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Hi arc owners,
I am torn between which of two phones to get. I need to know real stories here, what do you love about the arc, what is not so great about it.
Right now, my decision is down to the Xperia Arc, or the Google Nexus S.
The main things about the arc I like over the Nexus S, are:
The camera/video camera
sd card support
the look of the device
the display
The things that I don't think are so great:
possible reliability issues (according to many forums and some reviews)
the update situation (when, how long will I have to wait?)
small internal memory
I would also like to know a few things:
How is the screen in bright daylight
can you put apps on the sd card?
does it have speech to text?
Well, I bought the Nexus S, thanks for all your help!!
Love:
screen (brightness, sharpness, colors, contras, size)
design
camera
performance even with stock launcher
hate:
Nothing really, except the squeaking battery cover. You can be lucky and have one, that's brilliantly made, but if you are unlucky... well... It is a bit annoying, but you can round it by taping something to the inside of the cover. Except that build quality is quite good. Be sure to get a decent pouch oder cover, since the back is quite slippery and has fingerprints all over it very quickly. The pouch I use is made by fitBAG and cleans the whole phone when sliding it in and out - very useful.
App to SD: depends on the App. Every phone with atleast Froyo can do App2SD, but the app needs to support it.
The visibility in sunlight is rather good. I have seen much worse.
Speech to text is possible as far as I know. Since I don't use it and therefore deleted the applications/plugins needed for that, I can't tell you how well it works. But it is there, if you need it.
Update situation isn't that bad actually. It can never get updates as fast as a Google Nexus device, but SE did a good job on 2.3.3 and as far as I know 2.3.4 is scheduled for October.
Hate: The position of the notification LED. I'd rather not have one at all than put it there
Love: Everything else
love:
- best display ever seen !!!
- Bravia video/photo enhancement (only MP4/3gp)
- awsome speech quality, good mics and clear speakers
- camera (you can get awsome results, but some skill and practice is needed)
- very slim and lightweight body (no "brick-effect" like iphone)
- battery (really good after last update)
- Modern and fast launcher. Much better than HTC sense or touchWiz
- very fast (with stock rom up to 1700 in quadrant benchmark)
- very reliable
hate:
- lack of good workmanship (display bordering)
I really love that thing I have chosen it over Nexus S and Galaxy 2
pngface said:
Hate: The position of the notification LED. I'd rather not have one at all than put it there
Love: Everything else
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree with this. The notification LED is pointless where it is.
I dislike the image compression using stock camera. Full res pictures I take indoors normally range from 500-800 kb
I love everything else
Love:
display, even in bright daylight
camera, advanced but interface is 'idiot proof' which is good for me ;-)
launcher, smooth and fast
design, just not one of the many black boxes around
Hate:
on/off button (to small)
camera button (to small and to hard to press, luckily there's on screen shutter present)
Can't think of anything else right now, anywayz, a phone is always a very personal choice, if possible, just go to a store and try both, pick the one that suits your needs best.
Good luck and maybe soon welcome aboard the Arc
To answer your questions...
possible reliability issues (according to many forums and some reviews)
Not had any reliability problems at all.
the update situation (when, how long will I have to wait?)
Already had one update a month after release (from 2.3.2 to 2.3.3 and loads of other improvements too)
small internal memory
Not actually been a problem for me.
I would also like to know a few things:
How is the screen in bright daylight
Really Really excellent - no problems with visibility at all
can you put apps on the sd card?
Yes if the app supports it.. You can also get something which moves all apps to sd but I don't trust it!
does it have speech to text?
Yes.
[/QUOTE]
LususNaturae said:
Agree with this. The notification LED is pointless where it is.
I dislike the image compression using stock camera. Full res pictures I take indoors normally range from 500-800 kb
I love everything else
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you use a different camera app, is the compression different?
I love the display of the arc, it's really beautiful. In bright daylight the screen is good for me.
It is possible to put apps on the sd card ( depending on the app).
I also like it's look, most beautiful phone out there imo.
I would recommend it. Although you have to decide for yourself what you want .
In fact I haven't got any big issues with the phone and I really love it.
The notification LED is indeed somewhat pointless in that place but that's no big deal for me at all.
chrisss87 said:
love:
- best display ever seen !!!
- Bravia video/photo enhancement (only MP4/3gp)
- awsome speech quality, good mics and clear speakers
- camera (you can get awsome results, but some skill and practice is needed)
- very slim and lightweight body (no "brick-effect" like iphone)
- battery (really good after last update)
- Modern and fast launcher. Much better than HTC sense or touchWiz
- very fast (with stock rom up to 1700 in quadrant benchmark)
- very reliable
hate:
- lack of good workmanship (display bordering)
I really love that thing I have chosen it over Nexus S and Galaxy 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what made you choose it over the nexus s?
I hate heating issue. But fixed it with setcpu app. I downclock my cpu to 768 mb and i can still play all 3d games and use my phone with no crash and keep it COOL!
And it would be better if case was aluminum or anything stronger. Plastic material is so cheap for that quality nice design.
I love the screen and design and price( over iphone) Really there are so many features then iphone. When i meet someone with iphone and tells iphone is better, i always beat them with showing extra features I love it
I like the plastic.. makes the phone more robust, and resistant to dropping/ knocking.. also has less impact on reception... I do miss the slightly rubberised back of the x10 though..
like:
- Phone design and material.
- Clear and big screen.
- SonyEricsson launcher.
- Phone specs in general.
- Great camera for still photo.
- Good battery after last update.
---
Dislike:
- Can't add more than (5 home screen).
- Small RAM and internal memory
- Camera button it's very hard to use it.
- Power button it most be in right side of device (like Galaxy).
Don't like Keyboard layout and power / sleep button too smalp and deep they should have made it rectangular rather than round. Other than that its all good loving the bigger screen and yah i am still using my iphone 4 gotta admit though my Iphone 4's retina display is much clearer than ARC dont matter what angle you looking from.
What do you arc owners think of this photo compare tool on gsmarena.
It looks like the Arc pictures are less clear than the nexus s. Maybe the arc compresses the shots? Is there any way to fix that in camera?
If you use a different camera app, is the compression different?
can it be minimized?
abhisheak.bansal said:
If you use a different camera app, is the compression different?
can it be minimized?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also use the app Vignette to take pictures, on the highest "super fine" settings the pictures are 4 - 5mb.
LususNaturae said:
I also use the app Vignette to take pictures, on the highest "super fine" settings the pictures are 4 - 5mb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what size are they when you use the stock camera app??
This is promising.
Oh I went to the store today and got a chance to play with both phones;
My impressions of the Arc,
the screen is awesome
the camera seems to have lots of good features
browsing around the UI was quick
I liked the design, even though it was a little hard to tell with all the crazy security attachments all over it
The nexus s was really nice as well, the only thing I noticed was the keyboard on the nexus was a little harder to use than the one on the Arc. But the Arc's keyboard had the crappiest tiniest spacebar! Can you change that??
123go! said:
what size are they when you use the stock camera app??
This is promising.
Oh I went to the store today and got a chance to play with both phones;
My impressions of the Arc,
the screen is awesome
the camera seems to have lots of good features
browsing around the UI was quick
I liked the design, even though it was a little hard to tell with all the crazy security attachments all over it
The nexus s was really nice as well, the only thing I noticed was the keyboard on the nexus was a little harder to use than the one on the Arc. But the Arc's keyboard had the crappiest tiniest spacebar! Can you change that??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just sharing...
I am happy to have ARC because:
-good display (bravia engines). You can still see it clearly under the sun
-sound quality is excellent
-video recording quality is good even under the low light
-camera is 8MP
-light weight and slim
I am dissaponted to have ARC because:
-grip less (the body cover is so slippery and can easily loss of grip, need some kind of rubber material)
-usb port location is quite unusual and make it difficult to use phone while charging
-power and camera buttons are too small and too flat, take effort to use it
-internal memory is to small/low (I run out of memory).. I think we need at least 1 GB, because you will need it when installing so many apps (although you have app2sd, but some apps cant be moved to sd)
-sometime it is laggy (even after update to 2.3.3)
-battery drain so fast (need to turn off apn and wifi when not in use) (but charging is very fast)
BTW, my ARC is not rooted and use 2.3.3 stock rom
Cheers...
123go! said:
what size are they when you use the stock camera app??
This is promising.
Oh I went to the store today and got a chance to play with both phones;
My impressions of the Arc,
the screen is awesome
the camera seems to have lots of good features
browsing around the UI was quick
I liked the design, even though it was a little hard to tell with all the crazy security attachments all over it
The nexus s was really nice as well, the only thing I noticed was the keyboard on the nexus was a little harder to use than the one on the Arc. But the Arc's keyboard had the crappiest tiniest spacebar! Can you change that??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes the spacebar i.e. keyboard can be changed.....u can download different keyboard apps from the market.........
I am debating between the two but have not held either in my hand. Which is better?
Not too many reasons, but some good ones IMO.
Reasons to get ZL over the One
5" screen vs 4.7" (ZL's screen quality is not as good though)
Expandable storage (if that matters to you)
The ZL will show damage much less than the HTC One will if accidentally dropped (the body of the phone anyway)
ZL is available right now
i have zl,and im happy with it,got many praise from my friend about the phone form factor,btw here some advantage/disadvantage over one that i think:
advantage :
SD CARD SLOT - can expend up to 64 gb
BATTERY RESET BUTTON - not sure if one have it
(it matter for rom flasher like me,even though we cannot remove battery but we can reset it,the button located besides sim/sdcard slot)
STOCK LOOKING ROM ( i like the zl clean ui)
HEARPHONE PROVIDED - nice one out of the box
NFC SMART TAG SUPPORT - i have test one already and it work
LARGER PHONE MEGAPIXEL-i think it matter,with bravia engine 2,it make photo more contrast,tough the sensor take time to focus
SMALL APPS - you can use apps like note,calculator,music,etc in popup version,1 apps per time though.
SUPPORT USB OTG- i have test it
ROOTABLE AND UNLOCKABLE- easy since i already familiar with flashtool,but i stay on stock rom for now
FIT IN POCKET 5' DISPLAY- size almost similar with 4.7' SIII
STAMINA MODE - i can see a little different when using stamina mode,even tough it can only last for 1 day for moderate use
SHUTTER KEY- 2 times press,1st time to focus,second time to capture (only sony previous user know how to take advantage of it)
RARE!!! - it feels premium than normal siii n note 2 however,i hardly find flip cover/hardcase until now (it only one week released here,lol)
3 SOFT KEY- like nexus device,unlike htc one only 2 key
AVAILABLE NOW!!!
disadvantage:
OLDER PROCESSOR - does not matter to me,multitasking so smooth with 2gb ram,no need to clean up ram
LOUDSPEAKER- its clear that one have better stereo sound,but xzl loudspeaker not so bad either,well i prefer to use hearphone
CAMERA- its take sometimes to load for 1st time,about 2-3 sec,but when it on memory,it launch in the blink of the eye
SCREEN CONTRAST - i think it ok for my daily use,still visible in strong sunlight and it also have auto contrast
ANDROID VERSION- still waiting for 4.2 update,as we know sony take some time to update it,but by the time htc one globally available we should get the update,so chill
# im happy with xzl and take note that sony more friendly with developer than other manufacture,so more custom rom might come later,hopefully
panflute said:
I am debating bescratcheshe two but have not held either in my hand. Which is better?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Reasons to get ZL over One imo :
- Bigger screen on a smaller chassis. Better screen head on (although not as good viewing angles).
- Better camera overall (except in very dark conditions)
- External sd card slot (readily supports 64gb micro SdXC).
- Better ergonomics (compact, better grip, doesn't get dirty easily).
- Less prone to scratches/daily wear n tear (no need for a case).
- Better UI (cleaner look close to nexus).
P.S. There is a lot of info regarding these two here at xda, just search. Actually, it's you who has to decide what you like/want more in a phone.
Which one is 'Better' is purely subjective. Just because ZL got MicroSD it doesn't mean it's better than One because the latter got bigger internal memory to compensate.
I bought my ZL over anything else in the market because of few reason:
- textured matte back for easy grip and ergonomics, so I don't have to use thick case for it
- smallest 5" body phone so its very pocketable, I don't feel much difference compared to Atrix 2
- mechanical two stage dedicated camera shutter button which is very handy
- simple UI, I'm not the kind of person who are too attached to social networking site so buying Blinkfeed in One would annoy me, I don't even have data plan on my phone
- screen calibration in Settings to make the color more neutral
If I were you, if possible, go to shop and test in hands on. And buy one from there. When you feel it in your hand you will definitely know which one will suit you best :good:
Dat bezel on the One alone is reason enough not to buy it as far as I am concerned
I would add the fact that Sony supports the development community and HtC does not. Right now, for a developer is either a Nexus, Z or ZL.
Sendt fra min ZL 6506
I'm really torn.
I currently have the HTC One S and really love the form factor and build.
The issues that really make me want to upgrade include: No expandable memory or removable battery, smallish screen, mediocre screen res and pentile (although it is bright and has good coloration), outdated resources - especially the 1 GB Ram, and useless notification light.
The other piece of info is that I am using Simple Mobile.
The ZL seems to take care of all of the above (except the battery), but does it do it by enough to justify a full price purchase?
1) While it can take an sd card, (I think) it is is limited to 32GB and has only 16 GB built in. The HTC One Dev Ed has 64 GB (best) and the S4 has 16 or 32 and can take a 64.
2) While the ZL has a 5" 1080p, it loses some real estate from the onscreen buttons and the washout at angles (I saw it firsthand at the Sony Store), while the One & S4 seem to have amazing screens (each in their own way - super lcd vs amoled)
3) In the resource department, the 600 or Octa don't seem to be significant upgrades to the S4 Pro and all 3 blow away the One s. (Antutu: One S = 10,644, ZL = 20,743. The One & S4 are 2-4k higher).
4) Notification Light - ZL by far.
And yet, it just seems like Sony did a lot of things mediocre on the ZL (by current flagship standards).
The screen already mentioned.
Battery Life.
The reviews are hard on the ZL's camera also. One interesting negative I came across is that it only takes 1 mp stills during video.
I'm not crazy about the onscreen buttons. Are there mods to make more use of them i.e. NavBar/NavRings? Has anyone tried using an app like Swipe Pad with them?
Can the toggles in the Notification Panel be removed? I'd rather use something like Elixir or Widgetzoid.
What I really like:
The price! I'm seeing the 6502 as low $515 no tax and 6506 $540, while the S4 or One would be more like $700 or more after tax.
The Power Button placement and the physical camera button (the One's placement on top is really unacceptable).
Lack of Carrier bloatware and yet fully compatible with both AT&T and T-Mobile.
The sound and screen enhancements and tweakability (Bravia, White Balance, xLoud, etc.)
And some more questions:
How is the rear speaker for music and in calls compared to the S4? The Note 2? By it's placement and the way the camera comes out a little it looks like it might have the "N8 effect" on a hard surface.
How is call quality on T-mobile?
Will the camera work better/differently on CM or in stock using something like Camera Zoom fx?
Thanks a lot in advance. I've spent many hours doing research, saw all the phones in person at the stores, etc. but it's such a large purchase so I'd really appreciate the feedback!
ymmp said:
I'm really torn.
I currently have the HTC One S and really love the form factor and build.
The issues that really make me want to upgrade include: No expandable memory or removable battery, smallish screen, mediocre screen res and pentile (although it is bright and has good coloration), outdated resources - especially the 1 GB Ram, and useless notification light.
The other piece of info is that I am using Simple Mobile.
The ZL seems to take care of all of the above (except the battery), but does it do it by enough to justify a full price purchase?
1) While it can take an sd card, (I think) it is is limited to 32GB and has only 16 GB built in. The HTC One Dev Ed has 64 GB (best) and the S4 has 16 or 32 and can take a 64.
2) While the ZL has a 5" 1080p, it loses some real estate from the onscreen buttons and the washout at angles (I saw it firsthand at the Sony Store), while the One & S4 seem to have amazing screens (each in their own way - super lcd vs amoled)
3) In the resource department, the 600 or Octa don't seem to be significant upgrades to the S4 Pro and all 3 blow away the One s. (Antutu: One S = 10,644, ZL = 20,743. The One & S4 are 2-4k higher).
4) Notification Light - ZL by far.
And yet, it just seems like Sony did a lot of things mediocre on the ZL (by current flagship standards).
The screen already mentioned.
Battery Life.
The reviews are hard on the ZL's camera also. One interesting negative I came across is that it only takes 1 mp stills during video.
I'm not crazy about the onscreen buttons. Are there mods to make more use of them i.e. NavBar/NavRings? Has anyone tried using an app like Swipe Pad with them?
Can the toggles in the Notification Panel be removed? I'd rather use something like Elixir or Widgetzoid.
What I really like:
The price! I'm seeing the 6502 as low $515 no tax and 6506 $540, while the S4 or One would be more like $700 or more after tax.
The Power Button placement and the physical camera button (the One's placement on top is really unacceptable).
Lack of Carrier bloatware and yet fully compatible with both AT&T and T-Mobile.
The sound and screen enhancements and tweakability (Bravia, White Balance, xLoud, etc.)
And some more questions:
How is the rear speaker for music and in calls compared to the S4? The Note 2? By it's placement and the way the camera comes out a little it looks like it might have the "N8 effect" on a hard surface.
How is call quality on T-mobile?
Will the camera work better/differently on CM or in stock using something like Camera Zoom fx?
Thanks a lot in advance. I've spent many hours doing research, saw all the phones in person at the stores, etc. but it's such a large purchase so I'd really appreciate the feedback!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the ZL and am using a 64GB SD card with no problems being recognized. Also I've had an iphone 5, htc one for a week and the ZL's battery is better, way better than the htc one and a little better than the iphone 5. Actually really impressed with battery life for a 5" screen that is 1080P. As far as the screen being washed out at an angle that's true but useless criticism as far as i'm concerned. The only time I can see it washed out is when it is at an angle i would NEVER use it. Looking right at the screen for normal use it's as good as any phone out there, HTC one included. As far as the onscreen buttons, I wouldn't have it any other way, its the way android was designed anyway. When I had the htc one for a week the buttons on there just sucked (and why they went from 3 to 2 buttons i have no idea, stupid decision). It takes 2-4 presses usually to get them to work, not that way with the onscreen buttons. I have no regrets on getting this phone.
All I can say, coming from a droid 3:
- The screen is awesome.. personally the viewing angles dont bother me at all since I use it from front angle
- Yes the screen uses a lot of power, but it also did on my droid 3 and that screen sucked major ass. Also, the idle time is the best I've seen on any recent smartphone. With wifi I can stay a fixed percentage for 2 hours easy. When you use it it will drop reasonably fast but it's OK because you still have 95% when you start watching a movie I always can go through 1 day.
- It's super fast. 2GB is awesome
- The camera is supposedly getting better with every update
DoubleYouPee said:
All I can say, coming from a droid 3:
- The screen is awesome.. personally the viewing angles dont bother me at all since I use it from front angle
- Yes the screen uses a lot of power, but it also did on my droid 3 and that screen sucked major ass. Also, the idle time is the best I've seen on any recent smartphone. With wifi I can stay a fixed percentage for 2 hours easy. When you use it it will drop reasonably fast but it's OK because you still have 95% when you start watching a movie I always can go through 1 day.
- It's super fast. 2GB is awesome
- The camera is supposedly getting better with every update
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thing I like, I have a Galaxy S2-i9100 and use it with a otterbox case, the ZL with a simple clear case is as 'small' as my S2 in the otterbox.
and it feels real solid. I still have to hack it. but all in all it seems to be a very good phone...
Make sure you switch on the Stamina mode for the battery...
Video on this is crystal clear... have not toyed with the camera...
I hope Sony comes with AOSP for the ZL...
Ans 64GB SD should work... on most devices... folks prefer to format it exFAT which may not be supported on some custom roms but factory images definitely support it.
G
Ok so I have owned the S4 for about a week, the HTC One for about 3 weeks and the G pro for 2 days lol. I get myself familiarized real quick with phones so 2 days is already enough for me to give a good opinion. Before I give you guys my opinion let me just say that I am very unbiased, I could care less who makes these phones as long as the product is good but I have used Samsung phones more than any other phones and I do like them a lot. Anyways, here's my take ( my opinion) on these 3 phones:
Build/design/choice of material:
I will say that the HTC One takes this category. I have never really cared on how good a phone looks, I always pay more attention to functionality but the HTC One really deserves a lot of praises. Not necessarily because it uses metal but because of the design. It really does looks stunning with its curved back and the 2 front facing speakers. Talking about the material now, it looks and feels great especially when you pick it up in the morning and get that cold feel, really nice. Overall amazing looking device.
The galaxy S4 also has a very nice design. Yes it looks pretty much just like the S3 but its thinner, a little lighter despite having a bigger screen. The polycarbonate is just fine as it serves its purpose to provide a removable battery. The galaxy s 4 is the phone that feels the best in the hand, sooooo comfortable.
The G pro also has a very nice design, its thin, light for its size ( although I wish that it was just a little lighter but no big deal at all) and overall looks really nice. Much more comfortable in the hand than its competitor, the Note 2.
Button placement:
The HTC One is horrible in this category. I hate the power button at the top left with a passion. I despise it so much, it is so uncomfortable to reach. The volume rocker on the right hand side is just fine. Also don't like that there's no menu button.
The S4 is almost perfect, love the power button on the side as always, I also like the volume rocker on the left but I wish that it was just a little bit lower. Love that there's a menu button.
The G pro is the winner here, power button is perfect, volume is perfect on the middle left plus we get an extra button to access any app we want. Simply perfect. Menu button is great although i'm used to the back and menu the Samsung way ( the other way around) but no big deal, ill get used to it. Love the LED home button!
Display/screen size:
The HTC One display is OUTSTANDING. It is such an amazing display, I cannot emphasize it enough. It is absolutely jaw dropping. Sharp, nice colors ( maybe just a tad bit saturated but I love it). Overall its just an amazing display. You do need however to have the display at least at 50% if you want to see anything in direct sunlight. I like the 4.7 inch size but always prefer bigger displays.
The S4 display is the best Super Amoled display ever. If you're a fan of over saturated colors and deep blacks, this one is unbeatable. It is sharp, blacks are great, whites have a little blueish tint on them but not that big of a deal. Personally I think this display is easier to read in direct sunlight even at 0 brightness because the colors pop regardless. This size display is the best for an average smartphone in my opinion. Samsung did an amazing job at fitting a 5 inch screen on pretty much the same body size as the S3 and it doesn't feel big at all.
The G pro display is also INSANE! Despite having a lesser ppi than the 2 other phones, it is insanely sharp, text is crystal clear, colors are super accurate, viewing angles are excellent ( all 3 displays as a matter of fact). As far as screen size, this is my personal favorite ( im a sucker for big screens). It has the same 5.5 inch screen as the note 2 but doesn't feel too big, its just perfect!.
Overall all 3 displays are great, its just a matter of preference. If you take the display alone then I would give the ever so slight edge ( and I mean so slight that you cant measure it) to the HTC One, followed by the G pro and 3rd the S4 but again all are absolutely amazing. I f you consider display plus screen size, G pro takes it.
Performance:
The HTC One performs so well. It is super quick. Opening apps, exiting apps, swiping through the home screens, browsing the web, performance is nearly flawless ( literally). Once in a blue moon there can be a very slight hiccup but the average person wont notice it. ( Im pretty good at noticing these things).
The S4 performance is good but it does stutter...quite a bit. ( not lag where it completely stops but the animations can stutter a lot). My guess is that android 4.2 and the gazillion sensors are responsible. 4.2 is known to have quite a few bugs, as far as the sensors go they are always activated waiting for the user's gestures/movements so I think it might contribute to the stuttering. There has been a software update the past few days and I think it solved many issues. Don't get me wrong the S4 performs well but stutters a lot ( its hard to explain really).
The Optimus G pro performance is AMAZING. It is so fluid, I never had a device as fluid as this. Just an hour ago I was at work and I showed the phone to one of my co-worker who owns a nexus 4 and talks about how smooth and fast his phone is, I asked him to play with my G pro, you should have seen his face. First thing he said was " Holy sh*t this is so cool" referring to the lock screen animation and then " OMG this is so smooth and fast" as his fingers were gliding through the home screens. Seriously the G pro is INSANELY smooth, by far the smoothest device I have owned yet and I mean it.
If I had to pick a winner it would be G pro followed by the One and S4. The One might be a little quicker than the G pro but the G pro is so smooth and is also quick.
Sense 5/ Touchwiz/ LG's UI:
I like sense 5. Its very nice. Its very simple, in fact sometimes its too simple but it performs well. I thought that I would hate blinkfeed but I fell in love at first sight thanks to the impressive display. What I don't like is that people cant completely remove it if they don't want to use it, I don't like the fact that you have to double tap the home button to access the multitasking and have to close each apps individually. That is just stupid HTC, dumb. Love the music player, don't like that to add an app to the home screen you have to go in the app drawer, hold the app, drag it all the way to the top and then it lets you put it on the home screen, another dumb move. But still sense 5 is very nice nonetheless.
I always liked touchwiz. I thought that it brought many features to the table, I still think it does. But touchwiz is getting old, really old and needs a UI revamp ASAP!!!! Its pretty much the exact same as it is on the S3 and not too different from the S2 except the features. Speaking of features, the S4 has anything possibly imaginable. The bad is that many of them are really gimmicky but the good is that you can turn off whatever you want and I respect that, thank you Samsung for at least giving us the option to remove things unlike HTC lol. My favorite features on the S4 are Airview and multiwindow. Both extremely useful. Airview to access sub menus, preview emails ( don't have to open every email), works as a magnifier glass, works really well. Multi window takes multitasking a step further. Yes it is available on other Samsung devices but it is something that the S4 has over the G pro and HTC One. Air gestures, smart pause are fun for 15 min but then you wont find any use to it ( except for moving apps from one home screen to another with air gesture, pretty useful).
Lg's UI is awesome in my opinion. Starting with the lockscreen, love the animations, in fact I love all the animations of the UI. That's what I love about this device, you can pretty much customize ANYTHING YOU WANT. Colors of folders, lockscreen animations, settings in tabs or list, icons... you name it. Q slide is very nice but doesn't even come close to multi window. LG's UI is very close to touchwiz but they kinda created their own lane and they're doing a very nice job. Once again everything is so smooth, love the quick access button to access any apps on the phone. This UI is like a touchwiz refresh and feels very familiar but different and I love it.
The Gpro UI is my favorite because of the animations, the smoothness and the features. Touchwiz would have tied it if it wasn't for the stutter. Love sense 5 as well.
Camera:
S4 WINS HANDS DOWN, NO DEBATE EVER!!! Such a fantastic camera. The G pro camera is second and the One 3rd although the One is very impressive in low light.
Storage:
Definitely the G pro. Let me explain. Every android phone since ICS can only install apps on the internal storage except the S4 which just had an update to be able to install apps to the sd card. The problem with the S4 move to sd card is that the maximum size app is 40 mb. ( that's what I read) So considering all 3 phones entry models at 199$, the HTC One gives you 32 gig of storage but no possible way of sd cards, the S4 comes in 16 gig with half of it taken by the system and move to sd card only support apps that are 40 mb and under. The G pro comes with 32 gig AND has expandable memory.
Battery life:
Definitely the G pro but everybody knows that, no surprises here with its 3140 mah battery. Not too far behind is the S4 ( GT-I9500 exynos 5 octa version). Plenty of screen time as well and 3rd is HTC One with also great battery life but not better than the other 2. All of them get you through a day with normal use no problem but the G pro is the star of the show.
Music/sound/Speakers:
You already know, the HTC One is UNBEATABLE right now. I don't know if any of you had the privilege to hear the sound that comes out of the One speakers. The sound is so good and loud and clear that it literally puts a smile on my face, literally. It is so crisp, really HTC has Set the bar when it comes to sound quality on a smartphone meaning every new phones that come out will have to beat it to be impressive. Music through the headphones is also great, Beats audio is supported and HTC provides a nice pair of ear buds. Second place goes to the S4. The speakers are plenty loud, just not as clear as the One plus the placement is in the back so it can easily be muffled. Sound through earbuds is nice and loud but again doesn't match the One. Last but not least is the optimus G pro. The sound through the speakers is good ,not great but the volume isn't very high with the headphones. Plus the G pro doesn't come with any earbuds.
Development:
HTC One without a doubt. Not only that HTC provides a method to unlock the bootloader, but the One has S-off now. As you may know, S-off gives you pretty much complete control of your phone and lets you write things on the "write system partition". You can change boot animation, flash radios ect... plus it has super CID which lets you change the ID of your phone from for example an AT&T to the international version so when HTC pushes an update you'll get it on your AT&T phone despite it not being the international version. And the cherry on top of the cake is that any roms on the international HTC One can be flashed to the T-Mobile, AT&T and sprint versions ( some for the sprint versions). That is so amazing. The S4 (Gt I9500 octa core) has an unlocked bootloader, I love Samsung for that. Super easy to root and tools like Odin and CF root by chainfire are awesome. Development is good and will get better. G pro has an easy root method but as you all know the bootloader is locked ( damn you AT&T !). Thanks to thecubed, the bootloader unlock is just a matter of time and once that's done, everybody needs to step back cause the beast will be unleashed!
Call quality
No complains really, all 3 perform pretty well although the advantage goes to the One cause of the speakers for speakerphone calls.
Overall, all 3 phones are amazing. The One offers a quality device, amazing sound, nearly flawless performance and a fantastic display. The S4 is a worthy upgrade to the popular S3, pretty much same body frame but with a bigger screen, lighter, thinner and a bigger battery. Also the best Amoled display and the best camera on a phone yet.
And now the G pro, an optimus G on steroids just like the Note 2 is to the S3. Smoothest experience on a phone, so fast, incredible 5.5 inch 1080p display, fantastic battery life, customizable to the core, nice LED home button, very nice performing camera. My new favorite phone. Cheers!
That was one heck of a comparison... Great job!
Sent from my Xolo_X500 using Tapatalk 2
Nice review...
Thanks for the review! Just wish we had the community the note ii has
Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
vivebatu said:
That was one heck of a comparison... Great job!
Sent from my Xolo_X500 using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
Teardrop45 said:
Nice review...
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ethanemc505 said:
Thanks for the review! Just wish we had the community the note ii has
Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
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Thank you very much fellas, really appreciate it!
Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk 2
barondebxl said:
Thank you very much fellas, really appreciate it!
Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
Just a query... Can you also post the average (I mean ball park without any usage qualifications) SCREEN ON times you for with the 3 phones before the battery ran out?
Tks again
Sent from my Xolo_X500 using Tapatalk 2
vivebatu said:
Just a query... Can you also post the average (I mean ball park without any usage qualifications) SCREEN ON times you for with the 3 phones before the battery ran out?
Tks again
Sent from my Xolo_X500 using Tapatalk 2
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Sure thing. Don't have an S4 screen shot though.
HTC one:
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G pro:
It's pretty good although I was on WiFi all the time. It takes time to charge though.
For the S4, getting 5hours of screen time with constant use is so easy and I wasn't on WiFi all the time so it's definitely better than the HTC one. Also battery charges pretty fast.
The G pro is amazing, it's better than the S4 (exynos version) but not by much, I would say maybe 30 to 45 min more of on screen time. (Note that I had a custom kernel on the S4). The G pro has excellent stand by time plus the battery charges SO FAST!
Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk 2
Do you think that the G Pro has the most reflective screen out of the bunch? It would make the screen hard to see outdoors and even under strong artificial light.
Sharpshooterrr said:
Do you think that the G Pro has the most reflective screen out of the bunch? It would make the screen hard to see outdoors and even under strong artificial light.
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Maybe yes but again I think everything is Crystal clear from 50% brightness and above in outdoors conditions. All 3 displays are phenomenal.
Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk 2
GPro's got a nice big battery, but honestly, it's got NOTHING on the Note II. I've easily done 48+ hours with 5 hours of screen-on time on my Note II.
If the OGPro were out same time as the Note II, it would've been a tough choice between the two phones. I bought the Note II because I wanted the biggest, highest-powered phone you could buy in December.
raduque said:
GPro's got a nice big battery, but honestly, it's got NOTHING on the Note II. I've easily done 48+ hours with 5 hours of screen-on time on my Note II.
If the OGPro were out same time as the Note II, it would've been a tough choice between the two phones. I bought the Note II because I wanted the biggest, highest-powered phone you could buy in December.
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Click to collapse
The note 2 does have a better battery life yes but the G pro isn't too far behind. Right now I'm at 16 hours off charge with a little over 4 hours of screen time with extremely heavy use, only 1 hour of WiFi use, lots of iron man 3 and granny Smith gaming, lots of web browsing and tapatalk and 30% left so battery life is definitely not an issue on this phone but yes the note 2 is a bit better. What I like about these phablets is that they charge so freaking fast ( yesterday my phone charged in 1h20 min from 9% to full charge) and the phone never gets hot/warm. The G pro is the best phablet until the note 3 comes out.
Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk 2
Fast Charging is definitely my favorite feature of the NII and OGPro.
As for that battery info from my Note II, that day I played CSR Racing for about 2 hours, listened to music for 6 hours (about an hour with the screen on) and was on wifi for 90% of the time. Of course I had a smattering of text, maybe 20 minutes of calls and 5 or 10 minutes of browsing. I wasn't using any of the phone's radios heavily that day. The absolute best I pulled out of it was 35 hours off-charge, with 8 hours of screen time, and 12% left.
You're right when you say battery life is not an issue. I have no problems leaving it off the charger for a long time. My S2, I didn't like being more than 20 feet from a charger, and used to have it plugged in, in my truck for the drive to work (30 minutes each way, screen on with music playing).
raduque said:
GPro's got a nice big battery, but honestly, it's got NOTHING on the Note II. I've easily done 48+ hours with 5 hours of screen-on time on my Note II.
If the OGPro were out same time as the Note II, it would've been a tough choice between the two phones. I bought the Note II because I wanted the biggest, highest-powered phone you could buy in December.
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Click to collapse
Honestly, my easily lasts 3 days with 6hrs of screen time, for example now I have 50hrs spent with 57% left and 3hrs of screen time. My advice: don't push brightness over 40% and turn off everything you don't need as explained here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2292012
Billy Madison said:
Honestly, my easily lasts 3 days with 6hrs of screen time, for example now I have 50hrs spent with 57% left and 3hrs of screen time. My advice: don't push brightness over 40% and turn off everything you don't need as explained here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2292012
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Click to collapse
It's definitely possible. I use my g pro heavily because I know the battery can handle it. 7 hours on screen time is more than doable.
Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk 2
G Pro Wins!!
I work with 5 guys that have the S 4. My friend and all his employees att the Att store where he is a manager all have the G pro. Without a doubt I think the G Pro is the better phone. It seems way faster. I was concerned about not being to connect my G Pro to the Tv but I just found a slim port adapter that is supposed to work.
BUT!!!!! Be careful the G Pro glass is weak. I shattered it in the first week with a 2 foot drop waiting for my case from South Korea. Ballastic or Otterbox please get a case out asap!!!
drrandall1 said:
BUT!!!!! Be careful the G Pro glass is weak. I shattered it in the first week with a 2 foot drop waiting for my case from South Korea. Ballastic or Otterbox please get a case out asap!!!
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Broke my Note II's screen from about a foot-ish drop to concrete. That's how I got a OGPro. No phone is immune.
barondebxl said:
Ok so I have owned the S4 for about a week, the HTC One for about 3 weeks and the G pro for 2 days lol. I get myself familiarized real quick with phones so 2 days is already enough for me to give a good opinion. Before I give you guys my opinion let me just say that I am very unbiased, I could care less who makes these phones as long as the product is good but I have used Samsung phones more than any other phones and I do like them a lot. Anyways, here's my take ( my opinion) on these 3 phones:
Build/design/choice of material:
I will say that the HTC One takes this category. I have never really cared on how good a phone looks, I always pay more attention to functionality but the HTC One really deserves a lot of praises. Not necessarily because it uses metal but because of the design. It really does looks stunning with its curved back and the 2 front facing speakers. Talking about the material now, it looks and feels great especially when you pick it up in the morning and get that cold feel, really nice. Overall amazing looking device.
The galaxy S4 also has a very nice design. Yes it looks pretty much just like the S3 but its thinner, a little lighter despite having a bigger screen. The polycarbonate is just fine as it serves its purpose to provide a removable battery. The galaxy s 4 is the phone that feels the best in the hand, sooooo comfortable.
The G pro also has a very nice design, its thin, light for its size ( although I wish that it was just a little lighter but no big deal at all) and overall looks really nice. Much more comfortable in the hand than its competitor, the Note 2.
Button placement:
The HTC One is horrible in this category. I hate the power button at the top left with a passion. I despise it so much, it is so uncomfortable to reach. The volume rocker on the right hand side is just fine. Also don't like that there's no menu button.
The S4 is almost perfect, love the power button on the side as always, I also like the volume rocker on the left but I wish that it was just a little bit lower. Love that there's a menu button.
The G pro is the winner here, power button is perfect, volume is perfect on the middle left plus we get an extra button to access any app we want. Simply perfect. Menu button is great although i'm used to the back and menu the Samsung way ( the other way around) but no big deal, ill get used to it. Love the LED home button!
Display/screen size:
The HTC One display is OUTSTANDING. It is such an amazing display, I cannot emphasize it enough. It is absolutely jaw dropping. Sharp, nice colors ( maybe just a tad bit saturated but I love it). Overall its just an amazing display. You do need however to have the display at least at 50% if you want to see anything in direct sunlight. I like the 4.7 inch size but always prefer bigger displays.
The S4 display is the best Super Amoled display ever. If you're a fan of over saturated colors and deep blacks, this one is unbeatable. It is sharp, blacks are great, whites have a little blueish tint on them but not that big of a deal. Personally I think this display is easier to read in direct sunlight even at 0 brightness because the colors pop regardless. This size display is the best for an average smartphone in my opinion. Samsung did an amazing job at fitting a 5 inch screen on pretty much the same body size as the S3 and it doesn't feel big at all.
The G pro display is also INSANE! Despite having a lesser ppi than the 2 other phones, it is insanely sharp, text is crystal clear, colors are super accurate, viewing angles are excellent ( all 3 displays as a matter of fact). As far as screen size, this is my personal favorite ( im a sucker for big screens). It has the same 5.5 inch screen as the note 2 but doesn't feel too big, its just perfect!.
Overall all 3 displays are great, its just a matter of preference. If you take the display alone then I would give the ever so slight edge ( and I mean so slight that you cant measure it) to the HTC One, followed by the G pro and 3rd the S4 but again all are absolutely amazing. I f you consider display plus screen size, G pro takes it.
Performance:
The HTC One performs so well. It is super quick. Opening apps, exiting apps, swiping through the home screens, browsing the web, performance is nearly flawless ( literally). Once in a blue moon there can be a very slight hiccup but the average person wont notice it. ( Im pretty good at noticing these things).
The S4 performance is good but it does stutter...quite a bit. ( not lag where it completely stops but the animations can stutter a lot). My guess is that android 4.2 and the gazillion sensors are responsible. 4.2 is known to have quite a few bugs, as far as the sensors go they are always activated waiting for the user's gestures/movements so I think it might contribute to the stuttering. There has been a software update the past few days and I think it solved many issues. Don't get me wrong the S4 performs well but stutters a lot ( its hard to explain really).
The Optimus G pro performance is AMAZING. It is so fluid, I never had a device as fluid as this. Just an hour ago I was at work and I showed the phone to one of my co-worker who owns a nexus 4 and talks about how smooth and fast his phone is, I asked him to play with my G pro, you should have seen his face. First thing he said was " Holy sh*t this is so cool" referring to the lock screen animation and then " OMG this is so smooth and fast" as his fingers were gliding through the home screens. Seriously the G pro is INSANELY smooth, by far the smoothest device I have owned yet and I mean it.
If I had to pick a winner it would be G pro followed by the One and S4. The One might be a little quicker than the G pro but the G pro is so smooth and is also quick.
Sense 5/ Touchwiz/ LG's UI:
I like sense 5. Its very nice. Its very simple, in fact sometimes its too simple but it performs well. I thought that I would hate blinkfeed but I fell in love at first sight thanks to the impressive display. What I don't like is that people cant completely remove blinkfeed if they don't want to use it, I don't like the fact that you have to double tap the home button to access the multitasking and have to close each apps individually. That is just stupid HTC, dumb. Love the music player, don't like that to add an app to the home screen you have to go in the app drawer, hold the app, drag it all the way to the top and then it lets you put it on the home screen, another dumb move. But still sense 5 is very nice nonetheless.
I always liked touchwiz. I thought that it brought many features to the table, I still think it does. But touchwiz is getting old, really old and needs a UI revamp ASAP!!!! Its pretty much the exact same as it is on the S3 and not too different from the S2 except the features. Speaking of features, the S4 has anything possibly imaginable. The bad is that many of them are really gimmicky but the good is that you can turn off whatever you want and I respect that, thank you Samsung for at least giving us the option to remove things unlike HTC lol. My favorite features on the S4 are Airview and multiwindow. Both extremely useful. Airview to access sub menus, preview emails ( don't have to open every email), works as a magnifier glass, works really well. Multi window takes multitasking a step further. Yes it is available on other Samsung devices but it is something that the S4 has over the G pro and HTC One. Air gestures, smart pause are fun for 15 min but then you wont find any use to it ( except for moving apps from one home screen to another with air gesture, pretty useful).
Lg's UI is awesome in my opinion. Starting with the lockscreen, love the animations, in fact I love all the animations of the UI. That's what I love about this device, you can pretty much customize ANYTHING YOU WANT. Colors of folders, lockscreen animations, settings in tabs or list, icons... you name it. Q slide is very nice but doesn't even come close to multi window. LG's UI is very close to touchwiz but they kinda created their own lane and they're doing a very nice job. Once again everything is so smooth, love the quick access button to access any apps on the phone. This UI is like a touchwiz refresh and feels very familiar but different and I love it.
The Gpro UI is my favorite because of the animation, the smoothness and the features. Touchwiz would have tied it if it wasn't for the stutter. Love sense 5 as well.
Camera:
S4 WINS HANDS DOWN, NO DEBATE EVER!!! Such a fantastic camera. The G pro camera is second and the One 3rd although the One is very impressive in low light.
Storage:
Definitely the G pro. Let me explain. Every android phone since ICS can only install apps on the internal storage except the S4 which just had an update to be able to install apps to the sd card. The problem with the S4 move to sd card is that the maximum size app is 40 mb. ( that's what I read) So considering all 3 phones entry model at 199$, the HTC One gives you 32 gig of storage but no possible way of sd cards, the S4 comes in 16 gig with half of it taken by the system and move to sd card only support apps that are 40 mb and under. The G pro comes with 32 gig AND has expandable memory.
Battery life:
Definitely the G pro but everybody knows that, no surprises here with its 3140 mah battery. Not too far behind is the S4 ( GT-I9500 exynos 5 octa version). Plenty of screen time as well and 3rd is HTC One with also great battery life but not better than the other 2. All of them get you through a day with normal use no problem but the G pro is the star of the show.
Music/sound/Speakers:
You already know, the HTC One is UNBEATABLE right now. I don't know if any of you had the privilege to hear the sound that comes out of the One speakers. The sound is so good and loud and clear that it literally puts a smile on my face, literally. It is so crisp, really HTC has Set the bar when it comes to sound quality on a smartphone meaning every new phones that come out will have to beat it to be impressive. Music through the headphones is also great, Beats audio is supported and HTC provides a nice pair of ear buds. Second place goes to the S4. The speakers are plenty loud, just not as clear as the One plus the placement is in the back so it can easily be muffled. Sound through earbuds is nice and loud but again doesn't match the One. Last but not least is the optimus G pro. The sound through the speakers is as loud as the S4 but the volume isn't as high with the headphones. Plus the G pro doesn't come with any earbuds.
Development:
HTC One without a doubt. Not only that HTC provides a method to unlock the bootloader, but the One has S-off now. As you may know, S-off gives you pretty much complete control of your phone and lets you write things on the "write system partition". You can change boot animation, flash radios ect... plus it has super CID which lets you change the ID of your phone from for example an AT&T to the international version so when HTC pushes an update you'll get it on your AT&T phone despite it not being the international version. And the cherry on top of the cake is that any roms on the international HTC One can be flashed to the T-Mobile, AT&T and sprint versions ( some for the sprint versions). That is so amazing. The S4 (Gt I9500 octa core) has an unlocked botloader, I love Samsung for that. Super easy to root and tools like Odin are great plus there is CF root by chainfire. Development is good and will get better. G pro has an easy root method but as you all now the bootloader is locked ( damn you AT&T !). Thanks to thecubed, the bootloader unlock is just a matter of time and once that's done, everybody needs to step back cause the beast will be unleashed!
Overall, all 3 phones are amazing. The One offers a quality device, amazing sound, nearly flawless performance and a fantastic display. The S4 is a worthy upgrade to the popular S3, pretty much same body frame but with a bigger screen, lighter, thinner and a bigger battery. Also the best Amoled display and the best camera on a phone yet.
And now the G pro, an optimus G on steroids just like the Note 2 is to the S3. Smoothest experience on a phone, so fast, incredible 5.5 inch 1080p display, fantastic battery life, customizable to the core, nice LED home button, very nice performing camera. My new favorite phone. Cheers!
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Click to collapse
I disagree on camera quality. HTC One pictures look better overall, even if they are lacking a little detail. The G Pro tends to blur the photos a bit much and you lose a lot of detail that you should have on a 13mp camera.
The GS4 definitely wins on quality, however the camera is slow. Like the rest of the UI, it lags and takes significantly longer to launch and take a picture. This translates to missed opportunities and blurry action shots. I don't have this issue with either the One or the G Pro, although the One is the champ in the fast camera department. Honestly, if Samsung could optimize Touchwize and speed up the GS4's fluidity, it would be boss.
greyhulk said:
I disagree on camera quality. HTC One pictures look better overall, even if they are lacking a little detail. The G Pro tends to blur the photos a bit much and you lose a lot of detail that you should have on a 13mp camera.
The GS4 definitely wins on quality, however the camera is slow. Like the rest of the UI, it lags and takes significantly longer to launch and take a picture. This translates to missed opportunities and blurry action shots. I don't have this issue with either the One or the G Pro, although the One is the champ in the fast camera department. Honestly, if Samsung could optimize Touchwize and speed up the GS4's fluidity, it would be boss.
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It is your opinion but I definitely disagree with you, the S4 is the best camera on a phone at the moment. The one does not even come close and really lacks detail. If you talk about shutter speed then yes the One is quicker but the S4 excels in detail and the pics looks absolutely stunning.
I don't think it's fair to call the One camera better because it has a faster shutter speed. What about the picture quality (the thing that really matters after all)?
Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk 2
barondebxl said:
It is your opinion but I definitely disagree with you, the S4 is the best camera on a phone at the moment. The one does not even come close and really lacks detail. If you talk about shutter speed then yes the One is quicker but the S4 excels in detail and the pics looks absolutely stunning.
I don't think it's fair to call the One camera better because it has a faster shutter speed. What about the picture quality (the thing that really matters after all)?
Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk 2
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You basically reiterated what I said, but camera launch and shutter speed are important because it doesn't matter how good the picture quality is if you miss the moment completely or get a blurry shot due to movement. The whole point of a smartphone camera is speed and convenience, otherwise, you might as well use a DSLR for the best quality.
I regularly miss photos with my GS4 because by the time the screen unlocks and the camera loads, the moment has passed. This is never an issue on the One and rarely on the G Pro.
Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
greyhulk said:
You basically reiterated what I said, but camera launch and shutter speed are important because it doesn't matter how good the picture quality is if you miss the moment completely or get a blurry shot due to movement. The whole point of a smartphone camera is speed and convenience, otherwise, you might as well use a DSLR for the best quality.
I regularly miss photos with my GS4 because by the time the screen unlocks and the camera loads, the moment has passed. This is never an issue on the One and rarely on the G Pro.
Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
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Well once again I have to disagree with you. " the whole point of a smartphone camera is its speed and convenience". What if the pic quality isn't that great?
I don't know about you but most pictures I take are still pics, people posing stuff like that. Yes shutter speeds are great, but ill take the image quality of the S4 with its slower shutter speed over the fast shutter speed of the One but with far less picture quality anyday. I don't understand your point about carrying DSLRs since we are comparing smartphones here. So if I understand correctly, you think the HTC One's camera is better because of faster shutter speed to capture that "moment" while I prefer the S4's camera because its picture quality is absolutely superior. And its not like it takes 10 seconds for the S4 to launch the camera plus capture a pic.
Your quote to my huge post was " I disagree with camera quality", well this isn't even a point to be argued since everybody knows the S4 captures more details with its camera.
For those of you that have this phone, and have had it since close to it's release date, what are your opinions?
I am going to be purchasing a new phone, for use with WindMobile in Canada (i.e. it must be an AWS phone). As far as I can tell this is my best option because I use my phone mostly as a camera so my #1 interest is a camera that does not lag and will open quickly. I also am a fairly heavy user for NUMBER of apps. I have a lot installed and switch between them frequently. I don't play games or watch videos so graphics don't matter much.
The kicker here is I am REALLY hoping to keep this phone for 2 years at least. Do you think that this phone will last? Keeping in mind I don't care about being behind on new technology. I only care that it can handle my volume of use and won't sputter and choke to a slow after 6 months use like the one I have now.
I currently have an Optimus 2X but it is dying. It lags incredibly between tasks and the plastic covering the camera is poor quality and I had to rip it off so the lens is mostly unprotected now. I don't want to deal with stuff like this is I am going to buy a brand new phone. Do you think the Xperia ZL is the right choice?
p.s. I saw a review of the camera where the reviewer said that the photos look great on the BRAVIA screen but once on a computer screen are not very good. Has this been your experience? What about printing?
p.p.s. would appreciate comments about how rugged it is also as I work as a nanny with two 24 month old toddlers. Honestly I want the Z due to it's waterproof encasing but it's not sold new up here in Canada.
so my #1 interest is a camera that does not lag and will open quickly.
--> camera itself is the fastest I've seen. First thing you notice is the super smooth and responsive viewfinder.. even in low light. It always feels 60fps. I compared this to HTC ONE and it's a LOT slower..really.
About opening.. opening of the camera app isn't fastest i've seen (can take 3 secs) but because of the dedicated button you can still open it way faster than phones without button.
I also am a fairly heavy user for NUMBER of apps. I have a lot installed and switch between them frequently. I don't play games or watch videos so graphics don't matter much.
--> Ye as with all 2GB phones multitasking is almost instant and apps never really close.
The kicker here is I am REALLY hoping to keep this phone for 2 years at least. Do you think that this phone will last? Keeping in mind I don't care about being behind on new technology.
Then yes. I don't see why this phone wouldn't make it 2 years.
I only care that it can handle my volume of use and won't sputter and choke to a slow after 6 months use like the one I have now.
With 2GB ram it's pretty future proof IMO.
p.s. I saw a review of the camera where the reviewer said that the photos look great on the BRAVIA screen but once on a computer screen are not very good. Has this been your experience? What about printing?
Well, in my opinion, pictures look suberb on the 5" with bravia engine 2..really gives a wow-factor.
When you then watch them on the PC they look kinda normal/bland/boring..so its just the way you look at it
p.p.s. would appreciate comments about how rugged it is also as I work as a nanny with two 24 month old toddlers. Honestly I want the Z due to it's waterproof encasing but it's not sold new up here in Canada.
The back isn't made from glass but very grippy texture. I haven't dropped mine but the phones feels very sturdy and good quality, except for maybe the little flap on the back for sim/SD.
Honestly I think ZL is very underrated and still (even with new models like Z1) ZL is still my favorite.
Thanks for your quick quick reply!! One clarification I have to ask: I understand what you mean about quality depending on the screen. However when you look on your computer do you think the quality fits the price? Let's put this simply: I am tired of my boyfriend's iphone photos looking SOOOO much better than mine. Can I at least compete now? lol
earthabbey said:
Thanks for your quick quick reply!! One clarification I have to ask: I understand what you mean about quality depending on the screen. However when you look on your computer do you think the quality fits the price? Let's put this simply: I am tired of my boyfriend's iphone photos looking SOOOO much better than mine. Can I at least compete now? lol
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To be honest I really like the camera but the software app just doesn't do it justice. Pictures looked a bit washed out when looked at the computer. You can still install another camera app with less compression effects.
Also, for me the camera opens very quickly, less than 1 second with the latest 267 firmware update.
The phone looks gorgeous with the incredibly small bezel for a 5 inch phone. But if you want an awesome camera phone you really should go with the Galaxy S4. Still the best midrange camera phone I've seen so far is clearly the Nokia Lumia 920 but its a Win8 phone... both phone can be easily unlocked if not offered by Wind and are AWS versions.
Also, lots of people complain about the screen being TFT which is the cheapest technology you can use for a phone nowadays. So the viewing angles aren't good but I personally don't care much. But I think you will notice it right away.
Still, for a lot of other aspects, I prefer the Sony ZL
earthabbey said:
p.p.s. would appreciate comments about how rugged it is also as I work as a nanny with two 24 month old toddlers. Honestly I want the Z due to it's waterproof encasing but it's not sold new up here in Canada.
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the Z is available through Bell FYI.
I just traded it my s3 for an zl very disappointed in camera in dark places there is a ton of noise I have to also take multiple snaps before I can get a shot to have a properly focused pic if I use flash it works fine but using superior auto mode and in a well lit room it still doesn't compare anything to the s3 which had a very quick focus but other then that the phone is well worth it will last you 2 years if you do not abuse it only thing im concerned is the non removable battery... wonder how will it perform in 2 years from now....
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
shahkam said:
I just traded it my s3 for an zl very disappointed in camera in dark places there is a ton of noise I have to also take multiple snaps before I can get a shot to have a properly focused pic if I use flash it works fine but using superior auto mode and in a well lit room it still doesn't compare anything to the s3 which had a very quick focus but other then that the phone is well worth it will last you 2 years if you do not abuse it only thing im concerned is the non removable battery... wonder how will it perform in 2 years from now....
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
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Do you have the latest update? A lot of reviews I saw said that there were a lot of problems before the latest update.
shahkam said:
I just traded it my s3 for an zl very disappointed in camera in dark places there is a ton of noise I have to also take multiple snaps before I can get a shot to have a properly focused pic if I use flash it works fine but using superior auto mode and in a well lit room it still doesn't compare anything to the s3 which had a very quick focus but other then that the phone is well worth it will last you 2 years if you do not abuse it only thing im concerned is the non removable battery... wonder how will it perform in 2 years from now....
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
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Don't use superior auto by default, it adds way too much noise. Try using normal with some basic tweaks, you will see a major difference.
Especially with the latest update.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
Well I kind of have the same problem. Own an Optimus 2x and now ordered Zl from an amazon offer (350 euros). I love the white version since - if the black back looks cheap - this is absolutely not the case with the white.
However, I am quite disappointed by the screen. You notice the viewing angles immediately and every time the phone is lying on a table in a darker room, it looks like it is showing a bright Grey picture although background is black. So I wanted to return it.
Then I thought of alternatives, but very successful.. I am looking for a phone with no amoled screen, wo no s4. I really want at least 32gb memory and would be happy if it had a working fm radio like XZL (tried Optimus G and thought that must be a bad joke). The Optimus G was nice, but fm radio crap, and due to non expendable storage, I was really missing USB otg. S4 active would be nice, but no fm radio, feels somehow big and is very overpriced. The new nexus 5 seems to only have 16gb.. LG G2 is very expensive with 32gb. And none of them has a dedicated camera button. So I guess xperia zl is a great package! If only they had included a IPS screen (which can be considered as standard today, even for cheap phones).
Today I looked at the screen in a bright room and then it looked way better than yesterday night when it was dark. So I am thinking of keeping the phone - seems like the package is quite good. Or does anyone of you habe a proposal?
Sent from my LG-P990 using xda app-developers app
My comments:
The poor viewing angles on the screen aren't as horrible as people make it out to be, the screen is still perfectly good and quite a joy to look at. (plus if you like to be private then it stops people from seeing what you're doing easily)
Picture quality is fine, I have an unlocked bootloader(which I did before TA backups were a thing ;_ and even still everything looks great on the screen. Video quality is pretty good in my opinion. In low light, yes the picture quality does tend to suffer but it's still acceptable for it being a phone, I personally haven't tried tweaking with the settings much besides installing the Z1 camera app port.
If you want to see the quality yourself, here are some photos/videos(mind you the outdoor greenery shots were taken a while ago so the latest updates might have improved things):
http://imgur.com/a/qoqg2#0
http://youtu.be/SXxN14HdeGU
Performance has been pretty good, there are a few things I've noticed which can make it a little laggy, like setting a smaller icon size in Apex and the app Twilight can make scrolling a little laggy, but otherwise performance is snappy.
Something that might be of concern is battery life, due to the non-removeable battery. I can usually get through a day before having to charge. I get about 4-5 hours of video watching, so if I only use the screen for a few hours sporadically(15 minutes here, 15 minutes there) then I can usually push it to 24 hours.
One thing I would really suggest is getting at least a decent screen cover, if not case as well, I have one of those meifeng cases from ebay, it's decent enough quality and it's pretty thin, I don't use it every day though. But the built in screen protector is an absolute lint electromagnet, it's like it's sole purpose was to collect lint, not cool. I picked up a skinomi screen protector, just put it on top of the built in one and it works/looks fine.
One thing I like about the skinomi is that it's slightly soft, so it doesn't scratch easily, but it still a good surface for fingering.
The speaker isn't loud enough to be heard over a concert or some power tools, but if you're just at home or in the car then it's quite adequate, the headphone out is also adequate, though it can be a tad quieter than some might like, depending on headphones used.
The microphones are pretty great, that youtube video? The music in person was ear-screeching, yet somehow the microphones managed to pick everything else up pretty well.
The IR Blaster is fun if you normally use multiple remotes for your home.
I can't really think of anything else at the moment, but feel free to ask and I'll try to answer.
Edit:
Shadowman19: Personally I find the viewing angles acceptable knowing that I'm probably never really going to be looking at my phone from these angles anyways, 99% of the time I'm looking at it is straight on.
Personally I don't own a ZL(I currently own an Ion), but i have seen a couple of Z's(the Z screen is similar to the ZL). Honestly, I don't see the difference when tilting the phone(I can definitely see it on my ion). The poor viewing angle claims are exaggerated.