Database Info

Future Samsung Purchases

This S4 boot loader debacle has turned me against U.S. carrier based phones. I can't giving $600+ for something as they please without our permission. I'll have to investigate/research which International version I want to buy.

I was aware of it. The seller I bought it from does care about these matters. I bought as it as a learning experience. I sure aren't trying to start any arguments or fights. I was just hoping it could be discussed normally.

scott14719 said:
How do you interpret that as smugness? Did you not see the emoticons in my post?
Actually this is the kind of thread people start that are only looking for arguments. It adds nothing to the community. However, I understand your frustration with Samsung and I am sure others feel the same way. But don't think it's OK to post your opinion about a subject and it isn't OK for others to do the same. Not everyone's opinion is going to be the same as yours and creating a thread like this invites ALL opinions on the matter. That is why it's better to not make them in the first place.
Personally (again, my opinion), I knew the phone had a locked boot loader when I bought it. So I am sorry you were lied to about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I didn't see the emoticons. I guess I wasn't expecting your response. Sorry!

Your best bet is to stop buying AT&T contracts, as it's they who request for the lock and it's not like Samsung is gonna turn down millions of dollars because a couple thousand modders disagree :/

sholsten said:
This S4 boot loader debacle has turned me against U.S. carrier based phones. I can't giving $600+ for something as they please without our permission. I'll have to investigate/research which International version I want to buy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wait for the lg optimus g2 or the moto x. those phones look amazing. they might come with an unlocked bootloader. i was just pondering this the other day. ive only purchased two new phones that were not samsung in my smartphone history. that was the iphone 4s (which i traded for a skyrocket) and the htc surround (wanted to give wp7 a shot). ive had other htcs and one sony. but they were craigslist deals. my next phone is most likely going to be the g2 or moto x. i think its about time for me to give someone else a fair shot.

Thermalwolf said:
Your best bet is to stop buying AT&T contracts, as it's they who request for the lock and it's not like Samsung is gonna turn down millions of dollars because a couple thousand modders disagree :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have an AT&T contract. ST is cheaper per month.

sholsten said:
This S4 boot loader debacle has turned me against U.S. carrier based phones. I can't giving $600+ for something as they please without our permission. I'll have to investigate/research which International version I want to buy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that the S4 has made me a heretic in XDA's eyes. The stock experience, especially after this update, has been marvelous. I've had a bunch of Android devices since 2010 and this is the first time that I think futzing around with custom ROMs is mostly useless. Sure, it's locked down, but it works great. I just shake my head seeing bug reports on the dev threads and wonder why an end user would want to cripple functionality on one of the best phones yet.
Anyway, maybe I got most of the flashing out of my system with my Nexus One and then later with the hooptie Viewsonic gTab 10.1. I think now that the platform is maturing and devices become even more complex, flashing homebrew ROMs will start to fall out of style.
Just my BTC .02, though. I'd like to see amateur/recreactional custom Android development to continue to thrive, though--perhaps on the next to wave of wearable computing and the like. I just want my bling phone to work as advertised.
Er, sorry for droning on.

burhanistan said:
I think that the S4 has made me a heretic in XDA's eyes. The stock experience, especially after this update, has been marvelous. I've had a bunch of Android devices since 2010 and this is the first time that I think futzing around with custom ROMs is mostly useless. Sure, it's locked down, but it works great. I just shake my head seeing bug reports on the dev threads and wonder why an end user would want to cripple functionality on one of the best phones yet.
Anyway, maybe I got most of the flashing out of my system with my Nexus One and then later with the hooptie Viewsonic gTab 10.1. I think now that the platform is maturing and devices become even more complex, flashing homebrew ROMs will start to fall out of style.
Just my BTC .02, though. I'd like to see amateur/recreactional custom Android development to continue to thrive, though--perhaps on the next to wave of wearable computing and the like. I just want my bling phone to work as advertised.
Er, sorry for droning on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. Thanks for your input. I have a whole another perspective now.

burhanistan said:
I think that the S4 has made me a heretic in XDA's eyes. The stock experience, especially after this update, has been marvelous. I've had a bunch of Android devices since 2010 and this is the first time that I think futzing around with custom ROMs is mostly useless. Sure, it's locked down, but it works great. I just shake my head seeing bug reports on the dev threads and wonder why an end user would want to cripple functionality on one of the best phones yet.
Anyway, maybe I got most of the flashing out of my system with my Nexus One and then later with the hooptie Viewsonic gTab 10.1. I think now that the platform is maturing and devices become even more complex, flashing homebrew ROMs will start to fall out of style.
Just my BTC .02, though. I'd like to see amateur/recreactional custom Android development to continue to thrive, though--perhaps on the next to wave of wearable computing and the like. I just want my bling phone to work as advertised.
Er, sorry for droning on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know to be honest I hope your right. Custom roms and XDA were never really ment for the normal person. Only for those that wished to learn to do development and programing. With Android flashing a device became the cool thing to do. Now we see less real development then ever. So I really hope your right.
Wayne Tech Nexus

zelendel said:
You know to be honest I hope your right. Custom roms and XDA were never really ment for the normal person. Only for those that wished to learn to do development and programing. With Android flashing a device became the cool thing to do. Now we see less real development then ever. So I really hope your right.
Wayne Tech Nexus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I couldn't have said it any better. It won't be long til we see roms named "swag" or "#yolo" or even named "freelilwayne". Everyone just expects everything to work 100% with no development. All I see are now spammers for apps and themes or someone asking why something doesn't work even though there are 48 other threads about it. I miss the old XDA.
Sent from my SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

toxicpaulution said:
I couldn't have said it any better. It won't be long til we see roms named "swag" or "#yolo" or even named "freelilwayne". Everyone just expects everything to work 100% with no development. All I see are now spammers for apps and themes or someone asking why something doesn't work even though there are 48 other threads about it. I miss the old XDA.
Sent from my SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Q & A section in this forum is nearly unusable. There are a few legitimate threads, but almost exclusively it is filled with the same (sometimes noob) crap over and over again all because they are too lazy to do a little searching and reading. And like you said, several of the same questions (that have already been answered) all on the first page or two. Sometimes it's not even the noobs doing it. And that's not taking into consideration the multitudes of the same types of posts (needless questions) being posted in the General section. So I agree, there should be some type of test(s) that people need to pass before they can even enter XDA at this point.

sholsten said:
I don't have an AT&T contract. ST is cheaper per month.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean don't buy anything branded from AT&T or Verizon or any carrier whose device is locked. If you went with the T-Mobile model you wouldn't have been locked down.

Honestly I felt the same way initially. Then I asked myself what Android company am I going to buy then?
HTC - they typically have locked boot loaders (though the One does not)
Moto - Nope always locked and they don't make any cool phones right now.
LG - locked typically
Sony - wouldn't know since they have like No US phones.
So would I rather pay $600 for a phone with boot loader unlocked or $200 for a locked one, I pick the $200. I am assuming must people would also.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app

My take; I have had AT&T locked phones in the past and usually someone finds a way to either hack the bootloader or make a bypass, it just takes a lot more time. Still fun to have the phone and customize. Then I've also paid the big dollars and bought the international version unlocked phone. It was great because of lots of customizing, and support however if you run into a warranty issue you are screwed. Unless you know someone in the country your phone came from. I have an international SGS3 but a couple small glitches in the graphics and the worry of the bad system board that causes the instant black screen of death (or whatever it was) I started looking at the S4. I was ready to buy another international phone but it came down to features and actual function. I wanted 4G LTE. Well back when I bought the S3 there were 2 international SGS3 phones. I bought the one with LTE first (9305) turns out the frequencies the phone runs for 3G+ did not work with AT&T in the US. I had to sell it on eBay, forget having LTE, lose a gig of Ram and get the 9300. Then I decided about going back to AT&T and get S4 because I would be covered under warranty and I get all the features that are going to work where I live. Cool thing is its the same hardware as the 9505 so there's still quite a bit of customizing with the SGH-I337. For me it will come down to the features and what works for me in my area. I learned the hard way with the SGS3. Frequencies and no warranty.
Sent from my GT-I9505 converted SGH-I337

sholsten said:
This S4 boot loader debacle has turned me against U.S. carrier based phones. I can't giving $600+ for something as they please without our permission. I'll have to investigate/research which International version I want to buy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just buy a canadian version, they have identical hardware and you will know will have full compatibility with american wireless networks

I feel cheated. I paid $650 out of contract to AT&T for this phone coming from a iPhone, a locked platform I was getting tired of, especially with Jailbreaking becoming harder on it, for the reason to "play" with my phone. With a locked bootloader, and a carrier locked, I cannot do that.
In the world of DRM losing ground you would think they would learn? Moto dropping their locked boot loaders... DRM being removed from Google Play Music and iTunes... people are sick of it adding complication to their lives. I had a P3113 Galaxy Tab 2 7" WiFi only and loved it because of how open it was. Currently running CM10.1.2 on it. Yet their phones are so locked down.
It's not entirely Samsung's fault. AT&T requests a locked bootloader. Samsung provides. A bug around it is found, Samsung has to patch it from a security standpoint. Not their fault. However with the popularity of this phone they could have easily said "No locked bootloaders" and shoved it down AT&T and other carriers throats if they had the balls to do it.

WoodburyMan said:
I feel cheated. I paid $650 out of contract to AT&T for this phone coming from a iPhone, a locked platform I was getting tired of, especially with Jailbreaking becoming harder on it, for the reason to "play" with my phone. With a locked bootloader, and a carrier locked, I cannot do that.
In the world of DRM losing ground you would think they would learn? Moto dropping their locked boot loaders... DRM being removed from Google Play Music and iTunes... people are sick of it adding complication to their lives. I had a P3113 Galaxy Tab 2 7" WiFi only and loved it because of how open it was. Currently running CM10.1.2 on it. Yet their phones are so locked down.
It's not entirely Samsung's fault. AT&T requests a locked bootloader. Samsung provides. A bug around it is found, Samsung has to patch it from a security standpoint. Not their fault. However with the popularity of this phone they could have easily said "No locked bootloaders" and shoved it down AT&T and other carriers throats if they had the balls to do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They were not gonna miss out on the millions of devices sold just for the .1% of people that mode the device. That is why they came out with the GE versions.
Wayne Tech Nexus

zelendel said:
They were not gonna miss out on the millions of devices sold just for the .1% of people that mode the device. That is why they came out with the GE versions.
Wayne Tech Nexus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True enough. Had I known about the Google Edition I would have waited a bit. If I really wanted I could buy it and sell my current SGH-I337 for a little less than I bought it for. However I kinda wanted to retain the ability to run full Touchwiz / Stock based roms easily.
I'm still happy as I am now running CM10.1 on my phone, and running Goldeneye ROM if I want a stock full Touchwiz ROM. Flash AMF3 model.. and keeping my AMDL Odin package safe. Just had I bought the phone with AMF3 on it I would be totally turned off and be unusable for me because of patched Loki.

personally, i mod or mess with everything. camera rigs i do myself, computers i build myself. cars i mod (and have rebuilt one with help) myself. my house i work on or change.
it is a fundamental hallmark of humanity that we change our environment and create or modify tools around us to suit our needs. so flashing ROMs or trying to customize or even just tinker with these devices is, in my opinion, simply an extension of what it means to be human, to create, express, and change. anything that limits that creativity is a bad thing IMO.
this is where locked bootloaders, fragmentation, and endless carrier variants become bad things, and where i do like apples' approach; one nearly universal product (hardware wise other than LTE/GSM/CDMA or storage size). However, apple is horrible for locked down software.
i will always root/unlock my phones as long as that is possible, because i can. i will always build my own computers, because i can. and i will always drive stick and for sure it wont be stock either; because i can.

Thermalwolf said:
I mean don't buy anything branded from AT&T or Verizon or any carrier whose device is locked. If you went with the T-Mobile model you wouldn't have been locked down.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I didn't realize T-mobile wasn't locked. I wish I'd known when I bought mine.
I wonder if things will stay the same on near new models like the Note 3.

[DISSCUSION] Are unexploitable bootloaders bringing US development to an end?

Opinions from different perspectives are most welcome but please mind your Ps and Qs.
Thank you...

Where did you get this news? please share more details about this.

engineerd2 said:
Where did you get this news? please share more details about this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is not news per se. And not meaning to be flip it is a simply a question brought on by the observation of facts as they present themselfs.

My 2 cents
numbR7 said:
Opinions from different perspectives are most welcome but please mind your Ps and Qs.
Thank you...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think carriers are locking boot loaders to hinder development, in a strict sense. I believe they're doing it to force people to upgrade their devices more often, in order to gain any new innovations from OS upgrades. Take a look at the Samsung Infuse, a phone which was orphaned almost from the time of it's release. Thanks to a developer named Scott Hart, you can run kitkat 4.4 on it. If people hold on to their phones longer, profits go down.

rgrbckr said:
I don't think carriers are locking boot loaders to. hinder development, in a strict sense. I believe they're doing it to force people to upgrade their devices more often, in order to gain any new innovations from OS upgrades. Take a look at the Samsung Infuse, a phone which was orphaned almost from the time of it's release. Thanks to a developer named Scott Hart, you can run kitkat 4.4 on it. If people hold on to their phones longer, profits go down.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I take your point and it's a good one. I do not know-for sure-the reasoning behind it just the result. Ironically, I do know that the majoritu of innovation-in my view-have come from xda members saving these carriers a lot of money in R&D. I remember loading CM on a tiny little phone a few years ago to get innvations that are now incorporated standard on most phones.
I would say it's interesting that I am continuously reminded what a small insignificant percentage xda members make up -- interestingly to argue diametrically opposed views.

numbR7 said:
I take your point and it's a good one. I do not know-for sure-the reasoning behind it just the result. Ironically, I do know that the majoritu of innovation-in my view-have come from xda members saving these carriers a lot of money in R&D. I remember loading CM on a tiny little phone a few years ago to get innvations that are now incorporated standard on most phones.
I would say it's interesting that I am continuously reminded what a small insignificant percentage xda members make up -- interestingly to argue diametrically opposed views.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@NumbrR7: I second your point. I think that really grates (angers) me that most of the "new" phones are mostly incremental updates (i.e. better camera, updated OS). On another note, Oppo (based in mainland China) is gaining a niche for themselves because, from what I understand and read, the OS is developer-friendly and comes factory unlocked out of the box. USA carriers won't let that happen -- oh the horror. <rolling eyes>
Again, I affirm your position on this, numbR7.
XDA rules!

sameog said:
@NumbrR7: USA carriers won't let that happen -- oh the horror. <rolling eyes>
XDA rules!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Corporate greed and capitalism. Having said that, I disagree, to some extent, with their line of thinking. I have the galaxy s, s2, s3, s4, s5 , and note3. I have had a custom Rom on every single device up until the s5 and the note. Rooting and updating to the latest OS only made me want the new hardware even more. But alas, I too think it might be fading. When it does, I think the opposite will happen, and I will hang on to my device longer. I am already thinking of going back to the s4 with Shostock on it, for my daily phone.

Poke01 said:
Corporate greed and capitalism. Having said that, I disagree, to some extent, with their line of thinking. I have the galaxy s, s2, s3, s4, s5 , and note3. I have had a custom Rom on every single device up until the s5 and the note. Rooting and updating to the latest OS only made me want the new hardware even more. But alas, I too think it might be fading. When it does, I think the opposite will happen, and I will hang on to my device longer. I am already thinking of going back to the s4 with Shostock on it, for my daily phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't exactly agree with your first sentence (but it's worth discussion on a different type forum). That said. Your point is otherwise very well taken. You may get a new feature (maybe a new fade) but lose everthing else (that the freedom of controlling your own device gives you) suddenly that extra megapixel or two doesn't seem worth $650. Yep I'm sure of it! I think you have a really good point. I know it's a tad different but I choose to stick with Hyperdrive 15 (4.3) to avoid the hassles with SS and 4.4. That is NOT to say that I am bad mouthing SS. To the contrary, it's saved my behind. Hows that for nice language? Lol

Scott's still going with the Infuse?! Good on him! I loved that little phone. If it weren't for the problems with the video camera, I'd still be using it.
Well, this might rub some the wrong way but if all carriers started locking their bootloaders and forced buyers to choose based on hardware alone, I'd buy an iPhone. I love the little innovations that have come with an open Android - like Paranoid Android - but the hardware is usually underwhelming. The S4 has the screen going for it, but that's it. Apparently Apple will finally use larger screens on their iPhones so not much win for Samsung.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

Wyzpopper said:
Scott's still going with the Infuse?! Good on him! I loved that little phone. If it weren't for the problems with the video camera, I'd still be using it.
Well, this might rub some the wrong way but if all carriers started locking their bootloaders and forced buyers to choose based on hardware alone, I'd buy an iPhone. I love the little innovations that have come with an open Android - like Paranoid Android - but the hardware is usually underwhelming. The S4 has the screen going for it, but that's it. Apparently Apple will finally use larger screens on their iPhones so not much win for Samsung.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you're right especially if the screen is bumped up. With the bootloader situation you already have an "i-droid" anyway. "Open source" no longer has meaning.

Hopefully this will accelerate the people looking at buying much cheaper phones that aren't locked to any specific carrier and also aren't boot locked. The effectiveness of upgrades is dimishing which should help push this shift and hopefully will ultimately keep these big phone manufacturers honest.

bnolsen said:
Hopefully this will accelerate the people looking at buying much cheaper phones that aren't locked to any specific carrier and also aren't boot locked. The effectiveness of upgrades is dimishing which should help push this shift and hopefully will ultimately keep these big phone manufacturers honest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've already looked into those "cheaper" phones. Most of them, right now, anyway, don't have LTE chipsets yet. In addition, 4G just rolled out in China (we get the new stuff first -- obviously). However, the cheaper phones are made and shipped factory unlocked. Some phones have a dual sim slots (i.e. one sim for personal, one sim for business).
I'm partnered up with a wholesaler and have access to everything he carries. The best part is that he doesn't "compete" with whom he partners up with -- bad for business, he says.
My .02 =)

as others have said it's just the way of big business in the 21st century. up until a week ago i had a 2 year old S2 which was running a 4.4.2 ROM (ressurection remix). if i hadnt been able to root and flash a ROM i'd have probably got myself a new phone long ago so locking down phones may get customers to upgrade more often (i know it would with me) as it is i bought my new phone outright and have gone payg to save myself some money and also to be able to upgrade as and when i like. i did look at some of the chinese phones (goophone being one) but wasnt sure of the root capabilities so decided to give it a miss.
i think even locked bootloaders will eventually be hacked. nothing is impossible. it's just down to when and how long we wait.

I took a brief reprieve from this forum, since there wasn't any groundbreaking progress made (and by "groundbreaking", I mean exploited bootloader).
It looks as if that has remained unchanged? I've only had the S4 for a year now, but I am officially "over" Samsung devices. Very aesthetically pleasing, but hardly functional overall. Battery is crap on every Samsung device, and the only thing that ever helped me was either buying a 3rd party with larger capacity, and/or running a custom ROM/kernel combo that allows for both less consumption as well as rapid-charge.
I'm interested to see this new thing Google is going to unveil to replace the GPE phones. I have no issue paying full price for a device that I can do whatever I want with, and know that there will be a strong following for. Even if that following is only a certain, small niche of the overall market.
It's a shame that my fun with AOSP had to come to a screeching halt, I loved the simplicity and functionality of it.

I don't think carriers make much or any money from selling new hardware. They make their money from plans.
That said, I'm happy to be on 4.4.2 SlimRom. ☺

disturbd1 said:
I took a brief reprieve from this forum, since there wasn't any groundbreaking progress made (and by "groundbreaking", I mean exploited bootloader).
It looks as if that has remained unchanged? I've only had the S4 for a year now, but I am officially "over" Samsung devices. Very aesthetically pleasing, but hardly functional overall. Battery is crap on every Samsung device, and the only thing that ever helped me was either buying a 3rd party with larger capacity, and/or running a custom ROM/kernel combo that allows for both less consumption as well as rapid-charge.
I'm interested to see this new thing Google is going to unveil to replace the GPE phones. I have no issue paying full price for a device that I can do whatever I want with, and know that there will be a strong following for. Even if that following is only a certain, small niche of the overall market.
It's a shame that my fun with AOSP had to come to a screeching halt, I loved the simplicity and functionality of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, even if I sold my i337, the battery life was honestly very good for me. There's the facts that maybe I don't use it heavily every day, but I turn GPS on only when I have to find a specific place I haven't been to before. GPS down - battery life up. 3G down, unless I need it - battery life up. Power saving mode - battery life up.
As for the Android Silver program, we all are curious to see how will this turn out.

your experiences with alcatel phones?

I am planning to buy this awesome phone
But I want to hear some user experiences, because I never have had an Alcatel before.
So....
- How is the service of Alcatel? Especially when it comes down to warranty
- Is this phone future proof? (talking bout the idol 3 5,5'')
- How about the support on XDA? ROMS, kernels, ability to root, unlock bootloader....
- Last but not least, if you had an Alcatel before, how was your experience with it?

Rene_ajax said:
- How is the service of Alcatel? Especially when it comes down to warranty
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't know it, sorry. It's my first Alcatel too.
- Is this phone future proof? (talking bout the idol 3 5,5'')
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I dont' believe. I may mistake.
- How about the support on XDA? ROMS, kernels, ability to root, unlock bootloader....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very good.
Root and TWRP available, bootloader unlocked. Few custom Rom (only 1) for the moment, but source code delivered juste some day ago, so... I do think the phone should get a intersting rom development.
- Last but not least, if you had an Alcatel before, how was your experience with it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not concerned personnaly

I've owned an Idol 3 for about five weeks now (got it for $200 on Amazon Prime Day). It's everything I need in a handset, and I give props to Alcatel for making a prompt firmware update (in the U. S. anyway) available that addressed the Stagefright issue and significant bugs involving Google Voice and native SMS. I hope to get further updates to 5.1/Marshmallow, but even if that doesn't happen I'm more than satisfied.
I'm on T-Mobile in New Orleans, BTW.

so, at this point it is not sure if it gets updated to Android M?

Can you explain what you mean by "future proof" ? This phone has a 64 bit , Octa core, ARMv8 chip . In that respect, it has quite the latest hardware. The software it is running today - is clearly under-performing. But there is no guarantee that in future , a custom ROM (or a future Android version) , will not be able to take advantage of the latest instruction set, 64 bit architecture, and all 8 cores running simultaneously.

I think the key with considering a purchase of this phone is to keep expectations in check. It's not comparable to a flagship from one of the big name companies. The Nexus 6 I'm using has its faults, but it's way faster and smoother. It feels more solid. Plus it has the advantage of the enormous dev community and user base for ROMs, kernels, fellow users, all kinds of things. A phone like the Idol 3 is not likely to ever have more than a tiny fraction of that.
The Idol 3 is light, thin and has great whites and natural colors. Blacks aren't as deep as on some displays, but it's all tradeoffs. That light weight is worth something, too. It's one of my favorite features of the device. The sound from the speakers is surprisingly decent. I like the near stock Android ROM. Now that TWRP is available, it's simple to root. It's also plain, plasticky, occasionally sluggish. What the company's plans are as far as updating to 5.1.1 or M is anyone's guess. Same for whether or not there'll be ROMs, kernels and such.
It's a very nice phone for the money that should be usable for most as a daily driver. Just don't expect it to be something it's not.

maigre said:
I think the key with considering a purchase of this phone is to keep expectations in check. It's not comparable to a flagship from one of the big name companies. The Nexus 6 I'm using has its faults, but it's way faster and smoother. It feels more solid. Plus it has the advantage of the enormous dev community and user base for ROMs, kernels, fellow users, all kinds of things. A phone like the Idol 3 is not likely to ever have more than a tiny fraction of that.
The Idol 3 is light, thin and has great whites and natural colors. Blacks aren't as deep as on some displays, but it's all tradeoffs. That light weight is worth something, too. It's one of my favorite features of the device. The sound from the speakers is surprisingly decent. I like the near stock Android ROM. Now that TWRP is available, it's simple to root. It's also plain, plasticky, occasionally sluggish. What the company's plans are as far as updating to 5.1.1 or M is anyone's guess. Same for whether or not there'll be ROMs, kernels and such.
It's a very nice phone for the money that should be usable for most as a daily driver. Just don't expect it to be something it's not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very good post and very true. It is a solid entry into the market at a good price. Re: upgrades... I emailed Alcatel and was told there are no plans to update to 5.1 OR 6. Not that they can't change their minds, but I'd say assume this is EOL for the phone's OS. That said, it's a good phone if you like 5.0 and can live with its bugs.
Sent from my secret lair in a hidden mountainside.

Praying (and Paying) for Root with Bounty

Coming from the Note 2, Note 3, and Note 4 Developer Edition, I'm hoping the LG V10 can be rooted and have an unlocked bootloader for custom ROMs. If not, I'll be sticking with my Note 4 DE even longer.
Update:
Verizon and AT&T V10 Pledge Sheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1d4HOXYt_dvfoJQFqc8DrGmk75T381plJQ4jnpygf1KE/edit?usp=sharing

XDA Members,
I have been trying to update the spread sheet to keep people accountable for what they had pledged. If you have installed root using Tungkick's method please donate to him. If you have donated; Thank you for keeping your word! I encourage you all to do what you had promised. Donating the full pledge amount would be very appreciated as well. So far it is looking like Tungkick is well below the estimated value of what you all pledged. Please help make things right and follow through on your end.
IF YOU HAVE ALREADY DONATED PLEASE PM ME (with your name or email that comes through when you send a Paypal payment AND what XDA user name I should tie that donation to).
When you donate it would be helpful for you to put your XDA member name in the comments.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RKjJwtDOV-aBFjPTYHJb1PezPQvxff3y65I8qKRWJpM/edit?usp=sharing
@tungkick

FAUguy said:
Coming from the Note 2, Note 3, and Note 4 Developer Edition, I'm hoping the LG V10 can be rooted and have an unlocked bootloader for custom ROMs. If not, I'll be sticking with my Note 4 DE even longer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea same here...i will hold out a month or two after it comes out to see how the development scene will become

I kinda wonder if the buyers of this device even care about such ?
verge said v10 is for content creators and g4 is for content consumers. if anything the consumer version is what people will tinker with.
the v10 should have everything you need ottb without having to futz around.
This is isn't a competitor to the note. i'm wondering what the g pro will be like.

Why do you say it's not a competitor to the note? It's certainly a flagship+ type device? Not trying to argue, just want to know your thinking. I've been a note guy since the original, but now with the 5 and the fact that they got rid of sd storage (I'm a big fan of emulator gaming) and the removable battery, I'm shopping around. The V-10 looks to have everything I have with the note 4 (except the s-pen which is rarely used). And the V-10 has some style to it that makes it not look like every other phone out there right now.

I tend to agree, I think this is a competitor to the Note series as well. If the only competition for the Note series are phones with a stylus, that doesn't leave much.
If you don't consider this to be a competitor, just curious as to which phones you belive are?
Sent from my SM-N910T using Xparent Skyblue Tapatalk 2

tried now Low Effort root from Codefire on my LG V10
Fail
Other ideas ?

I check here everyday hoping that there is root
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

chiikko561 said:
I check here everyday hoping that there is root
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hoping in Viet Community ...
sent from my LG V10 - F600L

I just saw in the Italy unboxing thread that the phone is vulnerable to one of the stage fright exploit, someone needs to code the exploit to gain root.

chrisrotolo said:
I just saw in the Italy unboxing thread that the phone is vulnerable to one of the stage fright exploit, someone needs to code the exploit to gain root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is a great idea
CVE-2015-6602 is the key for V10 root

Just curious as to what people think are the key reasons for rooting these days.
I have a note 3 and will be looking to upgrade to this when it comes to the UK.
My note 3 is rooted and I did it mainly to get more advance features for Tasker.
Now I very rarely use Tasker so don't think I will be rooting my next phone unless there is a good reason to?
Cheers
Fozza

For Titanium Backup app restoration, advanced features, choice of ROM with features or optimizations not present in stock firmwares, Xposed, adblockers on Web and YouTube, etc, etc...
You don't know why rooting? Don't do it. Or go with an iPhone... [emoji6]

gamin92 said:
You don't know why rooting? Don't do it. Or go with an iPhone... [emoji6]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No need to be an arse about it There are different levels of Android users, not everyone wants all the things you just described but doesn't mean they should be sent off to apple!
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Free mobile app

Just saying if you don't want, don't do it. OR choose a closed system. There's choice.
Wasn't pointing you personally, just saying my thoughts about it.
Android is a great OS, mainly because you've got a full access to it, and can change/customize almost everything. Not rooting it may be OK for many users, but that's jumping beside the swimming pool. Just my point, as you asked our point about rooting devices...

gamin92 said:
For Titanium Backup app restoration, advanced features, choice of ROM with features or optimizations not present in stock firmwares, Xposed, adblockers on Web and YouTube, etc, etc...
You don't know why rooting? Don't do it. Or go with an iPhone... [emoji6]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmph.
I'll say this. I have had my LG G3 for over a year and a half, that is longer than I have kept any phone since I began my Android venture with the G1. I had the G3 rooted for about 3 weeks. I have always had my devices rooted. I'll say this - though the option to root and unlock the bootloader would be very nice, I have found myself very fond of the LG UI - for a manufacturer UI skin, LG's takes the cake. Far less memory hungry than sense or TouchWiz, and the phone remains very snappy.
I have no need for root with the power of these devices now, the leaps and bounds in camera software, etc.
I think the software on these phones, while skin dependent can slow it down, has moved leaps and bounds past that of 3 years ago. There are some useful aspects of it. For instance, one major reason I and most others are looking heavily at this phone is the camera - well I have news for you if you didn't know - most of that is software driven, software that is not available on an AOSP based ROM. Sure, the phone might be a hair faster, but if you can't use the beautiful 16 MB camera on the back to it's full potential (The highlight of an amazing phone) is it even worth it?
Now, the answer might be yes to you, and it might even be a yes for me when I get the phone in my hands (if, lol), but I would bet that I am not alone in my stance, and I'm sure that there are others here that used to be flashaholics that no longer have a true need for it.
Of course, if you are using a Samsung device or HTC, sure I see a need because that OS skin is horrendous. BUT, with a phone with this hardware, with a fairly light skin, and from what I can see amazing camera software/hardware... Do you need to root this thing?
I suppose you can justify root without bootloader, however again, I do not need it thus probably won't go there.
I am not bashing you, simply stating where I come from now, and how my thoughts and needs have changed on the issue of ROM flashing in the last year with my still amazing G3.
I am only now looking for a new device because I felt this year would bring amazing devices... So far, the only two really worth looking at are the Nexus 6P - which is only available in the states through Google/Huwai, and this V10. Maybe the OnePlus 2. Maybe.
Cheers.

I'm using Xperia Z2, since mid 2014. I'm still on stock based firmware. As you stated, camera, as well as audio performance, are better with stock based roms than with aosp based roms. But there's many rom cookers taking stock brand firmware as base, but add many features, or great optimizations.
Even my wife, who doesn't know anything about android and OS stuffs, needs root. Why? Simply because there's always a bunch of bloatware, or apps not needed because you're using one for years doing the same thing in a better/more suitable way.
I agree that unlocking the bootloader isn't so useful anymore, just a flash and test junky thing. But root is so helpful in many ways. Just one thing why I couldn't use phone without root : all those terrible ads everywhere, on the web and on YouTube. Soooo annoying. Used my phone 2 weeks before rooting, I was going crazy just about ads here, ads there, ads everywhere!
Edit : installing an alternative launcher already keep you away from most of worst things of "skins" from brands.

gamin92 said:
I'm using Xperia Z2, since mid 2014. I'm still on stock based firmware. As you stated, camera, as well as audio performance, are better with stock based roms than with aosp based roms. But there's many rom cookers taking stock brand firmware as base, but add many features, or great optimizations.
Even my wife, who doesn't know anything about android and OS stuffs, needs root. Why? Simply because there's always a bunch of bloatware, or apps not needed because you're using one for years doing the same thing in a better/more suitable way.
I agree that unlocking the bootloader isn't so useful anymore, just a flash and test junky thing. But root is so helpful in many ways. Just one thing why I couldn't use phone without root : all those terrible ads everywhere, on the web and on YouTube. Soooo annoying. Used my phone 2 weeks before rooting, I was going crazy just about ads here, ads there, ads everywhere!
Edit : installing an alternative launcher already keep you away from most of worst things of "skins" from brands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Precisely. I understand and echo everything you point out. I have always used Nova Launcher.
Yes, bloatware is a problem. However, besides that, I really don't have a need for root in general, it's just a fun thing to have and mess with. I don't like messing with my phone much anymore since I have important things on my plate, calendar, phone calls, etc.
I don't understand why people say they love ad blocker, I haven't had an issue with ads, in fact I don't see many AT ALL, and I don't have mine rooted...
I see the most in the TapaTalk app, other than that nothing really...

Root saves me the $30 a month extra I don't have to pay Sprint for Wi-Fi tether: that's reason enough for me to root all my devices.

I have always rooted every one of my devices dating back to my og. That said, it seems it's getting harder and harder to gain root on some of these new devices. Doesn't Xposed work on non rooted devices? If so, won't that along with a new launcher satisfy the craving for root? I'm asking because my next phone will probably be the V10 and I'm fearful root might not be gained.
Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

Honor 8 a viable choice in 2017?

Hello.
I'm looking for a new phone, my budget is around 340 USD and therefore Honor 8 has really caught my eye. I'd like to ask a couple questions.
1. Is the bootloader unlock process problematic? Have you faced any issues with it or is it hassle-free? Coming from an LG device, I want to be extra careful with this.
2. I plan to have this device for a longer period of time, around 3-4 years. Is Honor 8 a viable choice, despite the fact that it will soon be a year from the release? Will it be able to hold off for that long, in terms of ROM support and general performance/usage?
3. How do custom ROM development prospects look right now for the device? From what I've seen, Huawei still hasn't released sources for Nougat. Can I expect good custom ROM support from this device?
4. How satisfied are you with your phone? Would you recommend it to me? Are there anything you don't like about the phone?
Thanks in advance.

Hi , i will just speak about question 4 ....
I had iphone7 , Huawei P9, Galaxy s7 and since 2 month : Honor 8
Yes for me you can buy this phone in 2017
It's a very good phone , very fluid, no lags, the phone is not too big , not to small, you can use with one hand . Screen is good , photo too but not like Iphone7 or Galaxy S7 . I am very happy with quick charge . For me the phone is more faster than an Iphone7, or Galaxy S7 . You can personalize like you want , You have a lot of nice themes on XDA or Google+ Emui Community . Sound is good, with headset is not like an Iphone or Galaxy s7 but to listen music is suffisant for me . Voilà, my advice is very good phone, just photo and music with headset can be better but stay ok for daily use .

The device is solid. Runs fast, pretty good specs, and looks nice.
Expect zero updates. Zero custom ROM support, and even rooting is a pain in the butt.
If you're into it for the dev scene, move on. If you want a half decent device for daily use, not bad at all.
Personally I regret buying it because Huawei is terrible at updates and keeping promises.
But as a daily driver device, it's fine.

Don't buy it's an alright phone but no custom ROM support is like a death sentence for a phone. This phone has been out for like 9 months and doesn't have a fully working custom ROM, that right there tells you that this phone has no future. Also who keeps wants to keep a low to mid range phone for 3-4 years? Must be in a 3rd world country!

I am happy with the phone but I'm disappointed with Huawei/Honor when it comes to updates and I am not going to buy more phones from them.
I would get something else right now, it was a good choice when it was released
Next time I will just pay 200 extra euro and get a real phone

Yeah it is a good phone but i am disappointed i expected few roms by now...i wish i could turn time back and go for xiaomi rednote 3 pro

1. Is the bootloader unlock process problematic? Have you faced any issues with it or is it hassle-free? Coming from an LG device, I want to be extra careful with this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's hassle-free.
2. I plan to have this device for a longer period of time, around 3-4 years. Is Honor 8 a viable choice, despite the fact that it will soon be a year from the release? Will it be able to hold off for that long, in terms of ROM support and general performance/usage?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huawei offer 2 years of updates, but not monthly updates. Taking a look at honor 6 released in august 2014 - it is indeed so. Latest update for honor 6 is september 30th 2016.
3. How do custom ROM development prospects look right now for the device? From what I've seen, Huawei still hasn't released sources for Nougat. Can I expect good custom ROM support from this device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. Don't expect good custom ROM for this device.
4. How satisfied are you with your phone? Would you recommend it to me? Are there anything you don't like about the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm pretty satisfied. I enjoy it's dimensions, design, performance and battery life. Games aside, it's faster than any SD820 phone and most SD821 phones (take a look at performance comparison videos on youtube), so it's definitely going to be quick enough for 3-4 years.
If no custom ROM support, lower than SD820 GPU performance and only 2 years of official updates are OK for you (as it is for me) - I definitely recommend it.

Fobos531 said:
Hello.
I'm looking for a new phone, my budget is around 340 USD and therefore Honor 8 has really caught my eye. I'd like to ask a couple questions.
1. Is the bootloader unlock process problematic? Have you faced any issues with it or is it hassle-free? Coming from an LG device, I want to be extra careful with this.
2. I plan to have this device for a longer period of time, around 3-4 years. Is Honor 8 a viable choice, despite the fact that it will soon be a year from the release? Will it be able to hold off for that long, in terms of ROM support and general performance/usage?
3. How do custom ROM development prospects look right now for the device? From what I've seen, Huawei still hasn't released sources for Nougat. Can I expect good custom ROM support from this device?
4. How satisfied are you with your phone? Would you recommend it to me? Are there anything you don't like about the phone?
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can easily get a code from Huawei to unlock the bootloader, but there's not much point to rooting the phone with development on it pretty nonexistent.
The hardware is really nice. The phone's a great size, the CPU is a beast, the GPU kind of sucks (but that doesn't matter if you're not playing new/demanding games on it like me), but the security updates are TERRIBLE. The most recent software update for the US version of the phone came out in the beginning of January. So we're almost four months into the year and the December 1st security patch is the most recent one available.
If you'd be happy with Nougat 7.0/EMUI 5.0 in a year from now and don't do anything that having security up to date matters it's fine, but otherwise I'd look elsewhere.