if I'd known how quickly support would be abandoned vs. 2+ years of continuous updates (even monthly security patches) on the 6P, it wouldn't have been enough.
Of course, if you end up with a bricked paperweight 6P, superior software support isn't going to do you much good. Sorry to hear about your experience.
I will add this: the icing on the cake with Lenovo's non-support is that they void your warranty for unlocking the bootloader and trying to stay up-to-date using custom ROMs. Given that I'm already on my second (RMA) MXPE, I don't trust the hardware enough to lose the warranty, so I'm stuck on Marshmallow forever most likely.
ominousnimbus said:
Well, this may be a case of "the grass is always greener" for me. I wasn't aware of widespread 6P issues, but a bit of research indicates they've sprung up over the past few months.
On paper, the 6P is a slightly faster version of the MXPE (plus fingerprint sensor) that still gets regular updates, whereas the MXPE was more or less abandoned in the software department within 6 months of release. The microSD slot was a big factor that swayed me at the time of purchase, but if I'd known how quickly support would be abandoned vs. 2+ years of continuous updates (even monthly security patches) on the 6P, it wouldn't have been enough.
Of course, if you end up with a bricked paperweight 6P, superior software support isn't going to do you much good. Sorry to hear about your experience.
I will add this: the icing on the cake with Lenovo's non-support is that they void your warranty for unlocking the bootloader and trying to stay up-to-date using custom ROMs. Given that I'm already on my second (RMA) MXPE, I don't trust the hardware enough to lose the warranty, so I'm stuck on Marshmallow forever most likely.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the well stated response.
I've not been a fan of Lenovo since the Superfish malware and the rest of the crap they install became public knowledge. But I kind of hoped they would of left Motorola somewhat autonomous but I see they did not. The lack of promised updates is inexcusable, it's a lie plain and simple. The whole bootloader thing, while I personally think is wrong, its my damn phone let me do what I want, at least they tell you up front and don't make you guess.
While not nearly as egregious the fact Google discontinued the whole Nexus line and has Pixel exclusive is somewhat annoying. I can almost understand it from a business standpoint, but you could of at least threw the Nexus crowd a crumb and kept say the unlimited photo thing as a Pixel exclusive and give us the Pixel experience. Honestly, the last rom I was running was 100% N and Pixel modded and I'm OK with MM and the Moto voice is pretty good. I did read rumor of N in May for the MXPE, so I hope thats true.
Some guy is on his 5th rma for his 6P! I'm not sure if he is throwing them out the window, but that's pretty sad.
I suppose bottom line is you can't go wrong with either, they both have pros and cons.
I bought this phone 15 months ago for 4 main reasons :
Larger secreen than my previous phone
stereo front-facing speakers
design
low price
During that time it hasn't given me any problems and has done everything I wanted from it.
So, OK, it hasn't got the very latest Android "upgrade", but if I was really that bothered I'd unlock the bootloader and install a custom ROM. (I'm out of warranty anyway). But why? The phone works perfectly fine.
To put this into context, I bought a £35,000 car last September. The 2017 models will now get Apple Carplay & Android Auto - but this will not be retro rolled out to my car.
And you guys are pissed off at no updates for a $300 smartphone?

A Journey - From Note 4 to the LG US996

Note 4 Story
Why this thread? Short background - I am building a '61 Chevy Bubbletop, and have a thread in a Chevy fourm that I have been posting pics, etc. Have had a lot of interest and helpful feedback. I thought it would be fun, and maybe helpful to some (maybe even me), so here goes.
I will have the phone in hand Monday. So first, background on my Note 4, and what I'm hoping to experience with the V20.
I have come to the point that I prefer to not install ROMs. I find that typically, no matter how great and stable everyone says a ROM is, it always has some issue of some kind. (Of course even stock ones do to).
So I went a long time w/o rooting or applying a ROM. I finally just had to have root. So I sold my AT&T Note 4 (couldn't root it), and purchased a T-Mobile Note 4 which could be rooted. I rooted it and used like that for quite a while.
I am one that uses a LOT of apps. (The phone is to use, no?) And with that comes more memory use, and lag. The phone got so laggy I just had to try a ROM. I tried 2-3 with varying success. I finally tried Maximum Overdrive's ROM for the Note 4 (he is now working on a ROM for the V20).
It was like a different phone. Fairly fast, not near as much lag. It has allowed me to extend the life of the phone over the past year. In fact, it works well enough that I wonder how smart I am spending several hundred dollars for a new phone.
So why the new phone? I moved to Florida a year and half ago, and AT&T's data here sucks ripe lemons. I'm going to move to Verizon. (My daughter has them, and we have compared speeds etc., and Verizon is much better here).
Choosing the V20
It has been a few months that I have been on the watch for my next phone. I won't bore you with the long story of that...just a few details.
One of my 'must haves' for the next phone was to have 6GB of memory...due to my high application load. Over time my highest priority switch from 6GB of memory to capability to use a phone on both GSM and CDMA (read that AT&T/Verizon) networks. That way I can tergiversate regarding carriers.
So, some of my top phone choices dropped off the list. In fact, pretty much all of them except for the US996.
Concerns
I do have a few concerns about the V20 that I hope will be alleviated quickly:
Battery - I've been reading posts regarding battery and it does not sound good. Since moving to the Max Overdrive ROM on the Note 4, my battery is unbelievable. I'd hate to go downhill with this phone. This may be something that necessiates rooting.
Camera Lens - I'm sure everyone knows why this is a concern
Performance - I read, for the most part, that this phone performs well. But I also read a lot of complaints about LAG. Ugh...my high app use may make this a likely scenario for me
Camera - I see some complaints about low light pics. But I've seen a lot of praise for the camera as well
Initial Plans
Once I get all apps installed, and data imported/restored for those that need it, I plan to use it stock for at least 30 days and see how it goes. Depending on how it goes, especially related to the concerns above, I'll either keep it and move forward, or return it.
I'll start out with it on AT&T. May hold off moving to Verizon until I pass the 30 day return availablility.
Rooting
I would really like to root the phone. But, as that the only way to unlock the bootloader is via the LG site for this phone, I don't know if I will or not...at least this early with the phone. Why does that make a difference? Will lose warranty, as they indicate that on the LG site where you go to get it unlocked.
Apply Rom?
Given that there is a Maximum Overdrive rom for the V20, you'd think I would want to put that on. Actually, this is true...but he is only making one for the 918, as that is the phone he has. So, I will miss out on that honey.
I have read some positive info on a couple others out there, but do see constant issues, even with just rooting. It's not near as smooth as a Samsung (I base that opinion on the issues I see here vs. have experienced with the Samsung). So, I'm skittish about doing anything to it. Given the 996 unlocking flags the phone as out of warranty, I fear that a bricked phone will be a several hundred dollar loss.
Summary
So, looking forward to getting the phone and seeing how it goes, and having fun communicating here about the journey.
ewingr said:
Note 4 Story
Why this thread? Short background - I am building a '61 Chevy Bubbletop, and have a thread in a Chevy fourm that I have been posting pics, etc. Have had a lot of interest and helpful feedback. I thought it would be fun, and maybe helpful to some (maybe even me), so here goes.
I will have the phone in hand Monday. So first, background on my Note 4, and what I'm hoping to experience with the V20.
I have come to the point that I prefer to not install ROMs. I find that typically, no matter how great and stable everyone says a ROM is, it always has some issue of some kind. (Of course even stock ones do to).
So I went a long time w/o rooting or applying a ROM. I finally just had to have root. So I sold my AT&T Note 4 (couldn't root it), and purchased a T-Mobile Note 4 which could be rooted. I rooted it and used like that for quite a while.
I am one that uses a LOT of apps. (The phone is to use, no?) And with that comes more memory use, and lag. The phone got so laggy I just had to try a ROM. I tried 2-3 with varying success. I finally tried Maximum Overdrive's ROM for the Note 4 (he is now working on a ROM for the V20).
It was like a different phone. Fairly fast, not near as much lag. It has allowed me to extend the life of the phone over the past year. In fact, it works well enough that I wonder how smart I am spending several hundred dollars for a new phone.
So why the new phone? I moved to Florida a year and half ago, and AT&T's data here sucks ripe lemons. I'm going to move to Verizon. (My daughter has them, and we have compared speeds etc., and Verizon is much better here).
Choosing the V20
It has been a few months that I have been on the watch for my next phone. I won't bore you with the long story of that...just a few details.
One of my 'must haves' for the next phone was to have 6GB of memory...due to my high application load. Over time my highest priority switch from 6GB of memory to capability to use a phone on both GSM and CDMA (read that AT&T/Verizon) networks. That way I can tergiversate regarding carriers.
So, some of my top phone choices dropped off the list. In fact, pretty much all of them except for the US996.
Concerns
I do have a few concerns about the V20 that I hope will be alleviated quickly:
Battery - I've been reading posts regarding battery and it does not sound good. Since moving to the Max Overdrive ROM on the Note 4, my battery is unbelievable. I'd hate to go downhill with this phone. This may be something that necessiates rooting.
Camera Lens - I'm sure everyone knows why this is a concern
Performance - I read, for the most part, that this phone performs well. But I also read a lot of complaints about LAG. Ugh...my high app use may make this a likely scenario for me
Camera - I see some complaints about low light pics. But I've seen a lot of praise for the camera as well
Initial Plans
Once I get all apps installed, and data imported/restored for those that need it, I plan to use it stock for at least 30 days and see how it goes. Depending on how it goes, especially related to the concerns above, I'll either keep it and move forward, or return it.
I'll start out with it on AT&T. May hold off moving to Verizon until I pass the 30 day return availablility.
Rooting
I would really like to root the phone. But, as that the only way to unlock the bootloader is via the LG site for this phone, I don't know if I will or not...at least this early with the phone. Why does that make a difference? Will lose warranty, as they indicate that on the LG site where you go to get it unlocked.
Apply Rom?
Given that there is a Maximum Overdrive rom for the V20, you'd think I would want to put that on. Actually, this is true...but he is only making one for the 918, as that is the phone he has. So, I will miss out on that honey.
I have read some positive info on a couple others out there, but do see constant issues, even with just rooting. It's not near as smooth as a Samsung (I base that opinion on the issues I see here vs. have experienced with the Samsung). So, I'm skittish about doing anything to it. Given the 996 unlocking flags the phone as out of warranty, I fear that a bricked phone will be a several hundred dollar loss.
Summary
So, looking forward to getting the phone and seeing how it goes, and having fun communicating here about the journey.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just so you know att only has a 14 day return policy
jerrycoffman45 said:
just so you know att only has a 14 day return policy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know. I purchased from B&H Photo. Besides. AT&T doesn't sell the 996, I don't think.
But thanks for the warning. Had I purchase it from them, and expected 30 days, it would have been a pain to learn the hard way that I can't return it if I decide to.
I had the Note 3, 4 then 7 and this phone is larger than all 3. I just recently switched from Sprint and traded in my s7 edge for the V20 and I am happy so far. I purchased a OtterBox Defender case for the phone and with it installed I no longer have any worries of the camera glass, the case is very solid. Plus I left the factory plastic on the camera which people say will help if the phone was to be dropped.
Good luck!
I had been anxiously awaiting the Note 7. At the time 6GB memory was the top of my 'must have' list. So, when it came with 4GB, I was disappointed and decided to watch for a while. Then we know what happened.
I've actually been very interested in chasing some of the better priced competitors, such as Axon 7 or OnePlus 3t. But both the cameras were rated poorly, and then are GSM only.
But, I'm getting tired of these $800 prices. Rumor now is 1K for the Samsung 8.
I ended up purchasing an open box V20 from B&H, has full factory warranty. Got it for 675, no tax, no shipping.
ON the case, I have been using a Bestbuy PLatinum case, which comes with a belt clipped holster, and a kickstand in the case itself. Been great for me. Coming from IT and needing the phone on my at all times, and not wanting to fight the pocket, I used that.
Turns out it is made by Seido, and they have the same for the V20. It arrived from Amazon today. I'll add some pics when I get the phone and get it set up.
This story will continue. Hopefully it will be a pleasant one.
ewingr said:
Note 4 Story
Why this thread? Short background - I am building a '61 Chevy Bubbletop, and have a thread in a Chevy fourm that I have been posting pics, etc. Have had a lot of interest and helpful feedback. I thought it would be fun, and maybe helpful to some (maybe even me), so here goes.
I will have the phone in hand Monday. So first, background on my Note 4, and what I'm hoping to experience with the V20.
I have come to the point that I prefer to not install ROMs. I find that typically, no matter how great and stable everyone says a ROM is, it always has some issue of some kind. (Of course even stock ones do to).
So I went a long time w/o rooting or applying a ROM. I finally just had to have root. So I sold my AT&T Note 4 (couldn't root it), and purchased a T-Mobile Note 4 which could be rooted. I rooted it and used like that for quite a while.
I am one that uses a LOT of apps. (The phone is to use, no?) And with that comes more memory use, and lag. The phone got so laggy I just had to try a ROM. I tried 2-3 with varying success. I finally tried Maximum Overdrive's ROM for the Note 4 (he is now working on a ROM for the V20).
It was like a different phone. Fairly fast, not near as much lag. It has allowed me to extend the life of the phone over the past year. In fact, it works well enough that I wonder how smart I am spending several hundred dollars for a new phone.
So why the new phone? I moved to Florida a year and half ago, and AT&T's data here sucks ripe lemons. I'm going to move to Verizon. (My daughter has them, and we have compared speeds etc., and Verizon is much better here).
Choosing the V20
It has been a few months that I have been on the watch for my next phone. I won't bore you with the long story of that...just a few details.
One of my 'must haves' for the next phone was to have 6GB of memory...due to my high application load. Over time my highest priority switch from 6GB of memory to capability to use a phone on both GSM and CDMA (read that AT&T/Verizon) networks. That way I can tergiversate regarding carriers.
So, some of my top phone choices dropped off the list. In fact, pretty much all of them except for the US996.
Concerns
I do have a few concerns about the V20 that I hope will be alleviated quickly:
Battery - I've been reading posts regarding battery and it does not sound good. Since moving to the Max Overdrive ROM on the Note 4, my battery is unbelievable. I'd hate to go downhill with this phone. This may be something that necessiates rooting.
Camera Lens - I'm sure everyone knows why this is a concern
Performance - I read, for the most part, that this phone performs well. But I also read a lot of complaints about LAG. Ugh...my high app use may make this a likely scenario for me
Camera - I see some complaints about low light pics. But I've seen a lot of praise for the camera as well
Initial Plans
Once I get all apps installed, and data imported/restored for those that need it, I plan to use it stock for at least 30 days and see how it goes. Depending on how it goes, especially related to the concerns above, I'll either keep it and move forward, or return it.
I'll start out with it on AT&T. May hold off moving to Verizon until I pass the 30 day return availablility.
Rooting
I would really like to root the phone. But, as that the only way to unlock the bootloader is via the LG site for this phone, I don't know if I will or not...at least this early with the phone. Why does that make a difference? Will lose warranty, as they indicate that on the LG site where you go to get it unlocked.
Apply Rom?
Given that there is a Maximum Overdrive rom for the V20, you'd think I would want to put that on. Actually, this is true...but he is only making one for the 918, as that is the phone he has. So, I will miss out on that honey.
I have read some positive info on a couple others out there, but do see constant issues, even with just rooting. It's not near as smooth as a Samsung (I base that opinion on the issues I see here vs. have experienced with the Samsung). So, I'm skittish about doing anything to it. Given the 996 unlocking flags the phone as out of warranty, I fear that a bricked phone will be a several hundred dollar loss.
Summary
So, looking forward to getting the phone and seeing how it goes, and having fun communicating here about the journey.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
About Battery>> Remember that a) you will be dealing with a phone with IPS screen instead of AMOLED (this has a huge impact on the battery). b)the amount of apps that you have (specially those that requires to sync in the background are often part of the issue of battery drainage (my v20 used to last up to 7+ or 8+ with screen on with just about 7 user apps and the rest system apps, now i have 85 user apps + the system apps which make my phone last about 5+ hours screen on). On the other hand, The Doze mode of this phone is INSANE!!!! OUTSTANDING! With screen off your phone can easily last a day or even two (if you like to listen to music with pandora or Spotify >>> it will still last a lot with screen off).
About Camera Lens>> This is just an opinion but im starting to believe that the camera lens sensitivity is just to a small percent of the stock. Believe me when i tell you that i have throw my phone so hard to the wall (by accident) and with that kind of pressure (even with the poetic revolution cover) it should have made the glass of the camera crack (not to mention my phone has fell a lot). On the other hand, do not remove the plastic it comes with , just to be safe.
About Performance>> The phone is fast but just like any other phone, regardless of the processor, or the amount of ram, it has its limits. Thus, at the beginning i had a blazing fast LG V20. But put 85 user apps inside any phone and see how this will change lol. IT still fast. But every once in a while i experience a little lag. But that is just when i have only 500+mb left of ram. ( how can i know my ram quickly? OvrDrive Rom has the ram bar)
About Camera>> The camera does become slower when you are at very dark environments. But many report, including me, that using manual mode and adjusting it to your liking will make it very fast. I believe the issue is the automatic mode. Although sometimes for me the automatic mode in the dark works great. Also, some people report their photos looking like water paint (it does happen to me only with the wide angle camera. Not very often, but it does)
Now, if you are looking for developments and all that, this phone seems to be going in the right direction. We pretty much have root for every variant, we have some custom stock roms, and also we have LineageOS, Resurrection Remix, and AOKP among others so far for almost every variants.
Appreciate the input. We'll see how my experience goes.
I have a comment/reply or two in blue down in the quote of your response.
jinkerz9430 said:
About Battery>> Remember that a) you will be dealing with a phone with IPS screen instead of AMOLED (this has a huge impact on the battery). b)the amount of apps that you have (specially those that requires to sync in the background are often part of the issue of battery drainage (my v20 used to last up to 7+ or 8+ with screen on with just about 7 user apps and the rest system apps, now i have 85 user apps + the system apps which make my phone last about 5+ hours screen on). On the other hand, The Doze mode of this phone is INSANE!!!! OUTSTANDING! With screen off your phone can easily last a day or even two (if you like to listen to music with pandora or Spotify >>> it will still last a lot with screen off).
Yup. All understood. My comparison will be to my almost 3 year old Note 4. It has all the apps I will have on the V20, Doze mode (Max Overdrive ROM), etc. This has a just barely smaller battery than the Note 4 (which is disappointing...would prefer a fatter phone with fatter battery). So, I would hope the processer is more efficient, and in the end, at least as good on battery as my Note 4.
About Camera Lens>> This is just an opinion but im starting to believe that the camera lens sensitivity is just to a small percent of the stock. Believe me when i tell you that i have throw my phone so hard to the wall (by accident) and with that kind of pressure (even with the poetic revolution cover) it should have made the glass of the camera crack (not to mention my phone has fell a lot). On the other hand, do not remove the plastic it comes with , just to be safe.
I will definitely have the phone in cases. Hopefully I'll have same experience as you.
About Performance>> The phone is fast but just like any other phone, regardless of the processor, or the amount of ram, it has its limits. Thus, at the beginning i had a blazing fast LG V20. But put 85 user apps inside any phone and see how this will change lol. IT still fast. But every once in a while i experience a little lag. But that is just when i have only 500+mb left of ram. ( how can i know my ram quickly? OvrDrive Rom has the ram bar)
I'm sure it has it's limits. I do abuse them, with lots of apps. MOre than 85, I'm sure. I do have a tendency to freeze apps I don't use often. But of course that requires root. With the Maximum Overdrive ROM on my Note 4, the lags aren't too bad. I'm thinking (hoping) that this phone will shine in comparison to my Note 4 with the better specs.
About Camera>> The camera does become slower when you are at very dark environments. But many report, including me, that using manual mode and adjusting it to your liking will make it very fast. I believe the issue is the automatic mode. Although sometimes for me the automatic mode in the dark works great. Also, some people report their photos looking like water paint (it does happen to me only with the wide angle camera. Not very often, but it does)
I use some modes other than automatic on my Canon. I'm excited to see the capabilities of the camera on this phone. With an understanding of shutter and aperture as an advantage, maybe I'll be very happy with it.
Now, if you are looking for developments and all that, this phone seems to be going in the right direction. We pretty much have root for every variant, we have some custom stock roms, and also we have LineageOS, Resurrection Remix, and AOKP among others so far for almost every variants.
If only Overdrive developed for the 996, I would know what ROM to use. I will likely hold off on ROMS for a while. I still see lots of folks struggling with the ROMS and reporting issues or help needed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tomorrow...the journey begins
SHAMELESS PLUG, to remind everyone that not everyone has 800$ to throw at a phone upfront.
I was in your boat. I had my eyes dead set on the US996.
Did my research and ended up on the H918.
Look at the ROM development, it's flooded with H918 support.
Will the US996 pick up traction and have as much support as the H918? Who knows.
I even wanted the dual sim, but that isn't even rooted if my memory serves correctly.
Regardless, this phone is stellar.
WETA rom has an US996 version, which I'd definitely recommend. I have my eyes on Max Overdrive, NATF and Resurrection remix, but after flashing WETA, i wouldn't change a thing.
Best of luck to you, m9.
Thanks for the best luck wishes.
I am seeing more dev for the 996. I am hopeful that I'll be happy with it stock. Although, I really want Root, so I may give in.
One thing for sure, it is confusing having all various models in the same forums, and most folks don't indicate which model they are on.
ewingr said:
Appreciate the input. We'll see how my experience goes.
I have a comment/reply or two in blue down in the quote of your response.
Tomorrow...the journey begins
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah i would say that Max ovrdrive and Weta are the 2 most stable ones regarding stock roms. Have you tried to talk with OvrDrive ? The h918 and US996 are pretty much alike in all the aspects except some frequencies added to the us996. Maybe you can be a tester for the us996 version. But yeah, first try the phone for a while without any root until the 14 days or possibly some more days are over. If you decide to keep it, then you can jump into the v20's board lol . By the way, you said that you rather a fatter phone? I have seen some battery replacements from third party brands such as zero lemon (which is usually a great brand that produces great batteries) their batteries have way more mah than the original battery from the v20. But it comes with a cost that you might get along with them. It requires to put a very fat case to the phone. I personally dont like it but if you dont care about how fat it looks then you coupd go for it.
I didn't personally talk to Overdrive, but it was asked in his thread of his ROM would work on the 996, and his reply was he would not be supporting it as he does not have one. I too have noticed that ROMs are working on more than one model.
I'll wait and see how the stock battery works out before I go try a fatter one. I'm hoping to stay in the Seido case and belt clip I had already purchased.
Good news/Bad news
Bad news first...but not that bad
I won't have the phone in hand until late Thursday, instead of today
Now the great news
I'll have a brand new phone instead of open big phone, and will sane $175.
I went to Phandroid a bit ago and they announced a sale of the V20 at B&H for $499.99. I had paid $675 for the open box. I called B&H to see if they would refund the difference. Nope. Buy the sale phone and return the open box phone.
Fine with me ?
ewingr said:
Bad news first...but not that bad
I won't have the phone in hand until late Thursday, instead of today
Now the great news
I'll have a brand new phone instead of open big phone, and will sane $175.
I went to Phandroid a bit ago and they announced a sale of the V20 at B&H for $499.99. I had paid $675 for the open box. I called B&H to see if they would refund the difference. Nope. Buy the sale phone and return the open box phone.
Fine with me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my v20's price was practically speaking $331 dollars Brand new sealed . Because of the promotion of the $200 off and the earphone of $149 plus an extra earphone ($149) sent to me from the defective lg v20 returned. I think im going to finish of paying by the 27 of this month
tl;dr version: If I see a US996 for sale that says it "only works with US Cellular" do I take the seller's word for it, or do I know better that the US996 is unlocked for all carriers if you have the right SIM card?
"I've got time" version:
I too am considering a journey from a Note 4 to a US996.
I'm on Verizon, and I just dropped my Note 4 Dev Edition (not that the DE means anything now that the BL unlock was released), cracking the LCD and rendering the digitizer useless. A new(ish) Note 4 is around $200... so I wouldn't bother replacing the screen on my otherwise well-used phone. PS... The phone was in a case, in a belt holster (Spigen Slim Armor / Seidio respectively) and a tempered glass screen protector. ugh.
If it wasn't obvious from my owning a Developer Edition phone... I like to have an unlocked bootloader and root. I had CM13 installed on the Note 4 because TouchWiz was so far behind in a lot of ways. So, I'm considering a V20. I'd rather spend a little more and get a phone that has a SUPPORTED BL unlock method. The Verizon V20 version can be BL unlocked via a hack with a debug bootloader, but it's irreversible and that may lead to issues with being painted into a corner. Enter the US996.
So, I started researching the V20, making sure that there was stable bootloader unlock method, the dev base for ROMs is strong, the reviews are good, etc... and I came across some sales that say that the phone is ONLY for US Cellular. Is this true? The US996 is the unlocked version, correct?
I tried to navigate LG's and USC's websites to get a model number and some info... but I'm not seeing it. Could US Cellular have somehow SIM-locked the phone so that only USC's SIMs work in it? Or... does the seller just not know any better, or wants to play it safe by saying it will only work with the carrier listed?
Thanks for the help! Also... anyone switching from the Note 4, please let me know what you miss. I use my stylus a lot for drawing or annotating on pictures and screenshots... so I think it will be the hardest thing to give up if I go to a V20 or other stylus-less phone.
DrPhant0m said:
tl;dr version: If I see a US996 for sale that says it "only works with US Cellular" do I take the seller's word for it, or do I know better that the US996 is unlocked for all carriers if you have the right SIM card?
"I've got time" version:
I too am considering a journey from a Note 4 to a US996.
I'm on Verizon, and I just dropped my Note 4 Dev Edition (not that the DE means anything now that the BL unlock was released), cracking the LCD and rendering the digitizer useless. A new(ish) Note 4 is around $200... so I wouldn't bother replacing the screen on my otherwise well-used phone. PS... The phone was in a case, in a belt holster (Spigen Slim Armor / Seidio respectively) and a tempered glass screen protector. ugh.
If it wasn't obvious from my owning a Developer Edition phone... I like to have an unlocked bootloader and root. I had CM13 installed on the Note 4 because TouchWiz was so far behind in a lot of ways. So, I'm considering a V20. I'd rather spend a little more and get a phone that has a SUPPORTED BL unlock method. The Verizon V20 version can be BL unlocked via a hack with a debug bootloader, but it's irreversible and that may lead to issues with being painted into a corner. Enter the US996.
So, I started researching the V20, making sure that there was stable bootloader unlock method, the dev base for ROMs is strong, the reviews are good, etc... and I came across some sales that say that the phone is ONLY for US Cellular. Is this true? The US996 is the unlocked version, correct?
I tried to navigate LG's and USC's websites to get a model number and some info... but I'm not seeing it. Could US Cellular have somehow SIM-locked the phone so that only USC's SIMs work in it? Or... does the seller just not know any better, or wants to play it safe by saying it will only work with the carrier listed?
Thanks for the help! Also... anyone switching from the Note 4, please let me know what you miss. I use my stylus a lot for drawing or annotating on pictures and screenshots... so I think it will be the hardest thing to give up if I go to a V20 or other stylus-less phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure what to say. Can you link the one you are looking at? I think by only work with US Cellular, they MAY (I don't know) mean a U.S. Carrier, ie. Verizon, AT&T, Sprint or T-Mobile, as opposed to the company US Celluar.
One thing you need to be aware of for the US996...the only way, right now, that it can be bootloader unlocked is by going to a LG site to get an unlock code from them. At that point it will lose warranty. Due to that, I'll be holding off on unlocking for a while. At least, that is my current plan.
Only thing I miss is the stylus going from the note 3 to the v10.
Though I suppose I don't miss the stylus that much since I jumped from the v10 to v20 instead of going back to the note series.
I would love to see lg put some effort into it and make a stylus based top end model instead of putting a stylus version as a middle model. I was hoping the v series would feature a stylus and the g series be a non stylus version but alas it hasn't happened.
Sent from my LG-H918 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
evo4g63t said:
Only thing I miss is the stylus going from the note 3 to the v10.
Though I suppose I don't miss the stylus that much since I jumped from the v10 to v20 instead of going back to the note series.
I would love to see lg put some effort into it and make a stylus based top end model instead of putting a stylus version as a middle model. I was hoping the v series would feature a stylus and the g series be a non stylus version but alas it hasn't happened.
Sent from my LG-H918 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But i think that LG is trying not to copy other brands such as samsung. For this reason they should limit the amount of resemblance between the features of each phone. Thus, there are just a handful of LG's with stylus in comparison to the note series . After all i doubt LG wants to experience the same thing that happened with samsung been sued by apple, and then apple been sued back by samsung (quite a hilarious story though lol) but if i had a company such as LG, i would definitely not want to even put a step in court for a battle that can easily last more than a month of constant interventions and proofs and etc... and could easily cost me 100+ or 200+ millions. In a lg v20 , i believe the stylus is not a necessity (Even for people that would love to have stylus for the v series). On the other hand, one could buy one of this or similars:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1xTouch-Scr...485550?hash=item33c8e075ee:g:0RkAAOSwIgNXmXla
and see if there is an application that resembles what one can do with the note's stylus. you will definitely wont find one that will be exactly the same. But maybe similar and who knows maybe better.
DrPhant0m said:
tl;dr version: If I see a US996 for sale that says it "only works with US Cellular" do I take the seller's word for it, or do I know better that the US996 is unlocked for all carriers if you have the right SIM card?
"I've got time" version:
I too am considering a journey from a Note 4 to a US996.
I'm on Verizon, and I just dropped my Note 4 Dev Edition (not that the DE means anything now that the BL unlock was released), cracking the LCD and rendering the digitizer useless. A new(ish) Note 4 is around $200... so I wouldn't bother replacing the screen on my otherwise well-used phone. PS... The phone was in a case, in a belt holster (Spigen Slim Armor / Seidio respectively) and a tempered glass screen protector. ugh.
If it wasn't obvious from my owning a Developer Edition phone... I like to have an unlocked bootloader and root. I had CM13 installed on the Note 4 because TouchWiz was so far behind in a lot of ways. So, I'm considering a V20. I'd rather spend a little more and get a phone that has a SUPPORTED BL unlock method. The Verizon V20 version can be BL unlocked via a hack with a debug bootloader, but it's irreversible and that may lead to issues with being painted into a corner. Enter the US996.
So, I started researching the V20, making sure that there was stable bootloader unlock method, the dev base for ROMs is strong, the reviews are good, etc... and I came across some sales that say that the phone is ONLY for US Cellular. Is this true? The US996 is the unlocked version, correct?
I tried to navigate LG's and USC's websites to get a model number and some info... but I'm not seeing it. Could US Cellular have somehow SIM-locked the phone so that only USC's SIMs work in it? Or... does the seller just not know any better, or wants to play it safe by saying it will only work with the carrier listed?
Thanks for the help! Also... anyone switching from the Note 4, please let me know what you miss. I use my stylus a lot for drawing or annotating on pictures and screenshots... so I think it will be the hardest thing to give up if I go to a V20 or other stylus-less phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been thinking a bit. I know I saw in a thread somewhere about the US996 being the same model for the Unlocked and for a carrier (don't recall if it was US Cellular). I think the key is 'Unlocked'. Maybe you should put your question in it's own post. May bet more input, from someone who knows for sure.
Thanks for the replies. Take a look at this auction: http://www.ebay.com/itm/381960164377
The seller says they are an authorized US Cellular reseller… so it seems they'd know. And I doubt that they'd distort the truth about the phone being unlocked just to keep USC customers. So maybe there are US996s out there that are locked to USC. It doesn't make sense that there'd be a carrier-locked version of the US996 sold by LG… so maybe USC is locking them. Perhaps I'll ask the seller.
I ended up ordering a "like new" note 4 for $200 before I found out that B&H was selling the US996 for $300 off retail, and now I've missed that deal. So hopefully this Note4 really is in new condition and it will serve long enough for me to try out a V20 while the price drops again somewhere else.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
Update… this is the response I got from the seller:
Thank you for your question. We are not selling the phone as compatible with other carriers or carrier-unlocked. We can't guarantee that the phone will work with an another carrier. We are only saying the phone will work with the carrier US Cellular. We can only guarantee that it works with US Cellular.*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you all think?
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

Trip down memory lane: how was/is YOUR Nokia 8 experience?

If there is a soul from HMD-Global/Nokia reading this forum, you, XDA fellow may have, just as I'm having now, a moment to share your thoughts and experiences with this sometimes loved sometimes hated device...
First step was acquiring the phone, ever since I heard the old and famous Nokia was making a comeback I couldn't wait to grab my own piece of the fun but damn that was hard to get!
Since the holder of the manufacturing rights would not then, and still not to this date, sell it in this part of the globe (Brazil to be exact) I had to handle it somehow.
Just out of nothing in March 2018 I saw a friend on vacation in Sweden, posting pics on social media bragging about the weather there. That was my chance!
So I sent him the money to buy two phones, one blue(mine) another silver(for my father) and after a few days I had them. In my hands. The freaking legendary phone resurfaced!
Well that was my first thought after taking it from the brand new box.. Booted it for the first time and there was the anywhere knowable startup tone from some twenty years ago again!
Got an Oreo 8.0 stock version but some bugs too, like the ever unable to maintain connection Bluetooth or the horrible ghosted/blurred LCD if used above 20% brightness.
No problem I thought, just a few hours driving it stock it was time to really make it my own! Let's get down to XDA!
Bam, almost nothing was available at the time because HMD had shipped it with a locked bootloader! Yay a piece of confidence in it was lost that day..
But there was this dude, whose name its written within the stars, he was asking for IMEI's to FREELY calculate the unlock keys with a method that he probably devised with knowledge obtained by @hikari_calyx
I knew that was a shady thing around here (still is! don't post your IMEI online!) but hey that was the only option available back then.
After a couple of hours I got the response and followed the instructions and that was it, the blue one was unlocked! I hurried and asked my father to send me his IMEI so I could unlock his silver TA-1004 (he never had the time to, more on that later) and again after a few moments came in the second unlock key. A GOOD SIX MONTHS BEFORE THE OEM. FREE. TIMES TWO. Can you believe it?
Now that I had the bootloader unlocked the fun was about to begin or so I thought.. Back then and even now not a single developer released a fullblown custom rom for the Nokia 8. Well not even an pached up customized version of the original.
All of that may be because of the intended audience the OEM expected to have, white collar executives wanting a secure and steady device. HMD sacrificed a much broader userbase on this premise. They held back the official bootloader unlock method for ages and never properly released the source code for it.
Then a few days after the unofficial unlock in early April @2WildFirE released the first working TWRP! That was great because I just learned about the new A/B partition method and briefly read about Magisk's systemless root.
That was it, no custom rom but I could make it the way I wanted using GravityBox and a whole bunch of Magisk and Xposed modules!
The blue one went on and i kept it upgraded on all security patches until December 2018 because on January 2019 Pie 9.0 was brutally updated with little to no warning and after the reboot there was no root and everything else that came with it.
There was no possible way to downgrade and without root no way to fully back it up. Just saved the most important things and rolled back to 8.0 then gradually one by one installed the monthly security patches.
Did I mention that for each month when you had an security patch available you'd have to flash a new patched by yourself boot image or the wifi would not work? For a couple of months you had to do it by hand, but @bidhata was making it easier by sharing pre-rooted images!
There was no official Xposed or even GravityBox available for Pie then so I would stick to the last December 8.1 patch.
To this day the blue TA-1004 is in one single piece without much damage because I'm generally careful with my phones but I couldn't tell the same about the silver one because its dormant in many pieces in a box after my old man dropped it off the counter with the back of the phone on hard concrete. The thing blew in multiple shards of glass, never to be fixed because of the stratospheric prices for a dubious LCD replacement.
It sits there, hoping to live again with its almost new battery or maybe its mainboard on the blue one, that blue Nokia 8 that stays now in my office desk even after almost two years of constant charging cycles is beginning to show up signs of wear, staying off the charger no more than 4 to 5 hours with moderate use as a wifi SIP phone only.
From time to time I check the Nokia 8 forum to see if there is some hope, have noticed that @THMSP has achieved an awesome method (with a great name btw) to use project treble roms but I had it enough already to keep trying banging my head into it.
Since last November I bought a Xiaomi Mi 9 (now updated with a custom rom without all of that "official" embedded crappy datamining bloatware) that I effortlessly typed this from and even with the two weeks time waiting to unlock it, the rooting experience and the multitude of available custom roms made the blue Nokia 8 dull as a brick phone of the past.
So well this is my rant doubling as an warning to all of you manufacturers and OEMs over there. The moral of all this is, if you want your pretty little phone to be held in grace DO release it unlocked or with a possible way to unlock and provide working source code just as all the big players do.
Or else you may end up with a four/five (or how many?) camera phone with the same processor from the past year's flagship that has not achieved desired selling numbers, that even with the price drops stays on storage or display at stores or worse, be know to be the one with a yellow BANANA(!) phone design repurposed from a 1990's era.
Indeed, remembering the Nokia N900 as the holy grail. A half ready phone, it was a joy to use anyway, got a large dev boost of the users due open source and how easy it was to adopt.
And I was looking forward to this too with Zeiss optics and a neat price. But it didn't turn out that way, I have to agree, HMD has done everything possible for me to keep away from them.
The factory locked bootloader is one thing, sure if it works maybe a good alternative to iPhone's but nay. If you don't provide security updates day 1 after a a zero day. It makes no sense to slow thing down. The user experience is quite mediocre compared to any LineageOS or nexus/pixel phone.
GPS Compass bug was there several months, got me lost in Brussels. Bluetooth is yet to date vulnerable (CVE-2020-0022).
And the short lifetime of regular updates just another reason to stay away. Who wants to spend hard earned bucks on something that is going to live 23months after it's launchdate, not after 20-6 months after you got it in store? . If they only released proper buildable source code and let the for example LineageOS take this further it surely would have been something to consider.
Right now, HMD is drilling it's own hole. Wondering why the sales figures are going down. Every manufacturer that has seen their glory days keep releasing 23 different models each year. It's impossible to keep them maintained.
My next is probably a china phone of some sort with LineageOS support or even an iPhone, atleast that way I know I will get updates for years to come. I refuse to buy a new wear and tear phone every 12 months, just madness.
Nokia had is opportunity to make something good, and surely they hardware is still alive, probably best in class when it comes to reability. But sadly the company behind it doesn't have any pride left to give their products proper/workable source code or updates.

Question Is it worth buying the OP9 for $499 US?

I've been running a rooted OP6 for 3.5 years or more. Currently on stock OOS 11 with some root specific extras. It still behaves OK, but I'm thinking of getting something newer because of occasional issues that may be age related. OP is selling the OP9 for $499 today in the US. For those of you who are familiar with the device, do you think it's worth buying at that price this deep into its existence?
For 499$? Hell no!
I bought almost new one for 399$ and still pissed. Camera is horrible even with Gcam. Chipset gets hot while playing videos sometimes let alone gaming.
Also depend what you are looking for. OP 9rt has everything OP9 has and have better camera and thermal. I'd say go for 9rt than base OP9 if it's available in the price range.
Thanks. I didn't buy it before the sale ended. I figured I'd have other opportunities with some decent phone or another. Seems like a few years ago, more people were happy with their new phones. Now, it seems like a lot of people have problems with the more recent models.
The phone is fine (cameras aren't the best but everything else is great). The software is the problem. If you want it so you can flash a custom ROM on it, it's great. If you want to just use it stock, it's harder to recommend.
That said, I would take a 9 over a Pixel 6 (in fact my initial purchase decision was between these two since the sale on the OP9 at the time was the same price as the 6) or pretty much anything else because of the community support. The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro are only just now starting to get decent custom ROMs, Tensor is a mediocre SoC with a weak modem, the display is better on the OnePlus, and the OnePlus has way better battery.
When it comes to devices where I live in the US, the only options for those of us who want root and custom ROMs while maintaining full compatibility with all carriers are OnePlus and Pixel. It's too bad Samsung locks their devices down so much.
I'd have thought the Pixel 6 would have been my best bet until I started reading the myriad complaints about it from users. The glowing commercial site reviews tout the features, but don't mention that those features don't always work as would be expected. The same seems to be the case for the current generation of Samsung phones.
What's the issue with OOS on the OP9? I'm probably running something similar on my OP6, though via root, I've eliminated a lot of the bloat. I'd intended to flash custom ROMs, but I never have on this phone as I've had it set up to my liking most of the time. I'm running Android 11. Maybe that's the issue? 12 has more problems?
People don't like the Oppo-ification that has happened. ColorOS and OxygenOS are on the same codebase now and they're extremely similar. It doesn't help that OnePlus is lagging on updates a lot too. They just started dropping the C.60 update which comes with OOS 12.1 today and ColorOS has been on C.62 since April.
Honestly I got tired of waiting for 12.1 and switched my global LE2115 to ColorOS yesterday and I like it. The bloat is there but it's only an issue if you actually run it. And honestly it cracks me up seeing the Chinese in the universal search lol. *shrug*
One thing I really appreciate about this device is that the MSM Tool is available. This is the low level firmware flash that is meant for manufacturers to use to rapidly restore devices back to working order. Since we have it, it's fairly easy to recover from common bricking scenarios, and I don't know that I would want to go back to a device that doesn't have it (like the Pixel). OnePlus also seems to have excellent warranty service, they don't even void the warranty if you brick the thing, unlike Google who claims they can't even re-flash the firmware and you have to pay for a new motherboard if you brick it.
There are some annoying issues with notifications (which strangely seem to naturally resolve themselves as you use the device) and aggressive battery management in A12 that you have to learn how to work around. It's not perfect but I like OOS12 and COS12 more than I like Pixel-clone ROMs or OneUI.
I wouldn't. Truth be told, if I still had my 6, I'd still be using it. Unfortunately, I left it on top of my car getting gas once, and drove off. Never found it or its pieces.
I ended up with the 7 Pro. It was OK, but I hated the curved screen.
I sent the 8T back as OP screwed early adopters with a water bottle while a few hours later offering a pop up box that was a much better deal for the same price.
Now I have the 9. I'm not crazy about it. It's ok, but I regret paying full price for it. It'd be a hard sale at $499 for me.
Maybe an 8T would be a decent option if you could get a good price on it.
You can get the dual sim version on Amazon it's Chinese version but when I updated it to Android 12 from le2110 it turn into le2115 which is covered by at&t, so far so good, used to have the Pixel 6, I liked it until I got bored with it, I am not a gamer but all this phones depends on who is using it, I don't have any problem with OOS 12, it's stable for me, but I like the customization of the CUSTOM ROMS..
EtherealRemnant said:
People don't like the Oppo-ification that has happened.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've seen complaints about that. I haven't seen it with my OP6 because they stopped updating the OS before they merged the codebases.
EtherealRemnant said:
One thing I really appreciate about this device is that the MSM Tool is available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point. I've never had to use the MSM tool on my OP6, though I've come close a couple of times. The TWRP discrepancies between OOS versions has played havoc with me here and there. But I was always able to solve it before having to use MSM. Certainly its availability is comforting and valuable.
Superguy said:
Now I have the 9. I'm not crazy about it. It's ok, but I regret paying full price for it. It'd be a hard sale at $499 for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is it that you find disappointing?
imna357 said:
... used to have the Pixel 6, I liked it until I got bored with it, I am not a gamer but all this phones depends on who is using it, I don't have any problem with OOS 12, it's stable for me, but I like the customization of the CUSTOM ROMS..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not a gamer, either. I'd possibly use a custom ROM depending on things. I use other than the stock launcher, anyway, so at least if I don't like the look of OOS 12, I'd sidestep that much of it.
Superguy said:
I wouldn't. Truth be told, if I still had my 6, I'd still be using it. Unfortunately, I left it on top of my car getting gas once, and drove off. Never found it or its pieces.
I ended up with the 7 Pro. It was OK, but I hated the curved screen.
I sent the 8T back as OP screwed early adopters with a water bottle while a few hours later offering a pop up box that was a much better deal for the same price.
Now I have the 9. I'm not crazy about it. It's ok, but I regret paying full price for it. It'd be a hard sale at $499 for me.
Maybe an 8T would be a decent option if you could get a good price on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why would you pick the 8T over the 9? The only real advantage I see is 12GB vs 8GB (hasn't been an issue for me and I'm a heavy user). The disadvantages: hugely inferior 5G modem (that's external instead of integrated into the SoC like the 888 so even worse battery consumption), slower SoC, slower storage (much slower on random writes), closer to the end of the official software support period, etc...
For $499 you can do a lot worse than the OnePlus 9 but also can't really do better.
maigre said:
I've seen complaints about that. I haven't seen it with my OP6 because they stopped updating the OS before they merged the codebases.
Good point. I've never had to use the MSM tool on my OP6, though I've come close a couple of times. The TWRP discrepancies between OOS versions has played havoc with me here and there. But I was always able to solve it before having to use MSM. Certainly its availability is comforting and valuable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly this is my first OnePlus and I *prefer* ColorOS to OOS. The depth of customization is insane and it doesn't seem to be as buggy (but that could be due to the fact that C.62 is simply newer and that OOS will get there when C.62 finally releases for it in a month or so too, it's hard to say).
I had to use the MSM Tool... Multiple times... If I had to complain about one thing with this device, it's extremely easy to soft brick it. I have been into rooting and customizing my Android phones since 2009 and of the entire list of phones in my signature, I've only ever gotten the OnePlus 9 to the point of no return. When trying to flash to the B slot, sometimes everything that can possibly go wrong does and you end up with an unbootable system. The A/B system was the worst thing Google ever did to those of us who like to customize our devices. That said, the MSM Tool gets you back up and running with no fuss when you do need it, provided that you have a good USB cable and the technique to get the device into EDL. The lack of working TWRP has led to the need to flash a new recovery with every custom ROM and that's even more chances for something to go wrong.
EtherealRemnant said:
Why would you pick the 8T over the 9? The only real advantage I see is 12GB vs 8GB (hasn't been an issue for me and I'm a heavy user). The disadvantages: hugely inferior 5G modem (that's external instead of integrated into the SoC like the 888 so even worse battery consumption), slower SoC, slower storage (much slower on random writes), closer to the end of the official software support period, etc...
For $499 you can do a lot worse than the OnePlus 9 but also can't really do better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't get 5G on AT&T and I can't say I was terribly impressed with it on T-Mo either. Certainly not enough that it wowed me over LTE.
I've had big problems with BT on the 9 as well, especially in my Hondas. Seems to do ok in the Ford. I didn't have those problems in the same cars on either the 6 or the 7 Pro.
For what I do, I can't say I've noticed huge differences in performance. The 9 does transfer to my PC faster than the other 2, but I don't sync it that often. Performance has always been good enough for me.
The games I play I haven't noticed much difference in.
If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't pay $499 for a 9. Let alone the $750 I paid for it new.
Depends on what you value and for you use your phone.
YMMV.
imna357 said:
You can get the dual sim version on Amazon it's Chinese version but when I updated it to Android 12 from le2110 it turn into le2115 which is covered by at&t, so far so good, used to have the Pixel 6, I liked it until I got bored with it, I am not a gamer but all this phones depends on who is using it, I don't have any problem with OOS 12, it's stable for me, but I like the customization of the CUSTOM ROMS..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Chinese version's missing a lot of US bands, unless there's a way to enable them.
Superguy said:
Chinese version's missing a lot of US bands, unless there's a way to enable them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the only thing, I don't get no 5G with At&t even setting up the APN, but I get decent speed, even compared to my Pixel 5G which is a back up.
imna357 said:
That's the only thing, I don't get no 5G with At&t even setting up the APN, but I get decent speed, even compared to my Pixel 5G which is a back up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You gotta watch out with AT&T's VoLTE whitelist... They will eventually kick the phone off since it goes by the IMEI and that doesn't change when the software does. The LE2115 is the only one that's approved for AT&T.
https://www.att.com/idpassets/images/support/pdf/Devices-Working-on-ATT-Network.pdf
EtherealRemnant said:
You gotta watch out with AT&T's VoLTE whitelist... They will eventually kick the phone off since it goes by the IMEI and that doesn't change when the software does. The LE2115 is the only one that's approved for AT&T.
https://www.att.com/idpassets/images/support/pdf/Devices-Working-on-ATT-Network.pdf
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, I know, when I'm in OOS 12 Version change to LE2115, not sure if it matters, so far haven't gotten any text from att
Superguy said:
I don't get 5G on AT&T and I can't say I was terribly impressed with it on T-Mo either. Certainly not enough that it wowed me over LTE.
I've had big problems with BT on the 9 as well, especially in my Hondas. Seems to do ok in the Ford. I didn't have those problems in the same cars on either the 6 or the 7 Pro.
For what I do, I can't say I've noticed huge differences in performance. The 9 does transfer to my PC faster than the other 2, but I don't sync it that often. Performance has always been good enough for me.
The games I play I haven't noticed much difference in.
If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't pay $499 for a 9. Let alone the $750 I paid for it new.
Depends on what you value and for you use your phone.
YMMV.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These are definitely fair points.
When it's working right, 5G is ridiculous on T-Mobile. I have seen over 300Mbps in the middle of the day and over 500Mbps overnight and that's with my cheap little MVNO that's deprioritized too. My point about the modem applies to LTE as well though, not just 5G. An external modem will always use more power doing the same thing than an internal modem would.
I haven't noticed any issues with BT but I don't use it a lot.
The 865 is no slouch, it's just no 888 either.
I go back and forth on whether I think the $600 I paid for this phone is worth it. I have had some definite frustrations with it (notification issues on OOS *AND* COS are maddening!) but I still feel like I would have been miserable if I took the S21 FE or Pixel 6 for the same price...
imna357 said:
Yup, I know, when I'm in OOS 12 Version change to LE2115, not sure if it matters, so far haven't gotten any text from att
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I have heard this from other people but the OnePlus subreddit is full of people complaining about getting the boot so I would say it's coming, it's just a matter of when they get around to it.
I'm not really sure, my hardware version always changes to 2115 which is approved by at&t, when I do MSM it goes back to 2110 which is Chinese version but upon updating to OOS 12 it converts to 2115 on my hardware version. But if I put on custom ROM it goes back to 2110
i got a 9 i would sell and take trade with the 6. pm me

General I hope it doesn't have a curved screen

I really want to go back to a Pixel but I can't do the curved screens. I'm one of those people who actually puts his phones in a case and they don't work well with curved screens.
EDIT 10/6: Pre-ordered 7 Pro. The trade in for my 12 Pro Max with Best Buy was just too good to pass up, essentially makes the phone free once I find something to use the gift card for.
EtherealRemnant said:
I really want to go back to a Pixel but I can't do the curved screens. I'm one of those people who actually puts his phones in a case and they don't work well with curved screens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use the Zizo Bolt with my Samsung N10+'s and it works very well. Occasionally causes cut/paste problems but going to landscape fixes that. Prevents accidental touches and keeps the phone undamaged. The curved screens absolutely need cases with -slightly- higher than display right/left edge guards or they will likely get destroyed.
Do Pixel's have any curve nested apps like Samsung ie One Handed Operation plus? Otherwise empty curves are sort of wasted space. I use both sides as app launchers and to control various switches.
At first I wasn't sure about the curve display but after a couple months I started to prefer curved over flat. Much easier to keep clean and great for vids. I don't even think about them now after over 2 years. Visually it took some adjustment for me... the visual cortex adapts and integrates.
It has a curved screen. The sneak peak during I/O made that clear.
I'd go back to a Pixel if it didn't suck. P6 was a f&[email protected]( disaster, and still is.
If you don't want a curved screen you can go for Pixel 7 instead of Pro. It has a flat screen!
hemstheworthy said:
If you don't want a curved screen you can go for Pixel 7 instead of Pro. It has a flat screen!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's rumored to have a 6.2" screen which is too small.
I guess Google doesn't want my business so I'll stick with OnePlus.
EtherealRemnant said:
It's rumored to have a 6.2" screen which is too small.
I guess Google doesn't want my business so I'll stick with OnePlus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One Plus seems to be putting out some good models. Google is more screwed up than Samsung and Sammy's pretty screwed up nowadays.
blackhawk said:
One Plus seems to be putting out some good models. Google is more screwed up than Samsung and Sammy's pretty screwed up nowadays.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah but OnePlus keeps screwing up the software and there isn't even an MSM Tool for the 10 Pro so if you brick it, which seems to be way too easy to do on OnePlus devices (I have done it multiple times on my 9 despite doing everything right when trying to flash a custom ROM and would have been in a situation if the MSM Tool wasn't available), you are screwed.
Additionally, they have been throttling CPU performance. My Geekbench single core score on the latest OOS 12 is around 800 which makes my 888 slower than the 865. They changed the way they do the throttle as well, it can no longer be disabled with a Magisk tweak. OnePlus' answer to all of us who are complaining about how unresponsive the browser and other operations can be? Toggle high performance mode to force the phone to use high clocks all the time, even when idle, at the cost of much higher power consumption and heat than if they just left the processor alone to begin with. They haven't released OOS12 kernel source that's usable either so no custom kernel around to fix it unless you flash to a custom ROM.
So yeah, I feel like I'm being forced to go back to iOS. At least Apple listens to feedback and fixes bugs, OnePlus doesn't even seem to care about that anymore, and Apple doesn't throttle their SoCs, has prompt updates (OnePlus has been giving India updates first and has been leaving EU and global a month behind and we were already multiple months behind China), and has incredible battery life without having to disable basically every premium feature in the phone.
And yeah, Samsung is a no go for me since the Note 5. Swore that would be my last Samsung and as long as they encrypt the bootloader on Snapdragon variants, I will stick to that.
I guess I better start saving for that 14 Pro Max......
EtherealRemnant said:
Yeah but OnePlus keeps screwing up the software and there isn't even an MSM Tool for the 10 Pro so if you brick it, which seems to be way too easy to do on OnePlus devices (I have done it multiple times on my 9 despite doing everything right when trying to flash a custom ROM and would have been in a situation if the MSM Tool wasn't available), you are screwed.
Additionally, they have been throttling CPU performance. My Geekbench single core score on the latest OOS 12 is around 800 which makes my 888 slower than the 865. They changed the way they do the throttle as well, it can no longer be disabled with a Magisk tweak. OnePlus' answer to all of us who are complaining about how unresponsive the browser and other operations can be? Toggle high performance mode to force the phone to use high clocks all the time, even when idle, at the cost of much higher power consumption and heat than if they just left the processor alone to begin with. They haven't released OOS12 kernel source that's usable either so no custom kernel around to fix it unless you flash to a custom ROM.
So yeah, I feel like I'm being forced to go back to iOS. At least Apple listens to feedback and fixes bugs, OnePlus doesn't even seem to care about that anymore, and Apple doesn't throttle their SoCs, has prompt updates (OnePlus has been giving India updates first and has been leaving EU and global a month behind and we were already multiple months behind China), and has incredible battery life without having to disable basically every premium feature in the phone.
And yeah, Samsung is a no go for me since the Note 5. Swore that would be my last Samsung and as long as they encrypt the bootloader on Snapdragon variants, I will stick to that.
I guess I better start saving for that 14 Pro Max......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A sad state of ball dropping screwups when an Apple starts looking like a viable alternative.
The only flagship Samsung I would recommend is the Note 10+ N975U1. The Beast is a sublime work horse that just keeps running. New can be had loaded with Android 10, but forget trying to root this variant. It runs well stock though.
After that Samsung started going downhill, more hype than meat. If Samsung had a good new flagship it be in my hand.
Between Google Android 11/12, Samsung's no SD card and other insanities, I went with my second new N10+; twins. The one in my hand will be 3 yo this September, current load is 2 yo.
No detectable display degradation of any kind in spite of thousands of hours of use. It looks and runs like new. The only repair has been a replacement battery, due for another soon as it's heavily used. It's a dual drive 1.5tb machine that doesn't run out of ram.
It's a snappy fast phone that's still fun and fulfills its mission. I'm good for another 2-3+ years. Whatever... I'm not buying the hype or the junk.
blackhawk said:
A sad state of ball dropping screwups when an Apple starts looking like a viable alternative.
The only flagship Samsung I would recommend is the Note 10+ N975U1. The Beast is a sublime work horse that just keeps running. New can be had loaded with Android 10, but forget trying to root this variant. It runs well stock though.
After that Samsung started going downhill, more hype than meat. If Samsung had a good new flagship it be in my hand.
Between Google Android 11/12, Samsung's no SD card and other insanities, I went with my second new N10+; twins. The one in my hand will be 3 yo this September, current load is 2 yo.
No detectable display degradation of any kind in spite of thousands of hours of use. It looks and runs like new. The only repair has been a replacement battery, due for another soon as it's heavily used. It's a dual drive 1.5tb machine that doesn't run out of ram.
It's a snappy fast phone that's still fun and fulfills its mission. I'm good for another 2-3+ years. Whatever... I'm not buying the hype or the junk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was on iOS from 2017 until 2021. Had the 8 Plus, XS Max, and still have my 12 Pro Max lying here. The lack of customization for notifications bugs me and the annoyance of having to manually sign apps to sideload them was obnoxious but I can live without customization and sideloading if I have a device that just performs well. Apple's hardware is solid too, I didn't have a single hardware issue with any of them.
I can't bring myself to buy anything but new flagships. I would just feel like I threw money away if I went to an older device, even if it's stable. This is obviously a psychological issue, I have many of those lol, but it is what it is. The OnePlus works fine on OOS11 for the most part but again, I can't bring myself to be okay with not running Android 12. I am actually pretty annoyed with some issues with the Indian ROM I flashed on here though so I may just decide to stick with OOS11, root it, and disable the performance throttling either with a custom kernel or by the Magisk module I mentioned because I would probably be able to accept that tradeoff but I always get FOMO whenever a new update comes out.
It's good that you found something you are happy with though. I haven't been totally happy with a phone since the HTC U11 although I will say the 12 Pro Max was close and if it wasn't for the fact that my cheap MVNO doesn't have a carrier bundle on iOS which cost me 5G access, I probably would have just stuck with it. Since I held onto it though and paid in full for my 9, I have a $650 trade in value which will probably drop to $450-$500 when the 14 models drop in the fall which makes the price tag much easier to swallow.
I have some hope OnePlus may get it right with Android 13 so I'm going to see how that goes but if not, and no other viable options (has to have compatibility with all US carriers, has to have an unlockable bootloader, has to have at least a 6.4" screen that's not curved, and has to have at least 8GB of RAM), it's back to Apple.
EtherealRemnant said:
I was on iOS from 2017 until 2021. Had the 8 Plus, XS Max, and still have my 12 Pro Max lying here. The lack of customization for notifications bugs me and the annoyance of having to manually sign apps to sideload them was obnoxious but I can live without customization and sideloading if I have a device that just performs well. Apple's hardware is solid too, I didn't have a single hardware issue with any of them.
I can't bring myself to buy anything but new flagships. I would just feel like I threw money away if I went to an older device, even if it's stable. This is obviously a psychological issue, I have many of those lol, but it is what it is. The OnePlus works fine on OOS11 for the most part but again, I can't bring myself to be okay with not running Android 12. I am actually pretty annoyed with some issues with the Indian ROM I flashed on here though so I may just decide to stick with OOS11, root it, and disable the performance throttling either with a custom kernel or by the Magisk module I mentioned because I would probably be able to accept that tradeoff but I always get FOMO whenever a new update comes out.
It's good that you found something you are happy with though. I haven't been totally happy with a phone since the HTC U11 although I will say the 12 Pro Max was close and if it wasn't for the fact that my cheap MVNO doesn't have a carrier bundle on iOS which cost me 5G access, I probably would have just stuck with it. Since I held onto it though and paid in full for my 9, I have a $650 trade in value which will probably drop to $450-$500 when the 14 models drop in the fall which makes the price tag much easier to swallow.
I have some hope OnePlus may get it right with Android 13 so I'm going to see how that goes but if not, and no other viable options (has to have compatibility with all US carriers, has to have an unlockable bootloader, has to have at least a 6.4" screen that's not curved, and has to have at least 8GB of RAM), it's back to Apple.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android 9 may be the best. Haven't played much with the Android 10 N10+ but noticed Karma Firewall lost it's valuable logging feature due to it.
My old free copy of WPS Office works in both version as do most of my trusted overlay apps.
Android 9 and above are all reasonably secure unless you do something stupid. No malware on this 2 yo Pie load yet.
I use Poweramp as my player, just my music files alone are over 225gb.
An SD card is mandatory. I can do a full reload with no internet connection; the SD card is the data drive which is backed up redundantly. Even has all my apps as installable copies, no Playstore needed. So a factory reset isn't that big of a deal if I have to... anytime, anywhere.
Only the DCIM folder (backed up regularly to the data drive), the download folder and the installed apps go on the internal memory. No cloud anything needed or wanted other than Gmail.
So the hardware and firmware aren't my prime consideration, why should they be? It was a step learning curve to optimize these devices. Them fulfilling their mission is my primary consideration. I'm an Android pragmatist, I got out of the Samsung/ Android hype loop over 6 years ago. If not proven good, I'm not using it.
Got lucky with the N10+... always wanted a Note.
Firmware upgrades and updates (apps as well) can and do break things. No need to constantly be chasing the loose ends they create, so I don't.
Pretty much solid play time... that's the plan
Pro version will have a curve screen ... that is a problem with most manufacturer now
i am not a fan of curve screen too.. i went to get p6 and it is ok at first then it has bugs soon after .. another pain is for countries which is not officially sold, it wont be able to use VoLTE and VoWiFi. Need to root and modify the xml ... ah well cant say much about that since it is not official sold.
Seems like OP also is not so great now since they are under OPPO now and Sammy is just too expensive now with more or less not so exiting tech.
Other china phones? that is another story
blackhawk said:
Android 9 may be the best. Haven't played much with the Android 10 N10+ but noticed Karma Firewall lost it's valuable logging feature due to it.
My old free copy of WPS Office works in both version as do most of my trusted overlay apps.
Android 9 and above are all reasonably secure unless you do something stupid. No malware on this 2 yo Pie load yet.
I use Poweramp as my player, just my music files alone are over 225gb.
An SD card is mandatory. I can do a full reload with no internet connection; the SD card is the data drive which is backed up redundantly. Even has all my apps as installable copies, no Playstore needed. So a factory reset isn't that big of a deal if I have to... anytime, anywhere.
Only the DCIM folder (backed up regularly to the data drive), the download folder and the installed apps go on the internal memory. No cloud anything needed or wanted other than Gmail.
So the hardware and firmware aren't my prime consideration, why should they be? It was a step learning curve to optimize these devices. Them fulfilling their mission is my primary consideration. I'm an Android pragmatist, I got out of the Samsung/ Android hype loop over 6 years ago. If not proven good, I'm not using it.
Got lucky with the N10+... always wanted a Note.
Firmware upgrades and updates (apps as well) can and do break things. No need to constantly be chasing the loose ends they create, so I don't.
Pretty much solid play time... that's the plan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I went back to OOS11 last night and I'm going to stick with it for a bit. It seems to work pretty well although I'm annoyed at the discovery that the module that was posted to alter the CPU throttling doesn't actually seem to work fully even on OOS 11.2.10.10. I don't want to go any older than that though so I guess it is what it is at this point. Games definitely are smoother at least. Still not as smooth a iOS though...
I wouldn't mind having an SD card again. I have gotten used to not having one but it does get annoying having to back up my OnePlus backups to the PC when I have to factory reset and then move them back. In the time it took to copy from the PC back to the phone last night, I was able to floss and brush my teeth. When I got back to the computer, the bar was at the very end.
This phone will work for now on OOS11. I really hope that OnePlus listens with OOS13 because I really don't want to buy another phone but being stuck on Android 11 isn't going to be enough for me.
cruzzmz said:
Pro version will have a curve screen ... that is a problem with most manufacturer now
i am not a fan of curve screen too.. i went to get p6 and it is ok at first then it has bugs soon after .. another pain is for countries which is not officially sold, it wont be able to use VoLTE and VoWiFi. Need to root and modify the xml ... ah well cant say much about that since it is not official sold.
Seems like OP also is not so great now since they are under OPPO now and Sammy is just too expensive now with more or less not so exiting tech.
Other china phones? that is another story
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah it's not a great situation for the Android ecosystem as a whole right now really. I may just suck it up and get a 7 Pro. I really don't want to go back to iOS. I have an iPad, that's enough iOS for me.
EtherealRemnant said:
Yeah I went back to OOS11 last night and I'm going to stick with it for a bit. It seems to work pretty well although I'm annoyed at the discovery that the module that was posted to alter the CPU throttling doesn't actually seem to work fully even on OOS 11.2.10.10. I don't want to go any older than that though so I guess it is what it is at this point. Games definitely are smoother at least. Still not as smooth a iOS though...
I wouldn't mind having an SD card again. I have gotten used to not having one but it does get annoying having to back up my OnePlus backups to the PC when I have to factory reset and then move them back. In the time it took to copy from the PC back to the phone last night, I was able to floss and brush my teeth. When I got back to the computer, the bar was at the very end.
This phone will work for now on OOS11. I really hope that OnePlus listens with OOS13 because I really don't want to buy another phone but being stuck on Android 11 isn't going to be enough for me.
Yeah it's not a great situation for the Android ecosystem as a whole right now really. I may just suck it up and get a 7 Pro. I really don't want to go back to iOS. I have an iPad, that's enough iOS for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is why I committed to using the N10+'s for likely another 2-3+ years by buying a second new running on Android 10. Both will likely never be upgraded beyond 10.
Not for everyone but I absolutely wuv this Note. At this point it's optimized very well and is just a gorgeous beast of a work horse. Using a SD card as the data drive adds a layer of protection and redundantly to the device. With a mobo failure or a system crash the data drive will likely be untouched.
So now the processors are too fast to be practical so they throttle them?
Even though the N10+ doesn't have the thinner cpu chipset form factor or the fastest memory it runs almost as fast as the S22U in normal usage.
With the N9 the lag vs N10+/N20U/N22U is quite noticeable. The S22U has a huge battery and less SOT than the N10+. Weights a full display cracking ounce more too.
For what?
If you listen to all the hype the latest Androids sound wonderful... until you think it through and realize what is important for your device to fulfill its mission. That's why a well designed/built 3 yo model running on 2.5 yo firmware can still effectively compete with the newest phones.
blackhawk said:
This is why I committed to using the N10+'s for likely another 2-3+ years by buying a second new running on Android 10. Both will likely never be upgraded beyond 10.
Not for everyone but I absolutely wuv this Note. At this point it's optimized very well and is just a gorgeous beast of a work horse. Using a SD card as the data drive adds a layer of protection and redundantly to the device. With a mobo failure or a system crash the data drive will likely be untouched.
So now the processors are too fast to be practical so they throttle them?
Even though the N10+ doesn't have the thinner cpu chipset form factor or the fastest memory it runs almost as fast as the S22U in normal usage.
With the N9 the lag vs N10+/N20U/N22U is quite noticeable. The S22U has a huge battery and less SOT than the N10+. Weights a full display cracking ounce more too.
For what?
If you listen to all the hype the latest Androids sound wonderful... until you think it through and realize what is important for your device to fulfill its mission. That's why a well designed/built 3 yo model running on 2.5 yo firmware can still effectively compete with the newest phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The annoying thing about the throttling is that it's not necessary. I have used a custom ROM on here and they don't have any of the throttling and it's no problem. Sure, the device gets a bit warmer under load, but it's not dangerously hot, we are talking like 42-48C, well within all normal tolerances. People ***** about their devices being warm and everyone suffers for it. Unfortunately every custom ROM I have tried has issues ranging from a stuttering UI to broken NFC and the fingerprint reader being off center so after the last attempt flashing a custom ROM resulted in a brick, I just went back to OOS and stayed there. Maybe it is time to try again though, I will run OOS11 for a few days and see if I can get used to it.
Honestly I really like my Pixel 3 XL, it's just too slow and lacking in RAM for me to make it my daily driver. The memory is more the issue than the Snapdragon 845 honestly.
P3XL was a great phone, i used it until it went dead last year. Then i went for p6 in hope for a better support and features as promised but then again ...
anyway p6 suffers from bugs since first update and i think still until now it has not been sort out yet. The thing i like about pixel is you can still flash it via fastboot and the image it officially available in the support page.
Just that if the country is not an official country that sell pixel then you will be stuck with no VoLTE and VoWiFi and that is a hassle
EtherealRemnant said:
It's rumored to have a 6.2" screen which is too small.
I guess Google doesn't want my business so I'll stick with OnePlus.
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After Carl Pei left Oneplus started going down and now they are one of the worst companies under Oppo and the phone OS, design, and specs are not that good!
hemstheworthy said:
After Carl Pei left Oneplus started going down and now they are one of the worst companies under Oppo and the phone OS, design, and specs are not that good!
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My OnePlus 9 has better specs across the board than the Pixel 6 besides the cameras. OOS12 is terrible but I don't mind OOS11 so if OnePlus goes back to their roots with OOS13 like they are promising, I may stick around, and besides, the custom ROMs for this device are pretty good so I can just as easily just stick to those.
Qualcomm > Samsung and I don't see that changing with the 7 series.
EtherealRemnant said:
I really want to go back to a Pixel but I can't do the curved screens. I'm one of those people who actually puts his phones in a case and they don't work well with curved screens.
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I think the non-pro Pixels are a better value anyways, seeming as this launch won't be too different to the Pixel 6s apart from minor upgrades like a new SoC with moderate performance increase.
razercortex said:
I think the non-pro Pixels are a better value anyways, seeming as this launch won't be too different to the Pixel 6s apart from minor upgrades like a new SoC with moderate performance increase.
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I can't go from a 6.55" screen to a 6.2" screen though. Honestly I would rather have a 6.7"-6.10" screen. I could go from 6.55 to 6.4 but with them shrinking the screen size on the 7, it's a nonstarter.

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