Anybody cancelling their order(s) because of the HORRIBLE reviews? - Samsung Galaxy S20 / S20+ / S20 Ultra Questions &

Been reading every review I've come across on the 20 U and they all have been saying the same thing, not worth the money, camera is barely better than 10, if at all. Has anyone cancelled their order because of this and going to wait it out? On the fence, as I've seen the pixel "getting fixed" , now several months later and still isn't. If anyone has come across a review, post latest update, please share. TIA

shollywood said:
Been reading every review I've come across on the 20 U and they all have been saying the same thing, not worth the money, camera is barely better than 10, if at all. Has anyone cancelled their order because of this and going to wait it out? On the fence, as I've seen the pixel "getting fixed" , now several months later and still isn't. If anyone has come across a review, post latest update, please share. TIA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No.

shollywood said:
Been reading every review I've come across on the 20 U and they all have been saying the same thing, not worth the money, camera is barely better than 10, if at all. Has anyone cancelled their order because of this and going to wait it out? On the fence, as I've seen the pixel "getting fixed" , now several months later and still isn't. If anyone has come across a review, post latest update, please share. TIA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope. Because the reviews out at this point are early impressions based on not reaching expectations based on hype. Nothing ever hits that, and every phone review is basically the same as a result.
In the end, this is the best Android phone out there, and likely will remain the best for a year. Nobody else does "no compromises" phones anymore, because everyone else knows nobody will pay the money that it costs to do it. Samsung is the only player out there willing to take the risk of putting out a phone that checks all the boxes, and that's all I really care about - I am tired of paying close to a thousand bucks for a phone that has skimped out and leaves me wanting to upgrade a year later, and at this point in my life I can afford to pay more so I can just keep my damned phone for 2 or 3 years rather than regretting some annoyance 6 months later.

Nope, as long as it is better than my Pixel 4 xl.

shollywood said:
Been reading every review I've come across on the 20 U and they all have been saying the same thing, not worth the money, camera is barely better than 10, if at all. Has anyone cancelled their order because of this and going to wait it out? On the fence, as I've seen the pixel "getting fixed" , now several months later and still isn't. If anyone has come across a review, post latest update, please share. TIA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't get the impression that anyone was saying the camera wasn't better than the S10, only that the autofocus is slower. The camera is better than everything and on par with the iPhone 11 pro from everything I read.
Granted, it's hard to say a $1400 phone is worth it for the average consumer when the Pixel 3a and Chinese phones exist.

Maybe because it looks worse than my Note 10+ which looks worse than my 11 Pro Max which is king when it comes to video and night mode!
My delivery date is 03/17/2020 so plenty of time. Don't think that cancel button is going away any time soon. Real reviews will be live in a week running updated firmware.
After learning of the Samsung store's 15% restocking fee (!), I certainly don't want to make a $240 mistake.

Reviews are not horrible and everyone forget that phone is still 1 full week from officially launching. Everytime I get a phone on launch day, as it activates I get a software update. I'll be super surprised if there isn't a big update in the works coming in a few days

I'm going to try the phone out myself. People get way too emotional about new phones to give objective opinions and as others said, it isn't even released yet. I too have a P4XL and if I like it better, I'll keep it. I can afford it or I wouldn't have ordered it. I also just read Samsung's return policy on their website. It says you have 15 days to return a phone at no cost to you, shipping is even covered. I returned a phone a couple years ago and that's how it was. If that policy had changed I would think their website would reflect the change. returns

le0.br4zuc4 said:
Reviews are not horrible and everyone forget that phone is still 1 full week from officially launching. Everytime I get a phone on launch day, as it activates I get a software update. I'll be super surprised if there isn't a big update in the works coming in a few days
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We know for certain that there's an update to let you turn on 120hz mode at full resolution, and one to improve auto-focus performance.
The auto-focus thing is not really a focus issue so much as an artifact that has to do with the larger sensors and lenses - it behaves a lot more like an SLR than a phone camera in terms of focal length and F.stop, and hence the depth of field detection needs tuning. It's the same reason that the phone gives such incredible bokeh even without turning on portrait mode. Think of it more like the transition from fixed focus to auto-focus cameras, and how people had trouble getting good shots in the early days. More savvy reviewers picked up on this and were already correcting for it themselves by the time of their reviews.
Bottom line is this isn't likely ever going to be as "point and shoot" as other phones are, but they can tune things better than they are now and are working on doing so. In exchange, when you go into pro mode you should be able to do a lot of things that you simply can't with other phone cameras.

Most of the negativity has been about:
Value for money
Specific camera attributes especially the worthiness of 100x zoom
Battery impact of 120Hz refresh rate
Size, weight, and protrusion of the camera array
Missing headphone jack
Boring and limited colors
My thoughts:
With $1K phones not so unusual any more I guess value is relative. With Samsung's liberal trade-in programs a lot of people are going to being paying a lot that than $1.3K.
From reading the reviews improved low light, excellent zoom up to 10x, and multiple ways to take everyday photos will make the camera great and a step up based on the way I use it. I do think some of the issues like occasionally wonky auto focus will be corrected with s/w.
I'll probably use 120Hz and probably have more than enough battery to get through my day. I'll turn it off when I'm travelling when battery is more important than smoothness. I'd bet fine tuning via s/w improves 120Hz performance over time.
I currently have a Galaxy Fold so the S20 Ultra will seem small. But for those used to big phones it's just another big phone. The camera array is pretty in your face but most cases minimize it. I ordered a black phone to help make the camera array less in your face.
Yesterday's news.
Whether black and gray are livable is individually subjective. Don't like black and gray? Don't buy the phone.
This is the first 5G phone that theoretically supports the deployed bands. That's kind of big and kind of cool. I'm on AT&T and cities I travel to have real 5G so it'll be neat using it. AT&T'rs with long term plans for this phone keep in mind their changing their topology in 2021 and it won't work after that. Other than that it's just another solid evolution of the things Samsung does well. I'm guessing for those buying it the phone's assets weighed against its liabilities still make it worth purchasing. To each their own.

How many people actually stop and write a good review, very few because they are busy enjoying their new phone.

I'm gonna rock the Ultra 5g 512gb.Cosmic Black and wait till the Note 20 5g drops and see how Samsung improves and streamlines from the S20 Ultra to the Note 20 plus, with the trade ins each time and the bonus credits of preordering,Still not a bad deal,plus 6.9 inch 120 htz.refresh rate.I'm perfectly happy with that.as for the bland colors I always put a case on it from day one so problem solved on that,but I dont mind Cosmic Black at all either.

cpufrost said:
Maybe because it looks worse than my Note 10+ which looks worse than my 11 Pro Max which is king when it comes to video and night mode!
My delivery date is 03/17/2020 so plenty of time. Don't think that cancel button is going away any time soon. Real reviews will be live in a week running updated firmware.
After learning of the Samsung store's 15% restocking fee (!), I certainly don't want to make a $240 mistake.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where did you hear about a 15% restocking fee? I don't see anything about that on the Samsung site (at least for the US Store) and I chatted with a Samsung rep who confirmed that there is no restocking fee for opened phones.

Zargon335 said:
Where did you hear about a 15% restocking fee? I don't see anything about that on the Samsung site (at least for the US Store) and I chatted with a Samsung rep who confirmed that there is no restocking fee for opened phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung seems to have multiple FAQ stores, some claim 15% on most items, others don't.
I returned a S10+, and don't remember a restocking fee, but I also have problems remembering what I did yesterday so.

My new S20 Ultra is here
On Friday, I got my brand new, cosmic black S20 Ultra, to replace my S10+ and there is no doubt that the S20 Ultra is the best phone I have ever used. It is better in every respect than any other phone including the note 10+: The screen is unbelievable sharp with amazing colors and contrast. Camera is quick and snappy and the photos are the best I have ever seen from a phone. So, don't hesitate!! Buy this phone and you won't regret it!! I also got the best case for the S20, the Speck Presidio Grip.. Expensive but the best money can buy.. Go for it

dilgit said:
On Friday, I got my brand new, cosmic black S20 Ultra, to replace my S10+ and there is no doubt that the S20 Ultra is the best phone I have ever used. It is better in every respect than any other phone including the note 10+: The screen is unbelievable sharp with amazing colors and contrast. Camera is quick and snappy and the photos are the best I have ever seen from a phone. So, don't hesitate!! Buy this phone and you won't regret it!! I also got the best case for the S20, the Speck Presidio Grip.. Expensive but the best money can buy.. Go for it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What SW is it running? Does it have the new one with supposedly updated camera sw?

i dont really trust the reviewers on youtube. there will always be criticisms to try to be objective. but all the reviews are subjective no matter what.
people are going to say 5g is not worth it yet. but later, 5g will be used all over, and this phone will not be outdated by not having 5g.
i guess what im saying is, there are uneducated reviews about products on youtube

vztech said:
what sw is it running? Does it have the new one with supposedly updated camera sw?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
g988bxxu1atb3

Honestly, I have not read any horrible reviews. What I have read are several excellent reviews that also mention there are some issues with the Camera - but which look like they can be fixed with a future software update.
Certainly, it would be ideal to get a new phone and have everything work perfectly - -unfortunately, that isn't reality. The S20 Ultra still appears be an incredible phone - it just has a few software issues that need to be taken care of. I am stil feeling really good about the phone and feel confident that Samsung will provide u pdates to otake care of those issues.

sunmybun said:
i dont really trust the reviewers on youtube. there will always be criticisms to try to be objective. but all the reviews are subjective no matter what.
people are going to say 5g is not worth it yet. but later, 5g will be used all over, and this phone will not be outdated by not having 5g.
i guess what im saying is, there are uneducated reviews about products on youtube
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4G still good today. Also, 5G will not be avaliable in every country in at least 10 years so, unless you live in US or any country that has any plans of starting to use 5G in a short period of time (2-4 years), is pretty worthless. Probably after 3-4 years (being generous) you will change your phone and you would never have used 5G in that time.

Related

Let's hope this is the case! Discount S8 or Note 8?

I was holding out hoping they would start getting desperate to get the recalled units back, let's hope this is the case, so i guess i should hold out longer now Nd see what happens. They should give us discounts on the next phone, but that doesn't really help being on contract for people like me on the next plan, if i switch the s7 edge right now, I'm locked in for a year unless I pay off half the phone, its a mess but I'm hoping this mess blows over soon, I dont want the S7 but I will use it temporarily until a real upgrade drops, otherwise I'll keep my Note 7, really just depends in what Samsung is willing to do to get me to give it up lol.
https://www.google.com/amp/www.techtimes.com/amp/articles/183031/20161022/samsung-considering-offering-galaxy-note-7-customers-discounts-on-new-galaxy-s8-s8-plus-and-note-8-upon-release.htm?client=ms-android-att-us
I was feeling the same until, in the interests of safety and concern I might need to fly unexpectedly, I swapped for an S7E. The phone is fine. I miss the iris scanner a bit. I barely used the s-pen. I think the battery life is better. I can totally live with this phone for a year or two. I'm on the Jump plan but I really don't make use of the upgrade option much.
Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk
So much for keeping the S8 a secret.
I think I've already made up my mind with the LG V20. So I'll pass on this offer.
Discount or not, many will still be in a contract if they were forced to take the S7...
Doesn't seem like this speculative deal is just for hold outs, but for anyone who owned a Note 7.
BozQ said:
So much for keeping the S8 a secret.
I think I've already made up my mind with the LG V20. So I'll pass on this offer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LCD? Really? I just can't see beyond that glaring weakness.
So far this offer appears to only be for users in South Korea - Samsung may simply never make the offer worldwide, that would be somewhat extreme and basically cost them double what this whole thing is costing them at this point in time.
Perhaps this offer arose for Korea because some 500 people are sueing them there already?
Now a S7 Edge explodes. wtf?
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-Galaxy-S7-edge-explodes-while-charging_id86908
So I can sign up for an S7E then get a Note 8 upgrade mid term at 50% off? http://www.androidcentral.com/samsu...korea-makes-it-easier-buy-galaxy-s8-or-note-8
Assuming they extend this offer to the UK that is. Well I returned my N7 and am awaiting a call from Carphone Warehouse to upgrade to the S7E. But I guess I'll only do this if they extend the offer to the UK...
COME ON SAMSUNG....it's not just S. Korea that have been screwed over.
nomailx said:
Now a S7 Edge explodes. wtf?
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-Galaxy-S7-edge-explodes-while-charging_id86908
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would be willing to bet that almost every model of phone has had a couple examples of individual phones having meltdowns. It's called "acceptable risk of failure"
i.e. the manufacturer tests and does calculations on their product, and analyzes it to determine how likely the device is to fail, and what the potential damage from said failure would be. If the financial risk due to that failure is lower than the cost to lower the failure rate, they don't care about it (unless the failure rate would be so high that it would draw negative media attention, such as the case with the Note 7).
I imagine that Samsung did this with the Note 7 - they looked at the situation and figured "well, we can swap to the single battery maker for xx million dollars, and replace existing batteries (as well as potentially the glass and body), and the failure rate risk will be lowered to 1 in whatever number of phones". Then when they did that, they realized that the continuing failure of first gen phones, combined with a very small handful of second gen phones (yes, there were 25 or so failures after the phones started being replaced, but not nearly all of those were second gen phones), the only options were either do a full recall, and mitigate the potential financial liability from a lawsuit, or do a complete recall and re-release the phone after putting it through even more extensive testing and possibly an update or repair to the hardware (requiring full recertification and testing for most countries they are sold in that require such certification). The cost was too great, and the risk was too great, so they canned the phone.
jonboyuk said:
So I can sign up for an S7E then get a Note 8 upgrade mid term at 50% off? http://www.androidcentral.com/samsu...korea-makes-it-easier-buy-galaxy-s8-or-note-8
Assuming they extend this offer to the UK that is. Well I returned my N7 and am awaiting a call from Carphone Warehouse to upgrade to the S7E. But I guess I'll only do this if they extend the offer to the UK...
COME ON SAMSUNG....it's not just S. Korea that have been screwed over.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wonder if the editor of that publication read the article before he wrote the headline? The article says 50% off screen repair costs. It says nothing about a 50% discount on an S8 or Note 8!
BozQ said:
So much for keeping the S8 a secret.
I think I've already made up my mind with the LG V20. So I'll pass on this offer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ermm ........ you will be back
V20 a HOG of a phone - huge bezels. And an IPS display... no thanks to 2012 tech!
Aimara said:
ermm ........ you will be back
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh of course. I'm actually brand neutral. I have tried many brand of smartphones over the years.
Starting with the HTC Dream, and then I've had Motorola, Samsung, Xiaomi, Sony and one more that slipped my mind.
The smartphone has become such a personal device for me, it has already superceded my laptop usage. I've had cheap smartphones in the past and I had enough of those. Few months ago, decided to have one super smartphone that does everything I need. And the Note 7 looked like it fit the bill. But we know how that ended up. And the S7 Edge doesn't quite fit the bill for me.
The LG V20 looks good for my daily use. I totally understand why you'd disagree. But we all have our personal preferences. And the V20 might just work out for me. At the same time, it would be the first time I'd try LG.
BozQ said:
Oh of course. I'm actually brand neutral. I have tried many brand of smartphones over the years.
Starting with the HTC Dream, and then I've had Motorola, Samsung, Xiaomi, Sony and one more that slipped my mind.
The smartphone has become such a personal device for me, it has already superceded my laptop usage. I've had cheap smartphones in the past and I had enough of those. Few months ago, decided to have one super smartphone that does everything I need. And the Note 7 looked like it fit the bill. But we know how that ended up. And the S7 Edge doesn't quite fit the bill for me.
The LG V20 looks good for my daily use. I totally understand why you'd disagree. But we all have our personal preferences. And the V20 might just work out for me. At the same time, it would be the first time I'd try LG.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How was your Xiaomi experience? I'm eye-balling the Xiaomi Note 2 that just dropped today as a temporary device until the S8 or Note 8 comes out, something to just buy outright and enjoy. But never owned anything but Samsung, so yes I'll def lose the Samsung Perks, I.E. Samsung Pay, Gear VR Etc. But looks-wise Xiaomi did a DECENT job imitating the Note 7, that Skin is just blehhhhhh though.
Dmac1984 said:
How was your Xiaomi experience? I'm eye-balling the Xiaomi Note 2 that just dropped today as a temporary device until the S8 or Note 8 comes out, something to just buy outright and enjoy. But never owned anything but Samsung, so yes I'll def lose the Samsung Perks, I.E. Samsung Pay, Gear VR Etc. But looks-wise Xiaomi did a DECENT job imitating the Note 7, that Skin is just blehhhhhh though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They're decent smart devices for the price.
However, most reviews of smartphones (every smartphone, not just Xiaomi) fail to cover is the call quality. I mean, it's a smart -phone- after all.
I make phone calls all the time. My parents, my in-laws, my wife, friends, etc.
Once, my wife and I had the Redmi 2, and it was one of the most frustrating experiences we had. We were constantly struggling to make out what we're telling each other.
We've since switched phones. She got a Galaxy S6, I got the Xperia Z3 Compact, VoLTE and HD Voice was like butter to our ears.
I got the Note 7 initially, so that we could communicate using 3G video calls, something not many smartphones support. But now that the Note 7 is discontinued, I have to search for an alternative.
I was quite close to settle for the S7 (no Edge), until I discovered the V20 also supoorts 3G video calls. So I'm giving that a shot.
Edit - Oh and charging was slow. After experiencing quick charge, you can't go back.
To be fair, I'm not sure about the newer flagship Xiaomi phones. But I don't think I'll be getting another Mi phone soon. I am eager to try OnePlus 3 some day.
My country the only option is to get the refund. So will I still able to get the discount rate for s8?
torickray said:
My country the only option is to get the refund. So will I still able to get the discount rate for s8?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So far, reports suggests it's only in S Korea. Not worldwide.

Hasselblad mod for trip this weekend?

Hi,
I have a new Z2 Play and the camera's not great. I'm traveling this weekend and need a good camera. Would the Hasselblad mod be an improvement? I see both the phone and the mod have a 12-mp camera but am not techie enough to understand any other differences in specs between the two. I get 25% off at Verizon, which would bring the price down a bit, and I guess I have 14 days to return, but don't want to go through (or put the store through) all that if it's not an improvement over the Z2 Play camera.
My other option is to take an old, inactive Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus to use as a camera; it had some water damage but I don't think it affected the camera? Unfortunately I just traded in/sold all 3 iPhones
TIA!
(Also xposting to the mods section)
I think you should get it (I want one too!)
Yes, despite the same 12 megapixel rating it will be a noticeable improvement over the built-in camera. Not only does the Hasselblad mod have a real 10x optical zoom, but it offers selectable modes tailored for sport, portrait, etc. that can minimize blurring and optimize lighting and contrast for scenes. It uses its own imaging hardware so it is not dependent on any of the phone's built-in imaging hardware or software. In addition to saving pictures as JPG files, it also captures images in RAW format, so if you really want to tweak the pictures later you will have uncompressed RAW mode files (though file sizes will be several times larger). In addition to all of that great stuff, I *think* it has optical image stabilization, though reviews on the web claim both that it does and that it doesn't. I haven't been able to confirm if it really has OIS or not.
Unfortunately I don't yet have one myself but have been seriously considering buying one and have done lots of research. My opinion is you should get it if you can afford the $250 USD price, especially considering your comment about getting it at a discounted price. I paid over $200 for my point-and-click Samsung camera, and while it has a 21x zoom and 16mpix sensor I would prefer to have my phone be the center of my imaging solution rather than carry around another device. Sure, I would be doing that with the Hasselblad mod as well but I wouldn't have to worry about moving the pictures off my camera later and they would automatically be uploaded to Google Photos. The convenience and added features would make it worth it.
The only downside (beyond price) I see is that it's useless unless it's connected to a some type of Moto Z phone. However, if you're comfortable with that (it's the same for any Moto Mod) then it probably isn't a concern.
Good luck, and if you do buy it please post an update for those of us who are on the fence need an excuse to buy it!
---------- Post added at 10:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:59 PM ----------
I forgot to ask; how do you get a 25% discount from Verizon? I would buy it right now if I could get it at that price.
danicrit said:
Hi,
I have a new Z2 Play and the camera's not great. I'm traveling this weekend and need a good camera. Would the Hasselblad mod be an improvement? I see both the phone and the mod have a 12-mp camera but am not techie enough to understand any other differences in specs between the two. I get 25% off at Verizon, which would bring the price down a bit, and I guess I have 14 days to return, but don't want to go through (or put the store through) all that if it's not an improvement over the Z2 Play camera.
My other option is to take an old, inactive Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus to use as a camera; it had some water damage but I don't think it affected the camera? Unfortunately I just traded in/sold all 3 iPhones
TIA!
(Also xposting to the mods section)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tropho said:
Yes, despite the same 12 megapixel rating it will be a noticeable improvement over the built-in camera. Not only does the Hasselblad mod have a real 10x optical zoom, but it offers selectable modes tailored for sport, portrait, etc. that can minimize blurring and optimize lighting and contrast for scenes. It uses its own imaging hardware so it is not dependent on any of the phone's built-in imaging hardware or software. In addition to saving pictures as JPG files, it also captures images in RAW format, so if you really want to tweak the pictures later you will have uncompressed RAW mode files (though file sizes will be several times larger). In addition to all of that great stuff, I *think* it has optical image stabilization, though reviews on the web claim both that it does and that it doesn't. I haven't been able to confirm if it really has OIS or not.
Unfortunately I don't yet have one myself but have been seriously considering buying one and have done lots of research. My opinion is you should get it if you can afford the $250 USD price, especially considering your comment about getting it at a discounted price. I paid over $200 for my point-and-click Samsung camera, and while it has a 21x zoom and 16mpix sensor I would prefer to have my phone be the center of my imaging solution rather than carry around another device. Sure, I would be doing that with the Hasselblad mod as well but I wouldn't have to worry about moving the pictures off my camera later and they would automatically be uploaded to Google Photos. The convenience and added features would make it worth it.
The only downside (beyond price) I see is that it's useless unless it's connected to a some type of Moto Z phone. However, if you're comfortable with that (it's the same for any Moto Mod) then it probably isn't a concern.
Good luck, and if you do buy it please post an update for those of us who are on the fence need an excuse to buy it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much!!! Yes, I noticed the same thing you did about some reviews saying OIS and others not, which really frustrated me. However, the official Moto site says (under "Full Specifications"):
image stabilization
Still: OIS
Video: EIS
--but like I said, I'm not techie enough to really know how much of a difference that makes.
I had the Moto Z a few weeks ago and got a like-new Hasselblad (supposedly only used a couple times) for $100 on Facebook Marketplace. I only took 2 pics with it though, and one was just when I needed the zoom -- an hour after I bought it (which was almost a 3-hour roundtrip in DC Friday rush hour traffic), I was looking across a busy highway trying to figure out how to get a close-up pic of a faraway sign I wanted to show my kids--then I remembered, duh, I just bought this camera with zoom and that's why I drove all the way out here in the first place! The pic was great as far as the zoom went, I didn't pay attention to anything else. I ended up selling it on Craigslist for $100 when I returned the Z a few days later (due to its' poor battery life). When I got the Z2 Play, the guy I sold it to said I could buy it back if I regretted selling it, but he was happy with it and I didn't want to do that to him (plus I would've had to do another long drive).
For some reason I wasn't sure if the quality of the phone/camera makes a difference--the Z had a better processor and camera than the Z2 Play does, so I wasn't sure if that would impact the quality of pics taken with the mod.
I've seen the mod on Facebook marketplace/Craigslist but am out of time to get it that way now, plus a return will be easier at Verizon. Thanks for your help--I'll bite the bullet and rack up more credit card debt at Verizon tomorrow! It's down to $250 there and I get a 25% discount so I guess that's around $187 before taxes.... ouch. I'll play around with it on my trip this weekend and then decide if it's worth keeping
I forgot to ask; how do you get a 25% discount from Verizon? I would buy it right now if I could get it at that price.
Apparently my husband's company/employer is one of the companies that qualifies for 18% off service (doesn't apply to unlimited plans) and 25% off accessories. If your employer qualifies, you can enroll online or (faster) in a store with a paystub (like I did--but they still messed up and I had to go through a lot to redo it). Third-party retailers vary in the extent to which they'll honor the discount, if at all. Corporate stores will honor it, as will Verizon online and by phone. It's down to $250 on the Verizon website right now, so I hope it's the same in stores since I'm probably out of time to order online for in-store pickup (leaving town Friday--well, I guess I maybe I could try for in-store pickup in the town where I'm going, LOL). When I bought the Z a few weeks ago, the 3rd-party store offered 50% off the mods if you bought them with the phone. I don't think they carried the camera mod though (?); I don't think any 3rd party stores do. I had some other options including a Groupon for a third-party Verizon store that could probably special order it for me, but again, I wouldn't have it in time for this trip. Though I guess I could always return the one I buy tomorrow, after my trip, and get it somewhere else cheaper.
That is great info, thank you. I currently get the military discount, which provides 25% discount on select accessories and unfortunately the Hasselblad mod is not eligible. I double checked via a chat session with a Verizon rep and they confirmed it is not eligible. Oh well, I will eagerly await your follow up report on whether I should just close my eyes and click "submit order"
Since I can't get your awesome discount, I checked elsewhere and see it's listed on Amazon for $239.99, $10 less than Verizon. I wonder if there's an unused Amazon gift card hiding between my couch cushions...
danicrit said:
I forgot to ask; how do you get a 25% discount from Verizon? I would buy it right now if I could get it at that price.
Apparently my husband's company/employer is one of the companies that qualifies for 18% off service (doesn't apply to unlimited plans) and 25% off accessories. If your employer qualifies, you can enroll online or (faster) in a store with a paystub (like I did--but they still messed up and I had to go through a lot to redo it). Third-party retailers vary in the extent to which they'll honor the discount, if at all. Corporate stores will honor it, as will Verizon online and by phone. It's down to $250 on the Verizon website right now, so I hope it's the same in stores since I'm probably out of time to order online for in-store pickup (leaving town Friday--well, I guess I maybe I could try for in-store pickup in the town where I'm going, LOL). When I bought the Z a few weeks ago, the 3rd-party store offered 50% off the mods if you bought them with the phone. I don't think they carried the camera mod though (?); I don't think any 3rd party stores do. I had some other options including a Groupon for a third-party Verizon store that could probably special order it for me, but again, I wouldn't have it in time for this trip. Though I guess I could always return the one I buy tomorrow, after my trip, and get it somewhere else cheaper.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It uses its own imaging hardware so it is not dependent on any of the phone's built-in imaging hardware or software.
This is something I was confused/concerned about--I know the mod took a couple decent pics with the Z, but that phone had better specs and processor (Snapdragon 820 vs 626) than the Z2 Play, and I wasn't sure how much of a difference that makes when using the mod--in other words, I was worried pics taken with the mod on better/higher-end phones might be better than those taken with the mod on midrange/budget phones. It sounds like that's not the case. Thanks for clearing that up!
That is great info, thank you. I currently get the military discount, which provides 25% discount on select accessories and unfortunately the Hasselblad mod is not eligible. I double checked via a chat session with a Verizon rep and they confirmed it is not eligible. Oh well, I will eagerly await your follow up report on whether I should just close my eyes and click "submit order"
Since I can't get your awesome discount, I checked elsewhere and see it's listed on Amazon for $239.99, $10 less than Verizon. I wonder if there's an unused Amazon gift card hiding between my couch cushions...
I just checked and I have a $24 Amazon balance, LOL, and $22 on Google Express which only has the Tumi battery mod (which I just returned--too heavy, but it's now down to $16.99, which was basically free with a Groupon). Based on my experience with Verizon, I suspect you were given incorrect information about the mod not qualifying as an eligible accessory. I was told something similar at a corporate Verizon store and they turned out to be wrong. When I'm back in town next week, I'll try to get confirmation for you
OT - Another 3rd-party store that currently has a Groupon, said they could special order the Incipio wireless charging battery mod for me. They're saying it's $34.99. I'm going to try to get it and try to get them to honor the price after they realize their mistake (retail is $89.99)......
Update: Got the camera mod!
Update:
Verizon confirmed this accessory isn't eligible for either the employer or military accessory discount.
I went ahead and got it at a discounted price. If I decide not to keep it after my trip this weekend, I'll sell it rather than return it, but that probably won't happen.
Which picture do you prefer? LOL. I also took some indoor shots at my desk and am not sure I see much of a difference...
Having trouble getting both the embedded pics to show up in this post, AND the link to the pictures to work when clicked on (clicking on the Google Photos links takes me to an XDA page)
Comparison shots
https://goo.gl/photos/ont5BbJrGtEN7vGm7
The comparison shots
Sorry about all the posts since there's no option to declutter by deleting.
I just realized if you click the little i at the top right of the pic, and keep that sidebar open as you scroll through the pics, it will show you which pics were taken with which camera (HB being the mod and XT being the phone without the mod).
Can you PM me? I'm not sure if that option exists here. Thanks.
Other than zoom shots, the Z2 Play takes better photos. It's an even bigger gap with the 2016 Z Force Droid and probably Z2 Force. But zoom shots are usually better with the Hasselblad. Also, you can experiment with other camera apps to see if you can get somewhat better shots.
Wow, thank you so much for shooting so many pics for comparison! They both look great but I think the Moto's color temperature is warmer than the Hasselblad's in these pictures, which look to be on the cooler/bluer end of the color spectrum. I like the warmer colors more, but that's something easily changed before or after. Given there are so many tweakable settings in the Hasselblad mod's camera software I'm sure there is something that can be turned on or off depending on the scene. Even so, with the addition of zoom and optical image stabilization I'm still in love with the mod and your efforts have only made me want it more. I now have a birthday gift recommendation to subtly pass to my wife!
Btw that street market looks cool!
danicrit said:
https://goo.gl/photos/ont5BbJrGtEN7vGm7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
---------- Post added at 08:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:24 AM ----------
I forgot to ask your opinion of the time required to focus with the Hasselblad, especially when zooming. Some of the reviews criticized it's slow focusing. Did you experience that, and if so was it constant or just during certain situations like low light?
tropho said:
Wow, thank you so much for shooting so many pics for comparison! They both look great but I think the Moto's color temperature is warmer than the Hasselblad's in these pictures, which look to be on the cooler/bluer end of the color spectrum. I like the warmer colors more, but that's something easily changed before or after. Given there are so many tweakable settings in the Hasselblad mod's camera software I'm sure there is something that can be turned on or off depending on the scene. Even so, with the addition of zoom and optical image stabilization I'm still in love with the mod and your efforts have only made me want it more. I now have a birthday gift recommendation to subtly pass to my wife!
Btw that street market looks cool!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!
Sorry for the delayed response, I've been having multiple issues getting into my account and was just about to give up and create a new one. I preferred the Z2 Play shots and am debating not keeping the camera and selling it for the discounted price I paid (or just returning it).
benjamminh said:
Other than zoom shots, the Z2 Play takes better photos. It's an even bigger gap with the 2016 Z Force Droid and probably Z2 Force. But zoom shots are usually better with the Hasselblad. Also, you can experiment with other camera apps to see if you can get somewhat better shots.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, I preferred the Z2 Play shots as well, and I'm not convinced there are "so many tweakable settings" with the mod that will really make enough of a difference to justify $200. I'm thinking about returning it, or selling it so someone else can get the discounted price--that's why I asked you to PM me in case you might be interested in buying it. I also wanted to find out what state you're in, since I'm traveling this weekend.
I actually had an album with Z2 Play shots a couple weeks ago, but already took it down. (I think all the pics are still in my trash folder though, if you're interested in seeing them.)
That's the Thursday Farmer's Market right outside my office
I've never noticed any lag/time issues with focusing or zooming, but then again I wasn't really trying/paying attention, literally just walking around doing point and shoot with no effort (the way most of us take our pictures on the fly). I knew from reading reviews this time around that I needed to press the shutter button halfway down, wait for it to focus, and then press the rest of the way to take the picture. One thing that did scare me a bit was that I started getting 'camera error' message issues after taking pics, and wasn't able to save those pics. I kept taking the mod on and off, restarting it manually, etc. It finally went back to working normally, but I don't know what caused it or how to fix it.... I've seen some user reviews that it just stopped working after a few months but am not sure how/why.
tropho said:
Wow, thank you so much for shooting so many pics for comparison! They both look great but I think the Moto's color temperature is warmer than the Hasselblad's in these pictures, which look to be on the cooler/bluer end of the color spectrum. I like the warmer colors more, but that's something easily changed before or after. Given there are so many tweakable settings in the Hasselblad mod's camera software I'm sure there is something that can be turned on or off depending on the scene. Even so, with the addition of zoom and optical image stabilization I'm still in love with the mod and your efforts have only made me want it more. I now have a birthday gift recommendation to subtly pass to my wife!
Btw that street market looks cool!
---------- Post added at 08:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:24 AM ----------
I forgot to ask your opinion of the time required to focus with the Hasselblad, especially when zooming. Some of the reviews criticized it's slow focusing. Did you experience that, and if so was it constant or just during certain situations like low light?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Duh, sorry, I just realized if you're reading this thread you probably have a Z2 Play already as well? And therefore would have no need to see the pics I took with one... LOL. Or maybe not, since I guess anyone with a Z series phone might be interested in questions about the mods.
I'll be in New Orleans for the weekend, and will try to take and post a lot of pictures while trying to decide whether to keep the mod or not. I will say it's not all that quick or convenient standing there taking off/putting on the mod to take the comparison shots! I'm probably also taking an old, inactive Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus to use as a camera and for comparison purposes - it had some water damage but I don't think that affected the camera. I suspect it may be cloudy/rainy all weekend though :-/
A bit OT--I'm excited, finally got my notification that the free Soundboost 2 mod (promo with the new Play) is finally shipping. Though why it says allow up to 2-3 more weeks for delivery, I don't know... Can't wait! Wish I had it for my trip this weekend, where I'll be showing off my new phone and mods (but at the moment I only have the camera mod) to my son and his girlfriend (sophomore/junior in college). I wonder if he'll be jealous, LOL, since he's gotten sucked over to the dark side in the past couple years (iPhone).
Oh, just saw this in the FedEx tracking info--guess it will be waiting for me when I get home from my trip Monday night!
Scheduled delivery: Mon 8/21/2017 by end of day
danicrit said:
A bit OT--I'm excited, finally got my notification that the free Soundboost 2 mod (promo with the new Play) is finally shipping. Though why it says allow up to 2-3 more weeks for delivery, I don't know... Can't wait! Wish I had it for my trip this weekend, where I'll be showing off my new phone and mods (but at the moment I only have the camera mod) to my son and his girlfriend (sophomore/junior in college). I wonder if he'll be jealous, LOL, since he's gotten sucked over to the dark side in the past couple years (iPhone).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh no, those camera error messages are not a good sign, nor is the report about it dying after a couple months. That definitely gives me pause about buying one, and I don't want my wishy-washiness to stop you from getting a refund if you're looking to return it. I greatly appreciate the offer (and I may regret that later) but I think it's probably the right move
danicrit said:
Yup, I preferred the Z2 Play shots as well, and I'm not convinced there are "so many tweakable settings" with the mod that will really make enough of a difference to justify $200. I'm thinking about returning it, or selling it so someone else can get the discounted price--that's why I asked you to PM me in case you might be interested in buying it. I also wanted to find out what state you're in, since I'm traveling this weekend.
I actually had an album with Z2 Play shots a couple weeks ago, but already took it down. (I think all the pics are still in my trash folder though, if you're interested in seeing them.)
That's the Thursday Farmer's Market right outside my office
I've never noticed any lag/time issues with focusing or zooming, but then again I wasn't really trying/paying attention, literally just walking around doing point and shoot with no effort (the way most of us take our pictures on the fly). I knew from reading reviews this time around that I needed to press the shutter button halfway down, wait for it to focus, and then press the rest of the way to take the picture. One thing that did scare me a bit was that I started getting 'camera error' message issues after taking pics, and wasn't able to save those pics. I kept taking the mod on and off, restarting it manually, etc. It finally went back to working normally, but I don't know what caused it or how to fix it.... I've seen some user reviews that it just stopped working after a few months but am not sure how/why.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
---------- Post added at 10:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:47 AM ----------
I have the original Soundboost and think it is awesome, and that you will be impressed if v2 is even better. It is LOUD and sounds great even at high volume. Beware though, it will kill your phone's battery even though it has battery capacity of it's own. Basically, the louder the volume the more power is required.
danicrit said:
A bit OT--I'm excited, finally got my notification that the free Soundboost 2 mod (promo with the new Play) is finally shipping. Though why it says allow up to 2-3 more weeks for delivery, I don't know... Can't wait! Wish I had it for my trip this weekend, where I'll be showing off my new phone and mods (but at the moment I only have the camera mod) to my son and his girlfriend (sophomore/junior in college). I wonder if he'll be jealous, LOL, since he's gotten sucked over to the dark side in the past couple years (iPhone).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Is the Pixel 2 xl worth $900

Ok so most of us has had our pixels for a few weeks now, do you think it's worth $900. Honest answers please.....
Absolutely. It has everything I want in a phone and has the exact form factor I want it in(I hate edge display and am not a fan of bezel-less deisgns from day to day use). I'm getting a minimum of 3 years of OS updates, 3 years of monthly security updates, chat or phone call support, and unlimited full resolution photo uploads. It's going to take something really magical to come out for me to switch to another device. I thought the 6P would fit the bill for a long term device for me, but that S10 was a throttling POS. Thought the original Pixel would have been a long term phone, but I REALLY missed front facing stereo speakers. Any other phones out there will not be supported over 3 years and I refuse to get burned by a company that drops support on their products again. Is this device perfect out of the box.....no. Then again not one phone is. Most of the issues reported are not anything I notice in day to day use or I have remedied myself( for example using the original Pixel cable for Android Auto stopped the crashes). I love it.
The definition of value is what a willing buyer is prepared to pay to a willing seller.
The seller is definitely willing, duh, so... the answer is that it is worth the price to everyone who bought one without being under duress.
Hardware worth the value? Absolutely not,
but Software worth the value, Yes as @AndrasLOHF said. I agree especially with front-facing speaker. Stock, fast, unlockable bootloader, Unlimited photo storage etc. I have one so I can run stock latest android software this year, and the camera.
as a owner, i'd say its overpriced. if you win the screen lottery its overall a great phone, but its hard to justify it in a pure cost comparison to an iphone 8+ or a galaxy s8+. I just happened to like pure android and the developer community of nexus/pixel phones, so thats the only reason i can justify the price, but i wouldn't recommend it to family or friends unless i knew they were android enthusiasts.
Absolutely for me especially with the trade in... which makes it a more reasonable price!
Like front ? ?, Stock, fast, unlockable bootloader, and unlimited photo storage...
Yes, I think it is worth the asking price... For me it's the only natural progression from my 6P (personally, the best phone I've owned) which includes 3 years of updates /upgrades..
phyl0x said:
as a owner, i'd say its overpriced. if you win the screen lottery its overall a great phone, but its hard to justify it in a pure cost comparison to an iphone 8+ or a galaxy s8+. I just happened to like pure android and the developer community of nexus/pixel phones, so thats the only reason i can justify the price, but i wouldn't recommend it to family or friends unless i knew they were android enthusiasts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally agree with you, pure Android is the reason went ahead and purchased the 2 xl coming from the essential phone. The essential phone is a beautiful phone, now that it has 8.0 I almost hate I purchased the pixel now
Nope, but it's worth $575 which is what I'll cost me after getting $425 back from T-Mobile
phyl0x said:
as a owner, i'd say its overpriced. if you win the screen lottery its overall a great phone, but its hard to justify it in a pure cost comparison to an iphone 8+ or a galaxy s8+. I just happened to like pure android and the developer community of nexus/pixel phones, so thats the only reason i can justify the price, but i wouldn't recommend it to family or friends unless i knew they were android enthusiasts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally agree with you, pure Android is the reason I went ahead and purchased the 2 xl coming from the essential phone. The essential phone is a beautiful phone, now that it has 8.0 I almost hate I purchased the pixel now lol. Oh well I have both now I'm ?
Probably not worth $900. None of the phones out are. They all do what your last phone did. Every phone discounts soon after launch. The early adopters pay the high amounts. Samsung BOGO, or savings off the note 8 if you had a note 7. Essential discounted after release. Lg discounted after release. Pixel 2 $375 just to bring it Tmobile. Just wait a month once the phone you want comes out. Tough I know but some of the pixel 2 are already cheaper on swappa then the Google store.
Lucky for me I found a guy selling the pixel 2 xl on craigslist for $700 but I offered him $500 and he text me back a day later asking for $550 ?. Been loving it ever since, currently got my essential phone on eBay and it's up to $450 with a day to go.
Is it worth 900? Everything inside of me says NO however I bought the thing, I love it and I would buy it again if I broke or lost this phone. So I guess money speaks louder than words in this scenario. The software just blows everything else out of the water. Id love to have the Iphone Xs 4k @ 60fps, The LG V30's SD card slot, headphone jack and quad dac but I would still pick the pixel 2 XL over any of those due to the overall experience.
In Switzerland it's 1 109 Dollar, very expensive but i love it so far
luciusfox said:
The definition of value is what a willing buyer is prepared to pay to a willing seller.
The seller is definitely willing, duh, so... the answer is that it is worth the price to everyone who bought one without being under duress.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1. That being said, compared to the other phones out there, I don't think $900 is a good value for the phone., especially with all this QC problems As for me, I have this dumb urge to buy the newest tech.
It's not worth its price, and I knew it when I bought it.
I bought it nevertheless, and I'm pretty satisfied. The camera is absolutely great on 8.1 DP2 with HDR+. Magisk also works fine flawlessly.
Everything is smooth and fast, also GPS is working very well. Battery runtime is also great.
The only problem I have is with the BT connection with my car. Media playback doesn't work at all, phone calls work when I switch to airplane mode before turning on BT after starting my car, though.
Overall, I'd buy it again, I assume Google will fix the BT stack eventually.
dinkoh said:
+1. That being said, compared to the other phones out there, I don't think $900 is a good value for the phone., especially with all this QC problems As for me, I have this dumb urge to buy the newest tech.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that quality control problems are massively overblown.
Mine, for the record, is flawless. Have NOT done any exchange.
I think that there are two things that are contributing to people's perceptions being skewed on these (which isn't to say that there aren't a few that are genuinely defective).
1) It is a little bit weird when you suddenly find yourself looking through a circular polarization filter. It does cause a slight color shift at hard angles.. but that's the nature of having a circular polarization filter, which is a tradeoff for people who wear polarized glasses so that they can actually see it at all orientations. I suspect that people who do a few trade-ins eventually get used to the effect, which is why their final replacement is probably not as "bad" as the first one. I know that I've gotten so used to it now that I have to intentionally look for it now... oh yeah, that's what it does!
2) The application drawer has a very slight transparency to it. That means that you can see the image behind it very slightly -- and it looks like burn-in.
---------- Post added at 04:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:46 PM ----------
BabelHuber said:
It's not worth its price, and I knew it when I bought it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't have it both ways. If you decided to buy it, then IT IS worth the price. That is a technical fact.
I bought it nevertheless, and I'm pretty satisfied. The camera is absolutely great on 8.1 DP2 with HDR+. Magisk also works fine flawlessly.
Everything is smooth and fast, also GPS is working very well. Battery runtime is also great.
The only problem I have is with the BT connection with my car. Media playback doesn't work at all, phone calls work when I switch to airplane mode before turning on BT after starting my car, though.
Overall, I'd buy it again, I assume Google will fix the BT stack eventually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The BT issues are affecting EVERYTHING running 8.x, and they are quite aware of it, so yeah, I would anticipate that they get sorted out fairly soon. Hopefully.
I picked up a Pixel 2 XL during Verizon's $300 off promotion. I also have a Note 8 to compare it to. I don't think any phone, especially the iPhone X, is worth $900-1000. A more reasonable amount would be $600-700 and payment plans play a big role in the upped prices this year. The OnePlus 5T at $300+ less than other flagships with similar specs, also makes you wonder. The Note 8 does feel more premium than the Pixel 2 XL, but the software experience on the Pixel 2 XL is the best I've ever seen.
A good indication of where thing are heading is that one can get a brand new LG G5 for $230, an S7 for $400, or an S8 for $575. Getting last year's models or waiting until a phone has been out 6 months is especially cost effective.
You can't have it both ways. If you decided to buy it, then IT IS worth the price. That is a technical fact..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No.
I did not want a Samsung or LG anymore, I wanted something with good developer support.
So when I changed my contract I could get a new phone. Samsung and LG were out, OnePlus was not available at T-Mobile Germany. The Nokia 8 has a locked bootloader. So the choice was between the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. The OnePlus 5T without contract was more expensive than the Pixels with contract.
So I shelled out €400, what else should I have done?
.
The BT issues are affecting EVERYTHING running 8.x, and they are quite aware of it, so yeah, I would anticipate that they get sorted out fairly soon. Hopefully.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope so, so far I haven't managed to get Bluetooth audio playback working in my car.
It's worth the 765 I paid, plus the trade in for my P XL makes it a reasonable enough upgrade at 350.

First time Note buyer. What should I know or look for?

As the title says, this will be the first time I've purchased a Note phone. The last Samsung phone I've had was an S7. I've used Google, HTC, LG and even Blackberry, as well as iPhones. I've waited a while to upgrade and while I know there are the new iPhones and Pixels coming out soon they just don't interest me. Pretty boring, actually.
That brings me to this phone - the Note 10+. I've seen the reviews and I've seen everyone saying stuff like "it's just an S10 with a pen", it doesn't have this or that, they kinda mailed it in etc etc. While it would normally turn me off to this phone there is something drawing me to it. I love the boxy look. I'm genuinely curious about using the S-Pen. The camera is one of the most important things for me , and yet, while not Pixel grade, I'm sure I'll be happy with it. Hell, I've been using a U11 and an iPhone 7 for the last year or so and I'm sure this will be an upgrade from those and I can just use the Google port as well.
Having said all that I figured this would be the best place to ask people what I can look forward to when I pick this up later today. Any tips or tricks I should know? Anything extra I can do with phone that maybe the general public or site or YouTuber might not know or mention. Any and all information will be very much appreciated and I look forward to see if and any developments happen here for the Note phone. Thanks! ?
mrlugo88 said:
That brings me to this phone - the Note 10+. I've seen the reviews and I've seen everyone saying stuff like "it's just an S10 with a pen"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's silly is when people downplay a product's selling point simply because it doesn't appeal to them. I don't tell people interested in e bikes that "it's just a bike with a motor". That type of close minded perspective serves no purpose, and fails to sate the curiosity of (potential) buyers. This is aimed at those that write professionally, not you.
As I always tell people, the S Pen has its audiences. Whether they choose to acknowledge them is their prerogative. Anyway, the S Pen's accuracy and precision are in line with other pens like the Active 2, Bamboo, Asus, and Surface. I've used 2 of these (including S Pens since N4).
While rare, sometimes I need a digital signature for e docs. The S Pen allows me to write like I would on paper or a ntrig/wacom based panel. Now, anyone that has ever attended a conference knows that you can't make a ton of noise, since you should be courteous to whoever has the floor. In this case it makes sense to use your phone to take notes/questions and annotate pics taken of slides as you record audio. Another situation, and likely the most obvious, is drawing. You can make things that achieve parity with the pens I mentioned earlier. Ofc skill level is another story...
Last but not least, the S Pen has other features like remote pics for vloggers and various air commands for things. If you consider what I've written, it makes sense that journalists overlook the S pen. People that rely on Notes were never going to find contentment with an S10, and yet they've managed to fuse the different audiences.
What to watch for? Probably an erection lasting more than 4 hours.
It's a pretty phenomenal phone line. You'll probably be on Note phones for a while...
Beware of the advertised battery capacity. It more than likely won't be the 4300mAh Sam is claiming. Mine is 4170 which is the minimum capacity tested.
Don't expect any timely updates. OS updates will come 7-8 months after Google release of it's anything like previous notes.
Sent from my Pixel 3 XL
Eudeferrer said:
Don't expect any timely updates. OS updates will come 7-8 months after Google release of it's anything like previous notes.
Sent from my Pixel 3 XL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not too worried about OS updates. It's not like it use to be when there were major changes in each version.
PsiPhiDan said:
What to watch for? Probably an erection lasting more than 4 hours.
It's a pretty phenomenal phone line. You'll probably be on Note phones for a while...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I look forward to it....trying out this line of phones, not the long lasting erection I may get lol
jt1954 said:
Beware of the advertised battery capacity. It more than likely won't be the 4300mAh Sam is claiming. Mine is 4170 which is the minimum capacity tested.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Noted. I will see what it's about. But that will still be the biggest battery I will have had in a phone so interested to see how well it goes considering the big screen and amount playing I like to do with my phone's.
mrlugo88 said:
I look forward to it....trying out this line of phones, not the long lasting erection I may get lol
Noted. I will see what it's about. But that will still be the biggest battery I will have had in a phone so interested to see how well it goes considering the big screen and amount playing I like to do with my phone's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Note9 was AMAZING for battery and the battery is smaller. The screen is bigger on the 10+, but I suspect the increase in battery will offset it. Plus the improvements with the CPU... I'm thinking battery life will be spectacular. As in... I only charge at night. Which is all I care about, personally. ?

OnePlus too close to Youtubers

Doesn't it seem a bit sketchy to anyone that OnePlus is so close to all tech reviewer, none of the reviews mentioned display issue(might be clean units)! People count on tech reviewers before buying a cellphone in terms of pros and cons and having them by your side with some smart trick (which even reviewers might unaware of) is good business case I believe
I don't trust OP any more. Remember they did a display mate test done which shows highest brightness and perfect display etc.
Soon after the release they lower maximum and minimum brightness of op8 pro which is a form of cheating.
Wait for few days and get actual hands reviews and then buy phones especially OnePlus
Sent from my POCOPHONE F1 using Tapatalk
sandeshdj said:
Doesn't it seem a bit sketchy to anyone that OnePlus is so close to all tech reviewer, none of the reviews mentioned display issue(might be clean units)! People count on tech reviewers before buying a cellphone in terms of pros and cons and having them by your side with some smart trick (which even reviewers might unaware of) is good business case I believe
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sketchy at all, it's a common practice in promotion of new gadgets. All the reviewers I've seen (big and small) receive phones from many different brands. Are the reviewers close to all the brand's, most reviews of the Samsung S20 didn't mention the different chipsets are they all in bed with Samsung??
Not to mention took money for a 4 camera setup.. and then disabled one of them.. liars and cheaters
yodasmaster said:
Not sketchy at all, it's a common practice in promotion of new gadgets. All the reviewers I've seen (big and small) receive phones from many different brands. Are the reviewers close to all the brand's, most reviews of the Samsung S20 didn't mention the different chipsets are they all in bed with Samsung??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Havent seen MrWhoseTheBoss for snapdragon vs Exynos?
sandeshdj said:
Havent seen MrWhoseTheBoss for snapdragon vs Exynos?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Didn't you read "most"
yodasmaster said:
Not sketchy at all, it's a common practice in promotion of new gadgets. All the reviewers I've seen (big and small) receive phones from many different brands. Are the reviewers close to all the brand's, most reviews of the Samsung S20 didn't mention the different chipsets are they all in bed with Samsung??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also it doesn't necessarily point out to reviewers being in bed with brands, I was indicating about review models and retail models might be differently built, just a possibility..
sandeshdj said:
Doesn't it seem a bit sketchy to anyone that OnePlus is so close to all tech reviewer, none of the reviews mentioned display issue(might be clean units)! People count on tech reviewers before buying a cellphone in terms of pros and cons and having them by your side with some smart trick (which even reviewers might unaware of) is good business case I believe
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
piyush7243 said:
I don't trust OP any more. Remember they did a display mate test done which shows highest brightness and perfect display etc.
Soon after the release they lower maximum and minimum brightness of op8 pro which is a form of cheating.
Wait for few days and get actual hands reviews and then buy phones especially OnePlus
Sent from my POCOPHONE F1 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree they are very close to youtubers, but on the contrary, that's how I discovered the Oneplus One. Today's videos were first impressions only videos, I believe MKBHD said that. They arnt allowed to post full reviews, positive or otherwise for a while.
manor7777 said:
I agree they are very close to youtubers, but on the contrary, that's how I discovered the Oneplus One. Today's videos were first impressions only videos, I believe MKBHD said that. They arnt allowed to post full reviews, positive or otherwise for a while.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes saw mkbhd, but atleast after couple of weeks they should have discovered and made a video about it.. it seems they all hid it saying their unit didn't have an issue (which is highly unlikely) or else as I pointed out earlier, they were given better version than retail unit..
People trust the tech reviewers, they encourage or discourage the purchase decisions so taking proper care of them by any means seem to be a viable option than mainstream marketing..
sandeshdj said:
Yes saw mkbhd, but atleast after couple of weeks they should have discovered and made a video about it.. it seems they all hid it saying their unit didn't have an issue (which is highly unlikely) or else as I pointed out earlier, they were given better version than retail unit..
People trust the tech reviewers, they encourage or discourage the purchase decisions so taking proper care of them by any means seem to be a viable option than mainstream marketing..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I work on IT, so I don't "trust" anyone specifically, I always do more research, but I would be lying if some of the tech you tubers hadn't influenced my decision. Unbox therapy did a speaker video, and after some research I picked one up. Been running for over 5 years now, no issues. My OP8 Pro has no issues, that I can see, but I have a friend with one that's had constant issues. Only difference. Is, I ordered through my carrier, my friend did direct from OnePlus
The full reviews will be out soon, I'm sure those that arnt just in for the money will share issues, linus tech tips is one I know. Will do that.
The display-issue that I've seen so many rant about; is that on the Exynos version?
I have the Snapdragon-version (EU, IN2023), and I have no issues with display-tint of any kind.
dmbardal said:
The display-issue that I've seen so many rant about; is that on the Snapdragon version?
I have the Exynos (EU), and I have no issues with display-tint of any kind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The OnePlus 8 Pro is only made with Snapdragon. Samsung devices have either Exynos or Snapdragon.
sandeshdj said:
Yes saw mkbhd, but atleast after couple of weeks they should have discovered and made a video about it.. it seems they all hid it saying their unit didn't have an issue (which is highly unlikely) or else as I pointed out earlier, they were given better version than retail unit..
People trust the tech reviewers, they encourage or discourage the purchase decisions so taking proper care of them by any means seem to be a viable option than mainstream marketing..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why is it highly unlikely? Plenty of people have no issues. My screen is perfect, as are many others here.
Sent from my IN2025 using Tapatalk
galaxys said:
The OnePlus 8 Pro is only Snapdragon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My bad.
I have an S10e for work that I've messed around with this past few days as well,
and that's the device that has Snapdragon in the EU and Exynos in US.
crzycrkr said:
Why is it highly unlikely? Plenty of people have no issues. My screen is perfect, as are many others here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to hear that your screen is perfect,out of curiousity just follow these steps and let us know the result at dark environment :
1. Turn on night mode
2. Turn on power saving mode
3. Install darker app from store and set the brightness to 50%
After doing this try accessing this xda app or else see the windowless grey screen on chrome..
Many people dont realize whether they have issue or not since they use the device at optimal setting in which case lowest brightness is bumped up so OnePlus tried well to cover up a hardware issue by doing so.
By the way, I noticed these issue on first day itself still kept the device, rest features are overwhelming as opposed to this issue..
The only area of concern is that whether it will get worse as the device age
My main concern is image retention, my device has it , have replace 3 units (indian) but I still have image retention, I am tierd of replacing and decided to keep it ,
I am afraid I will have burn in in a month
sandeshdj said:
Glad to hear that your screen is perfect,out of curiousity just follow these steps and let us know the result at dark environment :
1. Turn on night mode
2. Turn on power saving mode
3. Install darker app from store and set the brightness to 50%
After doing this try accessing this xda app or else see the windowless grey screen on chrome..
Many people dont realize whether they have issue or not since they use the device at optimal setting in which case lowest brightness is bumped up so OnePlus tried well to cover up a hardware issue by doing so.
By the way, I noticed these issue on first day itself still kept the device, rest features are overwhelming as opposed to this issue..
The only area of concern is that whether it will get worse as the device age
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Done this a few times in the last few months with no issues. My blacks are good, no retention, etc. Others have as well. If you check some of the other screen threads you'll come across them
Sent from my IN2025 using Tapatalk
crzycrkr said:
Done this a few times in the last few months with no issues. My blacks are good, no retention, etc. Others have as well. If you check some of the other screen threads you'll come across them
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you using black theme all time to save battery ?
sandeshdj said:
Doesn't it seem a bit sketchy to anyone that OnePlus is so close to all tech reviewer, none of the reviews mentioned display issue(might be clean units)! People count on tech reviewers before buying a cellphone in terms of pros and cons and having them by your side with some smart trick (which even reviewers might unaware of) is good business case I believe
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because it isn't as widespread as people are making out.
There's always issues on all phones, vast majority of people don't have them.
I've not had a single one of the reported issues anyone's complained about.
Not to say that they don't exist but they affect such a small number.
If a reviewer received a study unit do you not think they'd mention it? Theitr hits would go through the roof which at the end of the day is all they care about.
More to that point. If you were OnePlus aware of potential screen issues, don't you think you'd check the unit before sending it? I dunno.
I know several of the main reviewers use the 8pro as their daily phone and nothing has been said about screen issues or anything else anyone has complained about here.
Personally I think it's simply due to the fact that it affects a very small number of phones and on average of you order a phone, chances are you will not have the aforementioned issues.
This has been a thing for a long time where OnePlus receives universal praise from reviewers. Downplay the shortcomings and cost cutting, and justify the elements that ARE in the phone. Making excuses for the lack off water resistance rating, among other things.
I think Marques does a great job on his channel and I watch all of this videos. But the fact that he had Pete Lau on to talk about the inner workings of the company, and then had a glowing "impressions" video soon after, doesn't look good, EVEN IF it was his honest assessment. They need to maintain the good graces of OnePlus by either staying neutral on their review or being positive about it to continue to get access.
Linus is another who does this. He went on that factory tour of the assembly of the...6t? 6 maybe? And then soon after came out with a great review of that unit. Bad look overall, regardless of whether it was truthful. He has a greater propensity to tell you the nitpicky things about the phone though at least.
We all like OnePlus phones or we wouldn't be on here, but it doesn't mean that we shouldn't get impartial reviews from people we have grown to trust. It's a slippery slope, and some YouTubers have been slipping real bad lately.

Categories

Resources