On the fence about buying the One? Read on..

On the fence about buying the One? Read on.. - Verizon HTC One (M7)

As of late, I've read a lot of debate between whether or not people should ultimately lock themselves into the Verizon One for a couple years (or even shell out the full price retail investment), and I'd like to give my personal insight as to what you should do in this regard, especially if you're "stuck" with Verizon.
It seems as if a lot of people on the forums are not interesting in buying the One simply based on the fact that you can't unlock the bootloader and gain S-Off. The question burning on your mind should be "What exactly am I going to do with this device?"
If you're like me (as in, not a developer, light SDK use, more of a power Android user), you use the resources provided by the developers on XDA to enrich your experience with your device. Maybe you've lightly brushed into making your own custom ROM, and some phones provided kitchens to do this fairly easily, but you're probably not going to make a ROM. You're more so interested in removing all the bloat, using Titanium to restore from your previous device, and maybe fiddle with Root Explorer to get rid of some apps you'll never use. Maybe you'll want to overclock the CPU/GPU, etc., but I imagine the majority of the users interested in root and S-off want to install custom ROMs or barebones AOSP/Google Play edition.
If your intention is to get back to AOSP, you can simply install an AOSP-like launcher by going to the market. The nag on the inside of you will say you want Sense and BlinkFeed removed completely, but all in all, you're going to get the same stock like experience on a blazing fast device. Even if you're going to overclock, chances are you're going to see minimal noticeable gains, mainly at the fact that your benchmark is going to score higher. You're also going to be trying to overclock a quad-core device, which if you've had any desktop overclocking experience, most of the time the processors are developed on a bed of cores (perhaps 6-8, who knows) and the lower performing cores are then locked, which is cheaper than throwing out the entire chip and remapping. Even if the device has exactly 4 cores, the lowest rated core will have to be running at about 1.7GHz. This basically means with 4 cores the chances are slimmer that you'll have a core compatible to run at rates much higher than 1.7GHz, and you'll have stability issues, so you'll end up clocking back to 1.7GHz. Add the fact that there aren't really many programs on Android that are going to have noticeable benefit from overclocking, you're really only going to have done it for the trophy of "I did it!"
That being said, travel back to the fact that many of the people rooting and unlocking the device will not be doing much hard development. This is where I give developers much credit, because they basically do what a lot of us end users of their exploits and software simply can't do (or have yet to learn how to). That basically means you don't really need S-Off. The main reason you need S-Off is when developers create, it's easier to not have the restrictions locked with S-On. As far to my knowledge, you don't even necessarily need to have S-Off to put custom ROMs on your device, its more at flashing Radios and things that have a higher likelihood of bricking your phone, so why tread that dangerously if you don't have to?
The Stock version of the One already has pretty exceptional battery life in my opinion (5% = 1hr on average), if you happen to like Sense and BlinkFeed (which I personally happen to do although I see it kind of as a novelty) the UI isn't horrible, and you have the option of installing another launcher to rid yourself of Sense. If you're in desperate need to remove the bloatware, you can go to Apps, All, and disable all of the things you'll never use. I realize in this instance, there is still some bloat, but its very minimal, and yes you have the nag of knowing its still in memory, but you won't have to look at it anymore.
To sum up, the biggest gains from Root (higher speeds, custom ROMs/Kernels, extended battery life, no bloat) are things that can be worked around in Stock while you wait for an exploit to come out.
The next question is "What do I physically like about the device?"
Fast forward to the capacitive touchscreen smartphone era, and the playing field has been lifted in the hardware aspect of mobile devices. Back up slightly before slide out keyboards made their way in, and basically the options you chose on your devices were all independent versions of Java or other mobile operating skins. I had a Moto KRZR way back in the day, and to be honest, I liked the UI that Motorola had on their phones, but most decisions were made based on a cosmetic appearance less than an internal system. Even before then I had a Motorola V710, and post that I had a Moto Q for a brief period. Thinking back you can see why Motorola was the king for so long.
But the point is back then you had cosmetic options as opposed to now mostly having hardware and software options. Now your limitations are basically where the standby/power key is located, where the volume rocker is located, where the charge port and headphone jack are located, and whether the front of the phone has physical, capacitive or on screen navbar buttons, and whether or not your device is made of plastic, aluminum, or.. glass (if you're an iPhoner and want to repair both sides of the phone, be my guest, or get an OtterBox or Survivor and completely eliminate the aspect of what the chassis is made of, making the idea of using glass much cheaper than molding a metal back... yadda yadda could go on forever).
To me, in my opinion, the One is physically built better than any phone released. Sure, the phone isn't rugged, but the device makes logical sense in most of the design aspect. The charge port is on the bottom, giving you a tiny bit of extra leverage if holding the phone in hand while charging in portrait mode. The headphone jack is located on the top of the phone, meaning when you're holding it you're not fumbling around with the phone, gives it more grip in landscape mode. The only design flaw I can think of is if you have big fingers, holding and listening to the front speakers as it was intended can be a little difficult, but the sound more than makes up for this. I had a GNex prior to this and I could turn the volume all the way up and barely hear it coming through the front, I'd always end up cupping the speaker with my hands just to let someone else hear in also. With the One, you don't get that, the sound is awesome, and you can show 3-4 people a video and not worry about if they're going to hear what's going on.
The one con I can come up with is the camera. If your intention of having a smartphone is to use it mainly to share and take pictures, you might want to consider other options. In my personal opinion, a camera on a smartphone is just a bonus to capture things you could've completely missed if you didn't have it with you. Even with the Nokia 1020, you get huge 41MP images but you still get the grainy texture of a built in smartphone camera. No smartphone camera should be substituted for a live digital optical camera. With the aforementioned comment behind, the One takes marginal pictures. I took one video in Full HD, and while impressed with the quality of playback on the One itself, when I uploaded it to my desktop, it was still alright, but again you have the "built-in camera" feel, which every smartphone is going to have. But the pictures are really what makes the camera lackluster. If you zoom in whatsoever, you'll likely end up with pixelated distortion. My thoughts on their marketing decision for calling it HTC's proprietary UltraPixel camera is just to shy you away from the fact that its a 4 megapixel camera. While you might find higher MP values in the S4 (which is 13MP, I believe), I'd imagine you get the same built in camera feel from the pictures as you would any other digital camera.
The build quality of the aluminum chassis is pretty good, at least on my One. I've heard of others complaining a little bit about some gaps around the edges of their builds, but all in all, its very very miniscule and probably attributed to the completely closed chassis build quality. With light use, the heat expansion and contraction will eventually cause any type of metal housing to warp slightly, which might just pressurize enough to push the edges up slightly. Samsung has been consistent with their plastic build quality and Motorola has edged a little over Samsung in the fact that it was using the Kevlar back and Gorilla Glass, but I personally feel that higher build quality is with a metal phone.
In conclusion, I think ultimately if you've had any interest in the One up to this point, I'd say put a fork in it, bite the bullet and grab a One. You aren't going to be disappointed in the long run, as has been said the development will gain momentum once there's an exploit, and there aren't going to be very much better phones in the near future. If you're leaning towards the Moto X or the S4, go with one of them and try it for 14 days. I personally don't think the X has done anything truly groundbreaking, and if you're going for the Dev Edition/Dev Edition ROMs, it really doesn't matter. $35 restocking fee might seem hefty for a phone, but you're basically renting to try it out, and that's not entirely a bad deal. You might see a couple bigger phones in the Note III and the HTC One Max (T6, unofficial) and Xperia, but that's an entirely different target.
I hope this post will help make things easier for people who are stuck on their decision of phones on Verizon.

Related

Surround or Focus

Hey guys... Ive had both the Samsung Focus and the HTC Surround... not sure which i want to keep though... Surround is louder which i like ringtone wise and i like the soft touch back.. I liked the screen, camera and thickness of the focus more though.... Just looking to see what other peoples thoughts were or maybe what your determining factor was...

focus, compare the screen of both phones side by side and you'll clearly see the difference

Compare them side by side using office or email and you'll notice the surround looks better. The surround does better with the lighter colors. Size really isnt a factor because even though the Focus is thinner (less then an 1/8 of an inch) because when you compare all 3 dimensions the Surround is actually smaller. Both are good picks. Just go with your gut and I'm sure you'll be pleased either way.

do you use your phone as a multimedia device or a business device? Thats kinda what it comes to.

Been using a Surround for more than a week now. It feels substantial but not clumsy and has excellent build quality. I thought the Samsung felt cheaper and had a more pixilated screen. Vote for Surround.

The ATT store I went to had the Focus and Surround side by side.. played with both and bought the Focus eventually. The Focus is really very thin and light and you wont even fell it in your pocket. Also even though its basically all plastic it does not feel cheap.

Definitely keep the Focus.

The way that I decided between the two (well, three for me) was to stand at the AT&T display and play around with both. With one in each hand, making the decision was really rather easy for me.
I was really impressed by the Focus. The large, pretty screen made me happy. I bought one.
Honestly, my impression of the Surround was that it was a terrible joke gone awry. It makes absolutely no sense to me, and it boggles my mind that the Surround was ever manufactured, much less brought to retail. Every time I see one, I want to slap Ralph De La Vega for polluting my potential choices with garbage like that instead of bringing over quality equipment.
That being said, lots of folk really seem to thing that the Surround is not a miscarried fetus of design, and as such what you should take away when considering your personal device should be what matters to you. Think about what you do or want to do with your phone on a daily basis, and apply that to the choices you have at hand. I ended up choosing the Focus, but you may decide that something else fits your desires better.

I'd hate to be the one to bump a thread but I too am looking at these two devices. I have always used qwerty phones (I have the Tilt 2 now) and HTC. However now AT&T only has the LG to choose from for a kb and its screen is small, quality is nominal compared to the other two and the kb feels horrible to the touch (and cheap).
Now I am trying to figure out which of these two phones (Focus/Surround) I want.
Focus: I like the focus for its larger screen, lighter weight and the fact that is has 1gb internal sys mem (sys mem, not storage mem). However all of the store displays of all AT&T stores I went to have a slight image burned onto the screen. They told me the screens are on 24/7 but still...the other phones don't have that. Also it lacks 50% of the space since it doesn't have the 8GB card in it.
HTC Surround: I like the brightness a little more on this screen, plus the HTC software (ie, youtube). The sound is a better obviously and it has the extra 8GB card. The screen is a little smaller though, it has way less sys mem (not storage mem), and less talk time (battery life)...at least based on specs.
I need good images, accurate keyboard for a touch kb, use it for business and space....well I have a 8GB SanDisk so I'm sure it would work in the Focus so space isn't much a concern. Battery life is important as I use my phone a lot. Also important is speed....the HTC has 1/2 the sys mem pretty much as the Focus does...yet I haven't heard anyone make any comments about this yet.
PS: Oh! and I can get the HTC Surround for 1 penny but the Focus is $99.....so that also obviously adds a little imbalance.

jh20001 said:
I'd hate to be the one to bump a thread but I too am looking at these two devices. I have always used qwerty phones (I have the Tilt 2 now) and HTC. However now AT&T only has the LG to choose from for a kb and its screen is small, quality is nominal compared to the other two and the kb feels horrible to the touch (and cheap).
Now I am trying to figure out which of these two phones (Focus/Surround) I want.
Focus: I like the focus for its larger screen, lighter weight and the fact that is has 1gb internal sys mem (sys mem, not storage mem). However all of the store displays of all AT&T stores I went to have a slight image burned onto the screen. They told me the screens are on 24/7 but still...the other phones don't have that. Also it lacks 50% of the space since it doesn't have the 8GB card in it.
HTC Surround: I like the brightness a little more on this screen, plus the HTC software (ie, youtube). The sound is a better obviously and it has the extra 8GB card. The screen is a little smaller though, it has way less sys mem (not storage mem), and less talk time (battery life)...at least based on specs.
I need good images, accurate keyboard for a touch kb, use it for business and space....well I have a 8GB SanDisk so I'm sure it would work in the Focus so space isn't much a concern. Battery life is important as I use my phone a lot. Also important is speed....the HTC has 1/2 the sys mem pretty much as the Focus does...yet I haven't heard anyone make any comments about this yet.
PS: Oh! and I can get the HTC Surround for 1 penny but the Focus is $99.....so that also obviously adds a little imbalance.
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Speed is never mentioned because its not that big of an issue. Windows Phone 7 was designed specifically for these devices and as such, has a minimum system requirement, and because of that, they both work very well on any of the devices on the market currently. The extra memory doesn't make much of impact on performance.
To be honest, aside from the SAMOLED screen, the Focus looks boring and feels cheap. Also, Samsung's track record for supporting their own devices has been subpar at most, for this reason alone I steer away from Samsung devices unless its a Samsung TV.
The Surround doesn't win any design awards, but I do think it looks better than the Focus and doesn't feel cheap. The speaker, while not really useful, is great for pumping out music and video (which is good since WP7 is a media-centered device). Not to mention the awesome support that HTC devices get from HTC, from software to updates, HTC has a much better track record than Samsung.
And when it comes to smartphone battery life, I think its safe to say you're not going to get great battery life period. You are gonna have to plug in your phone at least once a day, and anyone expecting it to last any more than that will be in for a surprise. So I usually ignore battery life when looking at phones (unless the battery life is really dismal).
Obviously they both have their ups and downs and its up to you to decide whats most important to you. The screen burn-in issue on the Focus is one I've heard before, so that actually would bother me quite a bit. I haven't heard any issues with the Surround really.

I just hope if I were to choose HTC, if it will last with good use until the end of the day. I am perfectly fine with charging my phone ever night. It's just when I have to charge it i the middle of the day and wonder if I even have a charger near me that bothers me. My tilt 2 has even had this issue (although usually it does ok).

can't speak much for the surround but i have a HTC 7 Trophy and it lasts through the day. however, i use mine for radio for like 6 hours of the day and by about 7pm it's dead, so i charge it at work. but still, that is using the radio for 6 hours...

which one is having trouble getting updated? get the other one.

nrfitchett4 said:
which one is having trouble getting updated? get the other one.
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Click to collapse
lol, this has been another factor in choosing. It's the Samsung Focus that has been having troubles. That alone has put a lot of favor towards the surround for me and installs a lot of negative assumption in Samsung's build quality.

jh20001 said:
lol, this has been another factor in choosing. It's the Samsung Focus that has been having troubles. That alone has put a lot of favor towards the surround for me and installs a lot of negative assumption in Samsung's build quality.
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Why don't we wait and see how a real update is handled. If NODO comes out at the same time for both devices (even if it was delayed because of the Samsung), it really doesn't matter, because both received the update at the same time.
Weighing in on the question at hand. The Focus takes some of the best pictures of any smartphone on market today. If that is important to you, then that is reason enough to get the focus.
The Focus has a very nice screen, with gorilla glass. The battery life is top notch. The external speaker isn't bad. Fast NAND memory that may likely be more reliable.
The Samsung simply has higher quality components, even though the two devices share many of the same components.
Now, I do have the Focus, but when buying a WP7 device I wasn't bound to any single carrier, so I was able to research out all the devices thoroughly, and the Focus is the one I went with.

Well I do know that I thank all for their feedback. I have decided to order the HTC Surround. There has been good reasons for both sides to get either phone but the more I read online, the more I see people complaining about the screen burn-in issue as well as upgrading windows and the history of Samsung's own efforts to update their products.
Once I have the Surround I will share my own feedback to help contribute to the pot of knowledge.

Get the Focus. Its faster, has better specs, better battery life, better screen, etc.
Sent from my Samsung Focus using Board Express

I have a Captivate at the moment but am considering a Focus, no other phone is even in the running. I have been spoiled by the Samsung screen.....nothing else will do. I've looked at the surround but it just can't compare.

jh20001 said:
more I read online, the more I see people complaining about the screen burn-in issue as well as upgrading windows and the history of Samsung's own efforts to update their products.
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I really think this is going to end up like the whole plasma screen burn in issue - something we will hear about for years to come that is more of an issue in word than in reality. Regardless I hope that the Surround works out for you.

As a Surround user, I can say that the battery life is terrible. I love the phone although with moderate usage I still end up having to charge it around 5 PM if I plan on going anywhere that evening. Or if I make any long phone calls.

Just to help make things clear

With all the bad press, reviews an bug reports on here latley i rekon it has put a lot of people off getting this awesome peice of kit so just to clear the air when all is said and done would you still get the One X again i would for sure
Mod or Die

snowwhite007 said:
With all the bad press, reviews an bug reports on here latley i rekon it has put a lot of people off getting this awesome peice of kit so just to clear the air when all is said and done would you still get the One X again i would for sure
Mod or Die
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It's not always that simple. There are three types of issues:
1) S/W which is correctable over time. HTC's future rests on the success of the One line so I have confidence the X will be updated as frequently as necessary. A lot of the issues reported seem (to me) to be s/w related.
2) H/W issues which fall in to two categories. The first being random production defects which don’t affect every device equally. The second category is consistent failings that affect every device (like the black One S's coating chipping off). The majority of h/w issues I've seen posted seem to fall in to the first category.
3) Design flaws. The Sensation antenna-gate issue is an example of this. So far the One X doesn't seem to have any of these.
Even with all that's been posted I ordered one that's due to arrive tomorrow. If it performs well, it stays. If it's flaky (beyond what's reasonable for a new device), it goes back.
Everyone's expectations are different and both the happy and unhappy need to be respected.

I like the phone and it will not be going back. There isn't a single phone on the market in my opinion that matches it when it comes to its combination of looks and specifications and shear wow factor. Its taken me almost 8 months to pick a phone that met all of my requirements after coming from the original Desire.
I am not a hard core phone gamer (But i can be if i want to be now), I am not someone that needs endless memory cards for tonnes of music and video (I have a PC for this, transfer rates are super fast, so it really isn't a hard ship, plus there is dropbox), I do not need a replaceable battery as I have a technet 7000mah portable which is great, its also just as portable as a spare battery anyway (Not that I have had any cause to use it yet).
I also have the white version, so shouldn't have any paint issues.
Yes it has Sense 4.0 which tends to hang every now and then, yes the video camera isn't as good as it will be, all of which are software, and WILL be fixed. Yes it has a rattle when you shake it like an idiot next to your ear, but I will never need to do that unless there is a Maraca app!
Its a mass produced product, as is the case with EVERYTHING mass produced there are batches that have faults and experience issues. Look at the mighty Apple I-Phone! Slight rant over

Yes of course ure correct thats why i feel people need a better idea of those who have the device are they happy knowing and waiting for fixes or would they have choosing different. My reason for post is that theres a lit of people went down the one S route due to all the posts here. Of course there is reason to complain just wanted people to no that im sure there are others like me happy knowing that the fixes will come an the device is great
Mod or Die

The difference in price between the S and X isn't that far apart. I think I would get a sense of buyers remorse 6 months down the line if I went for the S.

jaspabt said:
Yes it has a rattle when you shake it like an idiot next to your ear, but I will never need to do that unless there is a Maraca app!
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Click to collapse
best post so far i seen here on these forums
but on a serious note i love my phone and i would recommend it to people no matter what. i know i had a few problems with my phones but it is due to me being picky..but overall it is a beautiful phone to have and would recommend it to many more people..and i exchanging my white version for the grey...saw my mates one and it looks more damn sexier than the white

Don't know what people are whinging about.
IT IS THE BEST SMARTPHONE ON THE MARKET
There, I've said it.
NoobTerminator said:
best post so far i seen here on these forums
but on a serious note i love my phone and i would recommend it to people no matter what. i know i had a few problems with my phones but it is due to me being picky..but overall it is a beautiful phone to have and would recommend it to many more people..and i exchanging my white version for the grey...saw my mates one and it looks more damn sexier than the white
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Click to collapse
I was going to order white, then I changed my order for grey. Then I was having second thoughts so I went to look at them both in a shop before my order arrived. So glad I went for grey now

DaveDesire said:
Don't know what people are whinging about.
IT IS THE BEST SMARTPHONE ON THE MARKET
There, I've said it.
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forget it just saw the actual post now why you quoted me

Good thread. I was surprised to find so many negative comments about the One X on here. It's cutting edge, possibly even bleeding... I bought mine in the knowledge that there may be some teething problems, but I'm more likely to still have something "current" in 18 months as the 2 year contract nears it's end. There are't many phone's that is true of.
Sent from my HTC One X using XDA

OneXuser said:
Good thread. I was surprised to find so many negative comments about the One X on here. It's cutting edge, possibly even bleeding... I bought mine in the knowledge that there may be some teething problems, but I'm more likely to still have something "current" in 18 months as the 2 year contract nears it's end. There are't many phone's that is true of.
Sent from my HTC One X using XDA
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Click to collapse
Exactly it will be long while before theres are more powerful phone around and i cant wait to see what devs are cooking
Mod or Die

I came to the One X from a Desire. This is my 3rd HTC mobile and I've loved all of them. I have really enjoyed having the Desire and it's been superb for build quality, reliability and always looked great. Having dozens of lovely roms to play with once it was rooted made all the difference after I became bored with Sense.
So, it was a no brainer for me to choose the One X. Quad core, Tegra 3, that lovely huge, curved screen and ICS were too good to pass up. The phone is stunning and I was most surprised at the looks when I put it beside my Desire. There really is no comparison at all.
It's incredibly fast. I've never used a phone so quick before. The new minimalist Sense is a joy to use and ICS is a great improvement for Android. The screen feels like silk to touch and hasn't attracted much in the way of fingerprints at all. It's lovely to use, very responsive, accurate and image quality is mind blowingly good. Although I don't have the official headphones, Beats Audio does sound fab through a pair of Sennheisers. It ramps up the bass, which is the weakest part of the closed back headphones I have. And so on and on. This mobile is amazing in many ways.
That's the pro's. The con's are:
1. Screen and case don't match up properly. There's a minute gap between the screen and the case along the top and down the left side of mine. This is not normal and classed as a fault by HTC (I asked them). After only 1wk, there's a tiny white strand of cloth under my screen. It can't be seen until the screen is black and it's in the corner. But, as I said to T-Mobile and HTC on the phone today; if it's collected something under the screen after 1wk, what is it going to look like after a few months? HTC said it's a definite fault and should be returned for a replacement. I will be doing so next week.
2. Gripes with the Tegra 3 performance. I know others have seen this on a few games, but for my Desire to easily outperform this phone when playing Stair Dismount is a real disappointment. Secret Exit Ltd answered my request for help earlier very quickly, so I'm really chuffed that a dev is prepared to at least try. I'm not sure whether this is something to do with the game or the phone, so will wait and see. Still a pain though. Interestingly, Stair Dismount also plays very well on my ASUS Transformer, which has Tegra 2.
3. Slight worry about the power button. As the Desire had other hardware buttons, I could assign one of those to wake the phone to take the strain off the power button being used so much. Not possible with this phone. I'm hoping it will be ok.
4. The camera lens cover. If it were Gorilla glass, I'd be happy. If it were recessed enough to not be threatened with being scratched every time I put down my phone, it wouldn't be a problem. So, it begs the question: why the hell did they make the lens cover out of simple glass and the rest of the case out of materials seemingly unbreakable in normal use? Very bad design decision.
5. Lack of external memory could become an issue. Yes, 32Gb is pretty huge. But, so are many of the new games, with 200Mb becoming more common. Not to mention the capability of the phone to play HD content. I also rip music for mobile playing as flac or at least 320k mp3. This makes an album anything up to 800+Mb in size. The internal memory won't take much to fill. None of these are really that big a deal for me, so I'm just being picky with this one!
I've heard various mentions of the battery life being poor on the One X. Considering what this phone does, I'm reasonably happy with having comparable performance as I had with the HTC Desire. Generally, with moderate-heavy use, I'm beginning to think about charging late evening after taking it off charge when I get up in the morning. That's fine by me. I carry a Veho Pebble in my car, so can always put the mobile on charge when I'm out anyway.
I think that's it

leaston said:
I came to the One X from a Desire. This is my 3rd HTC mobile and I've loved all of them. I have really enjoyed having the Desire and it's been superb for build quality, reliability and always looked great. Having dozens of lovely roms to play with once it was rooted made all the difference after I became bored with Sense.
So, it was a no brainer for me to choose the One X. Quad core, Tegra 3, that lovely huge, curved screen and ICS were too good to pass up. The phone is stunning and I was most surprised at the looks when I put it beside my Desire. There really is no comparison at all.
It's incredibly fast. I've never used a phone so quick before. The new minimalist Sense is a joy to use and ICS is a great improvement for Android. The screen feels like silk to touch and hasn't attracted much in the way of fingerprints at all. It's lovely to use, very responsive, accurate and image quality is mind blowingly good. Although I don't have the official headphones, Beats Audio does sound fab through a pair of Sennheisers. It ramps up the bass, which is the weakest part of the closed back headphones I have. And so on and on. This mobile is amazing in many ways.
That's the pro's. The con's are:
1. Screen and case don't match up properly. There's a minute gap between the screen and the case along the top and down the left side of mine. This is not normal and classed as a fault by HTC (I asked them). After only 1wk, there's a tiny white strand of cloth under my screen. It can't be seen until the screen is black and it's in the corner. But, as I said to T-Mobile and HTC on the phone today; if it's collected something under the screen after 1wk, what is it going to look like after a few months? HTC said it's a definite fault and should be returned for a replacement. I will be doing so next week.
2. Gripes with the Tegra 3 performance. I know others have seen this on a few games, but for my Desire to easily outperform this phone when playing Stair Dismount is a real disappointment. Secret Exit Ltd answered my request for help earlier very quickly, so I'm really chuffed that a dev is prepared to at least try. I'm not sure whether this is something to do with the game or the phone, so will wait and see. Still a pain though. Interestingly, Stair Dismount also plays very well on my ASUS Transformer, which has Tegra 2.
3. Slight worry about the power button. As the Desire had other hardware buttons, I could assign one of those to wake the phone to take the strain off the power button being used so much. Not possible with this phone. I'm hoping it will be ok.
4. The camera lens cover. If it were Gorilla glass, I'd be happy. If it were recessed enough to not be threatened with being scratched every time I put down my phone, it wouldn't be a problem. So, it begs the question: why the hell did they make the lens cover out of simple glass and the rest of the case out of materials seemingly unbreakable in normal use? Very bad design decision.
5. Lack of external memory could become an issue. Yes, 32Gb is pretty huge. But, so are many of the new games, with 200Mb becoming more common. Not to mention the capability of the phone to play HD content. I also rip music for mobile playing as flac or at least 320k mp3. This makes an album anything up to 800+Mb in size. The internal memory won't take much to fill. None of these are really that big a deal for me, so I'm just being picky with this one!
I've heard various mentions of the battery life being poor on the One X. Considering what this phone does, I'm reasonably happy with having comparable performance as I had with the HTC Desire. Generally, with moderate-heavy use, I'm beginning to think about charging late evening after taking it off charge when I get up in the morning. That's fine by me. I carry a Veho Pebble in my car, so can always put the mobile on charge when I'm out anyway.
I think that's it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you have it spot on. Luckily I have no issues with my screen and no dust collected anywhere. Using a pouch to keep it nice and safe and it survived a small drop. I don't understand the decision not to make lens from gorilla glass unless its something to do with picture quality. Ordered a flip case as a good work around. I am just debating if I should sell desire or keep as a backup phone
Sent from my HTC One X using XDA

BarryH_GEG said:
It's not always that simple. There are three types of issues:
1) S/W which is correctable over time. HTC's future rests on the success of the One line so I have confidence the X will be updated as frequently as necessary. A lot of the issues reported seem (to me) to be s/w related.
2) H/W issues which fall in to two categories. The first being random production defects which don’t affect every device equally. The second category is consistent failings that affect every device (like the black One S's coating chipping off). The majority of h/w issues I've seen posted seem to fall in to the first category.
3) Design flaws. The Sensation antenna-gate issue is an example of this. So far the One X doesn't seem to have any of these.
Even with all that's been posted I ordered one that's due to arrive tomorrow. If it performs well, it stays. If it's flaky (beyond what's reasonable for a new device), it goes back.
Everyone's expectations are different and both the happy and unhappy need to be respected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Search for HTC One X Antenna Reception Test at Youtube. I have tried it myself and indeed the signal did dropped. Does that count as design flaw?

wcypierre said:
I have tried it myself and indeed the signal did dropped. Does that count as design flaw?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seriously? A 10% dBm drop is, in your mind, a "design flaw?" If you're looking for something to be concerned about the YouTube poster's best performance at 89 dBm is pretty atrocious. Two floors away from my router I get better results on my SGS2. The weaker the signal the more any device will be impacted by obstructions (like bone). You'll see drops and gains like that simply by changing the phone's orientation to the router. As devices get thinner with more and more stuffed in to them antenna placement gets more complicated to avoid interference. That video doesn't concern me a bit (unless 89 dBm is typical Wi-Fi performance).

Had mine for 8 days now, it has no rattle that i've noticed, the screen glitches occasinally in browser, it sense restarts fairly often, battery life imo is decent my stats are typical of others. I had a single occasion where died/crashed, no power button or at least not the usual one press so held it and a small dialogue came up after a while saying 'hold for 2 more seconds to restart' which i did and the fone restarted fine, oh and i've had a single overheat whilst streaming a movie.
I had an early release hero which had some serious bugs which improved dramatically and an early desire s which i found pretty much ironed out from the start.
I'm very happy with my one x overall as any issues it has are teething problems which can be sorted.
Sent from my HTC One X using XDA

GS4 First impressions (unbiased, I hope)

I would like to preface this with a couple of items:
1. I have owned these Samsung mobiledevices:
Vibrant
GS 2
GS 3
GN 2
N 10
So it IS fair to say that I have a preference for Samsung devices
2. My unit, mfg date 5/11 ...does not seem to suffer from some of the screen issues that others are having. As for overheating... my GS 3 and GN 2 get blisteringly hot when running 3D intensive games. That, is a reality of mobile gaming... that much computing power in such a small, passively cooled form factor is a recipe for poor heat dissipation. Thus, I do not find the GS 4 to be any different (neither a step back nor an improvement in heat dissipation.)
Those caveats aside, here are my initial impressions:
1. Aesthetically speaking, this is the closest in form to an iPhone that I have perceived a galaxy device to be. Does it bother me...not particularly, but it does give credence to those who bemoan "copy cat" and others who say that the galaxy design ethos is a bit... "tired".
2. Remaining on aesthetics for a moment, which is a very subjective matter....mind you, the GS 4 does not hold a candle to the HTC one. In my opinion, one is a ground-up rethink of mobile design with "form" being a primary emphasis... the other a simple continuation of a design that has met with success in the market. While the GS 4 is not ugly... the HTC One IS stunning. I tip my cap to HTC... (and to some extent sony), and hope that it will push Mobile Divisions to approach future design, with part ruler and part brush.
3. Durability: Now I don't have the stones to just drop my phone; nor has my ownership period been long enough to rebuke anyone else...but the device feels surprisingly sturdy in my hands. Reading some of the comments on the board... and coming from the Brick that is the GN 2 (which survived several falls unscathed), I expected the GS 4 to be a porcelain doll. Frail and fragile to the touch. Not the case. It is clearly lighter than the GS 3 and slimmer as well, but it does not feel like it was done to so at the expense of durability. Now I know that there are plenty of comments and reviews that dispute this... but, in MY hands, some of the initial concern that was raised by all reports has been dispelled. I hope (keyword) that the hairline fractures some have experienced are a mfg anomaly and not a design flaw.
4. Smart gestures: I am one, who truly thinks that this could be a revolution in mobile technology...and I admire what Sammy is trying to accomplish here. But (you knew one was coming), the current implementation just feels not-ready-for-primetime. The gestures do not respond as intended all the time... and sometimes they just flat out don't work. When they do... it is impressive, and is a window in the future of interaction with technology. Given time, I think samsung will iron the kinks out.... I just don't think we will see that on the GS 4.
5. UI: Touchwiz is a love or hate proposition for many... personally, I tend to use some functions and replace others. That being said, whether its smart gesture integration, poor coding or loads of bloatware...sammy dropped the ball here. The UI feels clunky and gimmiky... and lags on hardware that should easily breeze through transitions, screen renders and app launches. You can literally feel the Snapdragon chomping on the bit... being restrained by a poorly designed UI. This to me, was the largest disappointment. Not because I don't think I can fix with kernel and Rom installations... but rather because I was so impressed with how far touchwiz had come on my GN2. This feels like a huge step back... with stutters and judder reminiscent of my Vibrant. For me aesthetics are a luxury... but function is a necessity. Multi-window does feel much smoother in this implementation...so there is that, but still, for shame sammy (don't take 1 step back for every 2 forward). Again, our community will most certainly solve these issues... but it should not exist out of the box for premium hardware.
6. Camera: Very simply, impressive. Will it replace your D9...or any nice DSLR? No. Does it take sharp photos, with a bevy of adjustments, filters and post processing perks? Yes. Can it serve as an everyday shooter? Absolutely. Crisp photos, quick autofocus and no shutter lag make it a joy to snap shots with. Low light performance does lag behind some other phones (notably Nokia and HTC)... but I find this to be the only shortcoming.
7. GPS: It works. Well. I will never....ever.... ever...forget the vibrant debacle. It is the first thing I check on all my TMO samsung devices
8. Display: I left this for last... because, really if you didn't read anything else (TL;DR) then know this: the display ALONE is worth the price of admission. Maybe I have been conditioned as such... but when it comes to mobile devices give me the deep blacks of AMOLED over LCD. Furthermore, sammy had learned a bit from the community, and toned down some of the intrinsic oversaturation. The clarity, rendering and overall visual candy of the 1080x1920 Super AMOLDED is OUTSTANDING. Apple, HTC, LG all make excellent flagship phones... this is reality. No one touches the display technology of Samsung, yet... this is fact. The pixel density allows for the obliteration of any aliasing due to the pentile arrangement. It is jaw-dropping. For those who have gotten a device with screen issues... I wouldn't wait, return it and return it and return it until you get one that is perfect, because it is well worth the hassle.
Conclusion:
Is the Galaxy design, tired and in need of a refresh...probably. Is the HTC One the "prettiest" device on the market... certainly. Did touchwiz initially sour my excitement...definitely. However, those who compare the GS3 to GS4 evolution to the iPhone X to iPhone Xs tract... neither know android nor samsung hardware. Though the design is not a complete or even partial refresh (though I love the way the GS4 feels in my hand as compared to the GS3 and even my GN2) this phone is clearly the next step forward in Samsungs continued mobile presence. The hardware is top notch and only slightly fettered by TW. The display is stunning and the camera and accompanying software a leap forward from both the GN2 and GS3. The continued dedication to sd card expansion and removable batteries should not be underscored.
Perhaps the GN3 or the next GS will feature an aesthetic redesign befitting the hardware inside... and if that is of the utmost importance, than by all means you can wait. Or buy the One, (which in my time with, I did truly enjoy...). But...
If you are eligible for the upgrade... or have some coin kicking around, I can say with all confidence that Galaxy S4 is a top flight device... and quite possibly the best available on the market today.

Nice review Poser. I too have had an GS2, GS3, GN2 and now GS4. I feel you have hit it right on the head. TW is disappointing and the hardware isn't very exciting (except cam). But the device is top notch and Sammy did a good job overall. I came from VZW to Tmobs because of Wifi call/text. Such a great feature!!!

I just got a s4. My old phone was the s3. The phone is great but heres my view on it. It is no different than the s3 except it is faster cpu wise and has a higher res screen. If u had an s3 next to an s4 (like i do) and played around with both of them you would think its the same phone. Some of the features are pointless on the s4. Like air guestures (in my opinion). They are novelties. Why wave my hand 3 inches above the screen to scroll through pictures when i could simply just lower my finger 3 inches and swipe through my pics? All and all it is the fastest phone out and im happy i got it. But if i was goin to keep my s3 though, there wouldnt be much differance.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app

As much as some people despise TouchWiz and the Samsung Apps that are preloaded, I actually like using some of the features.
I think, so far, my favorite is the Air Hover where I can preview emails.

Nice op. I had the S3 on Sprint, which was a great device as long as I was on Wifi. So far I have been very happy with the S4 on T Mobile. All the pros as noted above, plus an affordable data plan with excellent coverage for my areas. The wifi calling feature is simply awesome and all carriers should have this technology built in. As far as touchwiz goes, I find it to be functionally quite similar to vanilla android, meaning the basic functions work the same way. For example, adding widgets or adding a shortcut to the dock is done easily (as opposed to how the latest Sense does it). The esthetics are a different matter but are easily altered. Lag is zero with some basic tweaks.

Very well worded essay, Poser. My thanks for addressing aspects of the phone that are important to me (how well the GPS works in particular, which few people seem to comment on). I too hope (and expect) that the reports of screen cracks are an indication of defective samples and not a design flaw. I find it hard to believe that the design would not have been subject to a battery of stress tests.
I spent some time looking at and handling the phone at Best Buy, and I liked how it felt in my hand. That experience makes me dismiss comments about the plastic construction. Seeing the phone up close and personal also showed me just how gorgeous the display is (it truly is eye candy), and thanks for emphasizing this point.

Some additional thoughts:
1. Wifi calling is exceptional when it works flawlessly... I have noticed that it does experience voice dropouts, call answering issues and connecting issues. This was a problem that was present in my S3 GN2 and S4, and does seem to be software propigated (independent of access point).
2. Disabling smart gestures and home key activation of S Voice... SIGNIFICANTLY reduces lag
3. The screen is Amazing. I cant say this enough,

Coming form sgsii
While rebooting, flashing roms, running ANY benchmark, taking video, or browsing the web the phone compared to my SGSII gets way hotter than i would have ever imagined. maybe it is just my phone, however i cant get a stable overclock at all. my MAX stable OC is 1999mhz..... really? that's just a 100mhz overhead from stock........ a 5.2% increase in speed is all i can get.......... in contrast my SGSII i was able to get 300mhz out of it (25% increase in speed) and it would run cooler than this phone on stock.....
however at stock speeds the SGS4 is snappy, lag free, FAST, comfortable to hold, poor battery life, bright screen, alright overall
7 out of 10 is what i give MY phone. as it did meet my personal expectations. I was hoping for 2.2ghz cpu stable 550mhz gpu and then i could see it getting as hot as it is now. i guess i just got a poor OC phone
I'm thinking about shorting the circuit board while it is on, and if that doesn't work, i will hook up usb cable to straight 120VAC wall current and see if it explodes. at least i would get a different phone....
overall disappointed in the phone i got, however the phone itself, like most Samsung products is GREAT!

jimmboonline said:
While rebooting, flashing roms, running ANY benchmark, taking video, or browsing the web the phone compared to my SGSII gets way hotter than i would have ever imagined. maybe it is just my phone, however i cant get a stable overclock at all. my MAX stable OC is 1999mhz..... really? that's just a 100mhz overhead from stock........ a 5.2% increase in speed is all i can get.......... in contrast my SGSII i was able to get 300mhz out of it (25% increase in speed) and it would run cooler than this phone on stock.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, IIRC the GS2 only had a dual core CPU clocked around 1.2-1.5GHz, so to be fair you can expect the GS2 to be cooler and more stable since the stock speed is lower and less cores.
jimmboonline said:
I'm thinking about shorting the circuit board while it is on, and if that doesn't work, i will hook up usb cable to straight 120VAC wall current and see if it explodes. at least i would get a different phone....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd like to see a video of that...

Poser said:
I would like to preface this with a couple of items:
1. I have owned these Samsung mobiledevices:
Vibrant
GS 2
GS 3
GN 2
N 10
So it IS fair to say that I have a preference for Samsung devices
2. My unit, mfg date 5/11 ...does not seem to suffer from some of the screen issues that others are having. As for overheating... my GS 3 and GN 2 get blisteringly hot when running 3D intensive games. That, is a reality of mobile gaming... that much computing power in such a small, passively cooled form factor is a recipe for poor heat dissipation. Thus, I do not find the GS 4 to be any different (neither a step back nor an improvement in heat dissipation.)
Those caveats aside, here are my initial impressions:
1. Aesthetically speaking, this is the closest in form to an iPhone that I have perceived a galaxy device to be. Does it bother me...not particularly, but it does give credence to those who bemoan "copy cat" and others who say that the galaxy design ethos is a bit... "tired".
2. Remaining on aesthetics for a moment, which is a very subjective matter....mind you, the GS 4 does not hold a candle to the HTC one. In my opinion, one is a ground-up rethink of mobile design with "form" being a primary emphasis... the other a simple continuation of a design that has met with success in the market. While the GS 4 is not ugly... the HTC One IS stunning. I tip my cap to HTC... (and to some extent sony), and hope that it will push Mobile Divisions to approach future design, with part ruler and part brush.
3. Durability: Now I don't have the stones to just drop my phone; nor has my ownership period been long enough to rebuke anyone else...but the device feels surprisingly sturdy in my hands. Reading some of the comments on the board... and coming from the Brick that is the GN 2 (which survived several falls unscathed), I expected the GS 4 to be a porcelain doll. Frail and fragile to the touch. Not the case. It is clearly lighter than the GS 3 and slimmer as well, but it does not feel like it was done to so at the expense of durability. Now I know that there are plenty of comments and reviews that dispute this... but, in MY hands, some of the initial concern that was raised by all reports has been dispelled. I hope (keyword) that the hairline fractures some have experienced are a mfg anomaly and not a design flaw.
4. Smart gestures: I am one, who truly thinks that this could be a revolution in mobile technology...and I admire what Sammy is trying to accomplish here. But (you knew one was coming), the current implementation just feels not-ready-for-primetime. The gestures do not respond as intended all the time... and sometimes they just flat out don't work. When they do... it is impressive, and is a window in the future of interaction with technology. Given time, I think samsung will iron the kinks out.... I just don't think we will see that on the GS 4.
5. UI: Touchwiz is a love or hate proposition for many... personally, I tend to use some functions and replace others. That being said, whether its smart gesture integration, poor coding or loads of bloatware...sammy dropped the ball here. The UI feels clunky and gimmiky... and lags on hardware that should easily breeze through transitions, screen renders and app launches. You can literally feel the Snapdragon chomping on the bit... being restrained by a poorly designed UI. This to me, was the largest disappointment. Not because I don't think I can fix with kernel and Rom installations... but rather because I was so impressed with how far touchwiz had come on my GN2. This feels like a huge step back... with stutters and judder reminiscent of my Vibrant. For me aesthetics are a luxury... but function is a necessity. Multi-window does feel much smoother in this implementation...so there is that, but still, for shame sammy (don't take 1 step back for every 2 forward). Again, our community will most certainly solve these issues... but it should not exist out of the box for premium hardware.
6. Camera: Very simply, impressive. Will it replace your D9...or any nice DSLR? No. Does it take sharp photos, with a bevy of adjustments, filters and post processing perks? Yes. Can it serve as an everyday shooter? Absolutely. Crisp photos, quick autofocus and no shutter lag make it a joy to snap shots with. Low light performance does lag behind some other phones (notably Nokia and HTC)... but I find this to be the only shortcoming.
7. GPS: It works. Well. I will never....ever.... ever...forget the vibrant debacle. It is the first thing I check on all my TMO samsung devices
8. Display: I left this for last... because, really if you didn't read anything else (TL;DR) then know this: the display ALONE is worth the price of admission. Maybe I have been conditioned as such... but when it comes to mobile devices give me the deep blacks of AMOLED over LCD. Furthermore, sammy had learned a bit from the community, and toned down some of the intrinsic oversaturation. The clarity, rendering and overall visual candy of the 1080x1920 Super AMOLDED is OUTSTANDING. Apple, HTC, LG all make excellent flagship phones... this is reality. No one touches the display technology of Samsung, yet... this is fact. The pixel density allows for the obliteration of any aliasing due to the pentile arrangement. It is jaw-dropping. For those who have gotten a device with screen issues... I wouldn't wait, return it and return it and return it until you get one that is perfect, because it is well worth the hassle.
Conclusion:
Is the Galaxy design, tired and in need of a refresh...probably. Is the HTC One the "prettiest" device on the market... certainly. Did touchwiz initially sour my excitement...definitely. However, those who compare the GS3 to GS4 evolution to the iPhone X to iPhone Xs tract... neither know android nor samsung hardware. Though the design is not a complete or even partial refresh (though I love the way the GS4 feels in my hand as compared to the GS3 and even my GN2) this phone is clearly the next step forward in Samsungs continued mobile presence. The hardware is top notch and only slightly fettered by TW. The display is stunning and the camera and accompanying software a leap forward from both the GN2 and GS3. The continued dedication to sd card expansion and removable batteries should not be underscored.
Perhaps the GN3 or the next GS will feature an aesthetic redesign befitting the hardware inside... and if that is of the utmost importance, than by all means you can wait. Or buy the One, (which in my time with, I did truly enjoy...). But...
If you are eligible for the upgrade... or have some coin kicking around, I can say with all confidence that Galaxy S4 is a top flight device... and quite possibly the best available on the market today.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
great review OP, thanks!

Response to Common Complaints & Criticism

Alright, alright. I had to create an account after reading several critiques and complaints on this forum. I'm sure a lot of people that are considering buying the phone will be popping in and reading the very same complaints while considering their purchase. The purpose of this thread is to clear up said complaints, from my own personal experience.
First of all, I'd like to ensure you all who haven't bought the phone yet that you absolutely have to buy it and experience it for yourself before making any decision. After all, you usually have 14 days to return it. I say this because, while the phone is not "perfect" as many here on this forum have pointed out, it is probably one of the most aesthetically pleasing phones I've ever laid eyes on, and feels incredibly comfortable in the hand. Pictures DO NOT do this phone justice, and the overflowing screen, combined with the size and weight of the phone, gives an overwhelming feeling of vibrancy when holding/viewing. The colors are phenomenal, the contrast is phenomenal, the screen just pops out at you and is bursting with seamless beauty.
(Cost) The phone is expensive, yes, but there's a reason for that: it's a top tier smartphone. If you haven't gotten used to a hefty price tag yet, then you must not have been in the market for long. If you can't afford it, get a OnePlus 3, but I can guarantee you it wont be as fine an experience. Most cell phone companies offer financing, too. Meaning, you make a small monthly payment for the phone itself over the course of the 1-2 years that you'll be using it anyway, and if you decide to, you simply cancel service and pay the phone off. Most companies will then give you an unlock code, and the phone is then yours to do what you please with it, or bring it to another service provider. Either way, every dime you pay while financing brings you closer to owning it, if you decide not to buy it outright. I personally will probably just pay mine off when the price tag gets down to about $400 dollars.
(Delicacy or Lack Thereof) As I stated in the introduction, the phone is thin, comfortable, feels great in the hand, but the overflowing screen gives it a very large & vibrant appearance even though it doesn't FEEL that large in the hand. Does this mean it feels delicate and fragile? Not at all. Now that's not to say you wouldn't WANT to drop it, but for the most part, it's easy to handle, has the perfect weight to it, and doesn't feel fragile by any means. This phone is NOT going to scratch/break in your pocket, unless you're mashing your legs into the sharp edges of tables or falling onto it, or for whatever reason like to keep sharp objects in the same pocket as your phone. It's NOT going to scratch by simply setting it down on a table, or having it slide in between the seats of your car.
This brings me down to a point I've emphasized before: If you're going to buy a $900 phone? DO... not... drop it! I mean, honestly, lets be real here guys: accidents DO happen. However, it's those of us who are incredibly careful, who are capable of owning phones like these. If you're someone who is very clumsy, careless, active, etc., perhaps NO phone of this design type is meant for you. That is not the fault of the manufacturers. There are many phone manufacturers who build phones designed for DURABILITY. My last Galaxy, which wasn't exactly designed for durability, lasted me 2 FULL YEARS however, and has never been dropped once, nor does it have a single scratch. This phone IS durable though- it's durable for a phone of THIS make, this design, and trust me... this is a stylish designer phone, it simply is not an ACTIVE phone. If you want to turn it INTO an ACTIVE phone? Buy a damn Otterbox Defender. When you're hiking/rock climbing/playing basketball, whatever- you're going to have an ACTIVE Note 7 phone. Then when you're doing some casual driving, sitting at a desk, sitting anywhere at home really, at dinner with friends, or pretty much doing anything that's non-active, pop it out of it's case. You'll then, once again, have the nicest phone that anyone's ever laid eyes on.
To summarize the above, be a responsible phone owner, and you'll be fine. If you can't handle the responsibility of owning such an expensive product that was designed to be durable while keeping a fantastic overall appearance, don't buy it. You can't fault manufacturers for your lack of care.
(Battery Life) I've owned this phone for a little while now, and I've charged it approximately one and a half times (by a half, I mean plugged it in at 40-50% before leaving the house) per day. I keep High Accuracy GPS on, I keep brightness at 85-95%, I keep a multicolor 'Always On' display up, I have the "screen off" time set to 3 minutes, I have HD quality wallpapers for home & lock screens, and I keep WiFi on. I have yet to use any of the battery saver modes or capabilities. During the first few days of owning this phone, I would install back to back programs, take 15+ pictures while playing around with the different camera & video settings, record videos of my screen, experiment with the S pen, experiment with different mobile games, set up setting after setting, security feature after security feature, experiment with high quality video, stream YouTube & Netflix movies, the list goes on and on and I'm sure anyone who's ever owned a new phone knows exactly what I'm talking about.
During these times, my battery would last approximately 9 hours before falling to 20% or below. That's EXTREME HEAVY use, with battery draining functions, brightness, and high resolution screens, and no power saving whatsoever giving me 9 hours of use without even falling into critical battery levels. When I get down to around 20%, I plug it in and it takes about 40-50 minutes to charge back to 100%. If my battery is at 30% or higher, I simply plug it in and it's charged in 30-40 minutes or less. I have ONCE allowed my phone to fall below 10%, and it took no longer than one hour to charge to 100%. So yes, the battery is EXTREMELY good, and it charges extremely fast.
(Fingerprints) This phone will have fingerprints on it within just a few minutes of use, however, they are hardly noticeable unless you're actually looking for them. Once it gets marked up really heavily, which only takes about two hours of use to happen, it becomes a little more noticeable at a glance, but still, you have to be UP CLOSE to the phone to even notice. Now, I have EXTREME OCD, so this should bother me a lot more, right? No, it doesn't. What I do is keep 2 microfiber towels- one on my desk(where I spend a lot of my time) and one in my car. Whenever I pick up my phone after an extended period of non-use, I simply wipe it with the dry towel(takes 15 seconds) and viola- it looks like it JUST came out of the box again... brand new. When going somewhere, I do a quick wipe of the phone before exiting my vehicle- and viola. Brand new looking phone sitting in my pocket wherever I'm going. The gorgeous material of this phone is a worthy sacrifice for some barely noticeable fingerprints that can easily be rectified. Oh, by the way. BECAUSE of the material the phone is made of, it is MUCH EASIER to clean with said microfiber towels than the older plastic models, such as the S4. That one took at lot more scrubbing and hitting specific areas, and would also get smudge marks from the fingerprints being "wiped in" by the cloth, that were almost impossible to get rid of.
(The "oh so" Awful Speaker) This is one of the biggest critiques the phone has received, by both people on this forum, and review videos/articles/websites all across the interwebz. And I? I just don't see it. The speaker, to me, is LOUD. Now, it's not booming, bass boosted music cube quality, however... it is loud enough to where I could easily hear it ringing(depending on the ringtone) from across the house in another room. It's also loud enough to where I could play a video, turn the volume to max, set it about 50 feet away, and still hear it vividly. Also, I love the quality of the sound. It doesn't sound cheap, or poor at all to me. Non-speaker voice sound is crystal clear through this during calls. Sometimes if you hold the phone a certain way, you can block off the speaker since it's on the bottom, muffling the sound. However, muscle memory allowed me to quickly get used to preventing this after the very first time it happened. I never have a problem with the speaker being on the bottom, outside of the fact that I slightly prefer the headphone jack being on the top.
(Performance) Mentions of slow loading, TouchWiz lag, etc on this forum, I have yet to experience once. TouchWiz also has a much better interface now, especially after downloading a free theme that I liked. TouchWiz does not lag at all for me. Nothing on this phone loads "slowly" for me. I did a screen-record video of myself navigating different apps, games, etc on my phone, and literally sh** was opening within milliseconds of each tap, minus games, which, depending on the size/type of game, would take just a few seconds. I see no "slowness" in this phone whatsoever. There's literally not even delays between navigating pages on Facebook, switching from Facebook to YouTube and then from YouTube to Gmail and then from Gmail to a video on my phone. If I were to do all these app switches and loads in order of what I just listed, it would take no more than the time it takes me to open the Edge screen and tap the different apps. Game-play on games such as Mage and Minions is fluid, without noticeable frame drops, and without lag.
(Fingerprint & Iris Scanners) Fingerprint scanner works perfectly if you actually use it right, i.e., gently place your *entire* fingertip over the button. The iris scanner is not perfect, but it works 95% of the time and is FAST... VERY FAST when it does work. If you're looking for a "more secure" method of locking your phone- that's what it's for. It is supposed to be much more secure than the fingerprint scanner, and it's very fast as long as you do it right. Like, I'm talking, sometimes I don't even have time to see the "eye circles" appear on the screen. It just unlocks in a millisecond, as I'm already holding the phone in the correct position upon swiping up. Now, if you wear glasses or contacts, just skip the iris scanner. It is not 100% necessity, by any means, and your phone can be secured with simply the fingerprint scanner or a complex password. Not the end of the world.
(Camera) I'm only very slightly disappointed with the outdoor light(ex: sitting in a carport with an overhead light at night). This causes somewhat of a grainy appearance in the camera. In every other light/dark scenario so far, unless zoomed in too far, these pictures are crystal clear. Near professional. Beautiful. The camera is fast & responsive. The interface is very easy to use and understand.
Now, I do not consider myself to be a "Samsung fanboy," nor a "Galaxy fanboy." I do not dislike Apple Products outside of the fact that I think they're just a tad highly priced in comparison to Samsung(I know, the difference is becoming very slight, but even still). My wife has the 6s Plus, and it's a great phone. I do not work for Samsung, I do not work for any cell phone company at all, I am not paid to write any of the above. This was simply my unbiased response/personal review of the Note 7, that I was inclined to write after seeing so many negative comments on this forum in addition to a lot of misinformation. I WANT others to get the same experience I'm getting with my Note 7, and frankly, not be discouraged by others. So there you go.

i can agree to just about everything that you said, except for my experience with the battery. i haven't had a chance to really test it in optimal conditions because i have little to no service while i'm at work underground in an elevator shaft but we will see. i hear mixed things about screen on time, etc. but most things are a factory reset away if there is any trouble. for the most part this is one of my favorite devices i have ever owned. if you love the note line or never have been in it, this phone (note 7) is the culmination of all of its beauty and brawn.

Ace Ryan said:
After all, you usually have 14 days to return it
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Anyway please remember that we are on an International forum and this possibility is not always offered in some countries, or impracticable or too expensive when buying online from some far east sellers.
IMHO it's still too early for a definitive evaluation of the expensive N7, so personally I preferred to cancel my pre-order and wait a couple of months after having seen many reports of daily usage from normal users like me, not only web magazine techie or pseudo-techie people (unfortunately sometime questionable if not clearly biased... )

themissionimpossible said:
Anyway please remember that we are on an International forum and this possibility is not always offered in some countries, or impracticable or too expensive when buying online from some far east sellers.
IMHO it's still too early for a definitive evaluation of the expensive N7, so personally I preferred to cancel my pre-order and wait a couple of months after having seen many reports of daily usage from normal users like me, not only web magazine techie or pseudo-techie people (unfortunately sometime questionable if not clearly biased... )
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Click to collapse
Deciding to wait is not a bad idea- however- while you do not know me and vice versa, I promise you that all of what I said above is completely true and honest, with no bias whatsoever. The problem is, people who "review" things for a living need something to REVIEW. They NEED both good AND bad. That leads to nitpicking. I on the other-hand, don't have a reason to nitpick, as I am not a paid reviewer or anything like that. Not only that, but I rely on this phone heavily for work, and I use it almost constantly during down times at work to keep myself entertained & busy. That said, even though I do not have reason to nitpick, I DO have many reasons to NEED an amazing phone.
My phone, as of right now, is far from factory default. I already have about 7 videos, 35+ pictures, I've downloaded every program that I used on my previous Galaxy phone, IN ADDITION to other programs/apps/games.
This is part of why I wrote such an extensive review, because even though I haven't had the phone that long, I've been putting it through the ringer and it's still performing phenomenally. I've been glued to it since the day I got it almost non-stop. While using it heavily for work, I'm texting/calling CONSTANTLY, almost every 10-25 minutes throughout 10 - 14 hour shifts, in addition to taking credit card payments on this phone. That said, I've accumulated close to a thousand text messages or more already and a pretty massive call log.
Also, of course I'm aware that return policies differ, not only from place to place but from carrier to carrier, which is why I said "usually." I do not want anyone to mistake that statement for fact and cause them to buy a phone they cannot return, so I'll add some extra emphasis on that in my OP. Everyone, however, should always do their own research on their sellers return policies and general procedures. This should be common sense.

The battery takes a lot longer to charge for mine. Does it get hot when charging for anyone else?

Ryland Johnson said:
THE only review that counts should and must be your own.
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Respectfully, IMHO a very pointless suggestion..
I just don't want to buy something first and then regret to have bought it and wasted my money....

themissionimpossible said:
Respectfully, IMHO a very pointless suggestion..
I just don't want to buy something first and then regret to have bought it and wasted my money....
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Click to collapse
How do you know that your wants and needs are the same as whoever's critique you're reading? For some reason this forum has an inordinately large number of OMG!'rs that freak out relatively easily. And most are freaking out at theory as they've never touched a Note7 better yet own one.
No phone is going to be perfect as there are always going to be OEM induced compromises. They are what they are. I came from a Note5 and the Note7 exceeds it in every way including all the categories listed by the OP. Some things are different but none that aren't made up for in other ways.
People should buy what makes them happy and do their homework first. That includes reading reviews and forums but filtering the results to what applies to their specific needs and usage. Some of the OCD posts in this forum make me laugh. No phone built or to be built will ever satisfy some folks here.

BarryH_GEG said:
How do you know that your wants and needs are the same as whoever's critique you're reading? For some reason this forum has an inordinately large number of OMG!'rs that freak out relatively easily. And most are freaking out at theory as they've never touched a Note7 better yet own one.
No phone is going to be perfect as there are always going to be OEM induced compromises. They are what they are. I came from a Note5 and the Note7 exceeds it in every way including all the categories listed by the OP. Some things are different but none that aren't made up for in other ways.
People should buy what makes them happy and do their homework first. That includes reading reviews and forums but filtering the results to what applies to their specific needs and usage. Some of the OCD posts in this forum make me laugh. No phone built or to be built will ever satisfy some folks here.
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At Last a voice of reason. Bravo! :good: :good: :good:
Ryland
---------- Post added at 04:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:44 PM ----------
themissionimpossible said:
Respectfully, IMHO a very pointless suggestion..
I just don't want to buy something first and then regret to have bought it and wasted my money....
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Click to collapse
Hi, Thanks for the reply. I like certain fruit and what I enjoy you may not so I may say X fruit is bitter but you may like bitter...It truly is a question of perspective.
You simply can't base what you fear buying on other peoples comments be they positive nor negative. Its all so subjective as pointed out several times, mot of the naysayers here, and there are a few, don't even own the device! You are nervous to purchase in case you don't like it based on this forum. Please Youtube this mobile and read the professional reviews, people who have been testing these devices for years. They all appear to me to write and speak highly of the note 7. BTW that would not change how I felt about my ownership even if they spoke poorly of it as I think its a very good work device. NOT for everyone though, not supposed to be. It is for me with bells on.
I wish you well with what ever you purchase. :highfive:
Ryland

Finally I was abput to create a thread about how we discuss the greatness of the phone. Too many negative ppl complaining if you dont like it pick up said phone and take it back, this community is suppose to be positive supportive not bashing new products or what others enjoy regardless. Refreshing to see positivity I love this phone it's simply amazing and superb. Thank you to the others that are positive in this forum.
Sent from my SM-N930V using XDA Free mobile app

very true indeed matsuyamakaze

Phones, like cars and pretty much everything else, are a matter of personal choice. For me this is by far the best phone I have ever owned (last two were a SonyZ3 and a Z3+). I would agree that the speaker is pretty soft but only an issue if you want to use it to play music (get a BT speaker). There's nothing more that I want in a feature packed phone. Read the reviews and make your own choice.

the best fone of 2016 till 2019 ,thats y its note 7 and not note 6 , im so pissed off by all this criticism
Sent from my SM-N930F using Tapatalk

The only complaint I have is that they took out the features from the old s note app like link to action. Besides that I live this gorgeous piece of hardware. Oh another complaint I have to cover this beauty with a case. That's about it though. Even with the recalls. I still love it.
Sent from my SM-N930V using XDA-Developers mobile app

Do you feel there are any caveats to the curved screen? I'm considering a Note 7 because the curvature is a lot less noticeable than on the S7 Edge, which was criticized for distorting the image around the curve afaik. I currently have a Oneplus One that I'm quite happy with but would love something just a tiny bit physically smaller and with a fingerprint reader but don't feel the Oneplus 3 is much of an upgrade in other areas.

themissionimpossible said:
Respectfully, IMHO a very pointless suggestion..
I just don't want to buy something first and then regret to have bought it and wasted my money....
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Click to collapse
With mutual respect. So what you suggest is we should all read your opinion and purchase one based on your opinion? Opinions are like ears, we all have them and to suggest we buy based on any report is unwise. Taste is a major factor not to mention what we need the device to perform. I need the S-pen so that leaves me zero options.
No one on earth can choose ones hi-fi set up for us, we all have different preferences in sound reproduction that's why we have such a massive choice and stores that will arrange a listening session before ones purchases. 'The best' is simply ones own opinion and personal taste. Same with mobile phones.
With such a purchase you have to see the item and test it yourself. Forum opinions and professional reports can, on times, be a rough guide but that is all they are. True professional in the field of electronics will state that.
Ryland :good:
---------- Post added at 04:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:00 PM ----------
kasakka said:
Do you feel there are any caveats to the curved screen? I'm considering a Note 7 because the curvature is a lot less noticeable than on the S7 Edge, which was criticized for distorting the image around the curve afaik. I currently have a Oneplus One that I'm quite happy with but would love something just a tiny bit physically smaller and with a fingerprint reader but don't feel the Oneplus 3 is much of an upgrade in other areas.
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Click to collapse
First thing. Do you NEED the S-pen? If you don't then consider the S7. Great deals can be found on the S7 at present.
Second point. I have been buying the 'edge' editions since they where introduced and have yet to find a half decent screen saver of any type be it skin or armor glass type. Does this matter? Well yes it does as the Note 7 comes with a more drop resistant Gorilla glass BUT the trade off is it appears softer so 'may' scratch more easily than the S7 edge? I have my Note 7 in the Samsung LED flip case and I have left the factory screen saver on until I can find the courage to change it to the Samsung screen saver looking at me in its box!
YOU must decide what you want then what you need from your mobile and purchase accordingly. Its great fun looking and searching for ones next technology fix! :highfive:
Don't be pushed and don't rush. Enjoy the shopping experience.
Ryland

Ryland Johnson said:
First thing. Do you NEED the S-pen? If you don't then consider the S7. Great deals can be found on the S7 at present.
Second point. I have been buying the 'edge' editions since they where introduced and have yet to find a half decent screen saver of any type be it skin or armor glass type. Does this matter? Well yes it does as the Note 7 comes with a more drop resistant Gorilla glass BUT the trade off is it appears softer so 'may' scratch more easily than the S7 edge? I have my Note 7 in the Samsung LED flip case and I have left the factory screen saver on until I can find the courage to change it to the Samsung screen saver looking at me in its box!
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Click to collapse
I don't necessarily need it but I would probably like it. The S7 is too small for me, I'm used to a 5.5" display so anything smaller just seems a bit too small now. I find myself doing a lot of reading on my phone now whereas before with a 5" display phone I used a tablet a lot more. I was wondering about the curved Note 7 display mainly if it causes any problems clicking icons that are on the edge of the screen or seeing them if they are right on the curved part.
Screen protectors or cases don't really matter to me as I generally use my phones without any. So far haven't broken or scratched a single display. If anybody makes a Oneplus One "sandstone black" type texture skin or case for a Note 7 I might reconsider as I love how grippy that is.

Ryland Johnson said:
No one on earth can choose ones hi-fi set up for us, we all have different preferences in sound reproduction that's why we have such a massive choice and stores that will arrange a listening session before ones purchases. 'The best' is simply ones own opinion and personal taste. Same with mobile phones.
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Click to collapse
I see you probably live in a more favorable country...
I don't know a store here in Italy that let you install and test by yourself with their 3 or 4 demo top smartphones all your main apps and games, and let you play with those phones for a few hours... Usually those demo phones don't even have a valid SIM card inserted and/or Internet wifi access...
And of course I can't just go to USA or to some other country only for such tests.
Conversely, here in Italy a lot of hi-fi stores let you test many different audio or video setups with your own video or music material, so at least in my case your proper suggestion to do the same with smartphones unfortunately is actually not practicable as with hi-fi...

Just Ordered the OnePlus 5t - Negative Reviews - Should I return Phone?

On the way from Fedex...
Any reason to keep it with Defects in camera/video etc
Thanks,
rp

It's not that bad a camera, the rest of the phone makes up for it
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5010 using Tapatalk

Keep it. I selled my samsung s8 and buy the 5T. I am not sorry for the choice i've made.

The nonsense about the camera is overblown. They are comparing it to the Google Pixel or iPhone 8 x.
PIXEL xl screen is nowhere is good as the 5T IMHO.
My camera takes as good a photo as my daughters iPhone 7plus. Actually, better at times.
If you want a good a camera, go buy a Canon DSLR and lenses for $15,000.
With that said, do what you want. Nobody really cares and it is your decision and money. If a camera is that important, move on.
BTW, I've been a HTC person since the Google Nexus One, HTC 7, 8, 9, 10, A9 and so forth, like 8+yrs. The OnePlus 5T is better than anything HTC has out there. Camera is as good/better than HTC phones. They've never had a great camera, but still one of the most popular phone. Only thing I miss, HTC has one of the best Dev support on the Forum going for it...but OnePlus is doing OK, and works very similar to the HTC brand when it comes to modding/Dev support...just a better phone though.

keep it !
i love it, my best smartphone till today !

I honestly think it depends what you're used to. I've been using cheap Jiayu and Xiaomi devices for years now. I love the 5T but for me this cost more than my last three phones combined. I love the speed of it, the ample RAM and generous storage, but it's not 3x better than my last phone. I dislike the yellowy tint of the Amoled screen compared to my last LCD, but I don't regret the purchase at all. It's a great device.
As far as the camera goes, it's honestly fine. More than anything I hate the awful panorama mode that results in a less than impressive image unless you can hold the phone totally level (in portrait) as you pan round.
Finally, I really miss the Xiaomi one handed mode. Also, the screen doesn't dim as far as my last Xiaomi.
I'm nit picking though. I bought my partner one and she absolutely loves it!

You wont get anything other then biased thoughts here. No one on these forums will tell you the blunt truth. You will have to make up your own mind.

zelendel said:
You wont get anything other then biased thoughts here. No one on these forums will tell you the blunt truth. You will have to make up your own mind.
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Click to collapse
I recently sold my Galaxy S8+ to buy a OnePlus 5t. So a comparison, what I really liked about the S8+...
1. The camera, it's one of the very best single lens cameras on a smart phone. It's hard to fault in a wide variety of situations and more often you will come away with a more than satisfactory snap.
2. The build quality is an eye to behold it's a stunningly beautiful piece of engineering, looks amazing.... But it does come at a cost, which I'll explain in the dislikes.
3. The Samsung experience is a lot better than in the past with many options for customisation.
And here's what I disliked and why I changed....
1. I love the whole Google lightweight approach. Much of Samsung's value added software is bloatware that simply doesn't add enough perceived value for the hassle it so often causes. Bixby is the crowning glory, it completely gets in your way unlike the Google assistant. Other problems Sammy proprietary software causes is slowdown, some is immediately noticeable, some happens over time. And of course the Sammy 'look' which is very different from stock. I particularly disliked Samsung's redesign of the quick settings pulldown.
2. That beautiful piece of engineering isn't without its problems. The widely reported badly placed finger print reader being a constant annoyance.... But there's more.....fgs don't drop it at any height. Mine ended up as an insurance repair twice in the space of 3 months. A massive handset encased in glass...equals a very delicate and easy to slip out of your hands device. I also noticed that GG5 scratches very, very easily especially around the curved edges of that screen.
3. For a flagship phone under android 7 it was simply too slow, far too much attention has been paid on improving Samsung's own software and not enough on optimization of the OS in general. If I can commend them on one thing though, they have decoupled their software from the OS which meant updates come thick and fast and no longer require an entire system update.
So I've had my 5t for about a week and immediately loaded the open oreo beta, here's what I like....
1. The hardware, apart from the camera is first rate. I cannot fault it. For the money its staggering.
2. Build quality is sound. It's a good looking handset that doesn't try to over do it!
3. Absolutely love the face unlock and fingerprint reader, and while I accept face unlocks not as secure as iris.... Both methods piss all over the S8 for speed.
4. Its daaaaaaaaammmmnn fast! In day to day use.
5. Dash charge is daaaaaaaaammmmnn fast! And battery life is excellent
6. I have a pretty much stock android experience and I can disable any system app that has a better Google (or third party) replacement on play store.
And my dislikes....
Yep, the camera....I think they could still improve more in software though, but the two rear lenses of pretty much the same type is a gimmick and offers little more than what you can do with one. Portrait mode in my opinion would've been better remaining a completely software option in favour of a true 2x zoom lens with a slightly better aperture for low light shots over the original 5.
In low light I think we all agree for a phone to have not one but two f1.7 lenses, low light shots are still disappointing.

drummerboy99 said:
I recently sold my Galaxy S8+ to buy a OnePlus 5t. So a comparison, what I really liked about the S8+...
1. The camera, it's one of the very best single lens cameras on a smart phone. It's hard to fault in a wide variety of situations and more often you will come away with a more than satisfactory snap.
2. The build quality is an eye to behold it's a stunningly beautiful piece of engineering, looks amazing.... But it does come at a cost, which I'll explain in the dislikes.
3. The Samsung experience is a lot better than in the past with many options for customisation.
And here's what I disliked and why I changed....
1. I love the whole Google lightweight approach. Much of Samsung's value added software is bloatware that simply doesn't add enough perceived value for the hassle it so often causes. Bixby is the crowning glory, it completely gets in your way unlike the Google assistant. Other problems Sammy proprietary software causes is slowdown, some is immediately noticeable, some happens over time. And of course the Sammy 'look' which is very different from stock. I particularly disliked Samsung's redesign of the quick settings pulldown.
2. That beautiful piece of engineering isn't without its problems. The widely reported badly placed finger print reader being a constant annoyance.... But there's more.....fgs don't drop it at any height. Mine ended up as an insurance repair twice in the space of 3 months. A massive handset encased in glass...equals a very delicate and easy to slip out of your hands device. I also noticed that GG5 scratches very, very easily especially around the curved edges of that screen.
3. For a flagship phone under android 7 it was simply too slow, far too much attention has been paid on improving Samsung's own software and not enough on optimization of the OS in general. If I can commend them on one thing though, they have decoupled their software from the OS which meant updates come thick and fast and no longer require an entire system update.
So I've had my 5t for about a week and immediately loaded the open oreo beta, here's what I like....
1. The hardware, apart from the camera is first rate. I cannot fault it. For the money its staggering.
2. Build quality is sound. It's a good looking handset that doesn't try to over do it!
3. Absolutely love the face unlock and fingerprint reader, and while I accept face unlocks not as secure as iris.... Both methods piss all over the S8 for speed.
4. Its daaaaaaaaammmmnn fast! In day to day use.
5. Dash charge is daaaaaaaaammmmnn fast! And battery life is excellent
6. I have a pretty much stock android experience and I can disable any system app that has a better Google (or third party) replacement on play store.
And my dislikes....
Yep, the camera....I think they could still improve more in software though, but the two rear lenses of pretty much the same type is a gimmick and offers little more than what you can do with one. Portrait mode in my opinion would've been better remaining a completely software option in favour of a true 2x zoom. Maybe with a slightly better aperture for low light shots.
In low light I think we all agree for a phone to have not one but two f1.7 lenses, low light shots are still disappointing.
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Click to collapse
Dugaldrob said:
It's not that bad a camera, the rest of the phone makes up for it
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5010 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for all the input.... not a photo junky.... res of model sounds very good

keep it or not.. that will always be your choice...

If you are into camera, just don't buy it. It is one of the worst I have used. It's great for other things. But camera is just so bad!

It's the best phone I have ever owned. I used to root all my phone to get the same experience I'm getting from oos stock.
I don't have any issue with the camera, I experienced the oil painting in some low light indoor conditions but mostly it's doing pretty well.

Someone tell me to which phones does the camera compares? Like which old flagships have more less the same camera quality...?

One more thing...this applies to many other phones...no SD Card for external storage. Samsung S8+ really was the perfect phone for me...with one huge problem, no bootloader unlocking and Dev support. Rooting breaks everything, Safetynet etc...Samsung for US customers really dropped the ball, or else it would be a killer on the XDA forum...hence, why the XDA Samsung forum sections are anemic....not much you can really do and you are stuck with their "experience" besides changes the launcher.
OnePlus 5T has been great so far for the money. Better than any HTC that is made today I've used for nearly 8 yrs.

Develop Bugs

welcome