LG G7 One Review by HardwareCanucks. - LG G7 One Guides, News, & Discussion

TL;DW:
"It's like a dream come true": It has a great software experience, far superior compared to the one in the G7 ThinkQ. Apps open faster and it's more fluid in general.
LG still hasn't disclosed whether this phone will be released globally or not and at what price, although Canada is a confirmed market. One thing is certain: in the words of LG, this is a midrange device. Expect to be priced accordingly (400-700 USD)
Key differences between the G7 One and G7 ThinQ:
* The most important difference is that it runs stock android, since the phone is part of the Android One program. This means that it'll get 2 years of regular updates (Android 9.0 Pie update is confirmed for all Android One devices) plus 1 year extra of security updates.
* Another difference is its design and build. The G7 One features a black matte glass back that is much easier to grip as well as aluminum sides that match the rest of the body, instead of stainless steel sides like on the ThinQ.
* It only features the regular 16mpx f1.6 camera, not the wide angle one and the camera app doesen't have manual controls either. On the bright side, images have a lot less image processing in comparison.
* It has a Snapdragon 835, rather than the ThinQ's 845.
* It has 4 GB of RAM instead of 6 GB.
* It doesen't have wireless charging.
* This version is running Android 8.1, whereas the reviewer's ThinQ is still running 8.0.
Specs that stay the same way:
* 6.1 inch IPS display, 32bit HiFi Quad DAC, BoomBox speaker, fingerprint scanner, dedicated Google Assistant button, IP68 water and dust resistance, 3000 mAh battery, Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0.
What do you think about the G7 One? Would you buy it? Is it better or worse than the G7 ThinkQ?
~Aluminium X

Looks really good. A price from LG would be great!

maruchan78 said:
Looks really good. A price from LG would be great!
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i read somewhere that the phone is $799 unlocked CAD.
https://mobilesyrup.com/2018/10/09/lg-g7-one-fido-price/
I still feel like it's overprice.

imeem said:
i read somewhere that the phone is $799 unlocked CAD.
https://mobilesyrup.com/2018/10/09/lg-g7-one-fido-price/
I still feel like it's overprice.
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I was considering buying it but I also feel it is overpriced. So I won't be getting it now.

imeem said:
i read somewhere that the phone is $799 unlocked CAD.
https://mobilesyrup.com/2018/10/09/lg-g7-one-fido-price/
I still feel like it's overprice.
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Wow, that's roughly 600 USD. Let's hope not.

Aluminium X said:
Wow, that's roughly 600 USD. Let's hope not.
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it is.
https://www.rogers.com/web/totes/wireless/#/build-plan
Slide the tab to "no tab"

Well, I was interested until I saw the price.

Hi, i just got it from koodo here in Canada for 435$ total. I had a 125$ rebate cause I'm a long term customer, but that also implies that it's a 560$ phone. At that price I think we have a deal on our hands.

Mathegar said:
Hi, i just got it from koodo here in Canada for 435$ total. I had a 125$ rebate cause I'm a long term customer, but that also implies that it's a 560$ phone. At that price I think we have a deal on our hands.
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Interesting. That's less than 430 USD. It seems that currently price is flowing between 400-600 USD.
If it's not too much to ask, could you do a quick review about the phone? Namely about things that the reviewer didn't cover such as battery life, quad DAC, speaker performance, etc?

Aluminium X said:
Interesting. That's less than 430 USD. It seems that currently price is flowing between 400-600 USD.
If it's not too much to ask, could you do a quick review about the phone? Namely about things that the reviewer didn't cover such as battery life, quad DAC, speaker performance, etc?
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Hi,
I've had the phone for about 2 weeks now. As for battery life, I cant complain. But I'm a light user. I'm getting a full 2 days of use between charges. Where I can provide some useful feed back is the speaker and dac. For the speaker, i would compare it to an ipad, maybe a little louder. It does fill a small room quite well if all you want to do is have background music. I'm an enthusiast "audiophile" so i wont be using it for this much, but its good to get the kids dancing and such. Obviously there is little to no base, but it does get surprisingly loud.
Ok, for the DAC, this surprised me. Its drives my 50 ohm HD558's with ease. The soundstage is broad and clear allowing you to listen to each instrument independently. There is lots of definition in lower frequencies. A really great listening experience. Its like having one of the DragonFly, or FIO, etc. USB DAC/AMPs built right into the phone. Plus, so far im only listening to 320kbs spotify downloads. It supports flack, etc. For someone who listens to lots of music, this is a very nice surprise. I was expecting some "bass boost bull****" but no, this is a legit DAC for listening to music the way it was recorded. For fun, I plugged in my HD6xx and its clearly not powerful enough to drive 300 ohms adequately. But no phone or normally priced ubs dac/amp can. So for the 435$ CAD i paid, i feel i got some great value here given the phone's performance as a music player.
Other thoughts, screen is great. Colors are good, viewing angles are great. Nice and bright. Back is a little slippy for my tastes. Camera app right now is bare bones, reds are over saturated but it works just fine. No "portrait" mode but thats coming apparently... If you want photography, get a DSLR. But if you XDA guys can get the google camera working on it... that would be nice Its plenty fast at opening and navigating apps.
Hope this helps.
o7

Mathegar said:
Hi,
I've had the phone for about 2 weeks now. As for battery life, I cant complain. But I'm a light user. I'm getting a full 2 days of use between charges. Where I can provide some useful feed back is the speaker and dac. For the speaker, i would compare it to an ipad, maybe a little louder. It does fill a small room quite well if all you want to do is have background music. I'm an enthusiast "audiophile" so i wont be using it for this much, but its good to get the kids dancing and such. Obviously there is little to no base, but it does get surprisingly loud.
Ok, for the DAC, this surprised me. Its drives my 50 ohm HD558's with ease. The soundstage is broad and clear allowing you to listen to each instrument independently. There is lots of definition in lower frequencies. A really great listening experience. Its like having one of the DragonFly, or FIO, etc. USB DAC/AMPs built right into the phone. Plus, so far im only listening to 320kbs spotify downloads. It supports flack, etc. For someone who listens to lots of music, this is a very nice surprise. I was expecting some "bass boost bull****" but no, this is a legit DAC for listening to music the way it was recorded. For fun, I plugged in my HD6xx and its clearly not powerful enough to drive 300 ohms adequately. But no phone or normally priced ubs dac/amp can. So for the 435$ CAD i paid, i feel i got some great value here given the phone's performance as a music player.
Other thoughts, screen is great. Colors are good, viewing angles are great. Nice and bright. Back is a little slippy for my tastes. Camera app right now is bare bones, reds are over saturated but it works just fine. No "portrait" mode but thats coming apparently... If you want photography, get a DSLR. But if you XDA guys can get the google camera working on it... that would be nice Its plenty fast at opening and navigating apps.
Hope this helps.
o7
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Thanks for your input, really appreciated!

I'm really tempted by this phone. I can have it on a Koodo tab for 360$ which is a good deal.
I'm looking at the MIA2 as well, but this phone seams superior in almost every spec except the storage.
The only thing that makes me hesitate is that the xda forum is almost empty :/
I've had a weird experience with my LGG3 also (It was great for the 1st year and then it became really unstable, and network was always disconnecting), so i'm also a bit hesitant towards LG.
After multiple weeks how is the battery life ? and the camera ?

I get 24-hour battery life through my average use. A couple of phone calls, lots of browsing, some YouTube videos. Not sure of the SOT, but coming from my 3 year old Moto X2, which was never great at 2300 mAh, this LG 3000 is much better.

Can the bootloader be unlocked easily? LG phones typically don't make it easy for Canadians, not sure if Android One changes that for this phone.
Thanks!

goofball2k said:
Can the bootloader be unlocked easily? LG phones typically don't make it easy for Canadians, not sure if Android One changes that for this phone.
Thanks!
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I don't think it's possible

Related

Is this the right phone to get?

For those of you that have this phone, and have had it since close to it's release date, what are your opinions?
I am going to be purchasing a new phone, for use with WindMobile in Canada (i.e. it must be an AWS phone). As far as I can tell this is my best option because I use my phone mostly as a camera so my #1 interest is a camera that does not lag and will open quickly. I also am a fairly heavy user for NUMBER of apps. I have a lot installed and switch between them frequently. I don't play games or watch videos so graphics don't matter much.
The kicker here is I am REALLY hoping to keep this phone for 2 years at least. Do you think that this phone will last? Keeping in mind I don't care about being behind on new technology. I only care that it can handle my volume of use and won't sputter and choke to a slow after 6 months use like the one I have now.
I currently have an Optimus 2X but it is dying. It lags incredibly between tasks and the plastic covering the camera is poor quality and I had to rip it off so the lens is mostly unprotected now. I don't want to deal with stuff like this is I am going to buy a brand new phone. Do you think the Xperia ZL is the right choice?
p.s. I saw a review of the camera where the reviewer said that the photos look great on the BRAVIA screen but once on a computer screen are not very good. Has this been your experience? What about printing?
p.p.s. would appreciate comments about how rugged it is also as I work as a nanny with two 24 month old toddlers. Honestly I want the Z due to it's waterproof encasing but it's not sold new up here in Canada.
so my #1 interest is a camera that does not lag and will open quickly.
--> camera itself is the fastest I've seen. First thing you notice is the super smooth and responsive viewfinder.. even in low light. It always feels 60fps. I compared this to HTC ONE and it's a LOT slower..really.
About opening.. opening of the camera app isn't fastest i've seen (can take 3 secs) but because of the dedicated button you can still open it way faster than phones without button.
I also am a fairly heavy user for NUMBER of apps. I have a lot installed and switch between them frequently. I don't play games or watch videos so graphics don't matter much.
--> Ye as with all 2GB phones multitasking is almost instant and apps never really close.
The kicker here is I am REALLY hoping to keep this phone for 2 years at least. Do you think that this phone will last? Keeping in mind I don't care about being behind on new technology.
Then yes. I don't see why this phone wouldn't make it 2 years.
I only care that it can handle my volume of use and won't sputter and choke to a slow after 6 months use like the one I have now.
With 2GB ram it's pretty future proof IMO.
p.s. I saw a review of the camera where the reviewer said that the photos look great on the BRAVIA screen but once on a computer screen are not very good. Has this been your experience? What about printing?
Well, in my opinion, pictures look suberb on the 5" with bravia engine 2..really gives a wow-factor.
When you then watch them on the PC they look kinda normal/bland/boring..so its just the way you look at it
p.p.s. would appreciate comments about how rugged it is also as I work as a nanny with two 24 month old toddlers. Honestly I want the Z due to it's waterproof encasing but it's not sold new up here in Canada.
The back isn't made from glass but very grippy texture. I haven't dropped mine but the phones feels very sturdy and good quality, except for maybe the little flap on the back for sim/SD.
Honestly I think ZL is very underrated and still (even with new models like Z1) ZL is still my favorite.
Thanks for your quick quick reply!! One clarification I have to ask: I understand what you mean about quality depending on the screen. However when you look on your computer do you think the quality fits the price? Let's put this simply: I am tired of my boyfriend's iphone photos looking SOOOO much better than mine. Can I at least compete now? lol
earthabbey said:
Thanks for your quick quick reply!! One clarification I have to ask: I understand what you mean about quality depending on the screen. However when you look on your computer do you think the quality fits the price? Let's put this simply: I am tired of my boyfriend's iphone photos looking SOOOO much better than mine. Can I at least compete now? lol
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To be honest I really like the camera but the software app just doesn't do it justice. Pictures looked a bit washed out when looked at the computer. You can still install another camera app with less compression effects.
Also, for me the camera opens very quickly, less than 1 second with the latest 267 firmware update.
The phone looks gorgeous with the incredibly small bezel for a 5 inch phone. But if you want an awesome camera phone you really should go with the Galaxy S4. Still the best midrange camera phone I've seen so far is clearly the Nokia Lumia 920 but its a Win8 phone... both phone can be easily unlocked if not offered by Wind and are AWS versions.
Also, lots of people complain about the screen being TFT which is the cheapest technology you can use for a phone nowadays. So the viewing angles aren't good but I personally don't care much. But I think you will notice it right away.
Still, for a lot of other aspects, I prefer the Sony ZL
earthabbey said:
p.p.s. would appreciate comments about how rugged it is also as I work as a nanny with two 24 month old toddlers. Honestly I want the Z due to it's waterproof encasing but it's not sold new up here in Canada.
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the Z is available through Bell FYI.
I just traded it my s3 for an zl very disappointed in camera in dark places there is a ton of noise I have to also take multiple snaps before I can get a shot to have a properly focused pic if I use flash it works fine but using superior auto mode and in a well lit room it still doesn't compare anything to the s3 which had a very quick focus but other then that the phone is well worth it will last you 2 years if you do not abuse it only thing im concerned is the non removable battery... wonder how will it perform in 2 years from now....
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
shahkam said:
I just traded it my s3 for an zl very disappointed in camera in dark places there is a ton of noise I have to also take multiple snaps before I can get a shot to have a properly focused pic if I use flash it works fine but using superior auto mode and in a well lit room it still doesn't compare anything to the s3 which had a very quick focus but other then that the phone is well worth it will last you 2 years if you do not abuse it only thing im concerned is the non removable battery... wonder how will it perform in 2 years from now....
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
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Do you have the latest update? A lot of reviews I saw said that there were a lot of problems before the latest update.
shahkam said:
I just traded it my s3 for an zl very disappointed in camera in dark places there is a ton of noise I have to also take multiple snaps before I can get a shot to have a properly focused pic if I use flash it works fine but using superior auto mode and in a well lit room it still doesn't compare anything to the s3 which had a very quick focus but other then that the phone is well worth it will last you 2 years if you do not abuse it only thing im concerned is the non removable battery... wonder how will it perform in 2 years from now....
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
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Don't use superior auto by default, it adds way too much noise. Try using normal with some basic tweaks, you will see a major difference.
Especially with the latest update.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
Well I kind of have the same problem. Own an Optimus 2x and now ordered Zl from an amazon offer (350 euros). I love the white version since - if the black back looks cheap - this is absolutely not the case with the white.
However, I am quite disappointed by the screen. You notice the viewing angles immediately and every time the phone is lying on a table in a darker room, it looks like it is showing a bright Grey picture although background is black. So I wanted to return it.
Then I thought of alternatives, but very successful.. I am looking for a phone with no amoled screen, wo no s4. I really want at least 32gb memory and would be happy if it had a working fm radio like XZL (tried Optimus G and thought that must be a bad joke). The Optimus G was nice, but fm radio crap, and due to non expendable storage, I was really missing USB otg. S4 active would be nice, but no fm radio, feels somehow big and is very overpriced. The new nexus 5 seems to only have 16gb.. LG G2 is very expensive with 32gb. And none of them has a dedicated camera button. So I guess xperia zl is a great package! If only they had included a IPS screen (which can be considered as standard today, even for cheap phones).
Today I looked at the screen in a bright room and then it looked way better than yesterday night when it was dark. So I am thinking of keeping the phone - seems like the package is quite good. Or does anyone of you habe a proposal?
Sent from my LG-P990 using xda app-developers app
My comments:
The poor viewing angles on the screen aren't as horrible as people make it out to be, the screen is still perfectly good and quite a joy to look at. (plus if you like to be private then it stops people from seeing what you're doing easily)
Picture quality is fine, I have an unlocked bootloader(which I did before TA backups were a thing ;_ and even still everything looks great on the screen. Video quality is pretty good in my opinion. In low light, yes the picture quality does tend to suffer but it's still acceptable for it being a phone, I personally haven't tried tweaking with the settings much besides installing the Z1 camera app port.
If you want to see the quality yourself, here are some photos/videos(mind you the outdoor greenery shots were taken a while ago so the latest updates might have improved things):
http://imgur.com/a/qoqg2#0
http://youtu.be/SXxN14HdeGU
Performance has been pretty good, there are a few things I've noticed which can make it a little laggy, like setting a smaller icon size in Apex and the app Twilight can make scrolling a little laggy, but otherwise performance is snappy.
Something that might be of concern is battery life, due to the non-removeable battery. I can usually get through a day before having to charge. I get about 4-5 hours of video watching, so if I only use the screen for a few hours sporadically(15 minutes here, 15 minutes there) then I can usually push it to 24 hours.
One thing I would really suggest is getting at least a decent screen cover, if not case as well, I have one of those meifeng cases from ebay, it's decent enough quality and it's pretty thin, I don't use it every day though. But the built in screen protector is an absolute lint electromagnet, it's like it's sole purpose was to collect lint, not cool. I picked up a skinomi screen protector, just put it on top of the built in one and it works/looks fine.
One thing I like about the skinomi is that it's slightly soft, so it doesn't scratch easily, but it still a good surface for fingering.
The speaker isn't loud enough to be heard over a concert or some power tools, but if you're just at home or in the car then it's quite adequate, the headphone out is also adequate, though it can be a tad quieter than some might like, depending on headphones used.
The microphones are pretty great, that youtube video? The music in person was ear-screeching, yet somehow the microphones managed to pick everything else up pretty well.
The IR Blaster is fun if you normally use multiple remotes for your home.
I can't really think of anything else at the moment, but feel free to ask and I'll try to answer.
Edit:
Shadowman19: Personally I find the viewing angles acceptable knowing that I'm probably never really going to be looking at my phone from these angles anyways, 99% of the time I'm looking at it is straight on.
Personally I don't own a ZL(I currently own an Ion), but i have seen a couple of Z's(the Z screen is similar to the ZL). Honestly, I don't see the difference when tilting the phone(I can definitely see it on my ion). The poor viewing angle claims are exaggerated.

Overall love

Yes, yes, it's possible to love a phone. Heck, you sleep next to it, don't you? Rate this thread to indicate your love for the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
The phone feels really good in the hand. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is the worry I have with the scratches.
I love my Note 7 so much! The build quality is exceptional and the display is truly stunning. its just so immersive.
Made a little quick look video about it
Alright, alright. I had to create an account after reading several critiques and complaints on this forum. I'm sure a lot of people that are considering buying the phone will be popping in and reading the very same complaints while considering their purchase. The purpose of this thread is to clear up said complaints, from my own personal experience.
First of all, I'd like to ensure you all who haven't bought the phone yet that you absolutely have to buy it and experience it for yourself before making any decision. After all, you usually have 14 days to return it. I say this because, while the phone is not "perfect" as many here on this forum have pointed out, it is probably one of the most aesthetically pleasing phones I've ever laid eyes on, and feels incredibly comfortable in the hand. Pictures DO NOT do this phone justice, and the overflowing screen, combined with the size and weight of the phone, gives an overwhelming feeling of vibrancy when holding/viewing.
(Cost) The phone is expensive, yes, but there's a reason for that: it's a top tier smartphone. If you haven't gotten used to a hefty price tag yet, then you must not have been in the market for long. If you can't afford it, get a OnePlus 3, but I can guarantee you it wont be as fine an experience. Most cell phone companies offer financing, anyway. Meaning, you make a small monthly payment for the phone itself over the course of the 1-2 years you'll be using it anyway, and if you decide to, you simply cancel service and pay the phone off. Most companies will then give you an unlock code, and the phone is then yours to do what you please with it, or bring it to another service provider. Either way, every dime you pay while financing brings you closer to owning it, if you decide not to buy it outright. I personally will probably just pay mine off when the price tag gets down to about $400 dollars.
(Delicacy or Lack Thereof) As I stated in the introduction, the phone is thin, comfortable, feels great in the hand, but the overflowing screen gives it a very large & vibrant appearance even though it doesn't FEEL that large in the hand. Does this mean it feels delicate and fragile? Not at all. Now that's not to say you wouldn't WANT to drop it, but for the most part, it's easy to handle, has the perfect weight to it, and doesn't feel fragile by any means. This phone is NOT going to scratch/break in your pocket, unless you're mashing your legs into the sharp edges of tables or falling onto it, or for whatever reason like to keep sharp objects in the same pocket as your phone. It's NOT going to scratch by simply setting it down on a table, or having it slide in between the seats of your car.
This brings me down to a point I've emphasized before: If you're going to buy a $900 phone? DO... not... drop it! I mean, honestly, lets be real here guys: accidents DO happen. However, it's those of us who are incredibly careful, who are capable of owning phones like these. If you're someone who is very clumsy, careless, active, etc., perhaps NO phone of this design type is meant for you. That is not the fault of the manufacturers. There are many phone manufacturers who build phones designed for DURABILITY. My last Galaxy, which wasn't exactly designed for durability, lasted me 2 FULL YEARS however, and has never been dropped once, nor does it have a single scratch. This phone IS durable though- it's durable for a phone of THIS make, this design, and trust me... this is a stylish designer phone, it simply is not an ACTIVE phone. If you want to turn it INTO an ACTIVE phone? Buy a damn Otterbox Defender. When you're hiking/rock climbing/playing basketball, whatever- you're going to have an ACTIVE Note 7 phone. Then when you're doing some casual driving, sitting at a desk, sitting anywhere at home really, at dinner with friends, or pretty much doing anything that's non-active, pop it out of it's case. You'll then, once again, have the nicest phone that anyone's ever laid eyes on.
To summarize the above, be a responsible phone owner, and you'll be fine. If you can't handle the responsibility of owning such an expensive product that was designed to be durable while keeping a fantastic overall appearance, don't buy it. You can't fault manufacturers for your lack of care.
(Battery Life) I've owned this phone for a little while now, and I've charged it approximately one and a half times (by a half, I mean plugged it in at 40-50% before leaving the house) per day. I keep High Accuracy GPS on, I keep brightness at 85-95%, I keep a multicolor 'Always On' display up, I have the "screen off" time set to 3 minutes, I have HD quality wallpapers for home & lock screens, and I keep WiFi on. I have yet to use any of the battery saver modes or capabilities. During the first few days of owning this phone, I would install back to back programs, take 15+ pictures while playing around with the different camera & video settings, record videos of my screen, experiment with the S pen, experiment with different mobile games, set up setting after setting, security feature after security feature, experiment with high quality video, stream YouTube & Netflix movies, the list goes on and on and I'm sure anyone who's ever owned a new phone knows exactly what I'm talking about.
During these times, my battery would last approximately 9 hours before falling to 20% or below. That's EXTREME HEAVY use, with battery draining functions, brightness, and high resolution screens, and no power saving whatsoever giving me 9 hours of use without even falling into critical battery levels. When I get down to around 20%, I plug it in and it takes about 40-50 minutes to charge back to 100%. If my battery is at 30% or higher, I simply plug it in and it's charged in 30-40 minutes or less. I have ONCE allowed my phone to fall below 10%, and it took no longer than one hour to charge to 100%. So yes, the battery is EXTREMELY good, and it charges extremely fast.
(Fingerprints) This phone will have fingerprints on it within just a few minutes of use, however, they are hardly noticeable unless you're actually looking for them. Once it gets marked up really heavily, which only takes about two hours of use to happen, it becomes a little more noticeable at a glance, but still, you have to be UP CLOSE to the phone to even notice. Now, I have EXTREME OCD, so this should bother me a lot more, right? No, it doesn't. What I do is keep 2 microfiber towels- one on my desk(where I spend a lot of my time) and one in my car. Whenever I pick up my phone after an extended period of non-use, I simply wipe it with the dry towel(takes 15 seconds) and viola- it looks like it JUST came out of the box again... brand new. When going somewhere, I do a quick wipe of the phone before exiting my vehicle- and viola. Brand new looking phone sitting in my pocket wherever I'm going. The gorgeous material of this phone is a worthy sacrifice for some barely noticeable fingerprints that can easily be rectified. Oh, by the way. BECAUSE of the material the phone is made of, it is MUCH EASIER to clean with said microfiber towels than the older plastic models, such as the S4. That one took at lot more scrubbing and hitting specific areas, and would also get smudge marks from the fingerprints being "wiped in" by the cloth, that were almost impossible to get rid of.
(The "oh so" Awful Speaker) This is one of the biggest critiques the phone has received, by both people on this forum, and review videos/articles/websites all across the interwebz. And I? I just don't see it. The speaker, to me, is LOUD. Now, it's not booming, bass boosted music cube quality, however... it is loud enough to where I could easily hear it ringing(depending on the ringtone) from across the house in another room. It's also loud enough to where I could play a video, turn the volume to max, set it about 50 feet away, and still hear it vividly. Also, I love the quality of the sound. It doesn't sound cheap, or poor at all to me. Non-speaker voice sound is crystal clear through this during calls. Sometimes if you hold the phone a certain way, you can block off the speaker since it's on the bottom, muffling the sound. However, muscle memory allowed me to quickly get used to preventing this after the very first time it happened. I never have a problem with the speaker being on the bottom, outside of the fact that I slightly prefer the headphone jack being on the top.
(Performance) Mentions of slow loading, TouchWiz lag, etc on this thread, I have yet to experience once. TouchWiz also has a much better interface now, especially after downloading a free theme that I liked. TouchWiz does not lag at all for me. Nothing on this phone loads "slowly" for me. I did a screen-record video of myself navigating different apps, games, etc on my phone, and literally sh** was opening within milliseconds of each tap, minus games, which, depending on the size/type of game, would take just a few seconds. I see no "slowness" in this phone whatsoever. There's literally not even delays between navigating pages on Facebook, switching from Facebook to YouTube and then from YouTube to Gmail and then from Gmail to a video on my phone. If I were to do all these app switches and loads in order of what I just listed, it would take no more than the time it takes me to open the Edge screen and tap the different apps. Game-play on games such as Mage and Minions is fluid, without noticeable frame drops, and without lag.
(Fingerprint & Iris Scanners) Fingerprint scanner works perfectly if you actually use it right, i.e., gently place your *entire* fingertip over the button. The iris scanner is not perfect, but it works 95% of the time and is FAST... VERY FAST when it does work. If you're looking for a "more secure" method of locking your phone- that's what it's for. It is supposed to be much more secure than the fingerprint scanner, and it's very fast as long as you do it right. Like, I'm talking, sometimes I don't even have time to see the "eye circles" appear on the screen. It just unlocks in a millisecond, as I'm already holding the phone in the correct position upon swiping up. Now, if you wear glasses or contacts, just skip the iris scanner. It is not 100% necessity, by any means, and your phone can be secured with simply the fingerprint scanner or a complex password. Not the end of the world.
Now, I do not consider myself to be a "Samsung fanboy," nor a "Galaxy fanboy." I do not dislike Apple Products outside of the fact that I think they're just a tad highly priced in comparison to Samsung(I know, the difference is becoming very slight, but even still). My wife has the 6s Plus, and it's a great phone. I do not work for Samsung, I do not work for any cell phone company at all, I am not paid to write any of the above. This was simply my unbiased response/personal review of the Note 7, that I was inclined to write after seeing so many negative comments on this thread in addition to a lot of misinformation. I WANT others to get the same experience I'm getting with my Note 7, and frankly, not be discouraged by others. So there you go.
Ace Ryan said:
If you haven't gotten used to a hefty price tag yet, then you must not have been in the market for long. If you can't afford it, get a OnePlus 3, but I can guarantee you it wont be as fine an experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have both phones and i completely disagree. the oneplus 3 is actually faster and smoother (sometimes by quite a bit) and the photo differences are minor (this compares shots by both phones at 100% crop http://www.forbes.com/sites/bensin/...etter-photos-than-far-cheaper-chinese-phones/). and i don't know about you, but i'm willing to bet most people can't really tell the difference between a quad HD and 1080p display.
i'm not saying the oneplus 3 is better. overall, the Note 7 is better, but by only a bit (unless you are someone to whom stylus and waterproofing makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE. like if you're a lifeguard who likes to sketch or something).
the oneplus 3 is like 90-95% as good, at less than half the price. i don't get why you're trying to justify the note 7's cost for samsung, using excuses like "phone companies let you finance anyway", that's not a fair point to make, because the phone still cost more, period.
also, i see that you say the Note 7 doesn't have lag. really? go into settings and type into the search box. on my Exynos Note 7, after i type something in, there's a full two second wait before anything loads. on my US$280 Xiaomi Mi 5, or $400 OnePlus 3, results load in REAL TIME as i type each letter. the same lag also appears when you search for apps in Note 7's app tray.
i hate this phone
the build quality is the worst and there is gap between the device and the screen. u can see it when u at the brightness on full
please watch this video
the support response was this is a new design
the samsung arabia support completly ignored me
for me note 7 is as good as a cheap chinese phone regardless what it can do.
with such a trash build and poor support i am really wondering how are they number 1 ??
radioraheem2 said:
i have both phones and i completely disagree. the oneplus 3 is actually faster and smoother (sometimes by quite a bit) and the photo differences are minor (this compares shots by both phones at 100% crop http://www.forbes.com/sites/bensin/...etter-photos-than-far-cheaper-chinese-phones/). and i don't know about you, but i'm willing to bet most people can't really tell the difference between a quad HD and 1080p display.
i'm not saying the oneplus 3 is better. overall, the Note 7 is better, but by only a bit (unless you are someone to whom stylus and waterproofing makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE. like if you're a lifeguard who likes to sketch or something).
the oneplus 3 is like 90-95% as good, at less than half the price. i don't get why you're trying to justify the note 7's cost for samsung, using excuses like "phone companies let you finance anyway", that's not a fair point to make, because the phone still cost more, period.
also, i see that you say the Note 7 doesn't have lag. really? go into settings and type into the search box. on my Exynos Note 7, after i type something in, there's a full two second wait before anything loads. on my US$280 Xiaomi Mi 5, or $400 OnePlus 3, results load in REAL TIME as i type each letter. the same lag also appears when you search for apps in Note 7's app tray.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Eh, I'm not attempting to justify it so much as I am saying "it is what it is, and that there are affordable options for those who can't just buy the phone outright. For everyone else, and for those who do not care for the added specs, then there are a wide range of options out there. No doubt, the OnePlus 3 is a great phone for the price, and a good alternative for those who don't want to shell out the extra expenses. It is very much comparable in many ways, but as you said yourself, the Note 7 is better. I am, however, questioning the legitimacy of your statement that you own both phones after you stated your doubt as to people being able to tell the difference between 1080p and the display of the Note. Almost so much so, that I'd be willing to bet you're just a OnePlus3 owner. Maybe I just have good eyesight, but the HUGE difference between the phenomenal display of the Note 7 and the OnePlus 3 when put side to side was what made me go with the Note 7. Also, I can't speak for everyone, but I've owned this phone for a while now and have not experienced a single blip of lag. Then again, I don't use search functions for apps or settings due to the fact that I have a custom layout that has everything very easily accessible with a swipe and a click.
In terms of camera quality, yes, the OnePlus 3 barely falls behind. However, speed of focus, dark lighting, things like that, the Note 7 camera wins hands down.
Ace Ryan said:
I am, however, questioning the legitimacy of your statement that you own both phones after you stated your doubt as to people being able to tell the difference between 1080p and the display of the Note. Almost so much so, that I'd be willing to bet you're just a OnePlus3 owner.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, Ryan, you're straight out calling me a liar on here when I typed a pretty reasonable response? How old are you, 14? anyway, i'd advice you stop making so many bad bets, cause you'd go broke.
radioraheem2 said:
Wow, Ryan, you're straight out calling me a liar on here when I typed a pretty reasonable response? How old are you, 14? anyway, i'd advice you stop making so many bad bets, cause you'd go broke.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I is that the p9 plus?
This phone is the best in 2016. Full of useful options and performance is awesome with a fantastic build quality
vodovodo said:
I is that the p9 plus?
This phone is the best in 2016. Full of useful options and performance is awesome with a fantastic build quality
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi voodoo, yes that is a p9 plus. I like it a lot too, though, the note 7's rounded corners feels so much more comfy in my hands than the square edges of p9 plus.
I love mine! Completely happy with it. I feel like I got one of the better built ones? No light leaks, call quality is amazing compared to my iPhone 6, Note 4 N910W8, LG G4 and S5. Battery life a astonishing! Was out for 14 hours yesterday and had the screen on auto brightness 80-90% most of the time and an hour of Pokemon Go (brought my power bank in case never got to use it) at the end of the day it was still at 62%! Lol! I dont know if thats normal but I'm happy.
Edit:
Just finish Antutu 3D and got a 133565 score which is not bad for me. maybe its because I came from a note 4 my expectations are way low lol.
Love
Sent from my Galaxy Note7 using XDA Labs
radioraheem2 said:
Hi voodoo, yes that is a p9 plus. I like it a lot too, though, the note 7's rounded corners feels so much more comfy in my hands than the square edges of p9 plus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I own a p9 plus also at moment and I love it, nevertheless the Note 7 is interesting for me.
Can you comment more on the differences?
I tried many devices and as I live in an area with poor reception one of the best things is that the p9 has absolutely unparalleled reception quality - also compared to the S7 Edge ...
Gesendet von meinem VIE-L09 mit Tapatalk
OnkelAlbert said:
I own a p9 plus also at moment and I love it, nevertheless the Note 7 is interesting for me.
Can you comment more on the differences?
I tried many devices and as I live in an area with poor reception one of the best things is that the p9 has absolutely unparalleled reception quality - also compared to the S7 Edge ...
Gesendet von meinem VIE-L09 mit Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
The biggest difference is that the Note 7 feels a bit more comfortable in the hand, due to its rounded sides compared to the P9 plus' square-ish sides. The software is, obviously, quite different too if used as is. but i use nova launcher on both so they behave closer now.
otherwise, there isn't that big a difference. again, i really don't see a difference between 1080p and quad HD display (i really tried putting the phones side by side and looking at various photos and apps and videos), and the Note 7 camera -- while probably the best overall -- isn't that much better than other cameras out there. (http://www.forbes.com/sites/bensin/...etter-photos-than-far-cheaper-chinese-phones/). in fact, i love the P9's gimmick camera features like light trails and night shot, which create really stylish photos that the Note 7 cannot.
as for speed, the P9, like the OnePlus 3, is actually a bit smoother than the Note 7. the Note 7 isn't bad at all, it's just slightly laggy/buggy because of TouchWiz.
overall i would still say the Note 7 is the better phone, BUT i can't stress enough that the difference between the note 7 and a Chinese flagship isn't that big ... not enough to justify the extra $300 or $400 to the average consumer.
i'd recommend the Note 7 for the following types of people:
1: people who don't think US$400 is a lot of money
2: people who really need features like waterproofing and stylus (say, if you are a lifeguard, or if you need to anecdote documents regularly, etc)
3: tech geeks who like to collect gadgets and own the latest/most buzzworthy thing (i am one of these).
4: loyal samsung fans who just want to stick with the company's products
that's about it. otherwise, to the average person -- someone who just buys a phone and uses one phone only for a year or two -- it's very, very hard to justify paying US$850 for the note 7 when the OnePlus 3 costs US$400 or the Huawei P9 Plus costs US$500.
Note 7 is underrated by these standards
radioraheem2 said:
i have both phones and i completely disagree. the oneplus 3 is actually faster and smoother (sometimes by quite a bit) and the photo differences are minor (this compares shots by both phones at 100% crop http://www.forbes.com/sites/bensin/...etter-photos-than-far-cheaper-chinese-phones/). and i don't know about you, but i'm willing to bet most people can't really tell the difference between a quad HD and 1080p display.
i'm not saying the oneplus 3 is better. overall, the Note 7 is better, but by only a bit (unless you are someone to whom stylus and waterproofing makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE. like if you're a lifeguard who likes to sketch or something).
the oneplus 3 is like 90-95% as good, at less than half the price. i don't get why you're trying to justify the note 7's cost for samsung, using excuses like "phone companies let you finance anyway", that's not a fair point to make, because the phone still cost more, period.
also, i see that you say the Note 7 doesn't have lag. really? go into settings and type into the search box. on my Exynos Note 7, after i type something in, there's a full two second wait before anything loads. on my US$280 Xiaomi Mi 5, or $400 OnePlus 3, results load in REAL TIME as i type each letter. the same lag also appears when you search for apps in Note 7's app tray.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In performance, OnePlus seems amazing. However the reason I got the Note 7 as a expensive price was, Water Resistance/Proof for 1M 30 Minutes, Curved Screen and Design, Micro SD up to 256gb, Pen for drawing, Iris Scanner (For Wearing Gloves or wet fingerprint), 2K screen, (DPI doesn't matter but for VR, 2K+ definitively needed) Dual Camera and Powerful "Water-Proof" speaker. So far, I have used all these features and found them to be lacking in other phones. I did get Note 7 for Samsung Pay MST however Aussie support sucks so, just rooted and tripped knox.
The Screen is beautiful and curved that makes it appear bigger that it actually is without major size difference. The Water sealing without external ports is so easily to deal with and when i'm in the shower/bath the S-Pen actually helps. I kinda of just got this phone for the easy convenience features. Waterproof is a huge deal, specifically without external ports, it's a major design for people to get the phone. I hear sales people always advertising it and customers wanting it.
I don't own a OnePlus but I'm just saying despite this overpriced phone with it's security restrictions (Hate that) no other phone has all this. Not LG, not Nexus, not OnePlus, not Sony. I do like OnePlus open OEM policy, so no hate. Just hardware and general phone wise, Note 7 is worth twice the price.
BotoxGod said:
In performance, OnePlus seems amazing. However the reason I got the Note 7 as a expensive price was, Water Resistance/Proof for 1M 30 Minutes, Curved Screen and Design, Micro SD up to 256gb, Pen for drawing, Iris Scanner (For Wearing Gloves or wet fingerprint), 2K screen, (DPI doesn't matter but for VR, 2K+ definitively needed) Dual Camera and Powerful "Water-Proof" speaker. So far, I have used all these features and found them to be lacking in other phones. I did get Note 7 for Samsung Pay MST however Aussie support sucks so, just rooted and tripped knox.
The Screen is beautiful and curved that makes it appear bigger that it actually is without major size difference. The Water sealing without external ports is so easily to deal with and when i'm in the shower/bath the S-Pen actually helps. I kinda of just got this phone for the easy convenience features. Waterproof is a huge deal, specifically without external ports, it's a major design for people to get the phone. I hear sales people always advertising it and customers wanting it.
I don't own a OnePlus but I'm just saying despite this overpriced phone with it's security restrictions (Hate that) no other phone has all this. Not LG, not Nexus, not OnePlus, not Sony. I do like OnePlus open OEM policy, so no hate. Just hardware and general phone wise, Note 7 is worth twice the price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you make fair points. thanks for responding in a civil manner, unlike that dude AceRyan, who just accused me of being a liar.
vodovodo said:
i hate this phone
the build quality is the worst and there is gap between the device and the screen. u can see it when u at the brightness on full
please watch this video
the support response was this is a new design
the samsung arabia support completly ignored me
for me note 7 is as good as a cheap chinese phone regardless what it can do.
with such a trash build and poor support i am really wondering how are they number 1 ??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you really did not see the mentioned flaws or defects when you bought the phone? I always check the things I buy before paying
As far as the phone, It's gorgeous. Minor things I don't like, but more or less, it's 5 stars.
vodovodo said:
i hate this phone
the build quality is the worst and there is gap between the device and the screen. u can see it when u at the brightness on full
please watch this video
the support response was this is a new design
the samsung arabia support completly ignored me
for me note 7 is as good as a cheap chinese phone regardless what it can do.
with such a trash build and poor support i am really wondering how are they number 1 ??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@vodovodo- thanks for posting and making the video....was wondering, do you think the lack of build quality is because it is a non-US variant?
vodovodo said:
i hate this phone
the build quality is the worst and there is gap between the device and the screen. u can see it when u at the brightness on full
please watch this video
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure that is not light leak but rather light refraction?

Anyone coming from the M8? Worth it?

I have the HTC One M8 since launch and love it. The looks, the smoothness, Sense UI. Best smartphone I ever had (came from a couple of Samsung, which were dissappointing).
The only thing failing is the battery but I already bought a new one and will be replacing it soon. But I'm debating if I should upgrade to the new HTC 10...I also thought about the Pixel but seems too expensive, only reviews will tell of course.
To anyone who went from the M8:
Is it worth it? Is it definitely faster and with better battery life? What are the advantages and disadvantages?
Thanks in advance for your input.
Cheers
i came from an m8 and would definitely recommend it. it's much faster and the battery life is much better. also, given that it's unlocked (i had an att m8), the updates are more frequent.
things i don't really like about it, the headphone jack is on the top instead of the bottom. i also preferred the m8's method of turning the camera on (by double clicking on the volume) instead of the 10's method of swiping down on the screen since i seem to always be turning the camera on by accident.
Badelhas said:
I have the HTC One M8 since launch and love it. The looks, the smoothness, Sense UI. Best smartphone I ever had (came from a couple of Samsung, which were dissappointing).
The only thing failing is the battery but I already bought a new one and will be replacing it soon. But I'm debating if I should upgrade to the new HTC 10...I also thought about the Pixel but seems too expensive, only reviews will tell of course.
To anyone who went from the M8:
Is it worth it? Is it definitely faster and with better battery life? What are the advantages and disadvantages?
Thanks in advance for your input.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I came from M7 and happy with battery live, fast charging, memory card slot, Android pay, finger print and other small things.
via [email protected]
vksf01 said:
i came from an m8 and would definitely recommend it. it's much faster and the battery life is much better. also, given that it's unlocked (i had an att m8), the updates are more frequent.
things i don't really like about it, the headphone jack is on the top instead of the bottom. i also preferred the m8's method of turning the camera on (by double clicking on the volume) instead of the 10's method of swiping down on the screen since i seem to always be turning the camera on by accident.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you have the M8 since it was launched? Did you get to replace the battery? I've noticed that battery life is not the same has it was at the beginning but to be honest the worst moment was when we got the Android 5 Lollipop update. Other than that it's still blazing fast so I can't really imagine something much faster than this. Is the 10 that much faster?
The Google Pixel is going to be announced tomorrow so I might as well wait for the first reviews. Even though I would love fast software updates from Google (and that will last not 2 but 3 years) I doubt that the sound quality will be has good and it is on the M8 and the 10.
badzi0r said:
I came from M7 and happy with battery live, fast charging, memory card slot, Android pay, finger print and other small things.
via [email protected]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not really what I was looking for since, in my humble opinion, the M8 was already a big step up when compared to the M7. But thanks for your input.
Cheers
Badelhas said:
Did you have the M8 since it was launched? Did you get to replace the battery? I've noticed that battery life is not the same has it was at the beginning but to be honest the worst moment was when we got the Android 5 Lollipop update. Other than that it's still blazing fast so I can't really imagine something much faster than this. Is the 10 that much faster?
The Google Pixel is going to be announced tomorrow so I might as well wait for the first reviews. Even though I would love fast software updates from Google (and that will last not 2 but 3 years) I doubt that the sound quality will be has good and it is on the M8 and the 10.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I had the M8 since launch although ATT replaced it when they upgraded to lollipop because their update made my GPS go haywire (it couldn't be turned off and so drained my battery like crazy). the replacement m8 has worked fine. Both m8's didn't really have any issue with the battery. I still have my m8 which i'll use as a backup.
I'd also wait for the pixel phone reviews to see what they're like.
I ran M8 from launch day right up until the 10, and is absolutely worth it. The development is wonderful as well.
I do agree, however to see what the Pixel devices are like.
I honestly didn't think the 10 was a huge upgrade over the M8, but in certain key aspects, the 10 is a marked improvement. The battery on the 10 is similar to what I used to get when I first got the M8 on Kitkat, but my M8 was getting pretty worn down by the end. The camera of course is a huge upgrade, even in low light and optical stabilization is a fantastic thing to have. The software is not that much faster in my opinion. I had my M8 running really well and the 10 is similar, though scrolling is noticeably smoother especially in chrome. Game performance is also much better understandably. One thing I find really useful is the fingerprint scanner and side mounted power button, they both make the phone a lot easier to access if you use a lock of any sort. The display is interesting, I have the Tianma version and it had a prominent pink tinge at first, but it definitely has cleared up using my m8 and Nexus 5X as reference. The 10 is better calibrated than the M8 and the vivid mode does add a lot of punch for movies and games, max brightness is similar even if a lot of reviews have measured lower readings. Auto brightness still sucks.
As far as audio quality goes, I'll copy what I wrote earlier on Head-fi:
Owned the M8 since release day, just picked up the 10 about a month ago, currently working on a review, so here are some of my notes:
As far as SQ through the headphone jack goes, the quality is noticeably better with a very low noise floor even with my most sensitive iems, the Shure SE215, Westone UM 50 Pro and Oriveti Primacy, it's barely noticeable if at all. The M8 by comparison had a lot of hiss with those earphones.
Output impedance is definitely lower as it sounds more inline with my Oppo HA-2 than the M8 does with particular earphones.
Volume is pretty similar between both, I don't own anything particularly hard to drive and I'm more of a low level listener so hiss is usually a bigger issue to me.
Overall, I'm really liking the headphone out on the 10, it has HTC's usual quality AMP with plenty of voltage for high impedance gear and also plenty of current for low impedance monitors but this time, the discrete DAC is of much higher quality (Likely the Aqstic DAC), reproducing songs with a lot more dynamic range, everything sounds a lot cleaner.
As for speakers, it's a mixed bag as others have stated. I do think that the full range driver on the bottom/side of the phone is of slightly higher quality than the drivers used on the M8 but the top tweeter is pretty average.
The bottom speaker is mostly dominant with the front speaker complimenting certain sounds. The 10 does have the immediacy of sound that the M8 produces through this setup, where purely bottom/rear firing phones can sound more diffuse, but it lacks the sense of depth produced by the stereo setup.
The 10 has more extension in either direction, treble in particular is much crisper though the lower midrange has less body. Bass notes are punchier through the 10 though the midrange sounds somewhat skewed due to the uneven speaker output. More detail and clarity on the 10's speakers are great for videos and vocals in general.
I think the sound quality of the 10's speakers is ever so slightly better but the placement is of course inferior. The M8 has an extra notch of volume but distorts slightly at the top two notches, the 10 does not, so in that sense, the usable volume range is higher, but overall volume doesn't get quite as loud. You'll notice a lot of internet reviews use the music preset, the movie preset actually produces a lot more volume but soundstage effects can make vocals sound more hollow.
If you use the phone speakers to listen to music, definitely check out this video detailing some eQ settings though Poweramp, it does produce a much nicer sound than stock when used in conjunction with the Dolby music present. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEQsxcoh3Uw)
Be sure to assign this eQ to speakers and the flat eQ preset to headphones so Poweramp will automatically switch between to two when headphones are plugged/un-plugged.
So in my testing, the 10 has small upgrades in most areas and large upgrades in a few. I would say it's like a very refined M8 which I already found to be a fantastic smartphone (I hated using the M9). The 10 has no real disadvantages compared to the M8 except the speakers and it's a little wider in dimension.
ryanjsoo said:
I honestly didn't think the 10 was a huge upgrade over the M8, but in certain key aspects, the 10 is a marked improvement. The battery on the 10 is similar to what I used to get when I first got the M8 on Kitkat, but my M8 was getting pretty worn down by the end. The camera of course is a huge upgrade, even in low light and optical stabilization is a fantastic thing to have. The software is not that much faster in my opinion. I had my M8 running really well and the 10 is similar, though scrolling is noticeably smoother especially in chrome. Game performance is also much better understandably. One thing I find really useful is the fingerprint scanner and side mounted power button, they both make the phone a lot easier to access if you use a lock of any sort. The display is interesting, I have the Tianma version and it had a prominent pink tinge at first, but it definitely has cleared up using my m8 and Nexus 5X as reference. The 10 is better calibrated than the M8 and the vivid mode does add a lot of punch for movies and games, max brightness is similar even if a lot of reviews have measured lower readings. Auto brightness still sucks.
As far as audio quality goes, I'll copy what I wrote earlier on Head-fi:
Owned the M8 since release day, just picked up the 10 about a month ago, currently working on a review, so here are some of my notes:
As far as SQ through the headphone jack goes, the quality is noticeably better with a very low noise floor even with my most sensitive iems, the Shure SE215, Westone UM 50 Pro and Oriveti Primacy, it's barely noticeable if at all. The M8 by comparison had a lot of hiss with those earphones.
Output impedance is definitely lower as it sounds more inline with my Oppo HA-2 than the M8 does with particular earphones.
Volume is pretty similar between both, I don't own anything particularly hard to drive and I'm more of a low level listener so hiss is usually a bigger issue to me.
Overall, I'm really liking the headphone out on the 10, it has HTC's usual quality AMP with plenty of voltage for high impedance gear and also plenty of current for low impedance monitors but this time, the discrete DAC is of much higher quality (Likely the Aqstic DAC), reproducing songs with a lot more dynamic range, everything sounds a lot cleaner.
As for speakers, it's a mixed bag as others have stated. I do think that the full range driver on the bottom/side of the phone is of slightly higher quality than the drivers used on the M8 but the top tweeter is pretty average.
The bottom speaker is mostly dominant with the front speaker complimenting certain sounds. The 10 does have the immediacy of sound that the M8 produces through this setup, where purely bottom/rear firing phones can sound more diffuse, but it lacks the sense of depth produced by the stereo setup.
The 10 has more extension in either direction, treble in particular is much crisper though the lower midrange has less body. Bass notes are punchier through the 10 though the midrange sounds somewhat skewed due to the uneven speaker output. More detail and clarity on the 10's speakers are great for videos and vocals in general.
I think the sound quality of the 10's speakers is ever so slightly better but the placement is of course inferior. The M8 has an extra notch of volume but distorts slightly at the top two notches, the 10 does not, so in that sense, the usable volume range is higher, but overall volume doesn't get quite as loud. You'll notice a lot of internet reviews use the music preset, the movie preset actually produces a lot more volume but soundstage effects can make vocals sound more hollow.
If you use the phone speakers to listen to music, definitely check out this video detailing some eQ settings though Poweramp, it does produce a much nicer sound than stock when used in conjunction with the Dolby music present. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEQsxcoh3Uw)
Be sure to assign this eQ to speakers and the flat eQ preset to headphones so Poweramp will automatically switch between to two when headphones are plugged/un-plugged.
So in my testing, the 10 has small upgrades in most areas and large upgrades in a few. I would say it's like a very refined M8 which I already found to be a fantastic smartphone (I hated using the M9). The 10 has no real disadvantages compared to the M8 except the speakers and it's a little wider in dimension.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I had already read your answer on Head-fi and you've been very helpful once again. I am actually very glad to know that speed and smoothness is not that different between the M8 and the 10 since I love this phone and was hoping to keep it a while longer, not letting the "upgrade bug" bite me
Indeed battery life on the M8 got worse after they updated it to Lollipop because before that I always got to bed with 30% at least, which stopped happening afterwards. Of course 2 years of heavy use also had its toll and I am hoping that replacing the battery with a new original one will help regaining some of the battery life I used to have but I dont really know if it will help. I actually love my M8 camera but I didn't try the HTC 10 so probably it´s because I haven't tried anything better. I also love the sound that come from the speakers (the guy that replaced my once faulty micro usb port cleaned the speakers grills and sound is once again very nice, just like it was when I bought it). I particularly love the sound when using headphones. I came from the Galaxy S3 and S4 and there's not even a comparison.
I believe I have very nice hearing but I only use the Xiaomi Piston 3 headphones, if you participate in the Head-Fi forums you surely know they have nice and balanced sound quality for the price (20 bucks) but I wanted to ask you another question, if you dont mind: would you recommend me a better in ear headphones, ones that cost less than, lets say, 60 bucks or so? Will I see significant better sound quality than my Xiaomi Piston 3?
Thanks again for your input
Cheers
Badelhas said:
Thanks, I had already read your answer on Head-fi and you've been very helpful once again. I am actually very glad to know that speed and smoothness is not that different between the M8 and the 10 since I love this phone and was hoping to keep it a while longer, not letting the "upgrade bug" bite me
Indeed battery life on the M8 got worse after they updated it to Lollipop because before that I always got to bed with 30% at least, which stopped happening afterwards. Of course 2 years of heavy use also had its toll and I am hoping that replacing the battery with a new original one will help regaining some of the battery life I used to have but I dont really know if it will help. I actually love my M8 camera but I didn't try the HTC 10 so probably it´s because I haven't tried anything better. I also love the sound that come from the speakers (the guy that replaced my once faulty micro usb port cleaned the speakers grills and sound is once again very nice, just like it was when I bought it). I particularly love the sound when using headphones. I came from the Galaxy S3 and S4 and there's not even a comparison.
I believe I have very nice hearing but I only use the Xiaomi Piston 3 headphones, if you participate in the Head-Fi forums you surely know they have nice and balanced sound quality for the price (20 bucks) but I wanted to ask you another question, if you dont mind: would you recommend me a better in ear headphones, ones that cost less than, lets say, 60 bucks or so? Will I see significant better sound quality than my Xiaomi Piston 3?
Thanks again for your input
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thought that username looked familiar! I had the Pistons 3's for a while and they're very good for the price. They're warmer and bassier than neutral so I would look at the Shozy Zero for $60 on the dot. They have a similar warm sound, they're a really nice step up but you'll perhaps miss the remote. I found them to sound better than my Klipsch X10's which cost me over $100 and they're also lot better than the Shure SE215 in the sound department. There's heaps of reviews on the net, it's definitely a model to consider.
ryanjsoo said:
Thought that username looked familiar! I had the Pistons 3's for a while and they're very good for the price. They're warmer and bassier than neutral so I would look at the Shozy Zero for $60 on the dot. They have a similar warm sound, they're a really nice step up but you'll perhaps miss the remote. I found them to sound better than my Klipsch X10's which cost me over $100 and they're also lot better than the Shure SE215 in the sound department. There's heaps of reviews on the net, it's definitely a model to consider.
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Click to collapse
Thanks, I will read some reviews about them. Cheers
Ryan's review is spot on.
I came from the M8. In short, I upgraded because of the upgrade bug mainly. After a couple of months of usage, I can say that I could have stayed with the M8 longer. The major differences are (1) improved build quality (e.g. no dust under the lenses; no scratches), (2) much better camera, (3) finger-print scanner, (4) punchier audio jack output.
As you can see, the only two things that really make a difference are the camera and the fingerprint scanner. Otherwise, I generally feel I haven't gotten a new phone, if not for the visually different front side.
In the end, if you take lots of photos, it's probably justifiable to upgrade. If you don't take too many photos, then the upgrade bug is the only real reason to upgrade.
Cheers.
PS: I love the 10. It's easily the greatest phone I've ever held/seen. It's just that the M8 was so amazing in its own right that it's a small upgrade to the 10.
samisax said:
Ryan's review is spot on.
I came from the M8. In short, I upgraded because of the upgrade bug mainly. After a couple of months of usage, I can say that I could have stayed with the M8 longer. The major differences are (1) improved build quality (e.g. no dust under the lenses; no scratches), (2) much better camera, (3) finger-print scanner, (4) punchier audio jack output.
As you can see, the only two things that really make a difference are the camera and the fingerprint scanner. Otherwise, I generally feel I haven't gotten a new phone, if not for the visually different front side.
In the end, if you take lots of photos, it's probably justifiable to upgrade. If you don't take too many photos, then the upgrade bug is the only real reason to upgrade.
Cheers.
PS: I love the 10. It's easily the greatest phone I've ever held/seen. It's just that the M8 was so amazing in its own right that it's a small upgrade to the 10.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for another great input, very helpful to sustain my decision to keep this great smartphone
Cheers
I came from the M7, so I know I'm answering slightly out of place, but I did have a few M8 Dev phones I used and played with, but didn't use as a daily driver.
I paid full US Unlocked retail cash money, so it was a substantial investment upfront to get the M10, not just a monthly finance charge.
My honest opinion, it was totally worth it. I considered the nexus or one of the CM or blu type devices because of instant OS updates and unlocking. I'm SOOO glad I went with the HTC 10.
It offers me HTC Sense, and unlocking it thanks to sunshine (it's actually S off, not unlocking, but for ease of use we will call it unlocking) was easier than some of my nexus devices, literally.
Hardware and build quality is amazing, and the sense software and rom selections are too notch.
Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk
I went through 2 M8s and loved them. Definitely one of the best devices I've ever used. The only reason I ended up upgrading to the 10 was because my second M8 got wet and the screen died. To me, it was worth upgrading rather than trying to repair it. There are some definite benefits of upgrading.
The phone is more comfortable to hold.
The all-glass front looks incredible and has resisted fingerprints and smudges much better than my M8 did.
The cameras are much better (although the "laser autofocus" does mess up from time to time, especially looking through a window)
The screen is larger and even more crisp. Colors are brighter.
Battery life is MUCH improved.
Quick-Charge 3.0 is like magic. It's seriously impressive how quickly this phone charges.
USB-C is "future proof" and a better connector. Not more finding the right orientation or loose connections with old cables.
I thought I'd hate the power button on the side, but I actually love it. It's a solid button and it makes taking screenshots (pwr+vol dn) easy with 1 hand.
The fingerprint scanner is a HUGE plus. I still keep a lockscreen password as a backup, but 99% of the time, it unlocks with a single finger press.
I don't know if you still have your M8 stock (if you're on XDA, I hope not ), but I had a big issue with my M8 when I first got it, with the "wipe after 10 failed unlock attempts" that was built into the OS. It ended up trying in my pocket and when I took my phone out, it was wiped. Installing a custom ROM fixed that for me. On the HTC 10, they changed it very wisely. After 5 failed finger print attempts it will lock you out for 30 seconds. To unlock in this window, you need to use your passcode/PIN. If you try and fail on the passcode, it will give you 3 more tries until locking you out from that too for 30 seconds. After 5th failed unlock attempt, it will then ask you to trace a pattern on the screen, before it will let you try again. If you don't follow the pattern pretty closely, it won't let you try again. This makes it virtually impossible to accidentally wipe your device, while still preserving the security feature. I'm not sure if this is a MM feature or an HTC feature but it's great and has saved me a few times already.
There are some cons about switching from the M8 to the 10 though....
No more IR blaster.
No more Barometer.
Headphone jack is moved to top of the phone.
Rear camera sticks out.
Speed / performance increase is not very noticable. The M8 is still a competitive phone.
Neutral is the boomsound speakers. The M8's front stereo speakers were definitely louder, but not significantly so. The front/down combo on the 10 works fine.
A negative of both the M8 and the 10 is the IP rating. IP53 just doesn't cut it. I learned first hand how intolerant to water the M8 is, and the 10 is no better. HTC needs to get next year's flagship up to IP68 or they're going to really struggle.
CharliesTheMan said:
I came from the M7, so I know I'm answering slightly out of place, but I did have a few M8 Dev phones I used and played with, but didn't use as a daily driver.
I paid full US Unlocked retail cash money, so it was a substantial investment upfront to get the M10, not just a monthly finance charge.
My honest opinion, it was totally worth it. I considered the nexus or one of the CM or blu type devices because of instant OS updates and unlocking. I'm SOOO glad I went with the HTC 10.
It offers me HTC Sense, and unlocking it thanks to sunshine (it's actually S off, not unlocking, but for ease of use we will call it unlocking) was easier than some of my nexus devices, literally.
Hardware and build quality is amazing, and the sense software and rom selections are too notch.
Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am using stock rom, tried several Google based and sense based and didn't like them, I actually think that the stock one is better, especially since Marshmallow.
drumz0rz said:
I went through 2 M8s and loved them. Definitely one of the best devices I've ever used. The only reason I ended up upgrading to the 10 was because my second M8 got wet and the screen died. To me, it was worth upgrading rather than trying to repair it. There are some definite benefits of upgrading.
The phone is more comfortable to hold.
The all-glass front looks incredible and has resisted fingerprints and smudges much better than my M8 did.
The cameras are much better (although the "laser autofocus" does mess up from time to time, especially looking through a window)
The screen is larger and even more crisp. Colors are brighter.
Battery life is MUCH improved.
Quick-Charge 3.0 is like magic. It's seriously impressive how quickly this phone charges.
USB-C is "future proof" and a better connector. Not more finding the right orientation or loose connections with old cables.
I thought I'd hate the power button on the side, but I actually love it. It's a solid button and it makes taking screenshots (pwr+vol dn) easy with 1 hand.
The fingerprint scanner is a HUGE plus. I still keep a lockscreen password as a backup, but 99% of the time, it unlocks with a single finger press.
I don't know if you still have your M8 stock (if you're on XDA, I hope not [emoji14] ), but I had a big issue with my M8 when I first got it, with the "wipe after 10 failed unlock attempts" that was built into the OS. It ended up trying in my pocket and when I took my phone out, it was wiped. Installing a custom ROM fixed that for me. On the HTC 10, they changed it very wisely. After 5 failed finger print attempts it will lock you out for 30 seconds. To unlock in this window, you need to use your passcode/PIN. If you try and fail on the passcode, it will give you 3 more tries until locking you out from that too for 30 seconds. After 5th failed unlock attempt, it will then ask you to trace a pattern on the screen, before it will let you try again. If you don't follow the pattern pretty closely, it won't let you try again. This makes it virtually impossible to accidentally wipe your device, while still preserving the security feature. I'm not sure if this is a MM feature or an HTC feature but it's great and has saved me a few times already.
There are some cons about switching from the M8 to the 10 though....
No more IR blaster.
No more Barometer.
Headphone jack is moved to top of the phone.
Rear camera sticks out.
Speed / performance increase is not very noticable. The M8 is still a competitive phone.
Neutral is the boomsound speakers. The M8's front stereo speakers were definitely louder, but not significantly so. The front/down combo on the 10 works fine.
A negative of both the M8 and the 10 is the IP rating. IP53 just doesn't cut it. I learned first hand how intolerant to water the M8 is, and the 10 is no better. HTC needs to get next year's flagship up to IP68 or they're going to really struggle.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the time you took mentioning the advantages and disadvantages of making the upgrade. My only gripe currently is battery life, that's why I ordered a battery and will be replacing it. 2 years of heavy use takes its toll. Let's see how that goes.
I won a blackberry DTEK50 (it's the Alcatel idol 4 hardware rebranded with blackberry software on top of Android) and a UMi Max Smartphones on 2 Internet giveaways (in the same day, talk about luck, right?) , they haven't arrived yet but I believe none of them would be a proper upgrade over my M8 so I think I'm selling the DTEK50 and giving the UMi Max to my niece. Do you guys agree that the DTEK50 is more of a sidegrade as well?
Cheers
I wasnt planning on upgrading to the 10 but broke my m8 a couple weeks ago. Things i like right away; better camera (faster focus/snapping and quality) battery seems to last longer/charges faster, phone is quicker in general and audio from headphones is better (more on this last one below.) The USB C is nice (other than having to buy a few extra cables to keep around the house/car,) nice not having to align the direction when plugging in. Transferring data to/from computer is quicker.
One of the main reason i was interested in the 10 if for its audio, i use Sennheiser Momentum 2, over ears. Noticeable improvement of the M8 in back to back listening of the same songs. Momentum 2's are lower impedance (compared to most headphones in that price range) and the 10 get louder than i can comfortably listen to but even fully cranked, sound is clean. I'd be curious to see how well it could power a higher impedance headphone without a standalone amp. Also, noticed an improvement with my old M8 Harmon Kardon ear buds (new 10 doesnt come with any, which i didnt plan on using but found odd)
ROM support seems pretty good, still waiting for a daily driver AOSP style rom but VIPER has been issue free.
Down sides, the phone feels larger in the hands, not so much heavier/dimensionally but maybe weight is in different place? I know, that sounds odd but just how it feels holding it one handed. The power button on the side was easier to get used to, no longer phantom touching the top of the phone. I liked having the headphone jack next to the charging port on the bottom, made it easier to use both at the same time. No more IR blaster, which i didnt use often but still used on occasion.
Speaker audio seems quieter, not really liking the ear and bottom firing speaker vs dual fronts of the m8. If holding the phone in landscape and watching videos, your hand can easily muffle the sound depending on how its held. Dual front speakers seemed to direct the sound towards your head better. The sound range seems to come mostly from the bottom speaker, depending on how you holding the phone can change that.
Overall, pretty happy with the device. Waiting to see if I can get a second one on sale/contract for the wife. Scored my Sprint version from Bestbuy.com for $100 but havent had luck finding a second in stock at that price.
I came from the m8 too. The HTC10 is a brilliant phone with a few flaws.
The camera (or at the very least, the software) can be a little temperamental. The sound does not match up to the M8's boomsound at all. With that in mind, however, its better than pretty much every other phone without a similar set up.
You would also be moving from USB Micro to USB-C. A much needed improvment, but maybe stock up on cables, and make sure they support quick charge
As for things that I prefer over the m8, the black navigation bar at the bottom of the screen is gone, and replaced by hardware navigation. This is much better to me, as I always felt the onscreen navigation just wasted screen space really.
The finger print scanner is one of the best I have used on any phone, and using that to wake up and unlock the phone makes getting used to the moved power button a non-issue.
I did have issues with the headphone jack being on the top, but im just used to it now.
I have installed custom roms (you dont need to S-OFF to do this whatsoever, just unlock the bootloader using HTCDev) and this improves much. In a default stock condition though, its a pretty damn good phone. Certainly happy to be using it for the next two years.
I came from the M8, but am returning to it once I get it unlocked for use with my current carrier. Cameras (I never take pictures) were a non-issue for me, I could care less about them. For me, it is a software issue. I like Sense and the way it is/was implemented. With each iteration of HTC phones, Sense seems to be in a state of retreat, abdicating to standard Android apps. Many things that have been removed are the very items I liked. Vanilla Android is not for me. Soooooo, for me it's back to the M8 and a dilemma over what my next phone will be. Certainly not an HTC unless miracles occur.
silegeek said:
I came from the m8 too. The HTC10 is a brilliant phone with a few flaws.
The camera (or at the very least, the software) can be a little temperamental. The sound does not match up to the M8's boomsound at all. With that in mind, however, its better than pretty much every other phone without a similar set up.
You would also be moving from USB Micro to USB-C. A much needed improvment, but maybe stock up on cables, and make sure they support quick charge
As for things that I prefer over the m8, the black navigation bar at the bottom of the screen is gone, and replaced by hardware navigation. This is much better to me, as I always felt the onscreen navigation just wasted screen space really.
The finger print scanner is one of the best I have used on any phone, and using that to wake up and unlock the phone makes getting used to the moved power button a non-issue.
I did have issues with the headphone jack being on the top, but im just used to it now.
I have installed custom roms (you dont need to S-OFF to do this whatsoever, just unlock the bootloader using HTCDev) and this improves much. In a default stock condition though, its a pretty damn good phone. Certainly happy to be using it for the next two years.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
KC013 said:
I came from the M8, but am returning to it once I get it unlocked for use with my current carrier. Cameras (I never take pictures) were a non-issue for me, I could care less about them. For me, it is a software issue. I like Sense and the way it is/was implemented. With each iteration of HTC phones, Sense seems to be in a state of retreat, abdicating to standard Android apps. Many things that have been removed are the very items I liked. Vanilla Android is not for me. Soooooo, for me it's back to the M8 and a dilemma over what my next phone will be. Certainly not an HTC unless miracles occur.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you both for your answers I am more and more inclined to keep my M8, replacing the battery, of course.
Cheers!
I still have my M8 and to me, the 10 makes the M8 look generic. The screen is much better and much more beautiful, it is much faster and smoother and although the sound doesn't seem louder from the speakers, it is mainly because it is much clearer and sounds much better. Especially certain ringtones just sound much better. This lie I keep hearing that the M8 boomsound speakers are much better is aggravating lol. I mostly hear it in the same post where they are talking about the S7. The 10 is an absolutely perfect phone and the development is amazing. Viper 10 is the most perfect ROM I have ever experienced. I always thought I would hate hardware buttons but after going back to my M8 when flashing ROM's, the onscreen buttons are annoying. I liked my M8 and M9, was disappointed with the M9 luckily I was able to trade it in for the 10, but I absolutely love my 10. There is no doubt it is a worthy upgrade. Having it now, I would hate to have not ever experienced it. You would have to be very picky to have anything bad to say about it.

One M9 Performance

I need a new phone (I'm on MetroPCS) and I've been thinking about grabbing a One M9. I use my phone alot for music, so the M9's stereo speakers is a big plus.
However, the reviews say that it performs poorly when multitasking, switching/opening apps, etc.
Besides calls/texts, I mainly use my phone for web browsing, listening to music.. just basic things. At any given time I'll have 50+ tabs open in a browser, which might be the most straining work I give my phone.
I don't care about camera quality or games. I also don't want a large phone.. would like to limit the screen size to 5", although I can live with 5.2".
Is multitasking a true issue with the one m9? So bad that I should avoid it?
I have a $250 budget. I was planning on buying the Moto G5 Plus until I read that it's speaker sounds "tinny." Any other suggestions of phones in this price range?
Thanks.
I use LG G3. But I want to upgrade to One M9. They say that its much fluid for apps and so one....
xxceleron said:
I use LG G3. But I want to upgrade to One M9. They say that its much fluid for apps and so one....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alot of the reviews for the One M9 are people complaining about how it broke within months or purchase. Too bad the Butterfly 3 isn't available in the US.. that one would be perfect for me.
Are you familiar with the Huawei P10 Lite? It was suggested to me as an alternative to the Moto G5 Plus, which apparently has really low in-call volume, a poor quality speaker and crap microphone. It's too bad cuz everything else about the G5 Plus is great, even the price. The one downside to the P10 Lite is that not.only does it not have Gorilla Glass, the screen doesn't even have the anti-scratch coating.
It sucks how all the phones with the best specs have gigantic screens. It's hard to find worthy competition with a 5" screen.
I don't really have issues with multitasking.
True, after loading memory intensive apps, it lags a bit, but in other normal usage, it works perfectly.
Note: At times, I code in my M9.

[RANT] My sad truth about the H932 V30

I've proudly been the owner of an H932 V30 (T-MOBILE) since launch. I've had a blast with this device. I'm also a proud owner of an H872 G6 (T-MOBILE).
Well. I moved to these phones after my H811 G4 (T-MOBILE) became too outdated for my needs.
The G4 has TWRP and root and ROMs as every TMO branded device I've ever had also did.
Well, LG took that away from us by stripping fastboot commands from their devices now. This is sad. But carrier unlocked models can be bought outright for upwards of $600-700 and LG will give you binary file to unlock the bootloader and void your warranty.
No matter, these phones are fairly premium devices and serve their purpose even without Root or ROMs.
The V30 is a multimedia powerhouse, great recording video and audio even in super loud venues! This phone absolutely blew my mind, being that at $800 it was highest price premium flagship device I've ever had. I was in love, like many are. I've been a long time LG fanboy and have always wanted a V-series device since the V10 was released and I'd finally gotten one.
After a while of living with this device as a daily driver i began to realize that it's not as great as I'd convinced myself it was.
I spend hours every day wearing headphones connected to my main device. Listening to music continuously.
The V30 was boasted as having the greatest audiophile sound quality though it's 32bit HiFi DAC utilized through its 3.5mm headphone jack. Admittedly, the sound quality is crisp, clear, and well driven. But is it what everyone says it is? Not entirely, but it's pretty amazing nevertheless.
The overall user experience with the H932 V30 is good, yet not anymore than just that, good. Only good, bordering great but not so much.
LGs skin has always been an acquired taste and I've always been okay with it. But they seem to have been trying too hard to follow the pack rather than be original. Theu even went as far as to remove basic Android options such as better notification control as I've always loved about LG. Even dropped from 8mp front camera as in the G4 (2015) to a puny 5mp potato cam. Insert facepalm here.
They were trying to win back the confidence of the haters giving them grief over past mistakes and alienating those like myself who'd stayed loyal through the ****storm of screw-ups.
This devicehas had a terrible update frequency, which is fine as the hierarchy of AOSP, OEM, & Carrier trickles down to the users eventually. But lack of support and further updates to more refined and stable versions of Android shouldn't be withheld from the end user who pays their premium prices for a so called premium device.
At any rate, I had accepted my fate as a V30 owner and kept looking forward. Everyday there was another issue with the device. . .
Sometimes heavy lags and stutters due to LGs UX skin. Periodically the HiFi DAC ceased to do anything leaving me with flatter sound than desired.
Then there's the highly inconvenient design of the device itself.
My V30 was eligible to receive a free Google Daydream VR headset, so of course I accepted it and I enjoy it. But there's an issue with the headset, LGs design of the device. The orientation of devices for Daydream thus far is only able to be used in one direction, 90 degree rotation to the left. This means the volume buttons are going to be tucked inside the headset and inevitably pushed against the hinge of the daydream viewer! This makes the sound either go to full max volume or fully minimum volume (no sound) wearing over ear headphones for maximum emersion into day dream with the volume buttons becoming stuck to full volume is quite painful, to say the least.
The infamous 3.5mm headphone jack containing the 32bit DAC, while it sounds good it's quite poorly placed on the device. This seemingly minor detail is the one MAJOR flaw that I cannot move passed on this device no matter how hard I try. The headphone jack is placed on the top of the device, which is an absolutely horrendous design choice for several reasons, let's explore my absolute disgust...
Having the headphone jack on the top of the device means during rain or other precipitation there's a chance of the jack getting very wet or filling with water. This isn't really a major concern on an IP68 rated device but it is a thought.
With the headphone jack oriented on the top side of the device this causes an annoyance while just relaxing watching movies with headphones on while the device os plugged in. The type-c port and headphone jack are on opposite ends of the device! This makes using headphones, charging, and holding the device all simultaneously a serious pain in the @$$. At least for me having to accomplish hand gymnastics to hold the device in odd ways as not to put pressure on either ports in use and cause any sort of extra wear, fatigue, or damage of the ports or cables.
Another very similar occurrence is while out and about. Sometimes you have your headphones in while commuting and you also need to use a power bank to get some extra juice in that rather small 3300mah battery! Makes sense doesn't it? Well, now put the device in a pocket with charging cable and headphone jack plugged into it. Go ahead do it! You can't without potentially damaging the ports and/or the cables! This is enraging, truly. The headphone jack should never be on the top of the device!
This brings me to my last and most absolutely infuriating point. The damned headphone jack is on the top of the device! I commute and walk a LOT so I have headphones in often. Of course I want to take advantage of that nice Hifi DAC whilst I commute, wouldn't you?
Well it's more difficult than you'd initially think.
The cord is a nuisance, therefore I always like to tuck the headphone cable into my shirt, hoodie, or jacket to keep it from catching on, well, absolutely everything all the damn time! Well, LG doesn't want convenience for me. Haha, well played LG! If i tuck the cord into a shjrt or jacket i won't be able to lift the device above my waste without putting unnecessary pressure on the wire and/or the connector. Or forcing the earbuds to pull down uncomfortably on my ears and essentially flop out of my ears! This is just a terrible situation overall.
This means that I am forced to wear the cable outside of a shirt or jacket and risk it getting caught on something possibly severing it, breaking it, causing the earbuds to be ripped violently from my ear canals, or pull my phone out of my hand!
Absolutely true! I've dropped this device a minimum of 11 times just because of the headphone cable getting caught on something or by simply putting my hand down and accidentally snagging the cord. When your $800 device goes flying for absolutely no reason while 2 pieces of metal are violently torn from your ear canals it's hard not to be overwhelmed with rage, embarrassment, disgust, & fear of damage all at once! This is absolutely unacceptable for a device that costs more than $40 (yes, forty dollars)!
Finally, I have always out my device into my pocket top down, since my first smartphone running Android 1.5 Cupcake. This orientation just makes perfect sense as the device will be top side up when you raise it to your viewing area. But with headphones plugged in i have to have the device top up then I'm required to remove the device from my pocket and use my other hand to reorient the device in my hand to have a chance of using it. Not to mention if the device is top down in your pocket and there's no cover on the headphone jack (my cases all have cover flaps on ports) you can get various pocket lint inside or dust whatever could be in the pocket.
To top this dumbass headphone jack situation off this could be lived with if I could have 180 degree orientation and just use the phone upside down. Oh but there's no option for that! I could add it myself, but, that would require rooting the damn phone! AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHH, I hate you LG! You trolled me so badly.
But, live and learn. I only paid $325 after all rebates and deals for my V30 so whatever at this point.
In the meantime. I'm now a VERY PROUD owner of a OnePlus 6! Which DOES have the headphone jack on the bottom where it belongs. Yes, I unlocked the bootloader and rooted 53sec after opening the device.
Oh yea, its also the single greatest Android experience I've ever had. I have never once witnessed an Android device as fluid and snappy as the OnePlus 6, not once! Not to mention simply holding the devjce is nearly orgasmic in its own right. Its an absurdly sexy device and feels more premium than the V30. And the 1080p screen isn't bad. Definitely not as bad as screen banding and completely crushed shadows in video on the V30 at lower brightness!
And the OnePlus 6 is significantly cheaper than the v30 was when it launched.
As for the perfectly mounted headphone jack on the OP 6, well its sound quality makes the V30 headphone jack sound like a tin can on a string! It completely obliterates the V30 in audio output and performance. I still can't believe it myself and I own both!
That was a looooong rant about almost nothing, I don't even remember what this was about anymore. Haha
If you made it this far, good for you! You must have a lot of freetime Thanks for reading! If you're a V30 owner, I have a used SupCase Unicorn Beetle Pro case that I will no longer need for the V30. It's in great condition and fully entact no scuffs or scratches! Just cover some shipping and it's yours.
I'm not giving up on my V30 & G6. They're mine and I love them, mostly.
??
I just want to say I'm sorry because I skimped though your post and maybe didn't catch everything you said, but did you realize that the LG V30 can actually be unlocked and rooted (every model BUT the H932)?
I think the only point I can agree on is the bad front camera and the back camera which is short of exceptional. The headphone jack placement is a mild discomfort, nothing more. Most other things you mentioned can be fixed via rooting.
The development for this phone is just picking up now that most models can be unlocked, and I expect a lot of improvement in the next couple of months.
adsubzero said:
but did you realize that the LG V30 can actually be unlocked and rooted (every model BUT the H932)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh yes. I absolutely know this. And I have 2 H932s. Trust me I know. But I have a OP6 so I can finally have root again.
Sent from my LG-H932 using XDA Labs
brossovitch said:
Oh yes. I absolutely know this. And I have 2 H932s. Trust me I know. But I have a OP6 so I can finally have root again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But you lose the quad dac and the wide camera, which is a pretty big deal. And of course you could have gotten root anyway if you didn't choose a carrier locked model.
adsubzero said:
But you lose the quad dac and the wide camera, which is a pretty big deal. And of course you could have gotten root anyway if you didn't choose a carrier locked model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't have $900 lying around to get a phone at the time. And I couldn't have gotten non carrier devices with my Jump upgrade anyway..
It doesn't matter. My V30 & G6 are now backup phones to my OnePlus. LOL
Sent from my LG-H932 using XDA Labs
I love the headset jack on top, and it's the best place for it as I hold my phone on the bottom.
Just have to refute the other rant.
Also you can get bootloader unlocked and rooted mint V30+ that will work on any carrier for $335. Yesterday, with one- day sale was even $268 with free shipping.
LG V30/V30+ was the best phone of 2017 and still beats pretenders like inferior OnePlus. QHD 1440p display, Qi wireless charging, quad DAC.
I actually returned my midnight black op6 256 with 8 gigs of RAM two days ago. Went to the launch event in SF. Found out that they didn't sell 256 models there after waiting in line for an hour and a half, then ordered one online. At this time I saw the eBay auction for Sprint v30+ for $325 taxes in and ordered it immediately.
Spent a few days with both phones and concluded that the op6 (which I paid 729 for with an accessory bundle) was in no way worth over double what I paid for the v30. I find the cameras to both be just OK. Neither is in the pixel2 or iphone8 range. I do like and use the wide angle camera on v30 but the front facing is garbage. I had issues going back to a full HD screen coming from HTC 10. The vibrate motor in the op6 felt cheap. Though dash charging is arguably the superior tech, I didn't want to have to replace all of my quick chargers at home and in cars.
All in all, I think OnePlus is doing a fantastic job, I would just pay 40% more for 40% more quality. That's me. My plan is to use the v30 through the summer and see what pixel 3 looks like come fall.
brossovitch said:
My V30 & G6 are now backup phones to my OnePlus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just replaced my G6 with a V30. Does the V30 have a shortcut (or widget like the G6) for the square camera? Is the only way to access the square camera on the V30 is via the settings in the camera app?
I thought about the OP6 after my G6 died, but I can't do without wireless charging and wide angle camera.
HKSpeed said:
I just replaced my G6 with a V30. Does the V30 have a shortcut (or widget like the G6) for the square camera? Is the only way to access the square camera on the V30 is via the settings in the camera app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You confused me with "square camera". What do you mean?
Are you asking how to put a shortcut to your camera on the desktop? Surely you're not asking that, so what the heck is the "square camera"?
HKSpeed said:
I thought about the OP6 after my G6 died, but I can't do without wireless charging and wide angle camera.[/QUOTE
Yeah I'm not buying a phone without Qi wireless charging. Even iPhone has that now. OnePlus doesn't know what they are doing. Maybe one day OPPO will v actually let the release a premium phone with QHD display and Qi wireless charging.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ChazzMatt said:
You confused me with "square camera". What do you mean?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the G6, the 1:1 ratio camera is called the "Square Camera". LG provides a widget to open it directly. On Nova Launcher I can set a home screen shortcut to launch it directly. On the V30 I have to open the camera and change settings to 1:1.
ChazzMatt said:
I love the headset jack on top, and it's the best place for it as I hold my phone on the bottom.
Just have to refute the other rant.
Also you can get bootloader unlocked and rooted mint V30+ that will work on any carrier for $335. Yesterday, with one- day sale was even $268 with free shipping.
LG V30/V30+ was the best phone of 2017 and still beats pretenders like inferior OnePlus. QHD 1440p display, Qi wireless charging, quad DAC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey to each their own. I hate the extra fatigue on the cord being at the top and the extra precautions I have to take.
Oh I love my V30 & G6. But I need certain stuff like bottom jack and working fastboot.
However the recording quality of the V30 is irreplaceable. I'm not getting rid of any of my LG devices.
Honestly if I could put a SD821 chip or better in my G4, I'd use it exclusively as it's practically the perfect phone in design. Dammit 808! LOL.
Currently the OP6 is the best thing I've experienced. Especially having bootloader unlock, twrp, & root 2min wfter receiving it... I can't wait to buy a 6t later this year! Yay.
BTW Chazz, are you running your V30 stock? I have crazy lags sometimes after Oreo update. Also, sometimes the device freezes when I have PiP running with YouTube. V30 needs 8.1. and to run stock Android. LOL never gonna happen on either of those.
But I'll still use it nevertheless. Heck I'm commuting right now and running OP6, V30, & G6 currently!
Sent from my OnePlus 6 using XDA Labs
adsubzero said:
But you lose the quad dac and the wide camera, which is a pretty big deal. And of course you could have gotten root anyway if you didn't choose a carrier locked model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The quad dac does work on AOSP roms with Whiskeyomega's mods. Wide angle should potentially work with the cstark google cam wide angle app. The camera situation is not ideal (2apks and you lose video modes if you care about those) but the mods are a perfectly fine compromise for what you get in return.
brossovitch said:
BTW Chazz, are you running your V30 stock? I have crazy lags sometimes after Oreo update. Also, sometimes the device freezes when I have PiP running with YouTube. V30 needs 8.1. and to run stock Android. LOL never gonna happen on either of those.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I am still running stock. I normally love custom ROMs and may move to them eventually, but I'm too busy to mess with them right now. Working 60 hour weeks right now and weekends are taken up by necessary stuff like family and mowing the grass.
Of the 5 (yes 5) V30/V30+ I have, one is being prepared for my sister, possibly one for my 88 year old mother (she's still on a Straight Talk feature phone which may be dying -- so THAT will be quite a ride, explaining not only Android to her/Google Assistant, but just modern touchscreens, etc.)
My wife is still on non-rooted V30 and I'm trying to figure out how to swap her to one of the others temporarily while I then bootloader unlock and root hers. I need like one full day to do it right.
ChazzMatt said:
Yes, I am still running stock. I normally love custom ROMs and may move to them eventually, but I'm too busy to mess with them right now. Working 60 hour weeks right now and weekends are taken up by necessary stuff like family and mowing the grass.
Of the 5 (yes 5) V30/V30+ I have, one is being prepared for my sister, possibly one for my 88 year old mother (she's still on a Straight Talk feature phone which may be dying -- so THAT will be quite a ride, explaining not only Android to her/Google Assistant, but just modern touchscreens, etc.)
My wife is still on non-rooted V30 and I'm trying to figure out how to swap her to one of the others temporarily while I then bootloader unlock and root hers. I need like one full day to do it right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I'm about to use TMobiles jump ootion on my current V30 and use my paid off one. But so far I'm loving my OnePlus 6 with official TWRP, ElementalX kernel, Magisk, V4a, and plenty of ROMs in development.
Apparently you can also flash official OTA files in TWRP as if it's a ROM. Awesome. I still daily my V30 and G6, but the OP6 is just a flatout beast with everything I could want as of right now. And the audio output is actually very good from the jack.
I know you hate 1080p display but it doesn't bother me and this device is absolutely fantastic.
Wish an unlocked V30 cost the same. But for $615 i got a nearly stock Android experience with 8gb RAM, 128gb storage, SD845, Karbon Fibre case, tempered glass screen protector, 24ohm impedance earbuds (that sound great), & an OTA cable. V30 comes with.....a microfibre cloth. Mmmhmm. At least it's LG branded. LOL
Sent from my OnePlus 6 using XDA Labs
zer0ality said:
The quad dac does work on AOSP roms with Whiskeyomega's mods. Wide angle should potentially work with the cstark google cam wide angle app. The camera situation is not ideal (2apks and you lose video modes if you care about those) but the mods are a perfectly fine compromise for what you get in return.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was talking about LG V30 vs OnePlus 6
In December, if my V30+ from T-Mobile doesn't have root, I'll likely be moving on to the next.
We shall see what's available.
Sent from my LG-H932 using Tapatalk Pro.
I don't think I have ever had a problem with charging my phone with Type-C and using the 3.5mm on top at the same time while holding my phone.....and I walk with the cord out because having it in my shirt or sweater is uncomfortable and as you said would make it almost impossible to use....i also never used it that way on my U11 which usd Type-C headphones....
One plus 6 ain't as good for multimedia
brossovitch said:
Yea I'm about to use TMobiles jump ootion on my current V30 and use my paid off one. But so far I'm loving my OnePlus 6 with official TWRP, ElementalX kernel, Magisk, V4a, and plenty of ROMs in development.
Apparently you can also flash official OTA files in TWRP as if it's a ROM. Awesome. I still daily my V30 and G6, but the OP6 is just a flatout beast with everything I could want as of right now. And the audio output is actually very good from the jack.
I know you hate 1080p display but it doesn't bother me and this device is absolutely fantastic.
Wish an unlocked V30 cost the same. But for $615 i got a nearly stock Android experience with 8gb RAM, 128gb storage, SD845, Karbon Fibre case, tempered glass screen protector, 24ohm impedance earbuds (that sound great), & an OTA cable. V30 comes with.....a microfibre cloth. Mmmhmm. At least it's LG branded. LOL
Sent from my OnePlus 6 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, 1080p, as you said, worse sound than the previous one plus model through the headphone jack so it's not even in the same league as the v30, no card slot, no wide angle. How is the one plus as good as the v30 for multimedia? 8 GB of RAM is cool though. The one plus is better for opening apps speedily but not for multimedia purposes.
3165dwayne said:
Lol, 1080p, as you said, worse sound than the previous one plus model through the headphone jack so it's not even in the same league as the v30, no card slot, no wide angle. How is the one plus as good as the v30 for multimedia? 8 GB of RAM is cool though. The one plus is better for opening apps speedily but not for multimedia purposes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1080p is.fine.
Don't need wide angle on op6 because i have it on my V30 & my G6..
Headphone jack is 1. Mounted in a usable place the BOTTOM of the phone where it belongs. 2. Had a friggen equalizer amd sounds absolutely incredible because I can drop the disgusting treble way down.
Besides that, i can actually root the op6 unlike my v30 and I can use V4A which add to the amazing experience of the OP6s dac.
I don't even care that the op6 is 30x faster than my v30. All i care about is the properly mounted headphone jack so i can actually use wired headphones outside of my home. Being able to tuck my cord into a shirt (between shirt and undershirt) or hoodie keeping me from ruining my cord or repeatedly dropping the device because I keep getting caught.on anything like my own goddamn hands. Also, I can pocket the device the CORRECT way, top side down, instead of the top side up bull**** that makes the fingerprint scanner unusable without rotation of the phone in hand.
I'm not bad mouthing the v30. It has the potential to be good. Everything is a 10/10 on it but the headphone jack drops 4 points and no root drops more. But it's still better than crapple.
Id love it more if I could have a friggen equalizer on the headphone jack so I could take advantage of the sound..
Besides having the device plugged in with headphones while holding it is the most awkward bull**** experience ever. You have to hold it a very particular way as to not ruin the cords on both sides and cramp your fingers. Headphone jack on top is is not practical in any way. Its only good for plugging into speakers and setting the phone down or in a car with aux cord..
Headphone jack location alone is the factor that makes this device not worth buying if you want to use headphones on the go without taping an extension to your phone like I had to.
But mine only costed me $310 so its a.great backup/work phone
The Dirac tuned audio may not be as mainstream as B&O, but at least it has an EQ built-in. Besides, the OnePlus headphones ($20) are far superior to the the LG/B&O headphones ($140) in sound quality and bass. And both sound better on the OP6 with reduced treble.
Also, audio calling on the V30 with headphones is awful! I can hear everything in my Microphone like breathing and the cord flopping around. Granted the other person doesn't, but I can. It's realy upsetting.
BTW this is difficult to type as I just sliced off my thumb tip at work a few hours ago and cannot use it..
Sent from my LG-H932 using XDA Labs
Besides, i only get 8hrs of SOT with the v30.
Sent from my LG-H932 using XDA Labs

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