I stumbled across this website with instructions for installing a custom ROM on the Fire Phone. Can anyone confirm this? I'm only know enough to follow instructions.
I'm too new to post a link. Just Google:
custom ROM fire phone
You're looking for the nsme rom-lollipop.
It may be a scam. It asks you to complete offers to download the files. But, people in the article comments say it worked.
It's just ads / survey scam behind shortened links, as you said. The people in the comment section aren't "real", also just fake accounts used to make it look more legit.
Just remember the site layout and graphics, because the people behind this have dozens of domains registered, that lead to sites that look just like the one you found.
that's too bad. i just find it hard to believe we have a root method and no custom recovery/bootstrap. I remember when palm went under and had firesales on their phones and tablets. dev's crack it open and loaded android on them. this is a decent spec device and with all the cameras you'd think someone would eventually get some project tango features integrated.
PIYIRIO said:
i just find it hard to believe we have a root method and no custom recovery/bootstrap
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look at it from Amazons perspective: they want their devices to be (almost) closed plattforms. Providing a method of unlocking the bootloader for all their devices is not in their interest. (I'm not going to start discussing the HDX bootloader case ^^)
Yes, the device is decent, but there are so many alternatives. So as of now I highly doubt that anyone will be looking for an exploit or any possibility to unlock the bootloader.
i'm not worried about the locked bootloader. it doesn't have to be unlocked for custom roms, plenty of devices with locked bootloaders have custom roms. we have root so we should be able to have a bootstrap method. we're just lacking in dev support. i can't blame them at all, i'm just saying for about $100 device (if your already renewing prime) this is a pretty high spec device and has hella potential. wishing it had the support of the old palm's.
I'm also confused - Fire Phone is brutal device for current price. I was expecting much broader adoption after drastic price drop.
Sent from my SD4930UR using XDA Forums
you will see a drastic increase in adoption if the bootloader has been unlocked
veti said:
you will see a drastic increase in adoption if the bootloader has been unlocked
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
of course. but if no one adopts it, no one cracks the bootloader: its a catch-22. but again, everyone worries about the bootloader but that's not everything. with proper root we can have a bootstrap and custom roms which would be a million percent improvement... for example: every verizon galaxy since the s4...
this is my first fire device and thought "for the price, what the hell". turns out i absolutely hate fireos, haven't used the device at all until the latest update with root, google play, and a proper launcher.
PIYIRIO said:
of course. but if no one adopts it, no one cracks the bootloader: its a catch-22. but again, everyone worries about the bootloader but that's not everything. with proper root we can have a bootstrap and custom roms which would be a million percent improvement... for example: every verizon galaxy since the s4...
this is my first fire device and thought "for the price, what the hell". turns out i absolutely hate fireos, haven't used the device at all until the latest update with root, google play, and a proper launcher.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i got it for 10 euros with a year of amazon prime, so it was a no brainer.
you stole it. i paid about 10 times that after the year of prime.
PIYIRIO said:
you stole it. i paid about 10 times that after the year of prime.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
huge pricing error in germany. many people got it for that price.
10 euros is an amazing deal. Really the price tag on this phone is amazing even at the non German price. So much so that I hope I get a chance to buy another one before they liquidate completely. Did some benchmarks and got performance better than the Galaxy s5 (as listed using vellamo) except for the single core test.
Anyway it seems to me that developers would adopt the phone, but it was also such a great flop that it might just continue to be neglected. I'm okay with that, but I would really like to see some development to replace some of the less functional bits of the fire os
It's too hard to get a custom ROM for Amazon fire phone.
1. The bootloader has been locked and no way to unlock.
2. We haven't found an available recovery for it.
3. We don't have the drivers of the phone.
4. Some software by amazon are used for the adaptation of the device, but we cannot make sure we can still use them in the new ROM. Such as the fix of the position of touch.
I agree, that's a bummer to not have dev support. No one wants to spend time developing for Fire OS and limit themselves to a small market niche when they can develop native Android apps and target 60%+ of the smartphone world. I bet so many cool things can be done with 5 front facing cameras, given development hours and diverse creativity input. Such a waste :/
stascom said:
I agree, that's a bummer to not have dev support. No one wants to spend time developing for Fire OS and limit themselves to a small market niche when they can develop native Android apps and target 60%+ of the smartphone world. I bet so many cool things can be done with 5 front facing cameras, given development hours and diverse creativity input. Such a waste :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think "5 front facing cameras" is a good design.
Actually I disabled it immediately when I got my phone to save power.
It doesn't make sense.
5 front facing cameras
I am wondering if the camera system will ever be able to scan objects for 3D information, and send data to some 3D printer setup. Might be fun.
aegoyu said:
I don't think "5 front facing cameras" is a good design.
Actually I disabled it immediately when I got my phone to save power.
It doesn't make sense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems the 4 cameras in the corners are "ultra-low-powered specialized cameras", so I guess they work just for the sake of the gimmicky Dynamic Perspective.
If it's like that, what a waste of cameras.
The 4 cameras and pseudo-3D was a gimmick, in hindsight it would've been better for amazon to do its own gearVR-like accessory instead given that eye-tracking doesn't come anywhere close to the quality of VR
Besides the VR market its nowhere near the saturation of mobile so amazon could've gotten its foot on the door rather than competing with android in that respect
As for the bootloader situation has anyone considered posting a reward to get more devs to try to unlock it?
There is (or was): http://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-phone/help/bootloader-unlock-development-t3022030
And there was a change.org petition for Amazon to unlock the bootloader (I doubt they care): http://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-phone/general/petition-posted-to-change-org-to-unlock-t3009342
Related
Oh hello. I'm absolutely new to the forums because I decided to register so I can ask some questions about the Iconia A100 because I need them answered because I want to get the tablet soon.
Soo, here we go. About the screen size and resolution; I never had any Android device so it might sound stupid but... if you try to run an application or a game or whatever that's been made for lower resolution than the tablet's, will it run in a smaller "window" or something, or just won't run at all? The same goes with applications made for 1.x or 2.x version of Android - will they launch on A100's Honeycomb?
I also worry about the battery a bit - not about the battery's life because that seems just fine for me, but what happens if the battery breaks? You can't really replace it at home without breaking the warranty (I suppose you cannot open it) so will they replace it at some authorized-service-or-something? Or do you need to get the whole tablet replaced? I'm probably over-worrying this a bit because none of my phone batteries ever broke but still... Hehe.
Oh and I also wanted to ask about Gorilla Glass... Is it featured on the A100? On their website it says it is, I just want to get it verified by someone who owns it.
That's probably all for now, thanks very much for any replies.
Paturata said:
Oh hello. I'm absolutely new to the forums because I decided to register so I can ask some questions about the Iconia A100 because I need them answered because I want to get the tablet soon.
Soo, here we go. About the screen size and resolution; I never had any Android device so it might sound stupid but... if you try to run an application or a game or whatever that's been made for lower resolution than the tablet's, will it run in a smaller "window" or something, or just won't run at all? The same goes with applications made for 1.x or 2.x version of Android - will they launch on A100's Honeycomb?
I also worry about the battery a bit - not about the battery's life because that seems just fine for me, but what happens if the battery breaks? You can't really replace it at home without breaking the warranty (I suppose you cannot open it) so will they replace it at some authorized-service-or-something? Or do you need to get the whole tablet replaced? I'm probably over-worrying this a bit because none of my phone batteries ever broke but still... Hehe.
Oh and I also wanted to ask about Gorilla Glass... Is it featured on the A100? On their website it says it is, I just want to get it verified by someone who owns it.
That's probably all for now, thanks very much for any replies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I kept the A100 for a while before returning it but I'll share what I know about what you ask.
I'm not a gamer per se. Angry Birds is about all I've found interest for. But if an app is designed for lower resolutions often you will see FCs or other odd behaviour. Try to select compatible games for HC 3.2 and you should be fine. If a favorite game is FC'ing on you...drop a note to the developer. Oftentimes you can get great insights that way.
The battery is non-replaceable meaning if it ever pooped out on you, your only recourse would be RMA.
Yes, Gorilla Glass is a feature. But, know this. Gorilla Glass is "scratch-resistant" and not "scratch-proof". Huge difference. If you keep it, cover it would be my suggestion.
The A00 is a nice little tab. Well built but not real flexible. If you can swing a bit more $$ there are much better options out there.
HTH
Thank you skeeterpro. I've a few more questions though - what exactly is "FC"? I'd say it's Friend Code, but that doesn't really fit well...
I also want to ask what better options would you recommend, and why exactly did you return the tablet? I'm sorry for lots of stupid questions, but the tablet seems just fine to me and I don't wanna pay ~200$ more for a 10" Samsung tablet.
FC is short for Force Close. If an app quits responding, it is Android's way of killing it. Most times it will give you the option to Force Close an unresponsive app or wait for it to respond. Other times, it just closes it on its own.
Sent from my HTC Inspire 4G using Tapatalk
Paturata said:
Thank you skeeterpro. I've a few more questions though - what exactly is "FC"? I'd say it's Friend Code, but that doesn't really fit well...
I also want to ask what better options would you recommend, and why exactly did you return the tablet? I'm sorry for lots of stupid questions, but the tablet seems just fine to me and I don't wanna pay ~200$ more for a 10" Samsung tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem! Ask away. Two things. Questions are what this forum is for and two, we were ALL new at one time!
FC - Force Close. Android-speak for crashed! (Yours seems more positive though!)
Be happy to share what I think on recommendations but the bottom line is what YOU like and does what YOU want and, last but not least, what YOU can afford. If a tablet you have seems fine to you...keep it. Everyone has different needs/wants and therefore goals. List your priorities in a tab then jump on it.
My opinions on available 7" tabs I've tried:
A100: nice overall tablet. Good build just "feels" good in hand. Slippery back though. Screen viewing angles are really not good (looking at screen from the sides). Straight on the screen is acceptable. Battery life is weak. Depending on use it's highly doubtful one would get a full day on a single charge. Not many accessories available. There are rumors Acer may be getting out of making tablets. Not good as support would wither out. And that would mean no OS upgrades. Small dev support. (Not many on Xda own the darned thing). Buying something that is EOL (End Of Life) can be good but seldom is. There is the ability to root the A100 but no verifiable Recovery yet. And rooting voids one's warranty so a fail-safe Recovery is VITAL. The measly 8GB internal storage is mitigated by the uSD (micro SD) availability.
Amazon Kindle: Not a real tablet computer really. An e-reader that runs android which is fine but not really the same "animal" as a full on android tablet. Same with Nook Tablet. Nice units for reading/movies though. But locked into Amazon/Barnes and Noble content.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus: best 7" tablet available today bar none. Downsides are price. It's spend-y at $399 but you get what you pay for. Accessories are few but in the pipeline I am told. Best/fastest processor on the 7" tab out there. Screen isn't IPS but viewing angles and much better than the A100. Charger port can covert to a USB host. Both root and recovery are available but recovery is still being tested AFAIK.
Samsung has a 8.9 screen tab out if the 10.1" screen is too large for you. It has some drawbacks and the biggest IMHO is no uSD. There is a 7.7" tab from Samsung coming that is said to be freakin' amazing but no word on when or if it will be released in the US.
*whew* Hope the about helps at all.
Raise your hand if you have questions? lol
Thanks very much for both replies!
skeeterpro said:
There are rumors Acer may be getting out of making tablets. Not good as support would wither out. And that would mean no OS upgrades. Small dev support. (Not many on Xda own the darned thing).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be bad. However, I read there will be ICS update for the A100 in 2012 so I don't know.
skeeterpro said:
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus: best 7" tablet available today bar none. Downsides are price. It's spend-y at $399 but you get what you pay for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
$399? It's impossible to buy it here (Czech republic) for that price. Even A100 costs $340 here, Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus wasn't even released here yet and it will cost $700 at launch. Yes, 700 bucks.
You kinda scared me with the Acer-will-stop-producing-tablets thing (I know it's a rumour, but I'm paranoid as hell ). I'd love to invest into a Samsung tablet and be sure there will be lots of official support for it, but it's way too over-priced here (and that goes with everything in Europe).
Acer is not getting out of the tablet game. They have already announced the A200. The A100 and A500 will get Android 4.0 the latest version of Android in Janurary.
IHaveCrayons said:
Acer is not getting out of the tablet game. They have already announced the A200. The A100 and A500 will get Android 4.0 the latest version of Android in Janurary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know! Of course, articles posted by the various websites should always be read with a grain of salt!
---------- Post added at 08:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:11 AM ----------
Paturata said:
Thanks very much for both replies!
That would be bad. However, I read there will be ICS update for the A100 in 2012 so I don't know.
$399? It's impossible to buy it here (Czech republic) for that price. Even A100 costs $340 here, Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus wasn't even released here yet and it will cost $700 at launch. Yes, 700 bucks.
You kinda scared me with the Acer-will-stop-producing-tablets thing (I know it's a rumour, but I'm paranoid as hell ). I'd love to invest into a Samsung tablet and be sure there will be lots of official support for it, but it's way too over-priced here (and that goes with everything in Europe).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
$700? Jeez. Actually the $340 for the A100 is about what I paid here when I first got it to try out. That sort of pricing seems to explain why so many from Europe purchase devices when on holiday here to take back.
Glad ihavecrayons found the source on Acer. I'm sure some manufacturers will stop producing tabs as the market floods with devices. The A100 (barring the irritants to some people) is a fine little tab really. Once a verifiable/reproducible Recovery is developed it will lend itself to serious modding! Now hopefully there will be increasing love for the device on Xda.
Thanks again.
If you don't mind one (probably last) question... What is this "recovery thing" that everyone's talking about? Resetting the device to its factory state including the default ROM for warranty purposes?
Moderator Message
Alright guys, party over...
@OP... you need to read mate!!
THREAD CLOSED!
This is just a public service announcement regarding the Amazon Fire Phone's potential hackability based on Amazon's history.
Will it get root?
Most likely. Everything gets root eventually.
Will it get GApps?
Amazon did one hell of a job preventing people from getting GApps on the Kindle Fire HDXs by squeezing down the partition sizes and adding functions in system apps to keep Google apps from functioning properly. So maybe yes, maybe no.
Will it get a bootloader unlock?
Based on Amazon's not so good history of allowing the customization of devices, this may never get a bootloader unlock. They do a pretty good job at locking everything down, I must add.
So, in case you were too lazy to read the above, if you plan on bootloader unlocking this thing and installing the Google Play Store or CyanogenMod fresh out of the box, I would recommend searching elsewhere. The HTC One M8, perhaps, which has slightly better specs anyways.
r3pwn said:
This is just a public service announcement regarding the Amazon Fire Phone's hackability.
Will it get root?
Most likely. Everything gets root eventually.
Will it get GApps?
Amazon did one hell of a job preventing people from getting GApps on the Kindle Fire HDXs by squeezing down the partition sizes and adding functions in system apps to keep Google apps from functioning properly. So maybe yes, maybe not.
Will it get a bootloader unlock?
Based on Amazon's not so good history of allowing the customization of devices, this may never get a bootloader unlock. They do a pretty good job at locking everything down, I must add.
So, in case you were too lazy to read the above, if you plan on bootloader unlocking this thing and installing the Google Play Store or CyanogenMod fresh out of the box, I would search elsewhere. The HTC One M8, perhaps, which has slightly better specs anyways.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do we know if the device has a removable battery?
Micro-SD?
Dual-sim?
AT&T is the first initial carrier - IMO this does not bode well for unlocked bootloader citing AT&T history, and Amazon's own history (as you mentioned with the HDXs.)
wilzard said:
Do we know if the device has a removable battery?
Micro-SD?
Dual-sim?
AT&T is the first initial carrier - IMO this does not bode well for unlocked bootloader citing AT&T history, and Amazon's own history (as you mentioned with the HDXs.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those three are unknown by me.
Even if you were to buy it off-contract, it would still most likely be locked. Amazon is the only manufacturer that I know if that does this.
Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk
wilzard said:
Do we know if the device has a removable battery?
Micro-SD?
Dual-sim?
AT&T is the first initial carrier - IMO this does not bode well for unlocked bootloader citing AT&T history, and Amazon's own history (as you mentioned with the HDXs.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No Idea
wilzard said:
Do we know if the device has a removable battery?
Micro-SD?
Dual-sim?
AT&T is the first initial carrier - IMO this does not bode well for unlocked bootloader citing AT&T history, and Amazon's own history (as you mentioned with the HDXs.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a single nano-sim, no micro-sd slot, permanent battery, and it will be able to be unlocked by at&t, not amazon, but not likely for a few months (through at&t, not sure about third-parties)
P.S. Personally I think the OS is goofy and not very intuitive. It definitely has a few cool visuals, but not in any kind of useful or innovative way. I was expecting a much cooler UI considering it has 6 cameras. It doesn't have a home screen, widgets or any real ways to customize it.
I will have my Fire Phone sometime in the next 12 hours. It's presently at my local UPS station waiting to get put on a truck for delivery. I don't know what possessed me to buy it. However, I wanted something different and my Galaxy S3 has been acting up big time. I will say, their free year of Amazon Prime offer was very tempting due to the sheer amount of buying I do each month from Amazon. I'm hoping GApps, especially GMail, will be supported somehow. Time will tell and, like I said, I wanted something different and this is definitely "different".
zoso28 said:
It's a single nano-sim, no micro-sd slot, permanent battery, and it will be able to be unlocked by at&t, not amazon, but not likely for a few months (through at&t, not sure about third-parties)
P.S. Personally I think the OS is goofy and not very intuitive. It definitely has a few cool visuals, but not in any kind of useful or innovative way. I was expecting a much cooler UI considering it has 6 cameras. It doesn't have a home screen, widgets or any real ways to customize it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A little off topic but I paid full price for the phone under the assumption "No Contract" means the same as "not locked to at&t.
I was sadly mistaken and AT&T won't help or do anything about it because it's "exclusive to them".
It pisses me off royally I spent $700 for new phone I can't use.
They won't even give a device unlock EVEN if you get a current AT&T customer to register it, and request an unlock. They simply won't do anything and I hope a root comes out soon making them lose millions for this.
That's atrocious - paying, waiting, then being told no.
I just read an article on theverge: "Unlocking phones in the US will soon be legal"
As long as your cell phone is not on contract, you should be able to get the unlock code from at&t after the President signs the bill.
r3pwn said:
This is just a public service announcement regarding the Amazon Fire Phone's potential hackability based on Amazon's history.
Will it get root?
Most likely. Everything gets root eventually.
Will it get GApps?
Amazon did one hell of a job preventing people from getting GApps on the Kindle Fire HDXs by squeezing down the partition sizes and adding functions in system apps to keep Google apps from functioning properly. So maybe yes, maybe no.
Will it get a bootloader unlock?
Based on Amazon's not so good history of allowing the customization of devices, this may never get a bootloader unlock. They do a pretty good job at locking everything down, I must add.
So, in case you were too lazy to read the above, if you plan on bootloader unlocking this thing and installing the Google Play Store or CyanogenMod fresh out of the box, I would recommend searching elsewhere. The HTC One M8, perhaps, which has slightly better specs anyways.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So basically a lot has changed on the Amazon front since the Original Kindle Fire I have (running CM10). Darn and I was hoping this would be a CM alternative
jack9955 said:
I just read an article on theverge: "Unlocking phones in the US will soon be legal"
As long as your cell phone is not on contract, you should be able to get the unlock code from at&t after the President signs the bill.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's already legal. Are you speaking of apples' term of "jailbreaking?" This has since been "legalized," but just voids the warranty of the device. Wireless carriers always said it was illegal because they were unable to honor such things like warranty and insurance claims if your phone was "tampered with" whether you outright owned it or not. But, what has happened is the term "illegal" has been removed, and they are just simply stating the obvious of warranty void.
As far as unlocking the sim to use on another network, they must allow unlock of device no later than Feb 11, 2015 as your service terms have been fulfilled. But until then, AT&T is one of those companies that only took the 3 minimum options of the FCC regulations. Read this for Q&A, read this for the terms they must abide by, and you'll have to contact AT&T to see if they are even part of the list of companies abiding by these laws currently.
Good luck. I have AT&T as well, but only because they are the only carrier that works worth a damn in my area at a "reasonable" rate. Verizon just costs way too much to entertain.
Hackability
I thought it would be easy since the Kindle Fire was. I was right.
It's been a few years since I've had an Android phone. All my past phones I've rooted, for various reasons. Most of them involved custom kernels, themes, and Cyanogenmod. What are some of the best reasons to root, and best reasons to stay stock?
If I root, I'll need to return my phone to Verizon and order one from Google, or wait and hope someone unlocks the bootloader. Either way I'm returning it for the 128GB version.
Thoughts?
The main reason I root my device is for Adaway so I can block ads with the HOSTS file at a global level (no ads in apps, yay!). Heck, I already have the bootloader unlocked, don't care if it breaks Android Pay (don't use it anyways other then to store my rewards cards information) and waiting for cf to work his magic on getting root working on this sexy device.
Down side of rooting is that you don't get the updates that gets pushed out unless you do it yourself (that and no Android Pay if that's something you use like I said above).
In terms of keeping the Verizon version or getting the Google Play version, if it was me, I'd get the Google Play version (which is what I did, second time I've gotten a phone outside of Verizon so they can't control my device). Although I'm sure after enough time someone could probably crack the bootloader but you never know.
I root for many reasons. Prominent among them is the ability to change the colors of the UI. White backgrounds are hard on my eyes and so over the years I have used CMTE, Layers, TBO, and now Substratum to change to darker backgrounds. Some apps have a dark mode you can use without root, but many do not. Root opens up a whole new dimension of customizations not only in appearance but also in performance.
scsa20 said:
In terms of keeping the Verizon version or getting the Google Play version, if it was me, I'd get the Google Play version (which is what I did, second time I've gotten a phone outside of Verizon so they can't control my device). Although I'm sure after enough time someone could probably crack the bootloader but you never know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tmettler5 said:
If I root, I'll need to return my phone to Verizon and order one from Google, or wait and hope someone unlocks the bootloader. Either way I'm returning it for the 128GB version.
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I must be missing something. Why do smart people like you guys still buy Google phones (Nexus, Pixel) from Verizon?
ringochan said:
I must be missing something. Why do smart people like you guys still buy Google phones (Nexus, Pixel) from Verizon?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably because of the discounted 2 year or monthly payment option. Some smart people still have smaller budgets or wives who wouldn't understand laying out $800 - $1000 to replace a phone just because you want to root. Those people hope someone will figure out a way to unlock and root. I've got the money but my wife would go ballistic
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Premium HD app
With all due respect, buying a google phone without rooting and tinkering with it is like going to michelin starred restaurant to pay $100 for a glass of water. Oh, and my reasons are the freedom of customizability and custom kernels, custom kernels can make your phone twice as fast with even better battery life if done right.
ringochan said:
I must be missing something. Why do smart people like you guys still buy Google phones (Nexus, Pixel) from Verizon?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't got it through Verizon. I said I got it through the Google Store (thus the outside of Verizon part). Screw getting phones through Verizon. Hate that they forced locked down bootloader's.
herandy said:
With all due respect, buying a google phone without rooting and tikering with it is like going to michelin starred restaurant to pay $100 for a glass of water. Oh, and my reasons are the freedom of customizability and custom kernels, custom kernels can make your phone twice as fast with even better battery life if done right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was true with Nexus phones. The Pixel is being marketed as something else entirely. I think we'll be hard pressed to see any real gains from devs here. Google is putting a lot of work into these phones. I trust the minds at Google this time moreso than the devs on here.
Nitemare3219 said:
That was true with Nexus phones. The Pixel is being marketed as something else entirely. I think we'll be hard pressed to see any real gains from devs here. Google is putting a lot of work into these phones. I trust the minds at Google this time moreso than the devs on here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not impressed with the "minds" at Google.
For me to pay that kind of price, I need, at least 5.75" screen, front stereo speakers, higher degree of water proofing. Also, to echo a famous quote : "White UIs must die!" And those bezels! Ugh!
Google assistant is nearly useless to those of us who prefer not to publicly audibilize our searches. So all I would gain would be a snappier OS and a first rate camera. Too many cons outweigh the pros. I wish Google and the sort of folks that they appear to be targeting all the best. I also hope there is much Dev activity for it.
ringochan said:
I must be missing something. Why do smart people like you guys still buy Google phones (Nexus, Pixel) from Verizon?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ease of access, availability, no need for an application for financing, the expectation that someone will crack the bootloader, buying in a no tax state.
wtherrell said:
I'm not impressed with the "minds" at Google.
For me to pay that kind of price, I need, at least 5.75" screen, front stereo speakers, higher degree of water proofing. Also, to echo a famous quote : "White UIs must die!" And those bezels! Ugh!
Google assistant is nearly useless to those of us who prefer not to publicly audibilize our searches. So all I would gain would be a snappier OS and a first rate camera. Too many cons outweigh the pros. I wish Google and the sort of folks that they appear to be targeting all the best. I also hope there is much Dev activity for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
-I do wish the screen size was larger considering it has on-screen buttons, and that massive chin... no reason it couldn't have been 5.7" again.
-Stereo speakers would have been nice too. No idea why they couldn't copy the iPhone and HTC 10 considering the speakers are in the same position. Maybe a dev will actually make this happen if the earpiece is capable.
-I actually love the UI.
-Everyone hates the bezel. I think they did it to keep a larger battery in the phone, and to probably make it look like an iPhone to the masses.
-Google Assistant is great. I never really used voice commands much, but I have been forcing myself to use them more. They are incredibly quick, efficient, and convenient. No reason to not use them even in public dude. Who gives a damn what people think about your searches. You're never going to see the same people in public anyway.
The snappy OS and first rate camera are things that Android has absolutely needed in a phone. The Pixels bring the best of ALL the basics. And no phone has really done that with Android before. OEMs get too caught up in adding gimmicks and "features" and end up slowing down the phone, hampering basic usability (i.e. what we use our phones for 90+% of the time).
Nitemare3219 said:
-I do wish the screen size was larger considering it has on-screen buttons, and that massive chin... no reason it couldn't have been 5.7" again.
-Stereo speakers would have been nice too. No idea why they couldn't copy the iPhone and HTC 10 considering the speakers are in the same position. Maybe a dev will actually make this happen if the earpiece is capable.
-I actually love the UI.
-Everyone hates the bezel. I think they did it to keep a larger battery in the phone, and to probably make it look like an iPhone to the masses.
-Google Assistant is great. I never really used voice commands much, but I have been forcing myself to use them more. They are incredibly quick, efficient, and convenient. No reason to not use them even in public dude. Who gives a damn what people think about your searches. You're never going to see the same people in public anyway.
The snappy OS and first rate camera are things that Android has absolutely needed in a phone. The Pixels bring the best of ALL the basics. And no phone has really done that with Android before. OEMs get too caught up in adding gimmicks and "features" and end up slowing down the phone, hampering basic usability (i.e. what we use our phones for 90+% of the time).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do hope they tweak it later to allow typing to the assistant like Allo but I guess then it's not a whole lot different than typing in the search bar anyways.
Nitemare3219 said:
-I do wish the screen size was larger considering it has on-screen buttons, and that massive chin... no reason it couldn't have been 5.7" again.
-Stereo speakers would have been nice too. No idea why they couldn't copy the iPhone and HTC 10 considering the speakers are in the same position. Maybe a dev will actually make this happen if the earpiece is capable.
-I actually love the UI.
-Everyone hates the bezel. I think they did it to keep a larger battery in the phone, and to probably make it look like an iPhone to the masses.
-Google Assistant is great. I never really used voice commands much, but I have been forcing myself to use them more. They are incredibly quick, efficient, and convenient. No reason to not use them even in public dude. Who gives a damn what people think about your searches. You're never going to see the same people in public anyway.
The snappy OS and first rate camera are things that Android has absolutely needed in a phone. The Pixels bring the best of ALL the basics. And no phone has really done that with Android before. OEMs get too caught up in adding gimmicks and "features" and end up slowing down the phone, hampering basic usability (i.e. what we use our phones for 90+% of the time).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good points. I'm glad you trust the uncaring public. I, however, don't. I guess I am just slightly paranoid that way. Also there are many situations where it might disturb other folks to have me gabbing on my phone. Sure, assistant is neat but just not worth it to me. Still, I find myself checking on the availability of the 128gb model as if I am irresistibly drawn to it. My heart wants it but my head is saying no.
There's every reason to root, and only one reason to not root.
Reasons to root:
Kernel modifications to increase battery life. (Sure the Pixel can go 2 days easily on one charge, but why not make it 3?).
Filesystem access. The heart of any computer should at the very least give you filesystem access. It boggles the mind why phones won't give this option when this is a computer that you carry with you every day. Maybe you want to write your own apps, hide personal files somewhere outside of the visible directories like Downloads.
Breaking down barriers carriers put forth to limit you in a walled garden. Whatever it may be. Video codecs for example. Open source media servers that aren't approved on the app stores, I can go on and on.
Only reason to not root:
Android Pay. I absolutely love this ability. I personally think that you SHOULD be able to use this option while rooted. Using SU app, and encryption of your card should be enough to protect your card information. (Don't say it can't because it can.) Rooted apps cannot work unless you give them access via the SU app as added security, and even if they manage to grab your encrypted card information because you allowed some program you've never heard of root access and it steals your encrypted account information, it would take them 1 million years to brute force decrypt it if using a high enough encryption scheme on it. You can just change your virtual account on a whim, and do so ever 6 months, cancelling your old account in case it was ever grabbed making the old one null and void for the hacker if he does eventually get lucky and break it. Your account will never get owned if these practices were followed.
Blatently not allowing you choice to use something like android pay is big brother coddling you like a baby. I'm a grown ass man, and know how to secure my ****. If you don't know how to, then you shouldn't be doing it as your the reason Google puts these sort of restrictions on phones like mine.
MichaelMcC said:
Probably because of the discounted 2 year or monthly payment option. Some smart people still have smaller budgets or wives who wouldn't understand laying out $800 - $1000 to replace a phone just because you want to root. Those people hope someone will figure out a way to unlock and root. I've got the money but my wife would go ballistic
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are actually confusing me more. I checked both Verizon and Google Store's pricings and financing options and saw they are pretty much the same.
Verizon -- $0 Down (for qualified customers) $36.24/mo for 24 months; 0% APR Retail Price: $869.99 -- sim locked maybe?, and locked bootloader.
Google Store -- $869.00 or $36.21 / Month x 24 times, thru Google Store Financing -- sim free, and unlockable bootloader.
scsa20 said:
I didn't got it through Verizon. I said I got it through the Google Store (thus the outside of Verizon part). Screw getting phones through Verizon. Hate that they forced locked down bootloader's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly!:laugh:
tmettler5 said:
Ease of access, availability, no need for an application for financing, the expectation that someone will crack the bootloader, buying in a no tax state.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...
---------- Post added at 11:32 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:15 AM ----------
nikitis said:
There's every reason to root, and only one reason to not root.
Reasons to root:
Kernel modifications to increase battery life. (Sure the Pixel can go 2 days easily on one charge, but why not make it 3?).
Filesystem access. The heart of any computer should at the very least give you filesystem access. It boggles the mind why phones won't give this option when this is a computer that you carry with you every day. Maybe you want to write your own apps, hide personal files somewhere outside of the visible directories like Downloads.
Breaking down barriers carriers put forth to limit you in a walled garden. Whatever it may be. Video codecs for example. Open source media servers that aren't approved on the app stores, I can go on and on.
Only reason to not root:
Android Pay. I absolutely love this ability. I personally think that you SHOULD be able to use this option while rooted. Using SU app, and encryption of your card should be enough to protect your card information. (Don't say it can't because it can.) Rooted apps cannot work unless you give them access via the SU app as added security, and even if they manage to grab your encrypted card information because you allowed some program you've never heard of root access and it steals your encrypted account information, it would take them 1 million years to brute force decrypt it if using a high enough encryption scheme on it. You can just change your virtual account on a whim, and do so ever 6 months, cancelling your old account in case it was ever grabbed making the old one null and void for the hacker if he does eventually get lucky and break it. Your account will never get owned if these practices were followed.
Blatently not allowing you choice to use something like android pay is big brother coddling you like a baby. I'm a grown ass man, and know how to secure my ****. If you don't know how to, then you shouldn't be doing it as your the reason Google puts these sort of restrictions on phones like mine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More reasons to root:
o backup and restore apk and data anytime.
o nandroid backup for ability to test things.
o custom roms for obvious reasons.
o exposed anyone?
o ability to upgrade to new os versions even after phone makers stopped supporting the devices.
o to satisfy the addictive urge to flash every week!
The SafetyNet is a great threat for most of us here. Some apps, including Android Pay, won't run anymore. If more apps start utilizing the system, we won't be able to enjoy our phones and everyone will be migrating to the Appleland:crying:
Is the pixel better in terms of not fighting the manufacturer to root the phone and rom it? Does it allow the built in call recording (like editing the xml file on a rooted galaxy?)
It's a Google phone, there is no fight rooting or roming or moding it. It's wide open. Hit the unlock slider, fastboot flash unlock. Done.
Verizon version is a bit different. So far no problem as long as you unlock it before it updates. That may change, but so far so good.
That's what I was hoping to hear.
ElementalWindX said:
Is the pixel better in terms of not fighting the manufacturer to root the phone and rom it? Does it allow the built in call recording (like editing the xml file on a rooted galaxy?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is the carrier that locks phones. Like Verizon. Both Samsung and Google leave their phones open by default.
Of course, you may lose some functionality on rooting. Like security features and pay systems.
Yea I don't care about pay systems, or the built in security. None of the card readers at the stores around here even do NFC devices. I always have my cards on me too. My biggest concern is being able to record phone calls automatically. I seriously hate how Verizon locks them down. Right now I have an S6 G920V on version QA3 I'm trying to figure out how to root and have no idea how to at this moment.
ElementalWindX said:
Yea I don't care about pay systems, or the built in security. None of the card readers at the stores around here even do NFC devices. I always have my cards on me too. My biggest concern is being able to record phone calls automatically. I seriously hate how Verizon locks them down. Right now I have an S6 G920V on version QA3 I'm trying to figure out how to root and have no idea how to at this moment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung Pay works with old magnetic card readers where you swipe your card, because they bought the company which developed a special magnetic sensing/beaming chip called MST.
http://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00043865/
So it basically works everywhere except where you need to insert the card inside the machine like gas stations or ATMs. And it gives you points to redeem goodies from Samsung, like gift cards or their hardware.
I was really enjoying Samsung Pay when I had S6 Edge and Note 7. I didn't have to carry a wallet - just a case with a driver's license and a hundred dollar bill. I really miss it.
Now, Verizon is awful in Midwest, where I live. It's the most overpriced carrier with zero benefits to back up their high prices. I switched from Note 7 on US Cellular prepaid, where I was paying $37 per month, to Pixel XL on Project FI, where I'm now paying $25 per month. Aside from a few simple quirks, I think FI is perfect for a low data user such as myself. Stay away from Verizon.
As far as rooting Verizon devices... I think you may be SOL. It varies depending on the device/software version, but usually they are locked pretty tight.
The Pixel is a much better choice simply based on the development efforts and the quicker updates from Google, which helps developers get their custom firmwares out much faster with the newest features.
xocomaox said:
The Pixel is a much better choice simply based on the development efforts and the quicker updates from Google, which helps developers get their custom firmwares out much faster with the newest features.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
'
7.1.1 Broke Bluetooth functionality. It seems like every single update in the beginning of an update cycle only introduces more bugs. It is a common theme and trend in modern technology. Another trend in technology, most bugs get fixed after about a year. But this phone become obsolete after 6 months.
We, the consumers, cannot win - technology companies release buggy products because they can, and they love quick and flashy profits, Quality Assurance seems to be taking a back seat to corporate profits. Because we, the consumers, seem to buy anything to please us in these times.
nabbed said:
'
7.1.1 Broke Bluetooth functionality. It seems like every single update in the beginning of an update cycle only introduces more bugs. It is a common theme and trend in modern technology. Another trend in technology, most bugs get fixed after about a year. But this phone become obsolete after 6 months.
We, the consumers, cannot win - technology companies release buggy products because they can, and they love quick and flashy profits, Quality Assurance seems to be taking a back seat to corporate profits. Because we, the consumers, seem to buy anything to please us in these times.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bluetooth is working fine on my phone. In fact, I'm not experiencing any problems on my phone. I am on the latest build of DU 11.1 based on NOF26V.
And I'm not sure how you are coming to the conclusion that this model will be obsolete in 6 months. It has OS updates guaranteed all the way through Android P...
Regardless of all that, I still think it is vastly better to develop for a phone that is getting constant updates from the manufacturer (Google) rather than one that is typically behind (Samsung).
ElementalWindX said:
Is the pixel better in terms of not fighting the manufacturer to root the phone and rom it? Does it allow the built in call recording (like editing the xml file on a rooted galaxy?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Infinitely better. I loved my S7 while I had it, but the root method was so terrible and caused lag, heat, and poor battery life regardless of any "fix" for it. It's a shame because I loved the phone and would NOT have switched if it weren't for those issues listed. Needless to say, I NEED root on my phone and I wasn't willing to give up any of those things to get it. The root method for this phone is far better and gives me the freedom I want with MY phone. The constant on time updates, and general smoothness of the phone help as well
With that being said, I would not be against giving Samsung another try. I love their phones, but I don't care for their locked bootloaders. If the S8 comes with a developer edition or root is easily achieved I'd have no issues going back. I'd also have no issue staying with future Pixel phones. :good:
JAYNO20 said:
Infinitely better. I loved my S7 while I had it, but the root method was so terrible and caused lag, heat, and poor battery life regardless of any "fix" for it. It's a shame because I loved the phone and would NOT have switched if it weren't for those issues listed. Needless to say, I NEED root on my phone and I wasn't willing to give up any of those things to get it. The root method for this phone is far better and gives me the freedom I want with MY phone. The constant on time updates, and general smoothness of the phone help as well
With that being said, I would not be against giving Samsung another try. I love their phones, but I don't care for their locked bootloaders. If the S8 comes with a developer edition or root is easily achieved I'd have no issues going back. I'd also have no issue staying with future Pixel phones. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This post makes no sense. How can "root method" cause the following quote - "root method was so terrible and caused lag, heat, and poor battery life regardless of any "fix" for it."
Is the user literally regarded as genius?
nabbed said:
This post makes no sense. How can "root method" cause the following quote - "root method was so terrible and caused lag, heat, and poor battery life regardless of any "fix" for it."
Is the user literally regarded as genius?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uh, are you serious? Go look at the s7 forums and then talk, until then let the men talk.
JAYNO20 said:
Uh, are you serious? Go look at the s7 forums and then talk, until then let the men talk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you literally blessed?
nabbed said:
Are you literally blessed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you literally a troll?
JAYNO20 said:
Are you literally a troll?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really give up now. People can be what they choose to be!
Freedom!
Moderator Information,
Thread cleaned, flaming users is not acceptable.
JAYNO20 said:
Infinitely better. I loved my S7 while I had it, but the root method was so terrible and caused lag, heat, and poor battery life regardless of any "fix" for it. It's a shame because I loved the phone and would NOT have switched if it weren't for those issues listed. Needless to say, I NEED root on my phone and I wasn't willing to give up any of those things to get it. The root method for this phone is far better and gives me the freedom I want with MY phone. The constant on time updates, and general smoothness of the phone help as well
With that being said, I would not be against giving Samsung another try. I love their phones, but I don't care for their locked bootloaders. If the S8 comes with a developer edition or root is easily achieved I'd have no issues going back. I'd also have no issue staying with future Pixel phones. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nabbed said:
This post makes no sense. How can "root method" cause the following quote - "root method was so terrible and caused lag, heat, and poor battery life regardless of any "fix" for it."
Is the user literally regarded as genius?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just so you guys understand why the root method for the S7 caused those issues...
In order to root the S7, you needed to flash a developer kernel. This is allowed even with the locked bootloader of the S7 since it is signed and accepted by the bootloader.
As we all know, a kernel can cause a lot of issues with the phone, and that is exactly what happened with the S7. That kernel was not tweaked properly and especially not for real-world usage. But it did allow us to root the phone, so it was a sacrifice (in my opinion).
xocomaox said:
Just so you guys understand why the root method for the S7 caused those issues...
In order to root the S7, you needed to flash a developer kernel. This is allowed even with the locked bootloader of the S7 since it is signed and accepted by the bootloader.
As we all know, a kernel can cause a lot of issues with the phone, and that is exactly what happened with the S7. That kernel was not tweaked properly and especially not for real-world usage. But it did allow us to root the phone, so it was a sacrifice (in my opinion).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understood that just fine. It was all the issues caused by root that made me jump ship to the Pixel. As for the other guy (who obviously didn't understand the problems that root caused) I can't say for sure what his issue was. Just trying to help the OP with his decision through my experience with both devices.
I agree with what most people here are saying, I used to have a Galaxy S7 Edge, I loved everything about it, except for the locked bootloader. As previously mentioned it could be rooted, but there just weren't many roms out there and there was also a slight lag and poor battery life that occured after flashing the engineer boot. I just missed being able to customize it as much as I could all my old HTC devices. I switched the the Pixel XL 3 weeks ago rooted it day 1 and haven't missed the S7 Edge once
bbacon said:
I agree with what most people here are saying, I used to have a Galaxy S7 Edge, I loved everything about it, except for the locked bootloader. As previously mentioned it could be rooted, but there just weren't many roms out there and there was also a slight lag and poor battery life that occured after flashing the engineer boot. I just missed being able to customize it as much as I could all my old HTC devices. I switched the the Pixel XL 3 weeks ago rooted it day 1 and haven't missed the S7 Edge once
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I came from an S7 Edge as well. It was an excellent phone if you didn't require root access. But I like to customize. I had it for 7 months the went to the Pixel XL.
Hi,
i am planing to buy a new phone and I will use it with LOS + MicroG.
What Hardware will work best?
I do not like huge phones and prefer smaller ones. My last device was a BQ X Pro (also with LOS+MG) which had a nice size.
But most important is that everything just works as expected and there are developers willing to support it during the next years.
From my research the Poco F3 might be an option.
I also like the OnePlus Nord2 from hardware perspective. Unfortunately there is only an unofficial release and community seems to be rather small.
Any suggestions?
Difficult to say - I'd suggest open all items in
https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/
Currently about 190... and do a shoot out based your preferred specs.
For me, that would be:
RAM 4GB or more (by now rather 6GB)
Dual SIM AND dedicated memory card
64GB memory or more
width less than 76mm (or 73 like your BQ)
battery at least 4500mAh
And once you got that slimmed to down, look for any caveats and kick those out as well.
Quite possibly you want to go for a common device to ensure a wide user base (and thus better support):
https://stats.lineageos.org/
Edit: Why MicroG? Google is evil, isn't it?
SigmundDroid said:
Difficult to say - I'd suggest open all items in
https://wiki.lineageos.org/dev
https://stats.lineageos.org/
Edit: Why MicroG? Google is evil, isn't it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. Evil. But some apps need it. So microG is the factor 1000 less evil alternative.
Don't buy Samsung. VoLTE issue still not solved.
Pixel phones are not evil.
After reading
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MicroG
I'm getting interested in that myself...
Obviously there's more to it and I finally found their reqs and list... I see it's really hard(er) work to pick the right one - bookmarked for reference, learned something here, thanks!
Oh and good luck Looking forward to see your choice.
PS: Full ack boycotting Samsung (but rather for their software and policies). Never thought of Pixels, they never survived my shootouts due to mediocre batteries and mutilated screens...
kurtn said:
Yes. Evil. But some apps need it. So microG is the factor 1000 less evil alternative.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Full-ACK on this and that's the main reason for getting back from LOS+MG after trying an iPhone for more than a year now. Some Apps might not work with MicroG (due to bad programming and unnecessary dependencies) but most of them are replaceable with a better app or are not really relevant. There is just a single app that really annoys me, because it is really great but depends on google-in-app-lincense-****. Only way was to license it on a spare phone with GAPPS, do a titanium backup and restore on MG device. Hope that still works...
kurtn said:
Don't buy Samsung. VoLTE issue still not solved.
Pixel phones are not evil.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From my research Samsung does not support LOS / custom ROMs for several years but I liked the hardware in the past and my Galaxy S1 worked nice with Cyanogen.
If we ignore the fact that google develops and produces the hardware in combination with the closed firmware, that me have to trust, I think that the hardware is way overpriced. I had a Google Nexus 5 which was great when I bought it and it had a fair price. If I compare hardware and price from the current google devices this seems rather ridiculous.
Same with the current OnePlus devices in comparison to former devices like the OnePlus One. But I think I would currently still prefer any OnePlus device over Googles devices for obvious reasons...
@SigmundDroid :
I know this device list and have already checked it but I was looking for experiences and thought that maybe someone was on a similar search and might have some experiences to share.
But the "Stats"list is indeed interesting and I did not know it. Do you know how this is generated. There are some really old devices in the top of the list. Are they still active or have they just been active in the past?
topaza said:
Full-ACK on this and that's the main reason for getting back from LOS+MG after trying an iPhone for more than a year now. Some Apps might not work with MicroG (due to bad programming and unnecessary dependencies) but most of them are replaceable with a better app or are not really relevant. There is just a single app that really annoys me, because it is really great but depends on google-in-app-lincense-****. Only way was to license it on a spare phone with GAPPS, do a titanium backup and restore on MG device. Hope that still works...
From my research Samsung does not support LOS / custom ROMs for several years but I liked the hardware in the past and my Galaxy S1 worked nice with Cyanogen.
If we ignore the fact that google develops and produces the hardware in combination with the closed firmware, that me have to trust, I think that the hardware is way overpriced. I had a Google Nexus 5 which was great when I bought it and it had a fair price. If I compare hardware and price from the current google devices this seems rather ridiculous.
Same with the current OnePlus devices in comparison to former devices like the OnePlus One. But I think I would currently still prefer any OnePlus device over Googles devices for obvious reasons...
@SigmundDroid :
I know this device list and have already checked it but I was looking for experiences and thought that maybe someone was on a similar search and might have some experiences to share.
But the "Stats"list is indeed interesting and I did not know it. Do you know how this is generated. There are some really old devices in the top of the list. Are they still active or have they just been active in the past?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The stats list only contains data from devices that have been activated the previous 7 days - and there is a toggle in lineageOS to take part in that counting.
Besides some probably faked numers, you see good coverage of old phones. Unknown country means those phones run without sim card. Those are the really old phones maybe used as media player.
SigmundDroid said:
After reading
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MicroG
I'm getting interested in that myself...
Obviously there's more to it and I finally found their reqs and list... I see it's really hard(er) work to pick the right one - bookmarked for reference, learned something here, thanks!
Oh and good luck Looking forward to see your choice.
PS: Full ack boycotting Samsung (but rather for their software and policies). Never thought of Pixels, they never survived my shootouts due to mediocre batteries and mutilated screens...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did a lot of research and some tests now. So I thought I should just provide a small update here.
ASUS Zenfone 8 seemed to be the winner from stats if you consider size. (had a test device but did not unlock it)
I really like the device although I don´t like fingerprint readers to be integrated in the display. It´s not as bad as you might read in some reviews but why the hell would i put a fingerprint reader in a display if I just can put it on the back? (works perfectly and I just have my finger there anyway, when pulling the device out of my pocket!)
So now the Points that suck:
- ASUS has a strange way to unlock the bootloader and does not allow you to ever relock it
- Camera is great but only with stock ROM (ASUS Cam does not work, GCAM might work under special conditions but not seems be a satisfying solution, opencamera is night with good light conditions but fails as soon as it gets darker)
- small user base
==> not worth the money. I would pay the price, if ASUS would be more open minded to alternative ROMs and the Cam would also work on these like on stock ROM.
I also checked a Poce F3 just to see if I could arrange with the size. But it is just way to big, like almost any other available devices.
So, if you consider size, the only interesting alternative seems to be the Google Pixel 4a, which unfortunately is not available any more. So you can buy a totally overpriced one from a shop or try to make a good shot on ebay (what I did).
My device will arrive in a few days and I will report after testing.
During my research I also notices the GrapheneOS Project, which seems to be an interesting (maybe even better?) alternative to LOS (but only works with Google devices). I will also test this and report back here about my findings.
If anybody has another good suggestion that I missed, please let me know. But unfortunately everybody seems to like those small tablets in their pockets instead of normal phones, so I doubt you can find one...
I'm thinking the OnePlus 9 Pro, code name lemonadep, at least for use in the USA.
Think I bricked my Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s for good.
Looking for the very same: Small reliable phone, good battery life and big community (-> long support). Maybe a decent camera.
@topaza What did you buy?
happyass**** said:
Think I bricked my Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s for good.
Looking for the very same: Small reliable phone, good battery life and big community (-> long support). Maybe a decent camera.
@topaza What did you buy?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google Pixel 4a.
Not much alternatives out there if you want a small device.
If you buy one, you might also consider to go with GrapheneOS instead of LOS+MG.