Why I choosed Nokia 8.1 other than X7, even I'm in China? - Nokia 8.1 Questions & Answers

I have seriously considered this issue.
People who have visited this page, I believe that most of you care about the software and systems. When I using the previous phone, I have tried different ROMs repeatedly, just to experience the latest system features. And every time I spent a whole night, I couldn’t get a satisfactory experience. Because there are so many bugs!!! As a result, I spent the other several hours to return to the original stock Rom, again and again. I am tired of this experience!
The biggest advantage of Nokia 8.1 is that it belongs to the Android One system and it can enjoy two years of major system updates that Google is responsible for. But, no one dares to promise you with the Nokia X7. What's more, the X7 system does not use the original Google Apps, because the google service is not supported in China. If you buy X7, I can guarantee that you will soon want to switch back to Android One. Otherwise you will be very unaccustomed. This is my truely suggestion, thank you!

Well, I have a diff experience though. I bought my Nokia 7 from China, running the CN ROM. It was on Nougat 7.1.1. I have since then received Android 8.0, Android 8.1 and now Android 9. And it is currently on the Android 9 with March security patch.
So, updates are reasonable well on the CN ROM too. Plus we enjoy more features a lot of which are simply missing from the Android One experience.
The X7 does come with Play Services installed. So, you can use *most* Google apps without needing to make any sort of modifications. Just install the Play Store from the Chinese app store and it is ready to be used.

Related

Is one ever too old for a quality phone?

I hope not, because I just upgraded my 72 year old mother from a Nexus 5 to a OnePlus 3. Well, it's on the way.
I may not modify anything on the phone. However, I do have a question: Does OnePlus update their phones to the latest versions of Android often, regularly, or will she be lucky to see updates at all?
Thanks!
wvcadle said:
I hope not, because I just upgraded my 72 year old mother from a Nexus 5 to a OnePlus 3. Well, it's on the way.
I may not modify anything on the phone. However, I do have a question: Does OnePlus update their phones to the latest versions of Android often, regularly, or will she be lucky to see updates at all?
Thanks!
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Yes they update their phones fast.Op3 will run Android Nougat .edit.I mean faster than,let s say,Samsung.man o war is right.
JoshDaWhite said:
Yes they update their phones fast.Op3 will run Android Nougat .
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They are generally quite good regarding monthly security updates.
Regarding new android versions, it's not exactly the same. Oh, they will definitely update the OP3 to Android Nougat. Android O won't be out and you'll already have Nougat on your phone ! Amazing ! So fast ! :laugh:
Oneplus are certainly not the best regarding updates but they are probably not the worst.
Don't expect fast updates like Nexus.
Monthly updates are nice, if there're bugs , you may get 2-3 update per month. You surely get the Android N update, but with my experiences with OP1 and 2, you will have to wait 3-4 months after nexus, simply because you are running on a custom android- Oxygen( quite nice now) so they are worth waiting.
and remember you always have HUGE deverlop community here, OP forum &chinese forums( which you could have strange ROMs port ) , so dont afraid ,
_Man0waR_ said:
They are generally quite good regarding monthly security updates.
Regarding new android versions, it's not exactly the same. Oh, they will definitely update the OP3 to Android Nougat. Android O won't be out and you'll already have Nougat on your phone ! Amazing ! So fast ! :laugh:
Oneplus are certainly not the best regarding updates but they are probably not the worst.
Don't expect fast updates like Nexus.
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The OP3 is a shift for them. I think they're potentially going to change the game up on their whole paradigm simply based on the success of this phone. The public and media seem to be pretty fond of the OP3 at present, and Oneplus will need to maintain that momentum and keep their client base happy. If they're smart, they'll push Android M no later than Q4 of this year.

MIUI Pro Custom ROM

I was wondering if anyone has experience using the above custom ROM? The homepage is in Russian and I haven't been able to find out much more about it other than the fact that some people really seem to like it.
If anybody is running the ROM I would be interested in opinions. Is it worth flashing instead of using stock MIUI? Any problems using it in English or compatibility issues with US phone service?
I haven't unlocked my bootloader yet but have permission. I'm trying to figure out if there is a custom ROM worth flashing that offers some advantages over stock. My original plan was to flash LOS but some people seem to be experiencing bugs.
Any info on MIUI PRO (or even a different recommendation) would be appreciated.
I can't complain about performance on stock which is blazing fast but I do miss Google Smart Lock.
jhs39 said:
I was wondering if anyone has experience using the above custom ROM? The homepage is in Russian and I haven't been able to find out much more about it other than the fact that some people really seem to like it.
If anybody is running the ROM I would be interested in opinions. Is it worth flashing instead of using stock MIUI? Any problems using it in English or compatibility issues with US phone service?
I haven't unlocked my bootloader yet but have permission. I'm trying to figure out if there is a custom ROM worth flashing that offers some advantages over stock. My original plan was to flash LOS but some people seem to be experiencing bugs.
Any info on MIUI PRO (or even a different recommendation) would be appreciated.
I can't complain about performance on stock which is blazing fast but I do miss Google Smart Lock.
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Would actually also appreciate any information on this ROM. I have used LineageOS, MIUI Stable, Developer, Nightly Beta, EpicRom, RR but not this one solely because the site is Russian as you stated. Would love a bit more info...Figured I'd reply to this in hope to revive it.
As for LineageOS, you might as well try it out now. The third release (most recent one) has had a LOT of fixes and optimizations done to it.
I've been using it for more than one Xiaomi phone and I think it's a great rom. Very fast, smooth, without lag and with an excellent battery life. It also has a face unlock and other settings that you can't find in other roms...I try Epic Rom,Xiaomi Eu,Lineage...
I don't know about US phone service because I'm from Europe...not from Russia but I use Miui Pro without problems or fear also if they are from Russia
Try it:good:
3o3ulka76 said:
I've been using it for more than one Xiaomi phone and I think it's a great rom. Very fast, smooth, without lag and with an excellent battery life. It also has a face unlock and other settings that you can't find in other roms...I try Epic Rom,Xiaomi Eu,Lineage...
I don't know about US phone service because I'm from Europe...not from Russia but I use Miui Pro without problems or fear also if they are from Russia
Try it:good:
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Thanks! I shall look into it. What kind of modifications/differences are there compared to the stock MIUI?
For example you can encrease at 6 number of toggles... double tap where do you want to wake up or turn off the screen...choose the colour the battery when is 100% or 80%...etc
MIUI Pro has had very bad battery backup for me
I switched to Mi-Globe ROM
Kaji said:
Would actually also appreciate any information on this ROM. I have used LineageOS, MIUI Stable, Developer, Nightly Beta, EpicRom, RR but not this one solely because the site is Russian as you stated. Would love a bit more info...Figured I'd reply to this in hope to revive it.
As for LineageOS, you might as well try it out now. The third release (most recent one) has had a LOT of fixes and optimizations done to it.
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I tried LOS. I was excited at first to have stock Android back but then I experienced issues with poor call quality and my mobile data reception became erratic so I ended up going back to MIUI Global with the MI Flash tool and not paying close enough attention allowed it to lock my bootloader again.
My skepticism about MIUI PRO goes beyond the Russian website. There is no information about the ROM in English anywhere I could find. The only review on YouTube is in Hindi. None of the Xiaomi threads on XDA, Google+ or Reddit has information about the ROM. I know Xiaomi phones are primarily sold in China and India but that doesn't really explain why there seems to be no information anywhere about the ROM.
But the fact that the ROM is based in Russia does seriously concern me. I had an issue with Kaspersky Anti-virus (which used to be first rate) not flagging Russian malware on my computer. And that happened a full year before Russian hackers helped Trump become president. Using a Russian operating system on a phone just doesn't seem like the smartest idea.
If you try MIUI Pro post what you think of it.
jhs39 said:
I tried LOS. I was excited at first to have stock Android back but then I experienced issues with poor call quality and my mobile data reception became erratic so I ended up going back to MIUI Global with the MI Flash tool and not paying close enough attention allowed it to lock my bootloader again.
My skepticism about MIUI PRO goes beyond the Russian website. There is no information about the ROM in English anywhere I could find. The only review on YouTube is in Hindi. None of the Xiaomi threads on XDA, Google+ or Reddit has information about the ROM. I know Xiaomi phones are primarily sold in China and India but that doesn't really explain why there seems to be no information anywhere about the ROM.
But the fact that the ROM is based in Russia does seriously concern me. I had an issue with Kaspersky Anti-virus (which used to be first rate) not flagging Russian malware on my computer. And that happened a full year before Russian hackers helped Trump become president. Using a Russian operating system on a phone just doesn't seem like the smartest idea.
If you try MIUI Pro post what you think of it.
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Well said my friend, and kudos for using the flash tool....just feels so much more..genuine. Can't say I haven't accidentally locked my bootloader too but that's how we learn.
I found the LOS to be, well, an absolute stock experience. But like you and I'm sure many others, it just isn't at the point where it should be used as a daily driver. I'm currently running the 11th of May beta but honestly has more bugs than LOS at this stage so will be reverting back to the latest official developer ROM from the MIUI site (fastboot ver of course).
Gave this MIUIPro some extra thought and seeing as though it sounds very limited in extras (you can mod the number of toggles in the quick settings with packages already available on XDA if you wished to do so) I'll stick with builds straight from Xiaomi.
Sorry for the let down
Kaji said:
Well said my friend, and kudos for using the flash tool....just feels so much more..genuine. Can't say I haven't accidentally locked my bootloader too but that's how we learn.
I found the LOS to be, well, an absolute stock experience. But like you and I'm sure many others, it just isn't at the point where it should be used as a daily driver. I'm currently running the 11th of May beta but honestly has more bugs than LOS at this stage so will be reverting back to the latest official developer ROM from the MIUI site (fastboot ver of course).
Gave this MIUIPro some extra thought and seeing as though it sounds very limited in extras (you can mod the number of toggles in the quick settings with packages already available on XDA if you wished to do so) I'll stick with builds straight from Xiaomi.
Sorry for the let down
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Click to collapse
I was thinking about trying the MIUI Developer ROM. Is it stable enough to use as a daily driver? I looked at posts about the beta but that seemed to be to buggy for me. I value stability since I'm using the Mi Mix 2 as my main phone. That wasn't my original plan but the signal reception is so superior to my Essential PH-1 I couldn't justify using it daily instead even though there are many things that I prefer about that phone.
Maybe LOS for this phone will get better eventually but that was what I kept telling myself when I had an OP5. I hated the stock OS but after trying every custom ROM that existed I found only 1 Nougat ROM (Viper) and 1 Oreo ROM (Phoenix) that I considered good enough to use as a daily driver. I'm not a programmer but I think the quality of custom ROMs has gone down the toilet because they are almost always being made now by people who don't use the phone as their daily driver. The only non-OOS ROM made by a developer who actually used the OP5 daily was Phoenix and you could tell the difference the developer actually using the phone made.
Cyanogenmod was the first custom ROM I ever used that always had bugs, probably because they were trying to be compatible with as many phones as possible. My experience with LOS on 2 previous phones has been exactly the same. I love that they are trying to bring stock Android to phones that don't have it but I wish they were doing a better job.
jhs39 said:
I was thinking about trying the MIUI Developer ROM. Is it stable enough to use as a daily driver? I looked at posts about the beta but that seemed to be to buggy for me. I value stability since I'm using the Mi Mix 2 as my main phone. That wasn't my original plan but the signal reception is so superior to my Essential PH-1 I couldn't justify using it daily instead even though there are many things that I prefer about that phone.
Maybe LOS for this phone will get better eventually but that was what I kept telling myself when I had an OP5. I hated the stock OS but after trying every custom ROM that existed I found only 1 Nougat ROM (Viper) and 1 Oreo ROM (Phoenix) that I considered good enough to use as a daily driver. I'm not a programmer but I think the quality of custom ROMs has gone down the toilet because they are almost always being made now by people who don't use the phone as their daily driver. The only non-OOS ROM made by a developer who actually used the OP5 daily was Phoenix and you could tell the difference the developer actually using the phone made.
Cyanogenmod was the first custom ROM I ever used that always had bugs, probably because they were trying to be compatible with as many phones as possible. My experience with LOS on 2 previous phones has been exactly the same. I love that they are trying to bring stock Android to phones that don't have it but I wish they were doing a better job.
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Hey man. I had been using Developer builds up until now and I can tell you they are easily stable enough for daily use. I cannot confirm this is 100% correct but I'm fairly sure Developer ROMs are just the in-between ROMs where all the minor adjustments happen. The change logs have all included things like "Improved system stability", "removed unnecessary files for [insert app here]" etc. So you never know, they could actually be more stable than any of the "Stable" releases you've used so far, you'll have to be the judge of that. I don't travel much, nor do I require any very advanced function of Android at this stage so for sure there could be something I've missed but I have never had a force shut-down, lack of signal, graphical bug or force-close of app with any of the developer builds.
I never owned a OP5 but I did have a OP3 and OP3t which I used FreedomOS on both but eventually came around to LineageOS only because they all seemed about as optimized as eachother. I'm all for custom MIUI ROMs if they are going to actually improve on something but at this stage all they do is debloat which can be done by anyone and add a few features which actually make the system less stable and battery hungry. My plan is to try the occasional Beta to see what new features Xiaomi is bringing to the table, stick with the latest developer the rest of the time, and when they finally make a stable I'm happy with then stick with that until the next wave of software upgrades is due.
How is the Essential by the way? Apart from the signal. Never met anyone who owned one.
Kaji said:
Hey man. I had been using Developer builds up until now and I can tell you they are easily stable enough for daily use. I cannot confirm this is 100% correct but I'm fairly sure Developer ROMs are just the in-between ROMs where all the minor adjustments happen. The change logs have all included things like "Improved system stability", "removed unnecessary files for [insert app here]" etc. So you never know, they could actually be more stable than any of the "Stable" releases you've used so far, you'll have to be the judge of that. I don't travel much, nor do I require any very advanced function of Android at this stage so for sure there could be something I've missed but I have never had a force shut-down, lack of signal, graphical bug or force-close of app with any of the developer builds.
I never owned a OP5 but I did have a OP3 and OP3t which I used FreedomOS on both but eventually came around to LineageOS only because they all seemed about as optimized as eachother. I'm all for custom MIUI ROMs if they are going to actually improve on something but at this stage all they do is debloat which can be done by anyone and add a few features which actually make the system less stable and battery hungry. My plan is to try the occasional Beta to see what new features Xiaomi is bringing to the table, stick with the latest developer the rest of the time, and when they finally make a stable I'm happy with then stick with that until the next wave of software upgrades is due.
How is the Essential by the way? Apart from the signal. Never met anyone who owned one.
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It's a nice looking phone. Great build quality and excellent QHD screen. It's smaller than other phones I've owned over the past 5 years bit doesn't feel like a small screen phone because of the high screen to body ratio. It's much more comfortable to handle than the Mi Mix 2 although I'm getting used to this one. It's not as smooth or snappy as the Mix 2. But the weak signal reception is a big problem. I used it on T-Mobile (erratic signal), AT&T (poor signal), Sprint (poor signal) and Verizon (very good signal). Unfortunately Verizon's MVNO (Straight Talk) is way more expensive than the ones available for T-Mobile so it made more sense to use a different phone than pay a higher cell service bill every month just so I could keep using the Essential. I should have returned it for a refund but fell in love with it which was why I tried every network. I'm just using it as a backup with very cheap T-Mobile. The signal at home is crap but since WiFi calling works it doesn't matter.
Maybe I'll try the dev ROM then. Thanks for the info.
Kaji said:
Hey man. I had been using Developer builds up until now and I can tell you they are easily stable enough for daily use. I cannot confirm this is 100% correct but I'm fairly sure Developer ROMs are just the in-between ROMs where all the minor adjustments happen. The change logs have all included things like "Improved system stability", "removed unnecessary files for [insert app here]" etc. So you never know, they could actually be more stable than any of the "Stable" releases you've used so far, you'll have to be the judge of that. I don't travel much, nor do I require any very advanced function of Android at this stage so for sure there could be something I've missed but I have never had a force shut-down, lack of signal, graphical bug or force-close of app with any of the developer builds.
I never owned a OP5 but I did have a OP3 and OP3t which I used FreedomOS on both but eventually came around to LineageOS only because they all seemed about as optimized as eachother. I'm all for custom MIUI ROMs if they are going to actually improve on something but at this stage all they do is debloat which can be done by anyone and add a few features which actually make the system less stable and battery hungry. My plan is to try the occasional Beta to see what new features Xiaomi is bringing to the table, stick with the latest developer the rest of the time, and when they finally make a stable I'm happy with then stick with that until the next wave of software upgrades is due.
How is the Essential by the way? Apart from the signal. Never met anyone who owned one.
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Programming on OnePlus phones has gotten way worse since the OP3/3T days. Oxygen was programmed by a team in Europe back then. But to save money OnePlus fired the European programmers and transferred the ROM to the Hydrogen team in China. That's when the coding started to go completely to hell.
Software engineers in China and India analyzed the OnePlus version of Oreo and reported that a lot of the code was actually Nougat. They also said the coding overall was very sloppy and unprofessional.
If you follow software devs on their Telegram channels (outside of XDA) it doesn't take long to discover that the poor programming on OnePlus phones is a running joke with many of them.
Running a custom ROM doesn't completely fix the problem either because the custom ROMs still need to use OnePlus firmware which is a mess.
OnePlus phones are so poorly programmed there is no way to use TWRP safely unless you decrypt the data on your phone and keep it permanently decrypted.
jhs39 said:
Programming on OnePlus phones has gotten way worse since the OP3/3T days. Oxygen was programmed by a team in Europe back then. But to save money OnePlus fired the European programmers and transferred the ROM to the Hydrogen team in China. That's when the coding started to go completely to hell.
Software engineers in China and India analyzed the OnePlus version of Oreo and reported that a lot of the code was actually Nougat. They also said the coding overall was very sloppy and unprofessional.
If you follow software devs on their Telegram channels (outside of XDA) it doesn't take long to discover that the poor programming on OnePlus phones is a running joke with many of them.
Running a custom ROM doesn't completely fix the problem either because the custom ROMs still need to use OnePlus firmware which is a mess.
OnePlus phones are so poorly programmed there is no way to use TWRP safely unless you decrypt the data on your phone and keep it permanently decrypted.
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You make me really appreciate the fact I chose my Mi Mix 2 over the OnePlus 5t. Coming from the OnePlus 3T it was a difficult decision but I'm glad I made the switch.
Honestly this is the first I've heard of this but that's so bad, they are becoming one of the most popular high end smartphone manufacturers and they struggle to make solid, secure advancements in their software which can potentially lead to massive breaches of privacy via exploits.
Actually I remember not too long ago, wasn't there a big issue where users could access root from within the hidden developer settings of the OS? Without even an unlocked bootloader.
Gotta love that this is an entirely different topic from what this thread was made for.
Kaji said:
You make me really appreciate the fact I chose my Mi Mix 2 over the OnePlus 5t. Coming from the OnePlus 3T it was a difficult decision but I'm glad I made the switch.
Honestly this is the first I've heard of this but that's so bad, they are becoming one of the most popular high end smartphone manufacturers and they struggle to make solid, secure advancements in their software which can potentially lead to massive breaches of privacy via exploits.
Actually I remember not too long ago, wasn't there a big issue where users could access root from within the hidden developer settings of the OS? Without even an unlocked bootloader.
Gotta love that this is an entirely different topic from what this thread was made for.
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For whatever reason tech sites in the United States allow themselves to be shills for OnePlus. Reviews for the latest OnePlus device frequently sound more like shameless promotion than honest analysis because they often are. OnePlus solicits reviews in exchange for free phones and places the reviews on accommodating tech sites. I received an invitation to apply for a free OnePlus 6 phone and help to influence tech buyers. To apply OnePlus wanted a full length sample review of a tech product I already owned. The people who submit the most professional sounding reviews get the free phones and send their reviews to OnePlus. OnePlus then cherry picks those submissions and publishes the reviews it likes on various tech sites.
Pretty much the only two places you can get accurate information about OnePlus phones is on Telegram and Reddit.
Here's what happened with spyware in the 8 months I had an OP5. Someone discovered that a system process in Oxygen was secretly transmitting a lot of detailed user information to servers in China. This was separate from the User Experience Program that owners could opt out of.
An explanation of how to disable the spyware process was published and when asked to comment OnePlus promised to remove the spyware.
Nothing was done at all until the next scheduled monthly update. It appeared that OnePlus removed the spyware but it was discovered that OnePlus instead changed the name of the spyware process and that it was still transmitting the same user information to servers in China.
OnePlus apologized again but still left the spyware functioning until the next scheduled monthly update.
Shortly after it was discovered that an app in Oxygen allowed anyone with physical access to a OnePlus phone to unlock and root it by connecting it to a computer. OnePlus claimed that it was a Qualcomm test app that had been accidentally left on the phone. There actually was such an app but when Qualcomm examined the app found on OnePlus phones they said it definitely wasn't theirs.
It took OnePlus two months to remove the app from Oxygen.
Then in December a new type of spyware was discovered in an Oxygen beta build for the OP3/3T--a clipboard app that was transmitting contents to a server in China. OnePlus insisted that the clipboard app wasn't spyware but was actually a feature intended for its Chinese customers even though OnePlus sells virtually no phones in China.
Also in mid November OnePlus started to receive reports that customers who used their credit cards to make purchases on the official OnePlus site were seeing unidentified charges on their accounts. OnePlus didn't shut down credit card processing on its website until January. By that time over 40,000 OnePlus customers had their credit card information stolen.
OnePlus is not a good company so the fact that American tech sites continue to shill for them is nauseating.
I'm definitely much happier with my Mix 2 than I was with the OP5. This isn't a perfect phone but it's very good for the cost. The OP5 had crummy build quality and felt like cheap junk.
I tried MIUI Pro for a couple days. I wasn't all that impressed with it. MIUI Pro is less smooth and fluid than the latest official Global Dev Build despite having almost all of the Xiaomi MIUI apps removed.
The default keyboard is from Sony Experia for some reason. The only added feature than I personally found worthwhile was the expanded boot menu.
These are the other differences I noticed:
1) There is a smart network function that allows you to choose a specific type of network connectivity when making or receiving phone calls. You can have the phone switch to a specific network type and also automatically shut off WiFi, data or Bluetooth when on a call.
2) Menu options to change the system font and animations and their speed.
3) Built in charging alarm that would have been way more useful if you could customize the low charge/full charge values.
4) Option to use LTE instead of 4G in status bar as well as more options to disable/enable icons that appear there.
5) Three status bar settings (stock, aosp & IOS) that sound promising but all they did was change the arrangement of the status bar icons.
I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting. The Google Play Store comes pre-installed but nothing else--not even the Google app. That makes setting up Google Assistant with voice commands much more of a hassle but it's doable--the menus to make that happen in MIUI Pro aren't intuitive but that's probably because it's based on the China ROM.
It's also more of a hassle to get Google apps working properly in MIUI Pro compared with Official Global because you need to download everything from the Play Store and also manually grant the permissions for each app.
Since there are very few pre-installed apps you do have more free storage but I expected the ROM to be way faster and smoother since it's so stripped down. Performance of the ROM definitely isn't bad but for some reason it's inferior to stock.
Even though I chose English as the install language a couple of notifications came up in Russian. What they said I don't know.
I also don't know if any spyware or malware was written into the OS.
I missed stock after using MIUI Pro for just a few hours but ran it for 2 days anyway to give the ROM a fair chance.
I could see someone running MIUI Pro on a device where there was no official global ROM but it didn't do much for me.

Preinstalled 3rd-party apps in XA2 stock ROM (POS: Europe)?

Currently debating whether to include the XA2 in my list for a phone replacement, and I'd like to use the XA2 vendor support / OTA updates for as long as possible before hopping on the LineageOS release train. A requirement for that would be that the stock ROM is clean.
I'm fine with native Xperia apps (whatever they are). My issue is with stuff that has nothing to do either Google or Sony, like Facebook, Whatsapp, whatever else's hot these days.
The Sony forum has some posts saying that the XA2 may come with crap like Facebook preinstalled with such apps being un-uninstallable, only disableable, but also that the set of preloaded apps may vary by market. The GSMarena review and e.g. Techrador has some screenshots showing Facebook and Amazon preinstalled, or say that stuff like antivirus software may come preloaded.
Could an European buyer confirm what the situation is like with phones sold in Europe, specifically Germany if possible? Could such apps be installed using a shell via adb?
Much obliged.
aeolist said:
Currently debating whether to include the XA2 in my list for a phone replacement, and I'd like to use the XA2 vendor support / OTA updates for as long as possible before hopping on the LineageOS release train. A requirement for that would be that the stock ROM is clean.
I'm fine with native Xperia apps (whatever they are). My issue is with stuff that has nothing to do either Google or Sony, like Facebook, Whatsapp, whatever else's hot these days.
The Sony forum has some posts saying that the XA2 may come with crap like Facebook preinstalled with such apps being un-uninstallable, only disableable, but also that the set of preloaded apps may vary by market. The GSMarena review and e.g. Techrador has some screenshots showing Facebook and Amazon preinstalled, or say that stuff like antivirus software may come preloaded.
Could an European buyer confirm what the situation is like with phones sold in Europe, specifically Germany if possible? Could such apps be installed using a shell via adb?
Much obliged.
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Hi aeolist
I brought my Sony Xperia XA2 in UK.
My experience of Stock Sony ROM is that it has even more Facebook apps installed then in my last Sony phone (Sony Xperia M2 also from UK), some twitter related apps are installed, Kobo e reader is installed, Amazon app is installed, AVG is installed and there are some other non Google/Sony apps installed and they are installed as system apps.
Also Sony does have some ads in software updates app updates section, where they display non Google/Sony apps for you download and install.
You can disable these apps through ADB commands but not uninstall them.
Sent from my Sony Xperia XA2 using XDA Labs
sieghartRM said:
Hi aeolist
I brought my Sony Xperia XA2 in UK.
My experience of Stock Sony ROM is that it has even more Facebook apps installed then in my last Sony phone (Sony Xperia M2 also from UK), some twitter related apps are installed, Kobo e reader is installed, Amazon app is installed, AVG is installed and there are some other non Google/Sony apps installed and they are installed as system apps.
Also Sony does have some ads in software updates app updates section, where they display non Google/Sony apps for you download and install.
You can disable these apps through ADB commands but not uninstall them.
Sent from my Sony Xperia XA2 using XDA Labs
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Thank you for replying.
This is disappointing to hear.
It seems the Android OEM ROM situation is only getting worse rather than better since 2013 (year of my last buy). The situation is similar to the XZ1C about which I asked elsewhere. Looks like iOS is the only way to get an acceptable default smartphone software package these days without tinkering.
Agreed, the stock ROM is absolutely ****, at least here in Germany.
The original ROM comes with a lot of bloat like a trial version of AVG that is installed as a system app and cannot be removed. It also automatically downloads 10 new apps after the first boot. Some kind of movie maker and different things I don't need. Facebook shouldn't even be mentioned, since everyone these days seems to preload this junk (FaceSlim is much better and smaller if you really need that service).
If you buy it from Telekom, it gets even worse. They put some of their own pink apps on top and get on your nerves with ads in the notification bar for things like answering machines etc.
The device is absolutely wonderful with LineageOS, though! So if you're willing to lose the warranty and unlock it to get a better operating system - just do it.
You can also root the stock ROM with Xperifix and really uninstall everything you don't need afterwards:
https://www.xperifix.com/
Looks like iOS is the only way to get an acceptable default smartphone software package these days without tinkering.
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Maybe. But Apple forces you into their ecosystem and prevents useful features like system-wide ad blocking, receival of MP3's from your friends or just using your phone as a USB drive.
It's overpriced hardware with a massive vendor lock-in, I would never buy one of those expensive fruit phones.
sieghartRM said:
It's overpriced hardware with a massive vendor lock-in, I would never buy one of those expensive fruit phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your comment.
This is less of an issue if they support the hardware for 6 years with software. Though if it's Apple, from reading around, there's always the question whether those fancy phones will survive 6 years anyway…phone price of 600€ / 5 would come out to 120€ per year and 10€ per month of "phone cost" though, which looks acceptable.
I've just found out that the Google Pixel 1 XL is available for about ~273€ while the XA2 is 264€ though. With the Pixel being on P already and getting official security patches till October 2019, and with LineageOS 15 being available for this device too, I'll probably order the Pixel 1. I'll spend one more evening on researching possible caveats, but hopefully that concludes my phone search.
aeolist said:
Thank you for your comment.
This is less of an issue if they support the hardware for 6 years with software. Though if it's Apple, from reading around, there's always the question whether those fancy phones will survive 6 years anyway…phone price of 600€ / 5 would come out to 120€ per year and 10€ per month of "phone cost" though, which looks acceptable.
I've just found out that the Google Pixel 1 XL is available for about ~273€ while the XA2 is 264€ though. With the Pixel being on P already and getting official security patches till October 2019, and with LineageOS 15 being available for this device too, I'll probably order the Pixel 1. I'll spend one more evening on researching possible caveats, but hopefully that concludes my phone search.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you haven't already ordered the pixel, I thought I'd drop my two cents in and say that the xa2 is a very nice phone. Great size and battery. Granted I got it on a flash sale for the equivalent of EUR 200 (normal price is about 340 in my region), but still.
Since you're asking about OS features, YSK that SailfishOS is slated for an official release on the xa2 later this year, if that's of interest. This is the reason I got this device. In the meantime, LOS 15.1 is running quite smoothly and the dev has started work on 16.1 too.
Just to conclude this thread:
Because of seemingly more frequent issues with Pixel 1 hardware lately, Apple iOS 11 battery woes, and DRM tomfoolery with the XZ1C and so on, I went with the XA2 after all since the price went down to 230€ making it the 'best value and lowest risk'' option overall and because LineageOS is going to offer some safe heaven sort of OS where I can expect things to work like I want and like they have for me for the past few years.
Thanks for the input.

Android 10 update

Any ideas if Samsung finally will update Android on their phones including the new Note 10/10+ fast this year? P30 Pro will have acces to Android Q Beta this September...any news for the Note?
Was a reason i moved away from Samsung phones, i really like the Note 10 + and i really want to purchase it but, can't stand waiting month for the new Android version...
So what you think?
Just get a device you REALLY like, do not waste time thinking about the OS that is the newest
winol said:
Just get a device you REALLY like, do not waste time thinking about the OS that is the newest
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A phone is hardware and software not just hardware. The software is very important to me
Reystar22 said:
A phone is hardware and software not just hardware. The software is very important to me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If timely OS updates is high on your priority list, you bought the wrong phone.
I have owned the Note5, Note7, Note8, and Note9. I recall the Note 8 update to Oreo occurred the April after it was released, and the Note9 Pie update occurred in February after it was released (carrier versions, anyway). So you're looking at Q1 2020 for the update.
However, half the time the Android updates contain things that Samsung has already had in their software for a year or two, so... it's not that big a deal. That said, I still am always super excited when it happens (so I get it).
I don't see Samsung getting the Android Q update anytime soon. Huawei is lucky in that sense as they will be releasing the Mate 30 Pro with Android Q running out of box. So it is imminent the P30 Pro will follow.
Hazzay88 said:
I don't see Samsung getting the Android Q update anytime soon. Huawei is lucky in that sense as they will be releasing the Mate 30 Pro with Android Q running out of box. So it is imminent the P30 Pro will follow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Emui 10 is basically one ui copy cat. So we are not missing anything
torickray said:
Emui 10 is basically one ui copy cat. So we are not missing anything
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are missing Android 10
really if you care about the android updates as soon as possible just go to a Pixel device. on the other hand just buy a phone you like and get the updates when they come, an android update doesn't really change a lot, a lot of what is added to the base android are features that are common among third parties, so for a device from a manufacturer like Samsung all the android update means is you get a bigger number and some of the phones features move from the Samsung UI to base Android.
Hazzay88 said:
You are missing Android 10
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really. We already have dark mode, swipe navigation.
Nothing really excited about Android 10
What I missed the most is the call recorder ability which they removed since android 9. I don't see it coming back in Android 10.
Reystar22 said:
A phone is hardware and software not just hardware. The software is very important to me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Software is important for EVERYBODY, what I tried to tell you is this: if you like/want a note10 device, it works fine as it is, it will update in due course, if the updates are your most uttmost concern, then a pixel would be the perfect choice for you, it is well known that samsung is never the first to issue updates, knowing this, better get something else
After seeing the YouTube video of One UI 2.0 over Android 10, I can't see anything that exciting. Android 9 (RIP desserts) runs great, and 10 looked like a very incremental update.
Just enjoy your phone you just got it . Q will come orob will get 10 and 11 . Let's get 9 working good before we think of getting 10
torickray said:
Not really. We already have dark mode, swipe navigation.
Nothing really excited about Android 10
What I missed the most is the call recorder ability which they removed since android 9. I don't see it coming back in Android 10.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are missing more than that. You are missing the new notifications implementation and battery saving optimisation. A few other added new features. That is why I hate Samsung with their updates. Very slow about 6 months late
Hazzay88 said:
You are missing more than that. You are missing the new notifications implementation and battery saving optimisation. A few other added new features. That is why I hate Samsung with their updates. Very slow about 6 months late
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there is a reason to change the notifications? they work fine the way they are. as for battery saving, last time they did those my Pixel XLs battery use went terrible.
Belimawr said:
there is a reason to change the notifications? they work fine the way they are. as for battery saving, last time they did those my Pixel XLs battery use went terrible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the Pixel 2 XL and when the update came through my battery life improved which was already good but improvement in any department is good.
Why should you come to this forum and complain about Samsung update when you know how they work?
We all know the update will take some time to be available since the moment we buy it. We like this phone not because of the google update that we eventually will get, but because of the features that not available even with latest google update.
You should buy pixel and iphone then. Or huawei.
Exactly
I've only had one recent "need" for an android upgrade(Wireless android auto), just to find out that after we got it that google had restricted the feature to google devices. After 6 months of google claiming it was the Samsung's issue, even though no other brands worked either, they came out with a "beta" that enabled Wireless AA on other devices, no patches from samsung required.
There are so few important updates in Android these days, it's the least of my concerns.

Question OnePlus 9 Pro worth buying in August 2022?

Old users planning to keep few more years leave your feedbacks.
Fahmid Islam Soumya said:
Old users planning to keep few more years leave your feedbacks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it is, especially if you're into custom ROMs and rooting and so forth, as the 10 Pro scene hasn't gotten to that point as of this writing; there's lots of fretting and hand-wringing in the 10 Pro forum about it. I picked up a refurbished one last month from Amazon and am tickled pink with it (I'm keeping my trusty 7 Pro as a backup). In fact, the first thing I did was load my custom-built LineageOS fork (which I had already built in anticipation) onto it, as there was no way I was going to stay on OxygenOS beyond using it to OEM unlock the phone.
Hey guys,
Just received a used 9 Pro LE2123 and I got it without any battery juice.
I am using the warp charger that is from this model and I noticed that the charging is super slow.
It came with Android C61 and I let it update to C62, if this plays any role.
Any ideas about what is happening?
Download OOS 11 Firmware from Oneplus Website and Flash it using Local Update App and format the device. Then upgrade into newest Version via OTA.
abhijithpyd said:
Download OOS 11 Firmware from Oneplus Website and Flash it using Local Update App and format the device. Then upgrade into newest Version via OTA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why to do this?
The device was factory resetted when I got it.
Because you've literally no idea what the last user had flashed to it, or had messed around with.
MJPollard said:
I think it is, especially if you're into custom ROMs and rooting and so forth, as the 10 Pro scene hasn't gotten to that point as of this writing; there's lots of fretting and hand-wringing in the 10 Pro forum about it. I picked up a refurbished one last month from Amazon and am tickled pink with it (I'm keeping my trusty 7 Pro as a backup). In fact, the first thing I did was load my custom-built LineageOS fork (which I had already built in anticipation) onto it, as there was no way I was going to stay on OxygenOS beyond using it to OEM unlock the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Making Custom ROMs isn't my issue. The problem with 10 pro for me is not be able recover if got hardbricked (which I will do eventually) . We don't have any official stores in our country. And online services isn't really my thing. 10 Pro is 10$+ then 9 pro here. Still want to buy 9 pro over 10 pro cz of MSM mostly.
ghostofcain said:
Because you've literally no idea what the last user had flashed to it, or had messed around with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess after unlocking the bootloader and the full erase of data it should be fine.
op9pro could be a good phone for people living on social-media (nowadays the street-price is half of official price)
if you are flashotic or privacy-caring it's better thinking a bifferent device
Had mine for around 15 months, LE2123 it took a major hit when it went from a11 to a12. I'm completely stock and not modified in anyway. Overall I have been happy with the phone, I know it was expensive near launch but it's managed well so far. I've blocked all advertising by putting all my traffic through pihole and it's been good. Played a few games on boost mode and it's incredibly slick. I've seen in the latest version c62 you can use storage as ram also. Really love the camera, it has t's fault but most settings can be disabled ( like AI etc) and I am tempted to move to gcam.
AndyC76 said:
Had mine for around 15 months, LE2123 it took a major hit when it went from a11 to a12. I'm completely stock and not modified in anyway. Overall I have been happy with the phone, I know it was expensive near launch but it's managed well so far. I've blocked all advertising by putting all my traffic through pihole and it's been good. Played a few games on boost mode and it's incredibly slick. I've seen in the latest version c62 you can use storage as ram also. Really love the camera, it has t's fault but most settings can be disabled ( like AI etc) and I am tempted to move to gcam.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what's your current device & did you sold your 9 pro ?
Fahmid Islam Soumya said:
what's your current device & did you sold your 9 pro ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Current device is still OnePlus 9Pro 8gb. LE2123 c62. (UK)
Finally rooted and cloned all my 146 apps from my previous OP6 phone and everything runs flawlessly.
Battery is great, the phone is super fast and it has a very good and fast camera.
My only concern is that some notifications are not coming up on time, so some apps need further check to fix this issue.
RASTAVIPER said:
Finally rooted and cloned all my 146 apps from my previous OP6 phone and everything runs flawlessly.
Battery is great, the phone is super fast and it has a very good and fast camera.
My only concern is that some notifications are not coming up on time, so some apps need further check to fix this issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't use Gmail app. I personally use Sugar mail and never missed any emails.
The 9 Pro continues to hold its own! Actually it's still pretty popular!
Personally in the US its one of the few options left available for those who like to really customize their devices. With spectacular battery life on customs (I've had mine about a month and get 8h SOT with some light gaming casually). I mean it doesn't get much better than this! Sure during heavy tasks it can get a little hot but that is slightly improving with OOS12 firmware. It will still reach those peak temps but seemingly not as fast. I got mine from Amazon as well for about $750 USD quite the deal! Using this device has be quite the pleasure. I'm definitely happy on Crdroid with BluSpark kernel. And since OOS has dropped the ball it means that OOS12 based custom roms will get nice custom kernel support which isn't normally there for a long time. Looking forward to the future of this phone!
No, stick with a phone that has good stock firmware. Oos is buggy af and is getting more and more like chinese bloat.
I would suggest a pixel over it (maybe 7?)
davidfarah2003 said:
No, stick with a phone that has good stock firmware. Oos is buggy af and is getting more and more like chinese bloat.
I would suggest a pixel over it (maybe 7?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Except that Pixel phones have a lot of problems of their own, including the firmware, and there's no reason to believe that the 7 series will be any different given Google's recent track record. Pixel vs 9 Pro is just one set of issues versus another at this point. But, if one wants to delve into custom ROMs, both are good in that department (disclaimer: I don't follow the custom ROM scene for Pixel phones so I'm not as familiar with it as I am the OnePlus line).
MJPollard said:
Except that Pixel phones have a lot of problems of their own, including the firmware, and there's no reason to believe that the 7 series will be any different given Google's recent track record. Pixel vs 9 Pro is just one set of issues versus another at this point. But, if one wants to delve into custom ROMs, both are good in that department (disclaimer: I don't follow the custom ROM scene for Pixel phones so I'm not as familiar with it as I am the OnePlus line).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pixels have lacking support compared to what it used to be with the Nexus line up. There is some interest but it's mostly unofficial support that doesn't last for long and its nothing that you can rely on like with the OnePlus phones
MJPollard said:
Except that Pixel phones have a lot of problems of their own, including the firmware, and there's no reason to believe that the 7 series will be any different given Google's recent track record. Pixel vs 9 Pro is just one set of issues versus another at this point. But, if one wants to delve into custom ROMs, both are good in that department (disclaimer: I don't follow the custom ROM scene for Pixel phones so I'm not as familiar with it as I am the OnePlus line).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The biggest problem that puts people off the Pixels right now is the Samsung SoC and modem. Stupid decision on Google's part.

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