Develop Bugs

Is this the right phone to get?

For those of you that have this phone, and have had it since close to it's release date, what are your opinions?
I am going to be purchasing a new phone, for use with WindMobile in Canada (i.e. it must be an AWS phone). As far as I can tell this is my best option because I use my phone mostly as a camera so my #1 interest is a camera that does not lag and will open quickly. I also am a fairly heavy user for NUMBER of apps. I have a lot installed and switch between them frequently. I don't play games or watch videos so graphics don't matter much.
The kicker here is I am REALLY hoping to keep this phone for 2 years at least. Do you think that this phone will last? Keeping in mind I don't care about being behind on new technology. I only care that it can handle my volume of use and won't sputter and choke to a slow after 6 months use like the one I have now.
I currently have an Optimus 2X but it is dying. It lags incredibly between tasks and the plastic covering the camera is poor quality and I had to rip it off so the lens is mostly unprotected now. I don't want to deal with stuff like this is I am going to buy a brand new phone. Do you think the Xperia ZL is the right choice?
p.s. I saw a review of the camera where the reviewer said that the photos look great on the BRAVIA screen but once on a computer screen are not very good. Has this been your experience? What about printing?
p.p.s. would appreciate comments about how rugged it is also as I work as a nanny with two 24 month old toddlers. Honestly I want the Z due to it's waterproof encasing but it's not sold new up here in Canada.

so my #1 interest is a camera that does not lag and will open quickly.
--> camera itself is the fastest I've seen. First thing you notice is the super smooth and responsive viewfinder.. even in low light. It always feels 60fps. I compared this to HTC ONE and it's a LOT slower..really.
About opening.. opening of the camera app isn't fastest i've seen (can take 3 secs) but because of the dedicated button you can still open it way faster than phones without button.
I also am a fairly heavy user for NUMBER of apps. I have a lot installed and switch between them frequently. I don't play games or watch videos so graphics don't matter much.
--> Ye as with all 2GB phones multitasking is almost instant and apps never really close.
The kicker here is I am REALLY hoping to keep this phone for 2 years at least. Do you think that this phone will last? Keeping in mind I don't care about being behind on new technology.
Then yes. I don't see why this phone wouldn't make it 2 years.
I only care that it can handle my volume of use and won't sputter and choke to a slow after 6 months use like the one I have now.
With 2GB ram it's pretty future proof IMO.
p.s. I saw a review of the camera where the reviewer said that the photos look great on the BRAVIA screen but once on a computer screen are not very good. Has this been your experience? What about printing?
Well, in my opinion, pictures look suberb on the 5" with bravia engine 2..really gives a wow-factor.
When you then watch them on the PC they look kinda normal/bland/boring..so its just the way you look at it
p.p.s. would appreciate comments about how rugged it is also as I work as a nanny with two 24 month old toddlers. Honestly I want the Z due to it's waterproof encasing but it's not sold new up here in Canada.
The back isn't made from glass but very grippy texture. I haven't dropped mine but the phones feels very sturdy and good quality, except for maybe the little flap on the back for sim/SD.
Honestly I think ZL is very underrated and still (even with new models like Z1) ZL is still my favorite.

Thanks for your quick quick reply!! One clarification I have to ask: I understand what you mean about quality depending on the screen. However when you look on your computer do you think the quality fits the price? Let's put this simply: I am tired of my boyfriend's iphone photos looking SOOOO much better than mine. Can I at least compete now? lol

earthabbey said:
Thanks for your quick quick reply!! One clarification I have to ask: I understand what you mean about quality depending on the screen. However when you look on your computer do you think the quality fits the price? Let's put this simply: I am tired of my boyfriend's iphone photos looking SOOOO much better than mine. Can I at least compete now? lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest I really like the camera but the software app just doesn't do it justice. Pictures looked a bit washed out when looked at the computer. You can still install another camera app with less compression effects.
Also, for me the camera opens very quickly, less than 1 second with the latest 267 firmware update.
The phone looks gorgeous with the incredibly small bezel for a 5 inch phone. But if you want an awesome camera phone you really should go with the Galaxy S4. Still the best midrange camera phone I've seen so far is clearly the Nokia Lumia 920 but its a Win8 phone... both phone can be easily unlocked if not offered by Wind and are AWS versions.
Also, lots of people complain about the screen being TFT which is the cheapest technology you can use for a phone nowadays. So the viewing angles aren't good but I personally don't care much. But I think you will notice it right away.
Still, for a lot of other aspects, I prefer the Sony ZL

earthabbey said:
p.p.s. would appreciate comments about how rugged it is also as I work as a nanny with two 24 month old toddlers. Honestly I want the Z due to it's waterproof encasing but it's not sold new up here in Canada.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the Z is available through Bell FYI.

I just traded it my s3 for an zl very disappointed in camera in dark places there is a ton of noise I have to also take multiple snaps before I can get a shot to have a properly focused pic if I use flash it works fine but using superior auto mode and in a well lit room it still doesn't compare anything to the s3 which had a very quick focus but other then that the phone is well worth it will last you 2 years if you do not abuse it only thing im concerned is the non removable battery... wonder how will it perform in 2 years from now....
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

shahkam said:
I just traded it my s3 for an zl very disappointed in camera in dark places there is a ton of noise I have to also take multiple snaps before I can get a shot to have a properly focused pic if I use flash it works fine but using superior auto mode and in a well lit room it still doesn't compare anything to the s3 which had a very quick focus but other then that the phone is well worth it will last you 2 years if you do not abuse it only thing im concerned is the non removable battery... wonder how will it perform in 2 years from now....
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have the latest update? A lot of reviews I saw said that there were a lot of problems before the latest update.

shahkam said:
I just traded it my s3 for an zl very disappointed in camera in dark places there is a ton of noise I have to also take multiple snaps before I can get a shot to have a properly focused pic if I use flash it works fine but using superior auto mode and in a well lit room it still doesn't compare anything to the s3 which had a very quick focus but other then that the phone is well worth it will last you 2 years if you do not abuse it only thing im concerned is the non removable battery... wonder how will it perform in 2 years from now....
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't use superior auto by default, it adds way too much noise. Try using normal with some basic tweaks, you will see a major difference.
Especially with the latest update.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app

Well I kind of have the same problem. Own an Optimus 2x and now ordered Zl from an amazon offer (350 euros). I love the white version since - if the black back looks cheap - this is absolutely not the case with the white.
However, I am quite disappointed by the screen. You notice the viewing angles immediately and every time the phone is lying on a table in a darker room, it looks like it is showing a bright Grey picture although background is black. So I wanted to return it.
Then I thought of alternatives, but very successful.. I am looking for a phone with no amoled screen, wo no s4. I really want at least 32gb memory and would be happy if it had a working fm radio like XZL (tried Optimus G and thought that must be a bad joke). The Optimus G was nice, but fm radio crap, and due to non expendable storage, I was really missing USB otg. S4 active would be nice, but no fm radio, feels somehow big and is very overpriced. The new nexus 5 seems to only have 16gb.. LG G2 is very expensive with 32gb. And none of them has a dedicated camera button. So I guess xperia zl is a great package! If only they had included a IPS screen (which can be considered as standard today, even for cheap phones).
Today I looked at the screen in a bright room and then it looked way better than yesterday night when it was dark. So I am thinking of keeping the phone - seems like the package is quite good. Or does anyone of you habe a proposal?
Sent from my LG-P990 using xda app-developers app

My comments:
The poor viewing angles on the screen aren't as horrible as people make it out to be, the screen is still perfectly good and quite a joy to look at. (plus if you like to be private then it stops people from seeing what you're doing easily)
Picture quality is fine, I have an unlocked bootloader(which I did before TA backups were a thing ;_ and even still everything looks great on the screen. Video quality is pretty good in my opinion. In low light, yes the picture quality does tend to suffer but it's still acceptable for it being a phone, I personally haven't tried tweaking with the settings much besides installing the Z1 camera app port.
If you want to see the quality yourself, here are some photos/videos(mind you the outdoor greenery shots were taken a while ago so the latest updates might have improved things):
http://imgur.com/a/qoqg2#0
http://youtu.be/SXxN14HdeGU
Performance has been pretty good, there are a few things I've noticed which can make it a little laggy, like setting a smaller icon size in Apex and the app Twilight can make scrolling a little laggy, but otherwise performance is snappy.
Something that might be of concern is battery life, due to the non-removeable battery. I can usually get through a day before having to charge. I get about 4-5 hours of video watching, so if I only use the screen for a few hours sporadically(15 minutes here, 15 minutes there) then I can usually push it to 24 hours.
One thing I would really suggest is getting at least a decent screen cover, if not case as well, I have one of those meifeng cases from ebay, it's decent enough quality and it's pretty thin, I don't use it every day though. But the built in screen protector is an absolute lint electromagnet, it's like it's sole purpose was to collect lint, not cool. I picked up a skinomi screen protector, just put it on top of the built in one and it works/looks fine.
One thing I like about the skinomi is that it's slightly soft, so it doesn't scratch easily, but it still a good surface for fingering.
The speaker isn't loud enough to be heard over a concert or some power tools, but if you're just at home or in the car then it's quite adequate, the headphone out is also adequate, though it can be a tad quieter than some might like, depending on headphones used.
The microphones are pretty great, that youtube video? The music in person was ear-screeching, yet somehow the microphones managed to pick everything else up pretty well.
The IR Blaster is fun if you normally use multiple remotes for your home.
I can't really think of anything else at the moment, but feel free to ask and I'll try to answer.
Edit:
Shadowman19: Personally I find the viewing angles acceptable knowing that I'm probably never really going to be looking at my phone from these angles anyways, 99% of the time I'm looking at it is straight on.

Personally I don't own a ZL(I currently own an Ion), but i have seen a couple of Z's(the Z screen is similar to the ZL). Honestly, I don't see the difference when tilting the phone(I can definitely see it on my ion). The poor viewing angle claims are exaggerated.

Why aren't phone lenses more popular?

I have noticed Samsung came out with a camera phone in a more literal sense. But, I'm curious as to why the custom lenses are not a more popular item? Being able to change out the lens on my phone as I need to would add a huge level of customization and not too mention make the companies more money. Especially for well made premium lenses.
We've all seen the clips and attachments on Amazon or other websites. But, none of them are really thought out well. The clip moves around easily. The cases are ugly and useless for anyone who wants a protective case.
A lot of the lenses have defects even if they are small. Sure these items are cheap. But, that is my point. I spent some time looking and always got sent back to these ones. There's no higher end models nothing. I'd assume that would be because this idea is perceived as gimmicky. But, it's really not. Give me the ability to take a small plastic ring off my phone around the camera and attach my own custom lenses. You could charge oodles for higher tier lenses too.
Would reduce all the stuff I have to carry around with me everywhere for my camera.
Any thoughts as to why they don't support or carry their own custom lenses? The camera being an important feature for many of us on our phones. An improvement/addition like this I cannot see anything but perks of.

you should check sony qx10 and qx100

Either you have to carry your phone in a case with the lens attached, or take it out of your pocket and put on a lens each time you want to use it. Much easier to use a zoom-enabled digital camera, and the quality of photos is between better and much better. I always wondered why are they even produced. Yeah, I use my phone camera once in a while, but if I care enough to take a photo, I have a Canon rebel.

Considering a oneplus one instead...

Well this is a real first world problem. I love my G3 so far but seems like development is really slow. I'm contemplating trading it for a oneplus one. I like all the variety and software options it has. The possibilities seem to be endless just like the n5. And the oneplus looks like a nice choice as far as hardware goes too. Not sure what to do here.

I was thinking the same thing, but i doubt the LGs flagship is going to go unnoticed. Im sure the devs are hard at work with new roms, etc.
Plus, do you really want to have to beg for an invite, in order to buy the OPO?

Yeah, the invite system really pissed me off! I got an invite out of the blue on day. I didn't realize you had 24-hours to buy the phone when claiming the invite.
Anyway, I click the claim button in the email and the 24-hour buy ticker goes off. I didn't have the money at the time. I'd been waiting for that phone for ages.
Needless to say, here I am with the G3.

I have two of the OnePlus's I'm getting rid of. Not a bad phone, but i prefer the g3.

There is going to be a significantly higher rate of development for the OnePlus One than the G3 simply because it's more of a phone developers will flock to.
However, I initially had the OnePlus One and sold it to a coworker to buy the G3. I couldn't be happier.
Here were my thoughts between the two...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=54010208&postcount=273

That's a petty good and thorough review. My biggest concern with the device is the quality control issues. I don't want to get one with a bad screen and be stuck. I hear their customer service is just terrible.

Dude just stick to the G3.

zcgofaster said:
That's a petty good and thorough review. My biggest concern with the device is the quality control issues. I don't want to get one with a bad screen and be stuck. I hear their customer service is just terrible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My brother's oneplus slid off from knee height (basically out of his pocket in his shorts when he Sat down) after a few days of ownership. Screen is done, 50% of it doesn't work. Light crack on the side of the phone. No damage on bezel.
I took the risk and dropped my nexus 5 a few times from similar height before my jump and it survived each one.
Food for thought.
Oh and I also had a OnePlus. While I did really like the phone, his drop and the customer support issues I've been reading about among other little things made me uncomfortable keeping the phone long term. Also the g3 being the same screen size feels a lot better in the hand. I can essentially use it one handed while the 1+ proved to be more challenging.

Just be patient? The****
Sent from my LG-D851 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

OPO is overhyped crap. You should be considering the nexus 5 or g3...
Sent from my LG-D851 using XDA Free mobile app

Two days after I bought my G3 I got an invite to buy an OPO. So I ordered one with the though that I'd pick one and either return my G3 to T-Mobile or sell the OPO on eBay. I used the two side by side for about two days and it was honestly real tough decision. I came from a Nexus 4 then 5 so I love vanilla Android with my own added flavor. So with that in mind a lot of things really sparked my interest in the OPO once I installed slimkat and set it up. Then after using for a day the battery seemed to drain faster than my G3. The camera seemed comparable so I decided to really test them. I went out driving and while I don't suggest driving and taking pictures I did. And this is where the G3 starts to walk away with my needs. The cameras focus is so much quicker and this resulted in much better pictures. Given that I have kids and they don't stay still I need a camera that meets that need. I sacrificed camera with the Nexus phones and I want about to do it again.
And finally, I've grown fond of the buttons and and phone just feels much smaller in my hand than the OPO. The G3 is actually a little wider but the OPO is much taller. I noticed no difference with the screen resolution. However, the OPO played sound in videos very loud so that's a plus. But the G3 is sufficient in that department. So I sold my OPO and am still rocking the G3.
So. If you must have aosp the OPO will always run it better. If you want a better camera, battery life and slightly smaller feel stick with the G3.

janitorjohnson said:
Two days after I bought my G3 I got an invite to buy an OPO. So I ordered one with the though that I'd pick one and either return my G3 to T-Mobile or sell the OPO on eBay. I used the two side by side for about two days and it was honestly real tough decision. I came from a Nexus 4 then 5 so I love vanilla Android with my own added flavor. So with that in mind a lot of things really sparked my interest in the OPO once I installed slimkat and set it up. Then after using for a day the battery seemed to drain faster than my G3. The camera seemed comparable so I decided to really test them. I went out driving and while I don't suggest driving and taking pictures I did. And this is where the G3 starts to walk away with my needs. The cameras focus is so much quicker and this resulted in much better pictures. Given that I have kids and they don't stay still I need a camera that meets that need. I sacrificed camera with the Nexus phones and I want about to do it again.
And finally, I've grown fond of the buttons and and phone just feels much smaller in my hand than the OPO. The G3 is actually a little wider but the OPO is much taller. I noticed no difference with the screen resolution. However, the OPO played sound in videos very loud so that's a plus. But the G3 is sufficient in that department. So I sold my OPO and am still rocking the G3.
So. If you must have aosp the OPO will always run it better. If you want a better camera, battery life and slightly smaller feel stick with the G3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this, I have a couple of questions for you but first background.. I bought a G3 a couple of weeks ago. Excited I brought it home, rooted, setup and started snapping pictures of my daughter playing at night in the living room. Instantly my heart sank. They were fuzzy, blurry and overall crap. My G2 and N5 dominated the G3 quality. I continued to use it for a couple days but the picture quality in low light just sucked so I returned it. Finally got an invite to Oneplus and now have that. Camera quality seems much better in low light. Daytime out side pictures are fine with pretty much any flagship phone you buy these days, my issue is with indoor low light. I mean, I have the lights on but its not sunlight. Anyways, I am not happy with the yellow tint along the bottom of the phone nor the size, it's just too tall. Plus the lack of accessories gets me.
With that said, does your G3 take good indoor low light pictures? Does it focus fast and snap clear pictures? I'm not looking for photographer quality here, just not fuzzy and blurry. When I returned it the guy offered to exchange and I opted not to but now I'm kicking myself wondering if I just had a bad device so that is why I'm here asking you.

Almost no light at all.
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With normal lighting in my house.
.
Sent from my LG-D851 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 08:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:52 PM ----------
Haha that was backwards.
Sent from my LG-D851 using Tapatalk

Because T-Mobile refuses to make it a flashable package, the OPO will never have support for Wi-Fi Calling. That's something to consider when deciding between these devices.

starkruzr said:
Because T-Mobile refuses to make it a flashable package, the OPO will never have support for Wi-Fi Calling. That's something to consider when deciding between these devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not as simple as you think. It's not just an application. It's built into the modem, the framework, settings etc. They would have to build an update package for each phone. T-Mobile doesn't have the rights to do this. Just like with the iPhone, the manufacturer has to build the technology into the software package. So, it's on Oneplus to build it to work with WiFi calling. Just like it would have been on LG and Google to build it into the Nexus line and Apple to build it into the iPhone.
NOW, it is on T-Mobile to request this but this can delay phone release times and increase overall costs. But specifically, with the Oneplus, this phone is not sold by T-Mobile so they have not vested interest in trying to get them to include the technology.

setzer715 said:
Thanks for this, I have a couple of questions for you but first background.. I bought a G3 a couple of weeks ago. Excited I brought it home, rooted, setup and started snapping pictures of my daughter playing at night in the living room. Instantly my heart sank. They were fuzzy, blurry and overall crap. My G2 and N5 dominated the G3 quality. I continued to use it for a couple days but the picture quality in low light just sucked so I returned it. Finally got an invite to Oneplus and now have that. Camera quality seems much better in low light. Daytime out side pictures are fine with pretty much any flagship phone you buy these days, my issue is with indoor low light. I mean, I have the lights on but its not sunlight. Anyways, I am not happy with the yellow tint along the bottom of the phone nor the size, it's just too tall. Plus the lack of accessories gets me.
With that said, does your G3 take good indoor low light pictures? Does it focus fast and snap clear pictures? I'm not looking for photographer quality here, just not fuzzy and blurry. When I returned it the guy offered to exchange and I opted not to but now I'm kicking myself wondering if I just had a bad device so that is why I'm here asking you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In some cases I found the OPO to perform better in low lighting. But it was inconsistent for me. Many times, it would not focus. Most if my pictures are taken indoors without flash. What surprises me is you compared the G3 to the Nexus. Imho the G3 destroys the Nexus in low light settings.

janitorjohnson said:
In some cases I found the OPO to perform better in low lighting. But it was inconsistent for me. Many times, it would not focus. Most if my pictures are taken indoors without flash. What surprises me is you compared the G3 to the Nexus. Imho the G3 destroys the Nexus in low light settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest I can't really remember the N5. I just can't remember thinking it was that bad. Plus it costs half the price of the LG. At $600 I expected way more. Maybe I'll buy a used one on eBay and see how it goes. Thanks for the response.

setzer715 said:
To be honest I can't really remember the N5. I just can't remember thinking it was that bad. Plus it costs half the price of the LG. At $600 I expected way more. Maybe I'll buy a used one on eBay and see how it goes. Thanks for the response.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think if you're happy with the OPO you should stick with that one. All these new phones are so close in regards to specs and abilities it just comes down to preference. I was so close to taking my G3 back to T-Mobile that I made it to the store to return it, but I didnt have the original receipt so I had to go home, but upon testing it a little longer I decided to sell the OPO on eBay for a small markup.

if top quality low light photos are a priority, the HTC M8 is the way to go...

I have been through a ton of phones, flagship mostly and this hands down takes the best pictures in daylight and low light situations. I have no issues at all with the camera.
The battery life is another thing, not terrible, but not the greatest. Definitely miss my flex in that regard, granted it was a bigger battery.
Overall it's a good phone.

General Galaxy Z Fold 3 Discussion

With recent leaks showing the device giving us an idea of what the device could look like, I was curious to what some of our gripes were as far as this phone goes. If you haven't already seen the leaks, you can click here. It also gives us an idea of what the next flip will look.
Now as far as my own personal gripes:
1. This is by far the biggest one - The front screen. I understand the reasoning behind making it easier on one handed use, but I genuinely do believe more people would rather have a normal aspect ratio as if it were a normal phone. With the mate x2 being released, it's definitely possible and if anything, looks more premium. I wouldn't be so harsh towards the subject if we were able to change the aspect ratio on the front screen as well (I know you can do this with goodlock regarding the inner screen, there's just no option for the front). This becomes an issue for social media apps (ex, snapchat or instagram) not being able to properly send pictures or post them due to that aspect ratio throwing it off. For those apps to be used properly, the inside screen would need to be opened and have the aspect ratio adjusted and there's no fix otherwise. All of this and the generalization of not wanting to open the phone up to see wider content almost every time.
There's a link here that provides a solution, but again, only for the front/cover screen.
2. Sharp edges - If you're holding the phone for an extended period of time, you'll more than likely become uncomfortable with it on the left side (while using it closed). I will say, looking into the leaked photos, it seems they have fixed the issue by curving it.
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3. Hinge design - Now this phone is a solid tank from my experience. Someone had accidentally dropped my phone, relatively brutally at that and the hinge had gotten stuck for a second and popped banked into place (Don't ask, just call me lucky). While I think it's extremely durable, I'd definitely like to see the improve with it's design. It seems that they may have from that leak (which again, could possibly not be the actual device). The comparison I'd like to make again would be to the mate x2 and you'll see below what I mean and the over aesthetic of the phone while it's closed. Granted the x2 is newer, the overall design does make it look discrete as far as being a foldable.
4. Weight - This one I'm not very optimistic on, just because there are more parts and factors that go into a folding phone. The overall weight can be an annoyance overtime while holding it closed. This kind of brings me back to my first point of it being wider, with a wider body, it'd seem that there would be more surface area to distribute that weight versus making the phone feel like a brick.
5. Other stuff would consist of the gap itself. I hate to keep comparing it to the X2, but they definitely did build a solid device in terms of design. From the leaks, it's been made out to be that the gap on the upcoming z fold 3 will be greatly reduced. Time will tell on that one.
As far as the leaks on the z fold 3, it does seem like it has some promising upgrades. One being the under-display camera. Hopefully it's greatly improved over the first generation one that had been released in I believe a ZTE phone. I see S Pen support as well which is neat for a bigger display for sure. It's a little disappointing to see that they, again, chose a lackluster route on the camera array. Not saying they'd be bad cameras by any means, but a TOF sensor or zoom lens would've been a little more justifiable regarding pricing of these phones (especially in a flagship standpoint).

megaghostgamer said:
With recent leaks showing the device giving us an idea of what the device could look like, I was curious to what some of our gripes were as far as this phone goes. If you haven't already seen the leaks, you can click here. It also gives us an idea of what the next flip will look.
Now as far as my own personal gripes:
1. This is by far the biggest one - The front screen. I understand the reasoning behind making it easier on one handed use, but I genuinely do believe more people would rather have a normal aspect ratio as if it were a normal phone. With the mate x2 being released, it's definitely possible and if anything, looks more premium. I wouldn't be so harsh towards the subject if we were able to change the aspect ratio on the front screen as well (I know you can do this with goodlock regarding the inner screen, there's just no option for the front). This becomes an issue for social media apps (ex, snapchat or instagram) not being able to properly send pictures or post them due to that aspect ratio throwing it off. For those apps to be used properly, the inside screen would need to be opened and have the aspect ratio adjusted and there's no fix otherwise. All of this and the generalization of not wanting to open the phone up to see wider content almost every time.
There's a link here that provides a solution, but again, only for the front/cover screen.
2. Sharp edges - If you're holding the phone for an extended period of time, you'll more than likely become uncomfortable with it on the left side (while using it closed). I will say, looking into the leaked photos, it seems they have fixed the issue by curving it.
View attachment 5298983
3. Hinge design - Now this phone is a solid tank from my experience. Someone had accidentally dropped my phone, relatively brutally at that and the hinge had gotten stuck for a second and popped banked into place (Don't ask, just call me lucky). While I think it's extremely durable, I'd definitely like to see the improve with it's design. It seems that they may have from that leak (which again, could possibly not be the actual device). The comparison I'd like to make again would be to the mate x2 and you'll see below what I mean and the over aesthetic of the phone while it's closed. Granted the x2 is newer, the overall design does make it look discrete as far as being a foldable.
View attachment 5298989
4. Weight - This one I'm not very optimistic on, just because there are more parts and factors that go into a folding phone. The overall weight can be an annoyance overtime while holding it closed. This kind of brings me back to my first point of it being wider, with a wider body, it'd seem that there would be more surface area to distribute that weight versus making the phone feel like a brick.
5. Other stuff would consist of the gap itself. I hate to keep comparing it to the X2, but they definitely did build a solid device in terms of design. From the leaks, it's been made out to be that the gap on the upcoming z fold 3 will be greatly reduced. Time will tell on that one.
As far as the leaks on the z fold 3, it does seem like it has some promising upgrades. One being the under-display camera. Hopefully it's greatly improved over the first generation one that had been released in I believe a ZTE phone. I see S Pen support as well which is neat for a bigger display for sure. It's a little disappointing to see that they, again, chose a lackluster route on the camera array. Not saying they'd be bad cameras by any means, but a TOF sensor or zoom lens would've been a little more justifiable regarding pricing of these phones (especially in a flagship standpoint).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How soon before it gets it own set of fora? July or August?

ronaldheld said:
How soon before it gets it own set of fora? July or August?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not until the official announcement by samsung usually. I'd basically want the mate x2 running one UI. That would be my perfect phone. Oh and the latest processor of course, lol.

So around August 19th there might be the 3 forum?

Is there any reason to expect a display smaller than about 7.5"?

Anyone believe it will around $1600?

megaghostgamer said:
With recent leaks showing the device giving us an idea of what the device could look like, I was curious to what some of our gripes were as far as this phone goes. If you haven't already seen the leaks, you can click here. It also gives us an idea of what the next flip will look.
6. Cameras. It is CRIMINAL of Samsung not to put S21U camera modules in the most expensive spartphone they sell. No more S10 sensors please.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

ronaldheld said:
Anyone believe it will around $1600?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung reduced the (UK) RRP from £1799 to £1599 a few months back.
I cannot believe Samsung would be foolish enough to raise RRP again for Fold3.

Phonearena claims August 3d for the announcement date and in shipping on the the 27th. Anyone else confirm this?

Any date for hen we can preorder the phone?

should we expect a separate forum around August 3?

My utter disappointment in the Pixel 5 may lead me to go this route when this comes out... Assuming I can root it and get rid of all of Samsung's garbage software.
Honestly, does ANYONE use "Bixby"???

dezborders said:
Samsung reduced the (UK) RRP from £1799 to £1599 a few months back.
I cannot believe Samsung would be foolish enough to raise RRP again for Fold3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL you'd be amazed at what Samsung is stupid enough to do. These are the people that brought us Bixby.
And that price is ridiculous. That's enough to make crApple blush.

Why the cutting-edge Galaxy Z Fold 3 is doomed to flop
Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 3 is promising, but there are too many aspects that make it "un-normal". Will it flop?
www.phonearena.com
Comments?

The unpacking event is August 3d or 11th?

Looks like the 11th: https://www.phonearena.com/news/summer-samsung-galaxy-unpacked-2021-date-revealed_id133327

ronaldheld said:
Why the cutting-edge Galaxy Z Fold 3 is doomed to flop
Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 3 is promising, but there are too many aspects that make it "un-normal". Will it flop?
www.phonearena.com
Comments?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stupid. I am seriously considering one.

Meanwhile Samsung has grossly neglected it's most popular flagship line, the Note.
Brilliant, a real masterpiece as Samsung flat spins in on full afterburner and keeps its nose up... *splash*

Am I the only one who sees the 3 as being a tiny improvement over the 2? If I could get a native Google experience on it I'd have already jumped ship for the Mate X2. I'm surprised that Samsung isn't improving the aspect ratio and sizes of the screens, or giving significantly better cameras. Yes, an under the screen camera would be nice, but I just don't see much that would cause me to upgrade from the 2.

Never owned a FOLD, excited!!

AGM G2 Guardian | 5G Unlocked | Qualcomm QCM6490 | Long Range Thermal Monocular | Android 12 | 108MP | 7000 mAh

AGM G2 Guardian​5G Unlocked Rugged Smartphone | Thermal Monocular Long Detection Range: 500m/yd​
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​Main Features​​
* Qualcomm QCM6490
* Long Range Thermal Monocular
* 6.58' FHD+ 120Hz Display
* 108MP Rear Camera
* 7000 mAh Battery
* Waterproof, shock and dust proof. Certified IP68/IP69K/MIL-STD-810H
* 109dB Loud Speaker
* 8/12GB + 256GB Storage​
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Source: AGM Mobile Website
Stay tuned for further Information​

5G​
Band: n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n28, n41, n66,n71, n77, n78,n79
NSA: Support, Option 3x/3a
SA: Support, Option 2
MIMO: n1/n2/n3/n7/n66/n77/n78/n79 Four Downstream, Single Upstream, n41 Four Downstream, Dual Upstream
SRS
SA SRS: n41:2T4R，n77/n78/n79：1T4R NSA SRS：n41/n77/n78/n79 1T4R
HPUE: n41/n78/N79： Total Power 26dBm
EN_DC
CA​
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Chipset​Chipset: Qualcomm QCM6490
CPU: Kryo 670
GPU: Adreno 643​
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
​
Storage​Capacity: UFS2.2, 8G+256G & 12G+256G
Expandable Storage (TF Card):Support , 512G​
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Screen​Size: 6.58'
Resolution: FHD+
Refreshing Rate: 120HZ
Cameras
Pixels
108MP Rear Camera
20MP Infrared night vision Camera
2MP Macro Camera
256*192 Thermal Camera (10mm lens)
sensor: TBD
Flashlight: Support
Front Camera
Pixels: 32M
sensor
Sound
MIC: Dual-mic
PA: 3.5W Speaker
Stereo: Not Support
Motor: Support
Speaker Effect: Default algorithm
Headphone Effect: No
Speaker: AGM Iconic Speaker
Direction: Back
WLAN agreement: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax
Battery
capacity: 7000mAh
installation method: built-in
Fast Charging: Support, 18W
Dock Charging: Support
Durability requirements
Operating temperature: -20°C~60°C
Degree of protection: IP68/IP69K/810H​
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I pre-ordered the G2 Guardian and received it 4 days ago. I charged it to 100% when I received it and have not since charged it again...4 entire days of pretty heavy usage, still I have 30% battery. Just about to fill the MicroSD up with music. Hopefully by the time it's fully charged again my battery usage metrics will be calibrated and I can work on some proper usage figures for everyone.
Why did I make this purchase/ My use case:
I work in forestry in Northern Australia. It's sweaty as hell, storms develop quickly and whatever I use will get wet multiple times per week through one or the other. Overall I look after my gear with great care, but some things are unavoidable: water, dust, plant matter slowly filling all of my pockets and getting into my gear through whatever orifice is available. Much like Eels, it finds an entrance where it can. I spend much of my week smashing around in the undergrowth. Being able to wash my devices periodically is important, good quality port covers are equally important.
Another must-have for me is a battery that won't let me down. If I manage to hike to the furthest point from my vehicle within a given parcel of land then it's a major problem for me if my battery runs out and I lose the GPS track that I am running, or cannot collect the remainder of my data taking a different path back to my vehicle. My time is wasted, my sweat and exertion are wasted and I've got to climb a bunch of 35+ degree slopes back to the car for no gain. For this reason, the company iphone and ipad are in the bin where they belong. Both devices constantly let me down one way or another, neither of them are designed to do what I do, even in a lifeproof case.
To solve these issues, I ran the Ulefone Power Armor 13 for over a year. It was a great device, I customised the hell out of it but eventually I got tired of carrying a 498gram brick in my pocket. At home without a belt, it would pull my pants down. It was JUST fast enough not to annoy me, and I really enjoyed how deeply I had customised it but I became annoyed with how poor the camera could be sometimes, and with just how heavy it was, but moreso how cumbersome the form factor was and how cheap it looked and felt.
In a flash of brilliance, I replaced the Power Armor 13 with a Galaxy Xcover 6 pro. Paid outright for the device, bought a couple of spare batteries and rubber port covers for the 3.5mm and USB-C ports, and patted myself on the back for being the smartest man alive. The extra speed of the Snapdragon 778G was just what I had been looking for, the retention of an IP68 rating even with a replaceable battery and the moderately rugged construction seemed to be more than enough for my workday, and I could much more easily slip this thing into the pocket of my jeans before heading to the bar on the weekend. No more laughter when producing my phone from my pocket, no more having to explain how I could possibly need a half kilogram phone...I just looked like a normal person, with a normal life.
It lasted 2 months. I got caught in a storm, the Xcover 6 pro was in my backpack. That IP rating is not worth the paper it is written on. Not only did it fail spectacularly, I'm pretty sure it almost caught fire doing so. It got indescribably hot to the point that I knew it was absolutely dead. No amount of time spent in bags of rice would resurrect it, and after a last ditch effort trying to dry it out in direct sunlight I could see that constant exposure to heavy sweat during my work had also managed to penetrate whatever miserable water ingress protection it had. There were literal salt crystals falling out from near the battery terminals: this thing had been getting moisture past the rubber gasket whilst in my pocket for the entire 2 months I'd owned it.
At this point, Samsung can go and boil their bums. I had been a militant supporter of their Galaxy Active lineup, simply unable to understand why anyone would choose their regular lineup when the Active line existed. Once they dropped the Active I had to look elsewhere, but I was over the moon to see that they had done an xcover device that wasn't completely and utterly under powered so I caved. Fool me once... they're dead to me, and so is the possibility of me owning a 'normal' phone. It's just not going to work for me.
After drying my tears I set about scouting out a new rugged phone that would meet all of my needs without pulling my pants down. I have also recently had to start doing koala spotting again, and even though we have a $2400 thermal scope available at my office, there is only 1. I can't carry it with me all the time in case somebody else needs it, and to be perfectly honest I've found it pretty inadequate once the sun rises. Once there's sunlight on the trees it's pretty much useless, and having to peer through a monocular makes it dangerous walking through the bush. The hardware specs of the scope are so low that it is ridiculously clunky to use, and it is endlessly refreshing the sensor. I wasn't happy with it, and I always had to drive back and get it, so the presence of a thermal camera on my everyday phone became appealing. Imagine my joy when I got home to find that pre-orders for the AGM G2 guardian were just about to start. BOLD claims in the promo literature, but I decided to roll the dice.
Initial impressions of the AGM G2 Guardian after 4 days:
I had some serious trepidation about this purchase. I know that AGM have been around for 14 years or so, and I have come really close to buying several of their devices over the years. The AGM X3 was right up my alley, but for $1000USD in 2019, it was a much easier choice to grab a second hand S8 Active for a few hundred bucks.
The purchase experience through AGM's official eBay store felt sketchy. They shipped me an AU power adapter on the day I pre-ordered, marking the device as shipped. Once the adapter was delivered my buyer protection started counting down. Honestly, in spite of their constant assurances I felt like I was about to get scammed especially since I got it for such a comparatively low price as a pre-order.
I was also nervous about the price I had paid for a rugged phone made in Shenzen. Even though AGM have always positioned themselves as the premium offering in this space, often choosing absolute top of the line Snapdragon SOC's rather than poxy mediatek chips, and having a European design team for their entire range it still seemed like an awful lot of money given the competition.
As soon as I held the G2 Guardian in my hands the reason for the additional price tag compared with the competition became obvious. Even before I turned it on this thing felt TIGHT. Not a rattle in sight, and whilst the 400 grams is still very heavy for a phone, it carries the weight well and manages to feel extremely high quality, reliable and a little bit sexy all at the same time. I'm not sure how to describe this, because it's only 98 grams lighter than my Power Armor was, but I barely notice this thing in my pocket. It feels great to hold and even though I acknowledge that I am part of a very small and very weird group of customers...I think it looks cool as hell and the ergonomics are great. Everything is where you want it to be including the fingerprint sensor. Every time I pull it out of my pocket, I get that nugget feeling. It feels built to last and extremely high quality.
Once I powered it up and started going through the setup process I really started smiling. The first thing that really brought home that nugget feeling was the quality of the haptic feedback. I assume a decent quality motor combined with just how solid the body of the device is has given a fairly nice result here.
Overall an absolute 10/10 for satisfaction on the physical characteristics of this device.
Chipset
Qualcomm QCM 6490 industrial processor.
2.7Ghz, 8 cores, 6nm process. 5G, Wifi6/6E. 8 or 12GB ram.
There's not much to say here. This thing absolutely flies, and sips battery whilst it's doing it. It's faster than the competing 778G by a decent margin and has far better multithreaded performance. It also destroys even the best Mediatek Dimensity chipsets in competing rugged phones clocking in at just under 600,000 Antutu score in V9. No, it's not as fast as a snapdragon 8 Gen1, but it also won't get overly hot or need a purpose built animation to see your battery empty whilst playing games or doing demanding processing.
Display
120hz refresh rate (though I have to assume it is adaptive given the battery life and lack of manual setup options) and a very tasty 2408x1080 400ppi results in a fast, flowy and vibrant display. Let me be clear, this absolutely bashes the pants off my previous 2 phones, but I have to assume it wouldn't be in the ballpark of the latest S23 or anything like that in terms of image quality. The 120hz display is a massive bonus here, and a great implementation. I've never seen this thing lag or skip. It's a really rewarding user experience that looks and feels great and is always buttery smooth. AGM have not provided customisation options here. There's no ability to lock it to 60hz or change the resolution. Ordinarily I wouldn't be happy with this, but given the battery life and quality of experience it seems like they've dialed it in exactly where it needs to be.
Cameras
The main camera is a 108mp Samsung lens. Obviously this lens is extremely capable of taking good photos. Plenty of depth and colour, and it is extremely fast. Unfortunately the combination of a lack of image stabilization and a very basic camera app implementation lead to a lot of dud photos unless you get lucky with the natural lighting conditions being absolutely perfect. I find myself having to take 5 or 6 photos of the same scene or subject to guarantee 1 good shot. It is really reliable up-close on stationary objects, and in this use-case it seems to thrive, producing consistently good images.
There is work to do here for AGM. At present, this high-quality and perfectly capable lens is going to waste a lot of the time because the camera app is so basic. You can tell that the hardware is infinitely capable, but it is absolutely screaming for a port of GCAM or a LOT of development on their in-house app. I don't think it even has HDR at present and configuration options are extremely limited.
Front camera is a 32mp unit that provides a really smooth video calling experience, quality is good. Not sure how good it is at selfies because selfies are for children.
There's also a 20MP Sony night-vision camera. This works well, and I believe it is activated by choosing 'infrared detect' in the camera app and probably plays some role in the thermal function I guess (?).
Finally, the last 'normal' camera is a 2MP Macro Camera. This works really well for Macro shots but I have to wonder what kind of insanity led to the inclusion of a macro lens rather than a decent wide-angle sensor in an outdoor focused device. 90% of my photos on my last few phones have been taken with the wide-angle sensor and it is going to take some serious getting used to not having one. Obviously I knew this before purchase, but I miss my wide-angle lenses already.
Thermal Module
Here is the big daddy, and obviously the focal point of this device. A 10mm lens paired with 256x192 thermal image resolution and 25hz video resolution.
AGM have knocked this out of the park. With zero exaggeration, this is the best thermal scope I have ever used. I have used devices with higher thermal detector resolution (384 x 288), but even in devices that cost over $2200AUD, these sensors are paired with absolute garbage processing power. This leaves you with a really clunky user experience. These specialist devices are also often plagued with really terrible battery life, and having to hold it up to your eye is downright dangerous given the understory you are more than likely walking through if you have a use for such a device.
Combining a decent sensor and a 10mm lens with the very respectable hardware at the heart of the G2 Guardian eliminates all of the problems inherent to a standalone thermal monocular. They say the best camera is the one you have with you, and this applies double to thermal scopes. To ALWAYS have this thing available in my pocket is a massive advantage.
Thermal Range (Detection Range VS Recognition Range) and performance
I was pretty dubious of the claims made by AGM here. Well, I was wrong. At night, there is a very comfortable recognition range of around 100 to 200 metres depending on the size of the animal, and a detection range (how far out you can actually identify a heat signature is present) well over 500 metres, again, depending on the size of the object.
The thermal app interface is fast and responsive, and there is an entire galaxy of configuration options including the ability to set up your own custom thermal ribbon colour modes to suit your use. The timelapse function will be awesome for monitoring wildlife, and the analysis tools are crazy good. Both auto-focus and manual focus modes are brilliant, and I find myself wishing they had put a similar amount of effort into the main camera app.
Temperature measurement range is disappointing in the Guardian variant which I believe is only capable of 0C to 150C with accuracy. I believe this was a necessary compromise to allow such an amazing long range thermal camera experience. The G2 Pro variant does not have such impressive long-range thermal capability, but has accurate temperature measurement between -20C to 550C. This was an easy choice for me, it's far more useful for me to be able to detect an animal or heat signature at long range, than to tell the exact temperature of that object up close.
I have had a FLIR sensor previously on the very first CAT phone, and it was not even in the same universe of what the G2 Guardian is capable of. Hands down, this is the best bit of thermal gear I've ever used and I have access to several very expensive standalone units - the implementation on the G2 Guardian is genuinely impressive. They have made the jump from what is a cool gimmick on most phones, to a genuine work or hunting tool. I am blown away here.
The most impressive feature of the thermal experience is how well it works in daylight conditions. Many extremely expensive scopes are completely useless in daylight. As soon as sunlight starts to hit tree trunks, it's time to give up and go home. I'm not exactly sure how AGM have overcome this challenge, and obviously it will always work better at night or in the early morning, but even at 10am in full sun I have been able to ID animals very easily.
Firmware and customization potential
The Android implementation here is completely and utterly bloat free. The only non-google apps AGM have installed is their camera app, their thermal camera app and the AGM service app, where you can input the particulars of your device and purchase date, and submit a help or service request. There is also a third party launcher, but I never touched it - I installed Lynx launcher from my google backup before I even made it to the homescreen...i know what I like at this point.
The remainder of the UI experience is practically untouched, sharing most similarities to the latest Pixel devices including some of the fancier features including the ability to screenshot beyond the current display area of a web site, the juicy larger sized quick settings menu, extra dim mode, bedtime routines etc etc. There are extra settings menus present for the user defined key (though very basic, can't even set a vibration
I have to commend AGM here for providing such a beautiful stock android experience and not going ham with some janky over zealous skin.
Whilst I have not unlocked the bootloader or rooted this device, I have verified that flicking the OEM Unlocking switch in developer options does have the desired result, and that you are able to gain access to the bootloader via ADB reboot bootloader. This is good news for the future, with many devices from mainstream manufacturers now shipping without even the ability to access the bootloader.
It seems like there is potential here, but at present I do not have a reason to proceed any further down this path. Time will tell how well AGM support these devices long term with incremental updates but so far all they have promised is that they will provide regular Android security updates, and that their camera and thermal apps will be developed on an ongoing basis. I would not be surprised if we never see Android 13 or 14 here, but I could be wrong.
It would be a massive roll of the dice to flash a GSI or custom rom here given the amount of device specific, niche hardware. In all likelyhood, unless AGM decide to expend the resources to support this type of development in-house (and why would they?), any attempt to install a non-factory rom will result in the loss of your thermal camera, infrared camera and probably the sick flashlight as well.
At some point in the future I may attempt to root this phone but for now most of the reasons I have for doing so have already been solved in-house.
The battery optimisation and power management is absolutely killer and unobtrusive, giving an outstanding result for daily use. All of the bluetooth codecs you could possibly want are there including APT-X, APT-X HD, LDAC, AAC - so i've no need to force these in via magisk modules.
Activating the amazingly handy 100 lumen flashlight on the top of the phone via hardware key on the side is a default feature...this is one of the big reasons I usually root my phones. If they would add haptic feedback when it's activated, I'm happy and probably won't root at all.
Connectivity
3G and 4G signal reception on this device is better than anything I've owned previously. I was sweating bullets about VoLTE and VoWifi working on this out of the box because I have been completely reliant on wifi calling at home on all my other phones, which generally only manage 1 bar of cellular signal at best.
The great news is that VoLTE and VoWifi did work immediately out of the box, but given that I now have consistently better coverage with the G2 I'm less reliant on it. When it does kick in, it seems to do so seamlessly. All I could really ask for here is clear visible delineation between Wifi calls and HD voice/ VoLTE calls.
Wifi reception is also very good with very little degradation even at considerable distance from my router. Unfortunately I do not have access to 5G or Wifi6 to truly test it. On the previous 5ghz wifi standard it is easily able to hand me the full capacity of my starlink connection. Overall I feel like they really prioritized antenna location and design in this device. All of the other features are cool, but first and foremost this is a GREAT phone.
Tiny touches
AGM G2 Guardian is one of those cases where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I assumed the 3.5watt speaker on the rear would be a gimmick...wow. This little speaker is worth its bulge. It's loud, clear and gives even the simple act of unlocking the device some serious presence. For podcast listening when I'm out in the shed or out in the bush and don't want to risk headphones masking the early warning signs of any slithery surprises it is absolutely fantastic. For music, I own several small bluetooth speakers that do not have this quality or volume. They have tuned the output in such a way that even at max volume there is no distortion, it's just loud and clear. I thought being on the rear of the device would be a disadvantage but they've overcome this with pure power.
The torch is one of my favourite features. I'm a total torch nerd but this is one less thing that I have to worry about having on my person, and the output is more than enough for most simple tasks at night. To have this with me at all times is a huge boon, and it is a million times better than even the brightest LED flash style flashlight on most phones, and emits from the top so is much more usable.
Bluetooth implementation here is INCREDIBLE. Stability of all bluetooth codecs has been fantastic, with no skipping and fantastic range. Even on my tiny earbuds, I am able to walk to the other end of my house with no skips or disconnects. This is about 25 metres. For comparison, my xcover 6 pro would constantly skip just from facing the wrong way in my pocket, and would give me about 10 metres unobstructed in the house. That's some serious power from the AGM, and decent thought put in to location of the antennas.
Best of all, when connecting any bluetooth audio device, a quick popup appears to inform you which codec is active! This is such a great little touch that saves me jumping through 3 layers of developer options to ensure that I am actually using the codec I want when my headphones connect.
A labour of love
In one of their recent long-form videos on youtube, an AGM representative claims the Bill of Materials cost for parts and labour to bring the G2 Guardian to completion is $740USD owing mainly to the expense of the thermal module.
If this is true, this leaves AGM with a very slim profit margin on this device. It seems their motivation here is purely to grow their brand, get more AGM devices into the hands of users in this small segment of the market and really make a great device to be proud of. You can feel it.
If you have ever considered a rugged device, or are sick of destroying your expensive mainstream ones this may well be the halo product you have been waiting for. The attention to detail here is hard to put into words until you've used one for a few days.
Concerns
-Even the large RAM X-Grip can only just hold this device in a vehicle owing to the bulge on the rear. It is secure in there, but only just. If AGM were to release a purpose built vehicle mount for these, I'd absolutely buy one.
-AGM Specs on their website still claim 10W wireless charging even now. It appears that either A) this is a lie B) it uses some non-standard wireless charging standard or C) They are claiming their dock accessory as wireless charging which I suppose would technically be true...but I have not yet received my dock and seems a bit disingenuous
It turns out there is wireless charging present, it's just very difficult getting it to pick up given the shape of the rear and the thickness of the case. Presently charging at 10W after some very careful balancing. I eagerly await the charging dock!
-Thermal module is fairly exposed and picks up every smudge imagineable. This does not impact use, and I do not have any scratches yet. AGM claim hardness of this glass is very high, but I can't think of a way to protect this lens when it is not in use.
-Main camera software needs some help. As detailed previously, you can get great photos out of this hardware combo, but it doesn't happen often enough. Maybe the in-house team can pull something together, but I can't help but think it would be a better outcome to get a port of GCAM running well, and enjoy all of the software processing and HDR trickery that comes with it. I may start having a mess around here myself.
That's about it. 99% of people won't read my wall of text, but for those seriously considering this purchase I hope this goes some way to helping you make your decision.
I have used rugged devices from every major player in this space. This is by far the best experience I've had with any of them. This phone absolutely slaps.
Camera samples attached with some compression from google photos.
Daylight closeup outdoors under cover
Daylight outdoors closeup subject
Daylight indoors close-up
Daylight sneaking distance, medium size eastern grey kangaroo
Outdoors 9am daylight photography sample
Night. Termite mound in foreground. Cow approx 60m away
Night. Small kangaroo @ 70-75m
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Alright I'm off to the races.
Shamim's Gcam port opens and appears to take photos, doesn't lag. It's night here right now, but this is where I will be starting my customisation journey.
Shamim: SGCAM_8.7.250.XX.44_STABLE_V4FIX
Download SGCAM_8.7.250.XX.44_STABLE_V4FIX by Shamim.
www.celsoazevedo.com

Have you got the gcam port working? And if so how is image quality?

davecotefilm said:
Have you got the gcam port working? And if so how is image quality?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it's working and very stable with both main camera and front camera stills + video all good.
Image quality is great but I need to figure out how to make a config file for this device, never done one before. HDR is a little too extreme on both HDR modes.
I'll put a couple of comparison images together over the weekend. That link I posted is a great base to start building from, and stability seems to be zero issues so this is already a win.
I did some up-close shots and GCAM really made them pop. Landscape stuff looking a little alien with HDR effect at present.
Anyone got a good resource for getting started with GCAM config? Seems like the hardware is fully compatible with this build so shouldn't be too many barriers.

Okay yes I'm thinking this will be my next phone :-D Just need price to drop a bit!

bandario said:
Yes it's working and very stable with both main camera and front camera stills + video all good.
Image quality is great but I need to figure out how to make a config file for this device, never done one before. HDR is a little too extreme on both HDR modes.
I'll put a couple of comparison images together over the weekend. That link I posted is a great base to start building from, and stability seems to be zero issues so this is already a win.
I did some up-close shots and GCAM really made them pop. Landscape stuff looking a little alien with HDR effect at present.
Anyone got a good resource for getting started with GCAM config? Seems like the hardware is fully compatible with this build so shouldn't be too many barriers.
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Click to collapse
I'll try to get into the configs, but does gcam give it any image stabilization?

bandario said:
Yes it's working and very stable with both main camera and front camera stills + video all good.
Image quality is great but I need to figure out how to make a config file for this device, never done one before. HDR is a little too extreme on both HDR modes.
I'll put a couple of comparison images together over the weekend. That link I posted is a great base to start building from, and stability seems to be zero issues so this is already a win.
I did some up-close shots and GCAM really made them pop. Landscape stuff looking a little alien with HDR effect at present.
Anyone got a good resource for getting started with GCAM config? Seems like the hardware is fully compatible with this build so shouldn't be too many barriers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay awesome, I'll get it as my next device and follow this thread I suggest contacting the dev from the gcam link, he can help with configs if he can ask you for files etc. Then once built just attach the apk here!

I installed "SGCAM_8.7.250.XX.44_STABLE_V5_ENG_PACKAGE" on G2 Guardian and it is working fine on the main camera and the front camera and has software based image stabilization option. However, I don't see any option for Night vision and macro cameras. May be proper config is required.

bandario said:
Yes it's working and very stable with both main camera and front camera stills + video all good.
Image quality is great but I need to figure out how to make a config file for this device, never done one before. HDR is a little too extreme on both HDR modes.
I'll put a couple of comparison images together over the weekend. That link I posted is a great base to start building from, and stability seems to be zero issues so this is already a win.
I did some up-close shots and GCAM really made them pop. Landscape stuff looking a little alien with HDR effect at present.
Anyone got a good resource for getting started with GCAM config? Seems like the hardware is fully compatible with this build so shouldn't be too many barriers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the review and mentioning of GCAM software. I installed it and It has many more options then the stock AGM G2 Guardian app. Thanks

vicki20july said:
I installed "SGCAM_8.7.250.XX.44_STABLE_V5_ENG_PACKAGE" on G2 Guardian and it is working fine on the main camera and the front camera and has software based image stabilization option. However, I don't see any option for Night vision and macro cameras. May be proper config is required.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You never will. It's a small miracle that it works out of the box with main and front cam for stills and video. To get any other lens involved would require huge input from AGM on a non-sanctioned project messing with google code. It won't happen. I'm just grateful they used standard enough hardware calls that we can build from a stable base on main cam.

davecotefilm said:
I'll try to get into the configs, but does gcam give it any image stabilization?
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Click to collapse
Yes, AI image stabilisation standard to GCAM. To be honest I actively avoid phones with hardware OIS because vibrations when mounted to my motorbike kill the mechanism leaving me with a dead camera. I'm super happy to have GCAM fake OIS.

Thinks you for all this informations about agm guardian, I want to buy from ebay agm store, I want to ask you about zoom quality of the main camera? Can you post image and videos with zoom at least x8 or x10

samienemy said:
Thinks you for all this informations about agm guardian, I want to buy from ebay agm store, I want to ask you about zoom quality of the main camera? Can you post image and videos with zoom at least x8 or x10
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Click to collapse
It does not have a telephoto lens. Max zoom is 8X and it looks as bad as you imagine. If this feature is important to you, buy something with a telephoto lens.

GCAM
AGM Stock CAM

It cost over 1200$ I will wait for less price

samienemy said:
It cost over 1200$ I will wait for less price
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$859USD on Ebay. AGM web shop is wild, changes price if you view it multiple times getting more expensive every time.

bandario said:
It does not have a telephoto lens. Max zoom is 8X and it looks as bad as you imagine. If this feature is important to you, buy something with a telephoto len
bandario said:
It does not have a telephoto lens. Max zoom is 8X and it looks as bad as you imagine. If this feature is important to you, buy something with a telephoto lens.
View attachment 5889529
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Click to collapse
There is an option in SGCAM to increase zoom capability. I am able to get it working up to around 35x
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Click to collapse

To what end? At 8X it already looks like a psychedelic cartoon.