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Questions on GPS and cell reception.

Have had the note 2, note 3, and note 4. Recently gave up on the note 4 because of the camera having focusing issues and the GPS losing signal constantly. Went to the lg g4 because of the camera being amazing and the GPS actually working and staying locked for an entire 90 minute trip. Reception with the note 4 was also garbage. The lg g4 pulls T-Mobile in with no problem. Kind of missing the note format and haven't seen any reviews talk about GPS and cell reception. So those that have the note 5 can you chime in on the above mentioned points?

I went from note 3. Which had horrid gps drop outs and not accurate lock. Note 5 locks quick and more accurate with mo drops. As for cell recdption its about the same as note 3 perhaps a tad bit better.

Question Samsung's Galaxy S22 Series Is a Low-Signal Beast

Samsung's Galaxy S22 Series Is a Low-Signal Beast
If you frequently have trouble staying connected to your carrier's network, the Samsung Galaxy S22 series might be the solution. In testing, Samsung's Galaxy S22+ and S22 Ultra phones significantly outperformed their predecessors (as well Google's latest Pixel phones) in low-signal situations.

Ohhh nice. I like this. A lot of my cell usage is in poor service environments.

you should add that it is about the Snapdragon version for a specific chip that is integrated by Qualcomm; Samsung had probably other priorities for Exynos

ionutdicu said:
you should add that it is about the Snapdragon version for a specific chip that is integrated by Qualcomm; Samsung had probably other priorities for Exynos
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Hope we get atleast a bit better battery life... cause the cpu seems worse

Actually just got mine delivered today (exynos cause I'm in Italy) and I am having issues with mobile data, i had to connect to wifi 3-4 times today because it doesn't work on mobile data

Masterkill88 said:
Actually just got mine delivered today (exynos cause I'm in Italy) and I am having issues with mobile data, i had to connect to wifi 3-4 times today because it doesn't work on mobile data
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I think the software is beta like...cause the phone will release in 10 days and many reviewers have stutter bugs and something like that. Do you have a pocture of yout phone? Which colour?

It's the phantom black version, 12/256 exynos version (I'm in Italy).
I was thinking the same thing, I also have this glitch where the screen turns off when you're browsing the apps (just like you would double tap on the home screen to lock the phone) and the other screen glitch with the purple pixelated stripe popping up when touching the fingerprint scanner, I think I fixed that one by using a normal photo as the lock screen wallpaper instead of the animated wallpaper though

Masterkill88 said:
It's the phantom black version, 12/256 exynos version (I'm in Italy).
I was thinking the same thing, I also have this glitch where the screen turns off when you're browsing the apps (just like you would double tap on the home screen to lock the phone) and the other screen glitch with the purple pixelated stripe popping up when touching the fingerprint scanner, I think I fixed that one by using a normal photo as the lock screen wallpaper instead of the animated wallpaper though
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Thats strange mate...hope Samsung grt this fixed on release also some new gpu drivers...the soc esprcially the gpu is bad now...

Considering how some of these posts are from people with less than 10 posts, I wouldn't take them too seriously. As we all know, trolls love to bash on Samsung.

eaoosa said:
Considering how some of these posts are from people with less than 10 posts, I wouldn't take them too seriously. As we all know, trolls love to bash on Samsung.
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Yes trolls are always bad but ive seen videos on youtubr that proves zhat the phone is a bit laggy...also speedtest whre s21 ultra is a good time faster...

Goku1992 said:
Yes trolls are always bad but ive seen videos on youtubr that proves zhat the phone is a bit laggy...also speedtest whre s21 ultra is a good time faster...
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I'll reserve my judgement until it gets here around the 25th. Besides, these are brand spanking new phones so will definitely need a bunch of tweaks and updates.

I've only watched a few Youtube reviews but maybe it's the ones I watch. They all loved the phone.

Corwinder said:
I've only watched a few Youtube reviews but maybe it's the ones I watch. They all loved the phone.
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Yes its a beautiful phone aside for the stutter... also most of them had snapdragon which seems to run better since now

Goku1992 said:
Yes trolls are always bad but ive seen videos on youtubr that proves zhat the phone is a bit laggy...also speedtest whre s21 ultra is a good time faster...
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I can vouch for this as I have seen similar reports and tests on the Exynos version being slow and battery life less than the s21U. So this isn't Trolls we're dealing with it's actually happening. So don't dismiss people so easily just because they are new and only have a few posts.

The article didn't mention the smaller s22 explicitly. Hopefully it has the same connection qualities.

Notice that they're referring to the US Snapdragon model, which uses an all new X65 modem. It's unclear how the Exynos model performs. If the Exynos modem is anything like the modem in the Pixel 6 Pro, reception might just be good instead of great.

Guyinlaca said:
Notice that they're referring to the US Snapdragon model, which uses an all new X65 modem. It's unclear how the Exynos model performs. If the Exynos modem is anything like the modem in the Pixel 6 Pro, reception might just be good instead of great.
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Hope this isnt the case...my oneplus 7t pro had better reception than my s21 ultra and hoped with the s22u this will change :/

Early opinion of the Exynos S22 Ultra is that mobile data throughput is not significantly different to Exynos S21 series and Pixel 6 Pro modem. It may be slightly more balanced in low signal areas though - one bar performance is a bit more 'consistent'.
A new modem was my main reason for upgrading. I'll testing performance against a S10+ tomorrow, which will be interesting. The S10+ outperforms the Exynos S21 Ultra with 4G, consistently.

So I've got a Snapdragon S22U/512GB, and it def seems like the phone performs better in low service environments vs my old Note 10+ 5G

So easy to lie online

Question The honest truth about the S22 Ultra 2 months later

Before I go into detail, I should note that the S22 Ultra is my favorite phone right now, and is probably the best you can get. I came from the Note20 Ultra, and briefly the S21 Ultra and Pixel 6 Pro. The S22 Ultra is a really great phone, but so were the S21 Ultra and Note20 Ultra. The Pixel 6 Pro is much like a beta phone with great software and features, but stability and 5G reception need improvement. Many reviewers have referred to the S22 Ultra as "safe" and "boring", and I tend to agree. It really is what the Note21 Ultra could have been. With so much focus moving to foldables and rollables, perhaps innovation is stagnant on the traditional slabs.
When compared to the Note20 Ultra, the only noticeable improvements are data speeds, battery life, screen uniformity, and low light photos. Everything else is exactly the same, even how the phone feels. It is not a revolutionary phone by any means, and really is only worth buying if you get a great deal. The only downsides are the weaker vibrate motor and added weight.
When compared to the S21 Ultra, it's pretty much the exact same phone with a different form factor and an S Pen. It has the same screen technology as the S22U, as well as 5G SA. The S21 Ultra is actually easier to hold being narrower, but the weight of the S22 Ultra is more evenly distributed. The S21 Ultra retains the strong vibrate motor from the Note20 Ultra. If you have an S21 Ultra, the upgrade to the S22 Ultra is NOT worth it unless you absolutely need an S Pen or prefer the larger screen area (19.3:9 has greater area than 20:9).
With each upgrade, there is less feel of something new and exciting. Even the software is nearly identical on all Samsung devices now. Dropping from 16 GB RAM to 12 GB was another odd choice. Maybe we've hit a plateau where there is nothing new to offer, or that hardware and software designers have gotten lazier. The best innovations on the software side seem to come from independent developers who have a passion for their phones. If you're coming from any non-Samsung, the S22 Ultra is a great choice, but from a recent Samsung flagship, you may be underwhelmed.

Am I the only one that thinks Samsungs decision to remove the camera surround bezels has made the unit look cheap? Looked more handsome with bezel like the S21U around the camera.

The S22U has better flare control (a function of the lense protector and maybe the lense) and somewhat better cams than the N10+.
The N10+'s display likely has a better color rendering index and white point though. Better efficiency because it's only 60hz. The N10+'s 12gb of ram chews the S22U up once the app load starts getting high. Even with a light load the S22U is only marginally faster.
The N10+ has up to 1tb of expandable storage that can be used as a data drive. Even though it memory is less efficient and has less battery capacity it gets 8-11 hrs SOT once optimized and uses >[email protected] with tap on AOD, internet/phone active.
Firmware, you can still buy a new N10+ running on Android 10. Android 11 is so-so and 12 is a boned mess of a fubar.
I have one N10+ running Pie, the other 10. Both will remain as such for their whole service lives because they run great and fullfill their mission.
Thus far security hasn't been an issue at all. Pie is reasonably secure as is in actual usage.
Both Android and Samsung have dropped the ball for 3 years running. Hard to believe the Beast is still a viable and desirable option after all this time but it is.
I'm not pleased with Samsung or Google Adroid's Apple crap wannabe releases at all

Limeybastard said:
Am I the only one that thinks Samsungs decision to remove the camera surround bezels has made the unit look cheap? Looked more handsome with bezel like the S21U around the camera.
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I actually think the S22 Ultra looks great. It gives cases with the precise cutouts a great look.

Excellent unbiased review of the S22U. It's a very good phone despite what a small group of Note 10 users with no first hand experience think of it.

My last phone was iPhone 11 and the previous one was a Xiaomi Mix 2s, so the S22 Ultra feels very premium and a big upgrade. I was bored with what is happening on the iOS side, so I decided to switch back to android and the S22 Ultra is a great all-in-one package, especially with the 4 years update.

I'm coming from S20+ 5G. I'm really disappointed about the battery life which it's still a shame, random overheating it's still present, unfortunately, the only improvement it's the camera department and S-Pen, otherwise, it's the same phone...

I came from an S20+ too. Only upgraded because I got a great deal. Already knew this was not going to be a huge upgrade from the S20+, but I am enjoying just as much. I have one for me and one for the wife and both have been flawless. No issues at all. Battery lasts more than long enough for our use. Hope the new software update does not mess with anything and just makes it better.

hand-filer said:
Excellent unbiased review of the S22U. It's a very good phone despite what a small group of Note 10 users with no first hand experience think of it.
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Best comment ever.. dude's like: oh well I have 2 note 10+ and even if this is a S22 Ultra forum I'm gonna brag about how great my N10+ with the Spen on the right as god intended it to be is. He does have some good comments and suggestions when he's not trying to shove his 2 note 10s in every thread of the forum.
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I'm almost 2 months with the S22 Ultra, I just changed the firmware to XAA U1 (it was TMB U) and it feels lighter and more fluid. I still haven't updated to the latest firmware (I switched last night so there was no update). Will try to get it and test it out. Coming from N20U, S21U, Iphone13ProM, I'm perfectly happy with the S22U, I have no regret (well maybe not getting the 1TB version), but I think this is an amazing device

Unfortunately in my country there are no trade-in deals, so yeah, I was forced to sell my S20+ for 350$ to purchase this S22 Ultra for 1200$

I actually made money on my deal. I purchased my S20+ when I was with Verizon on a Buy One Get One Free deal. I moved to T-Mobile and got $1000 each for the 2 S20+ phones I had in trade, so each S22 Ultra cost me $200 and I made a $1000 on the deal. Really could not pass that up even though I was happy with my S20+. Transferring the phone data went flawlessly on both phones and I have had no issues with the new phone. Better yet, the wife is happy.

Question S22 ultra of pixel 7 pro? The bug factor

I'm currently on a pixel 2 XL. It's still a good phone. The battery isn't great anymore, but it gets me through the day. I'm considering the pixel 7 pro, but one main reason I decided to wait one more year last year was because of the abysmal fingerprint scanner that was in the phone. The 7 pro has the same scanner or a very similar one.
As I scan through this pixel 7 pro forum I see reports of bad radios, bad battery life, the fingerprint scanner is slow and okay at best (I am NOT using face unlock), apps won't install properly, and maybe a couple other little things that I've forgotten.
Do I just need to get the s22 ultra? I'm not even convinced rooting is worth it anymore. I have zero time for that stuff- espclly when things go bad. There are unrooted versions of AdAway, viperforandroid, and YouTube revanced now exists. Revanced doesn't require root either.
S22s have awesome picture capabilities it seems . This is really important to me.
What's the opinion of you guys who've had both?

I never had a Pixel 6, but I can tell you I have zero issues with this fingerprint scanner. Works every time and fast. I realise it's optical as opposed to ultrasonic on the recent Samsung phones, but it's just as fast and reliable as my S21 Ultra was.
In terms of battery life and radio, again no issues with either. I only got the phone on Saturday so I've had two full days with a full charge and hit north of 6 hours SOT on both using a combination of wifi and data and using the phone for various things throughout the day. Radio signal is also fine, better than my Note 10 Plus I've just given to my son.
And all the reviews I've seen say the Pixel 7 Pro is the equal of the S22 Ultra's camera in every way bar the 30x zoom. It's better than my S21 Ultra was.
Again, I can only speak for myself so your mileage may vary.

Beefheart said:
I never had a Pixel 6, but I can tell you I have zero issues with this fingerprint scanner. Works every time and fast. I realise it's optical as opposed to ultrasonic on the recent Samsung phones, but it's just as fast and reliable as my S21 Ultra was.
In terms of battery life and radio, again no issues with either. I only got the phone on Saturday so I've had two full days with a full charge and hit north of 6 hours SOT on both using a combination of wifi and data and using the phone for various things throughout the day. Radio signal is also fine, better than my Note 10 Plus I've just given to my son.
And all the reviews I've seen say the Pixel 7 Pro is the equal of the S22 Ultra's camera in every way bar the 30x zoom. It's better than my S21 Ultra was.
Again, I can only speak for myself so your mileage may vary.
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I second this. Came from an s21 ultra and find no issues with the fingerprint even though at first I wasnt sold on it. It's very fast and reliable so far. Battery seems decent as well. Cameras are miles better than my exynos ultra and unless the s22 somehow fixed a lot of the camera issues mainly video, I find the 7 pro to be much better already.
Face unlock works very well too I find, even though you said you won't be using it. When I got the phone first I wasn't fully sold on it but I've had it a few days now and it's definitely an improvement on the s21 ultra. I've also found coverage to be very good and calls to be much clearer and I'm not a Google fan boy by any stretch. Personally I'd go with this phone over an s22.

I had a 22 ultra for a week or so before I got my 7 Pro and I like the 7P much better. The size and curve of the screen were too much for me on the 22. Battery wise I am getting about the same. I prefer the lack of bloat and photo processing on the Pixel. With the 50x zoom added to the 7P I don't miss the 100x zoom on the Samsung. As for problems you listed above I had the app install one but that was from transferring my data between the phones at setup. I tried a clean install and everything has been running smooth since then.

Thanks for the replies guys. They're great. Can any of you speak to the screen's brightness? I'm outside a lot, and the pixel 2xl's dim screen has been a pain in the butt from day one. The Samsungs are always brighter. I was reading that the p7 pro can put out something like 1500 nits, and this is about the same as a s22 ultra. The difference is that when the p7 pro outputs this brightness the battery gets DESTROYED whereas the s22 can output that brightness much more efficiently. I think xda even actually wrote an article about this. Can anyone personally speak to this?

Already commented on my experience in high brightness outside in the thread dedicated to that particular issue.
In short I found no evidence of the battery drain claimed, losing around 1% every 3-4 minutes on maximum brightness set by the ambient sensor when outdoors. In my experience this is about expected.

i am still on the fence and i have a s21 ultra exynos version . which is still doing good for me

I used the S22 Ultra for about 4 months. It was good, but there were some things I just did not like (battery life was terrible, for example). I now have the P7Pro and so far so good, although I've only had it for less than 24h

pro4ever said:
i am still on the fence and i have a s21 ultra exynos version . which is still doing good for me
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I upgraded from an s21 and im happy so far. Obviously it's different for everyone but there's enough good things about the P7P to justify the switch for me. Plus the s21 still holds good value so factor the sale of that into the purchase price..

I forget the nuance between carrier unlocked and unlockable bootloader. If I get an "unlocked" phone from best buy will I be able to root it? I'm considering going to get one for my wife. I will not root hers, but id like to know in case I get one and decide to root.

Schroeder09 said:
I forget the nuance between carrier unlocked and unlockable bootloader. If I get an "unlocked" phone from best buy will I be able to root it? I'm considering going to get one for my wife. I will not root hers, but id like to know in case I get one and decide to root.
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Yes. A unlocked device is fully sim free as they used to be called. They can be used on any network and the bootloader unlocked with no issues and rooted. This is the device I have.

Question Xiaomi Mi 8 (PixelExperience) vs Pixel 7 - Cellular & Wifi signal

Hi all,
I noticed that my WiFi signal and cellular reception were slightly worse on my Pixel 7 compared to my older and €300 cheaper Xiaomi Mi 8 which runs the PixelExperience ROM on A12 so I made a comparison. I'm quite disappointed with my new Pixel phone when it comes to this. Also the lack of an infrared front camera for face unlocks in the dark is something I miss dearly along with the lack of a notification LED (aodNotify just doesn't feel the same & uses more battery).
Well, attached my findings. Notice that it's in dB, so logarithmic and thus quite some difference. The phones were laying next to each other and I SIM swapped, so same provider.
Anyone else experiencing this?