Developer Edition Note 4 Vs. Droid Turbo - Verizon Galaxy Note 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Dear Fellow XDA Members,
I am in need of your expertise and opinion on the following issues.
With the recent announcement of the Droid Turbo I have been very excited about the phone and its hardware and software have been executed well. However I have heard reports of a so so camera and screen being an issue in the sun and not being as accurate as the note 4's as Samsung is using newer screen technology whereas the turbo has the amoled similar to the old s4.
1. Overall do you think the note 4 is better in terms of what it offers from a hardware perspective and its features?
2. Now that the developer edition is available a lot of the excess bloatware can be removed is it more worthwhile to get the note 4?
3. How close of a stock experience can you get on the Note 4?
4. Video and Picture comparison thoughts on this for Note 4 vs Turbo?
5. Can the Turbo's moto specific apps be ported to the Note 4?
6. Please if you could explain why you think one is worth getting over the other. I know screen size on the turbo is at a much more manageable size for one handed use. (I can currently use the note 2 with one hand [my hands are pretty big haha] although i have dropped it a lot and a smaller form factor is appealing)
7. Any advice that you have for me to help me make a decision would be appreciated.
Thank you very much for your time to respond to my questions. I have rooted and unlocked boot loaders in the past but its been almost a year and a half since I was last able to check up on any of these things. I am not sure how much the process has changed, hopefully it hasn't gotten too complicated.
Sincerely,
Charlie

Ok. I am moving from G3, and I did EXTENSIVE research on this. I read every thing on the internet and spent a few hours on both. The one thing the Turbo has, which totally killed it for me was the screen. The note 4 was unbelievably sharp and beautiful...so was the turbo...but the turbo on max broghtbess is about half of note 4. Outside it was horrible. If you lived in a closet with no Windows or light all day, it would be ok. Man they really made an error there. Wireless charging was a factor, but I saw the note has qi back plates coming, so that's good now. The capacitive buttons were a bummer for me,as we'll as the screen size. I'm use to biggernow

I have both and I appreciate both devices for different things. The turbos battery is not as great as advertised but still gets 13-14 hours with moderate to heavy use. The turbo charger doesn't charge as fast as the note charger in my opinion. If you want the overall feature experience, then the note 4 is the way to go with tiny lags here and there. The turbo is just a more turbo charged moto x with just moto voice as its main feature and bigger battery. Touchwiz does get boring but so does pure android. The overall better phone is the note 4 but the turbo can be the underdog in this note 4, nexus 6 comparison.
Sent From My VZW Note 4 POW!

Thank you
big70tom said:
Ok. I am moving from G3, and I did EXTENSIVE research on this. I read every thing on the internet and spent a few hours on both. The one thing the Turbo has, which totally killed it for me was the screen. The note 4 was unbelievably sharp and beautiful...so was the turbo...but the turbo on max broghtbess is about half of note 4. Outside it was horrible. If you lived in a closet with no Windows or light all day, it would be ok. Man they really made an error there. Wireless charging was a factor, but I saw the note has qi back plates coming, so that's good now. The capacitive buttons were a bummer for me,as we'll as the screen size. I'm use to biggernow
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with everything you have said. Do you have the developer edition? I don't really care so much for wireless charging but having a good camera and snappy phone is what I am looking for I am really sick of the lag on the note 2 and I am looking to remove as much bloat as I can again I don't know how this will effect the the phone when Lollipop comes out.

thanks for the reply
daboyal006 said:
I have both and I appreciate both devices for different things. The turbos battery is not as great as advertised but still gets 13-14 hours with moderate to heavy use. The turbo charger doesn't charge as fast as the note charger in my opinion. If you want the overall feature experience, then the note 4 is the way to go with tiny lags here and there. The turbo is just a more turbo charged moto x with just moto voice as its main feature and bigger battery. Touchwiz does get boring but so does pure android. The overall better phone is the note 4 but the turbo can be the underdog in this note 4, nexus 6 comparison.
Sent From My VZW Note 4 POW!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you know if moto voice can be ported to Note 4 Dev edition? I personally think the nexus 6 took it too far with the size at least for me.

LightCCB said:
I agree with everything you have said. Do you have the developer edition? I don't really care so much for wireless charging but having a good camera and snappy phone is what I am looking for I am really sick of the lag on the note 2 and I am looking to remove as much bloat as I can again I don't know how this will effect the the phone when Lollipop comes out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the Note 4 Developer Edition. Out of the box it is exactly the same phone as a retail version...all the same bloat. Of course the distinguishing difference is the ability to unlock the bootloader and install a custom recovery (which we have), root (which many of us have done) and debloat and flash ROMs (none available right now). It is a great phone!!! If you buy a Developer Edition you need to be aware that Samsung, if they treat the Note 4 Developer Edition like all of their previous Developer Edition phones, will never release an update. So, when Lollipop comes out the Developer Edition phones will not get it via an OTA or a Samsung released firmware file. You'll have to wait for the development community to modify the official OTA and release a ROM that is Lollipop based and safe to flash on the Developer Edition. Having been the owner of two previous Developer Edition phones, both Samsung, that usually doesn't take the development community long to do that. Hope this helps.

thanks for the reply
jpcalhoun said:
I have the Note 4 Developer Edition. Out of the box it is exactly the same phone as a retail version...all the same bloat. Of course the distinguishing difference is the ability to unlock the bootloader and install a custom recovery (which we have), root (which many of us have done) and debloat and flash ROMs (none available right now). It is a great phone!!! If you buy a Developer Edition you need to be aware that Samsung, if they treat the Note 4 Developer Edition like all of their previous Developer Edition phones, will never release an update. So, when Lollipop comes out the Developer Edition phones will not get it via an OTA or a Samsung released firmware file. You'll have to wait for the development community to modify the official OTA and release a ROM that is Lollipop based and safe to flash on the Developer Edition. Having been the owner of two previous Developer Edition phones, both Samsung, that usually doesn't take the development community long to do that. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the quick reply JP,
Can you make it close to stock Android and is there a way to port the always listening feature on the turbo or did they use a special chip for that (it seems pretty awesome)! Or is there an app that mimics the function without destroying battery life. I seem pretty confident I will get a note 4 Motorola is almost there but not yet Thank you for taking the time to respond to my questions!
Also we root --> then unlock bootloader and install custom recovery ---> then flash a debloated rom?

LightCCB said:
Thanks for the quick reply JP,
Can you make it close to stock Android and is there a way to port the always listening feature on the turbo or did they use a special chip for that (it seems pretty awesome)! Or is there an app that mimics the function without destroying battery life. I seem pretty confident I will get a note 4 Motorola is almost there but not yet Thank you for taking the time to respond to my questions!
Also we root --> then unlock bootloader and install custom recovery ---> then flash a debloated rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, you can, but it is always going to be TouchWiz and most ROMs will be TouchWiz ROMs because AOSP ROMs just simply aren't ready for primetime yet. But, I've used some TouchWiz based ROMs that look and alot like AOSP. And, I don't care what anyone says, TouchWiz based ROMs work better on a Samsung phone than do AOSP ROMS. After you've installed TWRP and root you can debloat to your hearts content as long as you have a backup.
The correct sequene is: Odin TWRP to get the custom recovery, in custom recovery flash SuperSU, reboot. You now have TWRP recovery and rooted. Go to the Android Development Section for a more complete discussion and download links.

jpcalhoun said:
I have the Note 4 Developer Edition. Out of the box it is exactly the same phone as a retail version...all the same bloat. Of course the distinguishing difference is the ability to unlock the bootloader and install a custom recovery (which we have), root (which many of us have done) and debloat and flash ROMs (none available right now). It is a great phone!!! If you buy a Developer Edition you need to be aware that Samsung, if they treat the Note 4 Developer Edition like all of their previous Developer Edition phones, will never release an update. So, when Lollipop comes out the Developer Edition phones will not get it via an OTA or a Samsung released firmware file. You'll have to wait for the development community to modify the official OTA and release a ROM that is Lollipop based and safe to flash on the Developer Edition. Having been the owner of two previous Developer Edition phones, both Samsung, that usually doesn't take the development community long to do that. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You say "Of course the distinguishing difference is the ability to unlock the bootloader".
How does one unlock the bootloader? If I remember correctly on my S5 DE the bootloader comes unlocked from the factory and If one inadvertently locks it they are just out of luck! You cannot unlock a Samsung bootloader and Samsung will not unlock it for you.
I hope I am wrong about this and you tell me how to unlock the bootloader on my S5 DE and the Note 4 DE I have coming tomorrow incase I inadvertently lock this one also.
Samsung gave me a runaround about unlocking it on my S5 and it never happened...but by then the regular S5 had root so it did not matter so much.
I do hope I have to admit how stupid I am on this subject.

I also had a Development Edition S5. You unlock the bootloader on both the same way, ODIN a TWRP recovery. That's it. Then you can root. Go to the Android Development Section and see a more step by step and download links.

jpcalhoun said:
I also had a Development Edition S5. You unlock the bootloader on both the same way, ODIN a TWRP recovery. That's it. Then you can root. Go to the Android Development Section and see a more step by step and download links.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The reason you can ODIN a TWRP recovery is because you have a unlocked bootloader. The reason you cannot do this on a standard N4 is the bootloader is locked!

scallawag said:
The reason you can ODIN a TWRP recovery is because you have a unlocked bootloader. The reason you cannot do this on a standard N4 is the bootloader is locked!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're asking a question, your statement is correct. You cannot unlock the bootloader on a Retail S5 or Retain Note. All you have to do for the Development Edition S5 and Note 4 is use ODIN to flash the TWRP .tar file and flash SuperSu in TWRP recovery.

jpcalhoun said:
If you're asking a question, your statement is correct. You cannot unlock the bootloader on a Retail S5 or Retain Note. All you have to do for the Development Edition S5 and Note 4 is use ODIN to flash the TWRP .tar file and flash SuperSu in TWRP recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats correct but you are missing the point that you don't want to let people believe you can unlock a bootloader that can't be unlocked once it is locked. If anyone really believes the bootloader can be unlocked on the N4 then have them flash the retail rom. Flashing the retail rom will lock the bootloader. Then have them try and use ODIN to flash TWRP. Believe me it wont unlock the bootloader. BTW: The retail rom can be found in this forum.
I would not try this you might just end up with a retail N4 and a DE box

I'm not missing the point, its hard to determine what your point is. I never said anything about unlocking a Retail phone. You're all over the board with this thread. Go read the Android Development Section.

jpcalhoun said:
I'm not missing the point, its hard to determine what your point is. I never said anything about unlocking a Retail phone. You're all over the board with this thread. Go read the Android Development Section.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are correct again you did not say anything about unlocking a retail phone what you said was.
"Of course the distinguishing difference is the ability to unlock the bootloader and install a custom recovery"
The fact is a DE can not have its bootloader unlocked!
It comes with an unlocked bootloader.
That is a BIG difference.

scallawag said:
You are correct again you did not say anything about unlocking a retail phone what you said was.
"Of course the distinguishing difference is the ability to unlock the bootloader and install a custom recovery"
The fact is a DE can not have its bootloader unlocked!
It comes with an unlocked bootloader.
That is a BIG difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok fine. We have a difference in symantics. I give up, LOL.

scallawag said:
You are correct again you did not say anything about unlocking a retail phone what you said was.
"Of course the distinguishing difference is the ability to unlock the bootloader and install a custom recovery"
The fact is a DE can not have its bootloader unlocked!
It comes with an unlocked bootloader.
That is a BIG difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jpcalhoun said:
Ok fine. We have a difference in symantics. I give up, LOL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well this escalated quickly

LightCCB said:
well this escalated quickly
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Click to collapse
Yeah, if someone wasn't confused before reading this thread they probably are now, LOL. I just hope readers/users understand that the retail version has a locked bootloader and cannot accept a custom recovery or be rooted, yet, and the developer edition has an unlocked bootloader (from the factory) and can accept a custom recovery which then allows them to root their phone.

If the unlocking mechanism is the same as previous Developer Edition devices (related to eMMC CID), it is possible to upgrade the device to the latest OTA/Retail release, and maintain an unlocked bootloader. Once I get the opportunity to test this, I will release instructions for this process once I can confirm it works and is safe, but I'm 99% sure it'll work. Very benign and simple actually.

ryanbg said:
If the unlocking mechanism is the same as previous Developer Edition devices (related to eMMC CID), it is possible to upgrade the device to the latest OTA/Retail release, and maintain an unlocked bootloader. Once I get the opportunity to test this, I will release instructions for this process once I can confirm it works and is safe, but I'm 99% sure it'll work. Very benign and simple actually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no will not work

Related

Thinking about buying, need some advice...

I'm on the fence between waiting for the N5 or getting the OG Pro.
Is the OG Pro difficult to root, flash custom recovery, CM 10.2, etc? (That's what I really want the device for)
Is the bootloader locked?
Any basic suggestions or tips would be appreciated.
The boot loader is locked. However, there is a work around called "Loki", hence the roms, which btw run great on the G Pro.
But I'd advise you to wait for the N5 due to it having a fully unlocked boot loader , more accessories and more support by both Google and XDA.
I will buy one for sure.
donalgodon said:
I'm on the fence between waiting for the N5 or getting the OG Pro.
Is the OG Pro difficult to root, flash custom recovery, CM 10.2, etc? (That's what I really want the device for)
Is the bootloader locked?
Any basic suggestions or tips would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OG Pro is simple to root, both cwm and twrp recoveries are easily available and working, and there is an official CM 10.2 available which is a nightly, so daily updates
So if these are your only considerations, you can buy the OG Pro with your eyes closed.
Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk
vivebatu said:
OG Pro is simple to root, both cwm and twrp recoveries are easily available and working, and there is an official CM 10.2 available which is a nightly, so daily updates
So if these are your only considerations, you can buy the OG Pro with your eyes closed.
Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My only concern is that I don't know if the 980H is the same as the 980.
The 980H is the Panama version, the ROM from which is a popular flash option for this model in a Stock ROM. I'm actually in Panama, and this is where I'll purchase.
What about the root, recovery options? Should I use the one's for the 980? I don't see any for the H variant.
donalgodon said:
I'm on the fence between waiting for the N5 or getting the OG Pro.
Is the OG Pro difficult to root, flash custom recovery, CM 10.2, etc? (That's what I really want the device for)
Is the bootloader locked?
Any basic suggestions or tips would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OG Pro is a GREAT Device in its own way. If you need Removable battery, Micro SD slot then this device is suitable.
N5 has is pros and cons. U get latest S800 processor, direct updates from google, but only 16 or 32GB storage and non removable 2300 mah of N5 is no near to 3140mah of OGP. And LG will MOSTLY update OGP to 4.4 Kitkat by end of this year.
It is easy to flash custom roms on this device, well easier than HTC phones and there is going to be lot of development in future for this device. This device also have OFFICIAL support from Cyanogen mod team.(Correct me if i'm wrong).
For me OGP is better option than most of the other phones out there right now.
StarkV5 said:
OG Pro is a GREAT Device in its own way. If you need Removable battery, Micro SD slot then this device is suitable.
N5 has is pros and cons. U get latest S800 processor, direct updates from google, but only 16 or 32GB storage and non removable 2300 mah of N5 is no near to 3140mah of OGP. And LG will MOSTLY update OGP to 4.4 Kitkat by end of this year.
It is easy to flash custom roms on this device, well easier than HTC phones and there is going to be lot of development in future for this device. This device also have OFFICIAL support from Cyanogen mod team.(Correct me if i'm wrong).
For me OGP is better option than most of the other phones out there right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't you think that LG will eventually patch the bootloader exploit and end the party?
That's what bothers me about it, because Samdung did basically the same thing recently with Knox.
donalgodon said:
Don't you think that LG will eventually patch the bootloader exploit and end the party?
That's what bothers me about it, because Samdung did basically the same thing recently with Knox.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
with custom roms we don't need official OTA updates anymore plus they're slow with the updates anyway
solaris2k said:
with custom roms we don't need official OTA updates anymore plus they're slow with the updates anyway
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just as long as those features aren't tied to the bootloader, then there's no problem, but if the case of Samdung's Knox bootloaders have illustrated anything, it's that this is always an option.
Without the Knox bootloader, 4.3 update broke Wi-Fi, Sound, etc. It's what pushed me to sell the S4 and be done with Samdung once and for all.
donalgodon said:
Just as long as those features aren't tied to the bootloader, then there's no problem, but if the case of Samdung's Knox bootloaders have illustrated anything, it's that this is always an option.
Without the Knox bootloader, 4.3 update broke Wi-Fi, Sound, etc. It's what pushed me to sell the S4 and be done with Samdung once and for all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well Samdung are floating in the sky because of lots of sales and huge profit (about $10 billion i guess!!) so they don't care about the developer community and moving against it like Apple. Samdung is not apple but they don't understand it. they want to provide security on their devices like Apple does. Thats what they are trying with something called Knox bootloaders. This is one of the reason that kept me away from getting a Note 3. LG has long way to go before they become like Samdung. So i wouldn't worry about it for atleast 2 years! LOL
StarkV5 said:
Well Samdung are floating in the sky because of lots of sales and huge profit (about $10 billion i guess!!) so they don't care about the developer community and moving against it like Apple. Samdung is not apple but they don't understand it. they want to provide security on their devices like Apple does. Thats what they are trying with something called Knox bootloaders. This is one of the reason that kept me away from getting a Note 3. LG has long way to go before they become like Samdung. So i wouldn't worry about it for atleast 2 years! LOL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, their protection scheme is similar. I forgot what they call it, but it's all the same sort of sham. It releases the corporation from liability for warranty service, regardless of what the issue is, if the "protection" flag is tripped.
I find myself dreaming often about what it would be like if a company (like LG, which is smaller than the competition) threw everything they had behind the Open Source and Development community and just made their devices with folks like us XDA members in mind! How many millions of us are there now? We probably buy more gadgets as a group than any other segment of the global population as a whole, yet we are basically ignored and treated like criminals.
donalgodon said:
I find myself dreaming often about what it would be like if a company (like LG, which is smaller than the competition) threw everything they had behind the Open Source and Development community and just made their devices with folks like us XDA members in mind! How many millions of us are there now? We probably buy more gadgets as a group than any other segment of the global population as a whole, yet we are basically ignored and treated like criminals.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True!!! But the companies always think about the mass market first who are non-tech people who just buy and use the phone as it is..
The issue is warranty! when the phone is being used for development there is always risk of hard brick unless u know what you are doing with the phone. They don't want people messing their devices themselves and claim warranty for it. That is why the bootloaders are locked and flagged if unlocked for development purposes.
Which device did u decide to buy anyway??
StarkV5 said:
True!!! But the companies always think about the mass market first who are non-tech people who just buy and use the phone as it is..
The issue is warranty! when the phone is being used for development there is always risk of hard brick unless u know what you are doing with the phone. They don't want people messing their devices themselves and claim warranty for it. That is why the bootloaders are locked and flagged if unlocked for development purposes.
Which device did u decide to buy anyway??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, that's the reality, but I think there's a situation where companies can say, "Look, here's literally everything you need. All the documentation, sources, drivers, binaries... everything. You can play with your device all you want, but you assume that responsibility if something goes wrong." Then, they ought to make the flashing and modding tools part of the package. Make them robust, and invest in safe flashing systems. Fewer issues as a result.
I don't think it's fair that companies should be made to pay for stupidity, and I accept it as a cost of doing what we all love to do. This is what I thought the "Google Edition" devices were going to be all about, but even there, we still face a situation where so many things aren't provided properly.
I am hunting down a E980. To me, it represents the best value for the money right now. My plan is to use the Loki bootloader exploit, slap CM 10.2 on it and never look back. In fairness, LG's UI is a bit too colorful for my tastes, but it isn't anywhere near as hideous as Samdung's Touchwiz circus clowns on acid abomination.
donalgodon said:
I am hunting down a E980.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice! :good:
I'm sure you will have great time with the device.
donalgodon said:
My only concern is that I don't know if the 980H is the same as the 980.
The 980H is the Panama version, the ROM from which is a popular flash option for this model in a Stock ROM. I'm actually in Panama, and this is where I'll purchase.
What about the root, recovery options? Should I use the one's for the 980? I don't see any for the H variant.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bump
Sent from my One X using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Rooting is evolving

This doesn't sound too good for our Note 4.
Now that it may only be possible to root by modifying the kernel, it seems that unlocking a device will be a requirement going forward.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/1...ew-modified-kernels-may-become-a-requirement/
Chainfire has already said his CF-ROOT method won't work on our Note 4 because the bootloader is locked.
That post was referring to devices with Android 5.0 or Lollipop. It cites the difficulty of rooting Android L due to Android closing up some security holes that allow devices to be rooted.
The takeaway from this that Note 4 users should adhere to is; ensure that you don't install any OTA updates from At&t if you want to root in the future with limited difficulty. At least that's what I believe the post boils down to.
antde201 said:
That post was referring to devices with Android 5.0 or Lollipop. It cites the difficulty of rooting Android L due to Android closing up some security holes that allow devices to be rooted.
The takeaway from this that Note 4 users should adhere to is; ensure that you don't install any OTA updates from At&t if you want to root in the future with limited difficulty. At least that's what I believe the post boils down to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a hard bargain considering I don't know anyone who WOULDN'T want to update to lollipop.
I'll stay of 5 if that means I can root this device. Honestly once rooted 5.0 roms can be developed and flashed so taking the Ota doesn't make sense for an xda community member.
Jspex said:
I'll stay of 5 if that means I can root this device. Honestly once rooted 5.0 roms can be developed and flashed so taking the Ota doesn't make sense for an xda community member.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest, flashing a rom on an AT&T note 4 seems very very unlikely.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk
Yeah I know. It's looking more likely that this device may never be rooted. That is sad only because that is the main drawl to android for me is the ability to fully customize my device. I've never cared about the warrantee or tripping counters, I always know the risk I take. Maybe once I've paid off this phone I'll switch over to TMOBILE,that is as long as Google/Samsung haven't completely locked the phones down by then.
AT&T Locking down Note 4
Jspex said:
Yeah I know. It's looking more likely that this device may never be rooted. That is sad only because that is the main drawl to android for me is the ability to fully customize my device. I've never cared about the warrantee or tripping counters, I always know the risk I take. Maybe once I've paid off this phone I'll switch over to TMOBILE,that is as long as Google/Samsung haven't completely locked the phones down by then.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hell, if that's the way it's going to be, might as well switch to the iPhone 6 Plus....Yeah yeah I know....but at least with the iphone, NO BLOATWARE! I'll just overpay the $500 for the 128gb, and stick with that for at least 3, maybe 4 years....I know I'll be giving up widgets, and custom ROMS, but Hell, if we can't Root or unlock the bootloader, we're not going to have custom ROMs anyway. And all this bloatware is unacceptable. Oh well, I knew before I picked up the NOTE 4 yesterday, that ATT had locked down this phone, so it's my own fault I'm going to have to go through the tedious return process in less than 14 days from now...but at least Apple keeps getting away from dictating to ATT that they will NOT be allowed to put bloatware on the iphone.
lock10 said:
Hell, if that's the way it's going to be, might as well switch to the iPhone 6 Plus....Yeah yeah I know....but at least with the iphone, NO BLOATWARE! I'll just overpay the $500 for the 128gb, and stick with that for at least 3, maybe 4 years....I know I'll be giving up widgets, and custom ROMS, but Hell, if we can't Root or unlock the bootloader, we're not going to have custom ROMs anyway. And all this bloatware is unacceptable. Oh well, I knew before I picked up the NOTE 4 yesterday, that ATT had locked down this phone, so it's my own fault I'm going to have to go through the tedious return process in less than 14 days from now...but at least Apple keeps getting away from dictating to ATT that they will NOT be allowed to put bloatware on the iphone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Face to face, the note 4 decimates the iPhone. Root or no root. If you want root and don't care about the note features (which in assuming is the case since you're considering an elongated iPhone) why not get the nexus 6.
robstunner said:
Face to face, the note 4 decimates the iPhone. Root or no root. If you want root and don't care about the note features (which in assuming is the case since you're considering an elongated iPhone) why not get the nexus 6.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know, you have an excellent point. IF ATT doesn't try to lock down the Nexus 6, I think that is exactly what I'll do, though I'll miss the s-pen, but not like the iphone had that either. Better make sure I get the 64gb version since it has no microsd card slot. Or I can wait for Sony's enticing Z4 rumored for a March launch....don't know if ATT will be locking that one down either though...
It's a shame too, because I could give up custom ROM's, but NOT Root! I need my Titanium back-up!
I doubt they would lock down the Nexus line. The whole point of getting a Nexus device is for the open source features ie root and unlocked bootloader. I can understand why they lock down Galaxy devices. They are aimed at productivity and business so it makes sense they want them to be as secure as possible. What I don't understand is why people still complain. This has been going on for years and we have known that ever since the GS4 all future Samsung phone on the AT&T network would be locked down so if it's anyone fault it's the user who buys the phone expecting things to change. It's insanity at its heart. I'm not dissapointed because I bought the Note 4 knowing full well it'll probably never get root or an unlocked bootloader. Besides doing so voids all warranty anyways and I wouldn't wanna risk pretty much a 900 dollar device. Also Samsung has made great strides at appeasing people who like customizing there phones and cleaning up the UI. Still there is always that slim chance someone at Samsung will leak the unlock keys for the device. It's happened before and with how popular the Note 4 is getting, this might very well happen. If not, nobody to blame but ourselves.
Sent from my AT&T Galaxy Note 4 using XDA Premium HD
Thermalwolf said:
I doubt they would lock down the Nexus line. The whole point of getting a Nexus device is for the open source features ie root and unlocked bootloader. I can understand why they lock down Galaxy devices. They are aimed at productivity and business so it makes sense they want them to be as secure as possible. What I don't understand is why people still complain. This has been going on for years and we have known that ever since the GS4 all future Samsung phone on the AT&T network would be locked down so if it's anyone fault it's the user who buys the phone expecting things to change. It's insanity at its heart. I'm not dissapointed because I bought the Note 4 knowing full well it'll probably never get root or an unlocked bootloader. Besides doing so voids all warranty anyways and I wouldn't wanna risk pretty much a 900 dollar device. Also Samsung has made great strides at appeasing people who like customizing there phones and cleaning up the UI. Still there is always that slim chance someone at Samsung will leak the unlock keys for the device. It's happened before and with how popular the Note 4 is getting, this might very well happen. If not, nobody to blame but ourselves.
Sent from my AT&T Galaxy Note 4 using XDA Premium HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why complain ? Wanting more is absolutely normal. Aimed at business? Why would they do that? the most money is with everyday users. You remember that thing called blackberry ? Did they aim for business lol? Insanity at heart ? Such strong language. Usually there are ways to return back to stock so you wouldn't be risking much if such methods were avaliable.
Jspex said:
I'll stay of 5 if that means I can root this device. Honestly once rooted 5.0 roms can be developed and flashed so taking the Ota doesn't make sense for an xda community member.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you root on 4.4.4 and safestrap works to flash roms, you'll only be able to flash 4.4.4 roms, never a 5.0 rom.
That is, of course, unless the bootloader gets unlocked.
Right. To get to "L" with root you would either need an unlocked bootloader, or a root method that works on "L" after install.
4.4.x root + Safe strap won't ever get you to "L" by itself.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app
Hell, I'm not that desperate to flash a custom rom anytime soon. I'd settle for Root so i can use my precious Titanium for backing up app/game save data AND to freeze Samsung and ATT's damn crapware.
I pledged $50 on the bounty thread for Root and No Trip Knox.
But as mentioned earlier, might take the Note 4 back and wait for Nexus 6.
You also could just get the tmobile note 4 and use it on att...
Sent from my Note3 Rocking DynamicKat or my G3
For backups you could use Helium.
But you are right, root would be very handy for bloat removal...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app
the funny thing...is that the lg g3 from at&t seem to have root even if it come with locked bootloader??
antde201 said:
That post was referring to devices with Android 5.0 or Lollipop. It cites the difficulty of rooting Android L due to Android closing up some security holes that allow devices to be rooted.
The takeaway from this that Note 4 users should adhere to is; ensure that you don't install any OTA updates from At&t if you want to root in the future with limited difficulty. At least that's what I believe the post boils down to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
About the only reason, right now anyways, that I would want root is so I can turn off a few more of the "bloat" apps. Right out of the box I was able to disable many of the offending apps. Sure- they are still installed but at least they are not running.
for my average usage, I am easily able to get through the day, (off charger at about 6AM and back on for bed around 10PM), with about 25-30% left over.
If we get root, GREAT! I'll dance a little dance around a campfire at midnite. :fingers-crossed:
If we don't get root, I'll be ok. TB will be lost to me but there are alternatives.
antde201 said:
That post was referring to devices with Android 5.0 or Lollipop. It cites the difficulty of rooting Android L due to Android closing up some security holes that allow devices to be rooted.
The takeaway from this that Note 4 users should adhere to is; ensure that you don't install any OTA updates from At&t if you want to root in the future with limited difficulty. At least that's what I believe the post boils down to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually it means that if you want a Note 4 on lollipop with AT&T you will not be able to have root.
Well at least without finding a way to unlock the boot loader. The only way to get root on lollipop is to modify the kernel. Which you CAN NOT do without an unlocked boot loader. So if root is a must have for you then you will be stuck on KitKat.
Unless some genius out there finds a way to unlock the boot loader having root on this phone will only last a short while.
Sent from my SHIELD Tablet using XDA Free mobile app
---------- Post added at 01:10 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:08 AM ----------
zxaz said:
the funny thing...is that the lg g3 from at&t seem to have root even if it come with locked bootloader??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They figured out how to unlock the borrower on the lg g3. Which gives me a small bit of how we will see it for a Note 4 as well, but they still haven't figured out the note 3 so I'm am not holding my breath.
Sent from my SHIELD Tablet using XDA Free mobile app
optimusv45 said:
Why complain ? Wanting more is absolutely normal. Aimed at business? Why would they do that? the most money is with everyday users. You remember that thing called blackberry ? Did they aim for business lol? Insanity at heart ? Such strong language. Usually there are ways to return back to stock so you wouldn't be risking much if such methods were avaliable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wanting more is normal but asking for something that's already been confirmed to not happen and for valid reasons is absolutely asinine and immature. There are ways to return to stock but there are not ways to fix KNOX from a voided phone. Seriously you make no sense. The Galaxy line has been indeed aimed more for business. Business is actually where the money is at. I'm not talking a couple small businesses buying a ten line bundle, I'm talking about corporate contracts, which is what Samsung is aiming for. You can't compare Blackberry to Samsung. Blackberry completely ignored the everyday user. Samsung aims at both but keeps business in mind first, hence why they are pushing KNOX and it is indeed working.

[Q] Note 4 or Note 4 Developer Edition?

Hello all,
I am fine with either, although I do plan on rooting and installing a custom rom on the note 4 (that is when one comes out?)
I am just concerned that the Verizon Note 4 will be better in the long run, rather than the Developer Edition. I assume the Verizon variant will get more future support.
BUT I think just the Developer Edition has been rooted at the moment.
So any input to which device I should get?
Not sure this is even a debate. There is a reasonable chance the retail version will never even get rooted, and if it does on 4.4.4 there is not guarantee that the root will stick with an upgrade to 5.0.
hiddenfive said:
Hello all,
I am fine with either, although I do plan on rooting and installing a custom rom on the note 4 (that is when one comes out?)
I am just concerned that the Verizon Note 4 will be better in the long run, rather than the Developer Edition. I assume the Verizon variant will get more future support.
BUT I think just the Developer Edition has been rooted at the moment.
So any input to which device I should get?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you answered your own question. If you want a custom recovery and root then you're going to have to go to the Developer Edition. If I had to bet, I'd say that root for the Retail version is not going to happen. To add to that frustration for retail owners, Lollipop will come along and that very well make it even harder to find a root exploit for the DE, no one knows about Lollipop yet.
I voted with my wallet and bought the DE.
It sounds like you've got a pretty good grasp of the situation. One thing that I'd throw in is that I'm not at all worried about not getting official support from Verizon. Every Android phone I've ever has has been rooted within minutes of getting it and I have never once taken an OTA update from Verizon. I've always been able to update through ROM releases much quicker than Verizon releases official OTA updates.
One other thing I should throw in though on the side of getting the consumer edition, the warranty will be longer. I believe the DE only comes with a 30 day warranty.
If you're interested, EMSPilot has already released a custom ROM for the DE.
hacksaw999 said:
I voted with my wallet and bought the DE.
It sounds like you've got a pretty good grasp of the situation. One thing that I'd throw in is that I'm not at all worried about not getting official support from Verizon. Every Android phone I've ever has has been rooted within minutes of getting it and I have never once taken an OTA update from Verizon. I've always been able to update through ROM releases much quicker than Verizon releases official OTA updates.
One other thing I should throw in though on the side of getting the consumer edition, the warranty will be longer. I believe the DE only comes with a 30 day warranty.
If you're interested, EMSPilot has already released a custom ROM for the DE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And FireKat is coming as well...

Developer Edition and Updates

Thinking about selling my retail note 4 and buying a developer edition. Once lollipop is out will Samsung start shipping the dev editions with lollipop pre-installed? I'm hesitant to go with the dev edition as it seems like a lollipop upgrade may never happen.
That's actually pretty good question. Most people would say no you never get updates etc etc but the developer edition is available online now and if lollipop update happens soon I don't know?
Right. All I really want is to run a stock rom with root but since there isn't a very active dev community for the Note 4 I'm skeptical if lollipop will ever come in that form.
jpfulton248 said:
Thinking about selling my retail note 4 and buying a developer edition. Once lollipop is out will Samsung start shipping the dev editions with lollipop pre-installed? I'm hesitant to go with the dev edition as it seems like a lollipop upgrade may never happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No one really knows the answer to your question, will Samsung ship Developer Edition Note 4's after Lollipop has been released by Samsung. Who knows how long or when Samsung will have a version of Lollipop for the Note 4? There are some schools of thought that Lollipop may not be able to be rooted, Developer Edition or retail version. So, who knows?
I personally maintain this: I really don't care if Lollipop is released for the Note 4. I have a Nexus tablet with Lollipop on it and am not impressed at all with Lollipop. My Note 4 is rooted with TWRP and self debloated, running Nova Launcher and a few apps requiring root like Xposed and Wanan and I don't think there is a phone on the market, with or without Lollipop, that has better battery life, runs smoother or faster, has better connectivity or has a better display. When you add in the S-Pen features, you can't beat the Note 4 and I don't think Lollipop is going to make the Note 4 better. Just my opinion.
Jpcalhoun said it best.. There is a bit of me that wants that lollipop but then again im so happy where my DE is now. If it ain't dont fix it really comes to. Mind.
Update Question
I might be totally off base here, but I thought it was just a question of getting the OTA update from a non-DE Note 4 and modifying it slightly so it doesn't overwrite your bootloader with a retail version.
jpfulton248 said:
Thinking about selling my retail note 4 and buying a developer edition. Once lollipop is out will Samsung start shipping the dev editions with lollipop pre-installed? I'm hesitant to go with the dev edition as it seems like a lollipop upgrade may never happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my bet would be yes. i have two note 4 devs and one has an1 on it from sammy and the newest has nj5 on it so they are updating them and still making them the latest. also im sure if the retail note gets it there will be a stock tar that use dev guys can use to make our dev ed a lollipop device and i am not sure about lollipop either without xposed. i have used several nexus 6 and lollipop is stupid fast and smooth but i still need xposed and dont mind tw at all so we shall see
oneandroidnut said:
my bet would be yes. i have two note 4 devs and one has an1 on it from sammy and the newest has nj5 on it so they are updating them and still making them the latest. also im sure if the retail note gets it there will be a stock tar that use dev guys can use to make our dev ed a lollipop device and i am not sure about lollipop either without xposed. i have used several nexus 6 and lollipop is stupid fast and smooth but i still need xposed and dont mind tw at all so we shall see
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I'm convinced... Off to go ebay my retail n4. Anybody done this and can report on how much they got for it? Sale prices are strangely all over the map on ebay. I can't really figure out what is causing some to sell for $500 and others for $650. Mine is in great condition. I'm expecting $600. Thoughts?
montesn said:
I might be totally off base here, but I thought it was just a question of getting the OTA update from a non-DE Note 4 and modifying it slightly so it doesn't overwrite your bootloader with a retail version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be correct. The challenge is having a developer, or someone who knows what he's doing, to do it. From my experience that updated version of Android, in this case kitkat to lollipop, usually comes to us in the form of a ROM flashable through recovery. But it doesn't necessarily have to be that way I guess. I assume you could take the factory .tar, modify it and use ODIN to install.
Either way, I have a line on clean copies of the updates. Guy down the hall from me has a retail VZW Note 4. Asked him to download, but not install, then bring the phone to me to pull the file from cache
montesn said:
Either way, I have a line on clean copies of the updates. Guy down the hall from me has a retail VZW Note 4. Asked him to download, but not install, then bring the phone to me to pull the file from cache
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Outstanding!!
Hopefully it's not a complicated process. If you're just upgrading stock, I can't imagine it would be. Regardless, at least it will get us over that hurdle.
jpfulton248 said:
Well, I'm convinced... Off to go ebay my retail n4. Anybody done this and can report on how much they got for it? Sale prices are strangely all over the map on ebay. I can't really figure out what is causing some to sell for $500 and others for $650. Mine is in great condition. I'm expecting $600. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
good luck that seems high to me for a non dev device

Galaxy Note 5 Root Progress

Highly unlikely there will be a root for the AT&T version but lets see... Post any "root" progress or discussion here...
This post should be titled Pigs Flying Progress.
Not to be rude, but we can come back to this thread a year from now on a non-rooted AT&T Note 5.
Why?
Because it's locked hard core. Most people will just buy a non att version and unlock it. Sucks for the few that didn't want to pay $1200 for the phone. I just want root to remove crap and a custom kernel no rooms for me.
Any idea who said it is locked hardcore? Did somebody actually try?
I tried it today. I used pumpkin, apple, sunflower, even tomato seeds. No roots yet.
luciferiusXI said:
Any idea who said it is locked hardcore? Did somebody actually try?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's Knox locked for now tell someone cracks it or a unlocked bootloader is leaked.
http://www.idigitaltimes.com/samsun...d-features-att-and-verizon-models-wont-468357
That article is rubbish. I believe there simply aren't any good hackers working on this project. Autoprime has always rooted lots of impossible devices, but unfortunately there isn't any interest on this one. Those that are interested have no knowledge, therefore cut it short and just say that root is impossible.
Just know that in the future if you want a rooted device don't go through AT&T, I think that's been pretty clear for awhile now.
whmgreen said:
Just know that in the future if you want a rooted device don't go through AT&T, I think that's been pretty clear for awhile now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nothing is impossible
luciferiusXI said:
Nothing is impossible
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would like to share in your optimism, but you likely never owned the AT&T note 4...still waiting on a root there a year in.
whmgreen said:
I would like to share in your optimism, but you likely never owned the AT&T note 4...still waiting on a root there a year in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I owned but my theory is different. I believe that we can't achieve root because there aren't any more great developers working on the att note series. Number of developers kept decreasing every year. Most of the good ones grew up, found real jobs, have family and stuff and no free time to mess with the phones. Note 1 and note 2 had great developers then Note 3 was slow then Note 4 had 0 developers and same situation with Note 5. So at this point there only are themers left out there but no real developers. Anyways even if there was root on this device I doubt I would root it. First time I am very happy with stock rom experience on an android phone.
luciferiusXI said:
I owned but my theory is different. I believe that we can't achieve root because there aren't any more great developers working on the att note series. Number of developers kept decreasing every year. Most of the good ones grew up, found real jobs, have family and stuff and no free time to mess with the phones. Note 1 and note 2 had great developers then Note 3 was slow then Note 4 had 0 developers and same situation with Note 5. So at this point there only are themers left out there but no real developers. Anyways even if there was root on this device I doubt I would root it. First time I am very happy with stock rom experience on an android phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm actually fine with not rooting either the note 4 or note 5, they are both very fast after some light tweaking. The argument that there isn't enough developers is fair, but I believe there isn't more development because these phones are very hard to crack. You can hack a temporary root for the note 4, but I doubt that will be possible with the note 5. Either way these are superior phones to those a few years ago which were barely useable without root.
I'm not feeling the need to root this phone. My wife has my LG G3 (T-Mobile variant on AT&T). That was my phone prior to the Note 5. It was plenty quick on AOSP (not very quick on a stock-like ROM). Playing with it after using the Note 5 and it surprises me the LG feels slow. The Note 5 is plenty of snappy.
My only gripe...no Titanium Backup and no Ad Blocker. I've got Firefox as the browser and an ad blocker plugin for that but for the other apps I don't have any luck. I know there's AdGuard but don't feel like using that one.
Nosferatu. said:
I'm not feeling the need to root this phone. My wife has my LG G3 (T-Mobile variant on AT&T). That was my phone prior to the Note 5. It was plenty quick on AOSP (not very quick on a stock-like ROM). Playing with it after using the Note 5 and it surprises me the LG feels slow. The Note 5 is plenty of snappy.
My only gripe...no Titanium Backup and no Ad Blocker. I've got Firefox as the browser and an ad blocker plugin for that but for the other apps I don't have any luck. I know there's AdGuard but don't feel like using that one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you mind posting a link of the adblocker pluginfor firefox?
luciferiusXI said:
Do you mind posting a link of the adblocker pluginfor firefox?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Install Firefox from Play Store
Then go to: Settings --> Tools --> Addons
Search for uBlock Origin
Done
This is the direct link if you can't find it...
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/android/addon/ublock-origin/?src=search
whmgreen said:
I'm actually fine with not rooting either the note 4 or note 5, they are both very fast after some light tweaking. The argument that there isn't enough developers is fair, but I believe there isn't more development because these phones are very hard to crack. You can hack a temporary root for the note 4, but I doubt that will be possible with the note 5. Either way these are superior phones to those a few years ago which were barely useable without root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Getting mine tomorrow, what light tweaking do you mean?
iSwiftical said:
Getting mine tomorrow, what light tweaking do you mean?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Disabling apps with package disabler pro, turning off unneeded sensor stuff, and things like hd voice (since it's not in my area anyways).

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