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I've has my Galaxy Nexus for a couple of days now, on the Three network in the UK.
I hate how most people in reviews rave about phones when they have just forked out for them, and fail to mention any real negatives - presumably because they refuse to accept that something they've spent £500 on might be less than perfect. When you buy one and it's missing features or isn't quite what you expected, it's very annoying.
Here are my thoughts so far. I consider myself a power-user, and have tested almost everything. Overall, people are right. This is the best phone I've touched. I think once devs start optimising their apps to work properly on ICS it'll be even better. Fingers crossed that Cyanogen will address lots of the annoyances below.
I hope this is useful for someone
The Good:
Feels much more complete and unified.
It's lightening fast.
Most of the best bits of Android have transferred.
Screen looks great.
Face unlock works much better than I thought. Even in low light.
I've only had one crash despite installing a tonne of apps and testing every feature. [EDIT: a few FCs today. Mainly from the pre-installed Google Earth).
Radio seems to work fine on Three UK, unlike the SGS II which has data issues due to fast dormancy. Data speeds are great.
Browser generally much better.
Text input much better, but editing is a little confusing and seems to vary depending on app. [EDIT: This is actually phenomenal. I've always had a hardware keyboard or Swype before so no practice on these keyboards. After only 48 hours, I can literally type without looking. It is very good at correcting mistakes.]
Screen size is great for me, as I use my phones as mini-tablets. Doesn't feel bulky in my pocket at all.
BLUETOOTH STEREO FINALLY DOESN'T DISTORT - I can hear hi-hats again instead of just distortion. There is a bit of constant crackling though.
Screen remains responsive when charging. I have had an issue where it wasn't registering touch properly when charging on my Milestone, Desire and SGSII so this is really nice.
The Bad:
EVEN THOUGH I'M SUPPOSEDLY IN AN UNAFFECTED BAND, IF MY PHONE DROPS TO 2G, AND SOMEONE WALKS NEAR ME MAKING A PHONECALL IT PUTS MY PHONE ON SILENT.
The 'menu' button is unpredictable. For example, in most apps it appears at the bottom with the softkeys. In Market it's up at the top, near the search button. In some apps, it has gone. Seems to vary and is confusing.
You're stuck with the Google search box on you home screen. I hate this.
Now the button has gone, if an app doesn't have a search icon, you've lost the ability to search.
Also means no long press search, so you have to go back to the home screen for voice commands. This also means that regardless of what launcher you use, if you want voice search, you NEED to have the Google search widget on your home screen.
No USB Mass Storage – they've opted for media device profile instead. My Xbox recognises it but can't play any content. It doesn't work with my car stereo. It doesn't work with my TV. My laptop will see it, but I can't see certain hidden folders. This has just removed a huge aspect of flexibility from Android. It's no longer universal, and more like an iPhone now in that respect.
Icons are as ugly in real life as everyone expected.
Blue theme clashes with everything except blue. Blue icons on blue background feels very bland.
There is a huge problem with speech to text, whereby it is very slow, and seems to just write a list of names out of my contacts directory rather than writing what I say! Video here: http://youtu.be/qHVptz2EtMk
No longer accepts certain file formats over Bluetooth.
Camera seems buggy when reviewing photos. It works confusingly.
Gallery is not very intuitive at all.
Browser doesn't display Javascript animations properly.
Dropped a few calls.
Wifi range isn't as good as my other Androids
Front facing camera doesn't aim inwards towards your face. It points straight forward at 90 degrees, but it's positioned on the right of the device, so your face isn't central unless you hold the phone at a bit of an angle facing away from you. [EDIT - this is getting very annoying now. You have to have the phone screen pointing almost away from you to video call]
Bluetooth calls don't seem to work. Caller can't hear what I'm saying. [EDIT - I'm told it works on newer kits. Mine is a Jabra stereo receiver]
Bluetooth music has a constant crackling behind it, but it's barely noticeable in loud music.
All albumart appears in the phone gallery.
Google Talk seems to sign out after a while. It's showing all of my contacts as away even though I know they're online. Signing out and in again fixes this temporarily, but I'm guessing I would miss video calls whilst offline.
Phone has gone to permanent sleep about 3 times in 2 and a half days now. Requires a battery pull to get it back on.
Apps - If you can't live without these, I'd recommend waiting to buy until they're fixed
No menu button is shown on Facebook, so there's no way to set it up to sync contacts or notifications. This means no contact photos for now.
Twitter on the other hand syncs all my contacts, despite me telling it not to.
Doesn't support Swype as yet.
Doesn't support MX Video Player.
iPlayer not available in the Market.
Grooveshark app doesn't work due to lack of flash player. You can use Dood's music streamer for a functional but unattractive alternative.
Thanks for the review and honesty. It would be nice if you kept this updated as either your opinion changes or things are fixed from either Google or app developers.
Is web browser as smooth (scrolling, pinch to zoom) as one on the galaxy s2?
I really beginning to wonder if Verizon is going to put these out there in two weeks without some fixes/improvements in place. I mean, if December 8 is real, these phones have got be in sealed boxes already. People will be returning them faster than they sell them.
hrcro said:
Is web browser as smooth (scrolling, pinch to zoom) as one on the galaxy s2?
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It feels a lot smoother than my Galaxy S II did.
I'm about to test the bluetooth quality, as crackling audio was my biggest pet hate from previous Android versions.
Can you resize the search widget? If we are stuck with it maybe something smaller will help minimize that particular drawback.
have you got an otg usb cable? can you hook up a thumb drive?
Sent from my Google Nexus S using Tapatalk
suomaf said:
have you got an otg usb cable? can you hook up a thumb drive?
Sent from my Google Nexus S using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
yes, please test it. whole forum with owners GN but nobody had test this opportunity yet
I hope yopu don't mind but I am going to hijack this thread and also post a quick review from a similar nerd is maybe over critical. Saves starting a new thread.
The Good
ICS is very polished, much more so than any other version of android, it tries to stay consistent through the whole phone where as in previous versions it was one of my main annoyances.
The device looks fantastic.
The speed is very good, I wouldn't say it is any faster than a SGS2 with a custom rom IMO but it is a lot smother in animation etc. so it feels a lot faster.
The screen is very nice, playing videos when the screen is set up to an acceptable brightness are amazing with colours a lot more natural than the SGS2 or the yellow tint of the iphone 4.
Radio is very good also, getting full signal in my house where as before i would only receive 2-3 bars.
Text input is a lot better although i have found it is unable to keep up with my typing, although it is putting the letters down it almost seems like there is a little delay in the animation of them magnifying.
Notification light is back and I am glad, as I missed that feature on my SGS2.
Has everything, NFC, noise cancelling mic, 720p display and ICS. Its pretty much future proof (in terms of the next few years)
Zero shutter lag is a very good feature
Bad Points
The screen although very nice on full or half brightness is not very good on auto brightness. It is so much lower compared to all my other smart phones it is almost unusable I find so I have had to manually set the brightness.
Auto rotate as I have mentioned in another thread is very inconsistent, very fast in some apps nearly non existent in others.
Sound quality is quiet, not poor quality but very quiet. My SGS2 and iPhone 4 over power it when playing videos.
The browser is fast but it is not as fast as my SGS2 running Check Rom Revolution HD. It is deffo faster than the iPhone 4.
The camera is not great, its not bad but the quality feels like it is from a year old device. Quite grainy, not as good as the SGS2 or the iphone 4s unfortunately.
And lastly a few quirks which I am sure will be sorted out with an over the air update, occasional stutter when opening app draw, gallery doesn't seem terribly smooth when going through photos and the auto rotate is just annoying me.
Other than the above I don't want people to read this and think it is doom and gloom because it isn't. This is a very very good device, I am glad I purchased it because it is still the best phone on the market in my opinion.
Every phone has its niggles but that is why this forum is so great, I am looking forward to the community baked roms which always make a device go from very good to just awesome.
To answer some question, you can't resize the search bar. Its not really a widget its sort of like the controls at the bottom, permanently there.
when typing does it type well, what I mean is it off when typing and you keep getting bad letters up, I had that problem with the SGS2 someone mentioned it was a screen problem that it kept jumping
thanks
bmstrong said:
Can you resize the search widget? If we are stuck with it maybe something smaller will help minimize that particular drawback.
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Click to collapse
Nope, can't resize it. It's there permanently. You'd have to install another launcher.
Added a few more to the list, mainly to do with Bluetooth.
Is FM radio working with Spirit FM Radio app?
justabrake said:
when typing does it type well, what I mean is it off when typing and you keep getting bad letters up, I had that problem with the SGS2 someone mentioned it was a screen problem that it kept jumping
thanks
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Click to collapse
Yeah it types really well, I don't think I have mistyped once on there and I type real fast.
Good lord. That's a lot of negatives. Thanks for the honest review for undecided minds like me. Just two questions. If you use a 3rd party launcher (for example adw) will the google search bar still be present? Secondly, how does the GPS perform in terms of fix time and accuracy? Does barometer really help GPS fix time? Thanks
luffyp said:
Secondly, how does the GPS perform in terms of fix time and accuracy? Does barometer really help GPS fix time? Thanks
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Click to collapse
The GPS fix for me is very fast, easily within a second or so. Much faster than my Desire was, that's for sure.
A lot of those negatives either will be resolved soon by Google or they won't be a problem for the majority of people
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk
OP > when typing does it type well, what I mean is it off when typing and you keep getting bad letters up, I had that problem with the SGS2 someone mentioned it was a screen problem that it kept jumping
thanks
mike freegan said:
You're stuck with the Google search box on you home screen. I hate this.
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Ugh.
This is going to be problematic with my live clock wallpaper that is displayed at the top of the screen. Anyone else use WP Clock?
Here's an example of the live wallpaper I'm talking about:
luffyp said:
Good lord. That's a lot of negatives. Thanks for the honest review for undecided minds like me. Just two questions. If you use a 3rd party launcher (for example adw) will the google search bar still be present? Secondly, how does the GPS perform in terms of fix time and accuracy? Does barometer really help GPS fix time? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well you have to bare in mind that ICS is a big over haul, so if we were to list all the positives it would be a pretty big list. I am just venting my negatives of the device, but when you compare them to how good the device is they really are small and I would rather have this handset than any other. I forked out for both my SGS2 and the Galaxy Nexus sim free and i am not dissapointed with either. If you are undecided on whether to upgrade you have to look at the fact that this phone does have everything, is a developer phone and has ICS written specifically for it. I would say go for it.
If you use a 3rd party launcher the Google search will not be present, my GPS has been excellent, I have used it for a few car journeys and it is just as good as my SGS2 which was superb.
jms.flynn said:
Well you have to bare in mind that ICS is a big over haul, so if we were to list all the positives it would be a pretty big list. I am just venting my negatives of the device, but when you compare them to how good the device is they really are small and I would rather have this handset than any other. I forked out for both my SGS2 and the Galaxy Nexus sim free and i am not dissapointed with either. If you are undecided on whether to upgrade you have to look at the fact that this phone does have everything, is a developer phone and has ICS written specifically for it. I would say go for it.
If you use a 3rd party launcher the Google search will not be present, my GPS has been excellent, I have used it for a few car journeys and it is just as good as my SGS2 which was superb.
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Click to collapse
Yep I know, ICS seems to be the biggest change among the previous Android versions. Together with Google & developers' support, it's why I want to jump ship to the Nexus line. At the moment I'm leaning towards it, just wanna read more reviews. Although the volume adjusting problem that many people are having is a bit of a concern. Hopefully it will be fixed by a software update.
Got my T-mobile S4 this afternoon, wow the t-mobile use plastic bag to ship a $600 phone, hmmm.
Once I powered up the phone, it is ****ty with "this and that" function, laggy like a hell, although I could not tell, but I do not expect battery will perform well in this case. So I decided using two hours to make it works like a vanilla rom (most people upgrade from Galaxy Nexus will have this feeling).
First thing first, root using the motochopper function, there is nothing easier than this.
Second thing, turn off any function start with "Air...", whether air view, or air gesture, can not care less about that.
Third thing, the bloat removal fun, install TiBU, remove those app
"Lookout", I do not need anti-virus on a phone now
"Samsung Text to Speech Engine" or "Speech to Text Engine", most of people will notice this because it crashed every once a while, besides the phone has "Google Text to Speech Engine", so who need Sammy one?
"Caller Name", a paid service, tons of 3rd party app can replace this function
"Mobile hot spot". same from above
Anything start with "Samsung" is up to you, I actually found one or two good ones, like "watchon", it actually work with my COX box and TV, although I have to align it perfectly to get the IR works.
"tripadvisor", no thanks sir!
Fourth thing, turn off any animation scales (they have three), I do not see the ****ty "transition"
Almost there, the weather widget from accuweather, any widget works better and customizable than the stock one.
Oh yeah, after remove about 30 bloatware, my phone start to fly, so lets see if the battery will perform well. I will have a report tomorrow.
Also Kudos to diztronic matte black case, really like it, best $9 case.
Thanks for the list. While I'll definitely keep as many functions with Samsung as I can because I like having the option to use the air/smart/S-stuff when it does come in handy, I will be removing things you mentioned like Caller name/Trip Adviser, and maybe S-translator among other things. Some have said that turning off transitional animations solves the lag, is that true? Or does it only help in one small aspect?
That's the same case I'm using for my s4
Force gpu rendering. That helps quite a bit. Could be placebo, since I can't quantify the change (besides quadrant advanced boost on 2d score), but I doubt it.. Things are visibly quicker, or rather not as laggy.
I'm debating switching back to my OC'd SGS3.
Thanks for the info. I get mine tomorrow and I want to make it as fast and simple as possible. I'm going to keep the stock ROM for a while, but I really couldn't care less about all the gesture stuff. It's much more important to me that the phone run with absolutely no lag, which is more than possible with this hardware.
Btw, after much debloating, I got a few FCs saying samsung text to speech stopped stopped working. If that happens to you, simply change the input method to Google text to speech.
Otherwise, I can confirm that my S4 has become much snappier after removing some of the bloatware. I suppose Lookout was the biggest offender, but who knows.
plexwang said:
Got my T-mobile S4 this afternoon, wow the t-mobile use plastic bag to ship a $600 phone, hmmm.
Once I powered up the phone, it is ****ty with "this and that" function, laggy like a hell, although I could not tell, but I do not expect battery will perform well in this case. So I decided using two hours to make it works like a vanilla rom (most people upgrade from Galaxy Nexus will have this feeling).
First thing first, root using the motochopper function, there is nothing easier than this.
Second thing, turn off any function start with "Air...", whether air view, or air gesture, can not care less about that.
Third thing, the bloat removal fun, install TiBU, remove those app
"Lookout", I do not need anti-virus on a phone now
"Samsung Text to Speech Engine" or "Speech to Text Engine", most of people will notice this because it crashed every once a while, besides the phone has "Google Text to Speech Engine", so who need Sammy one?
"Caller Name", a paid service, tons of 3rd party app can replace this function
"Mobile hot spot". same from above
Anything start with "Samsung" is up to you, I actually found one or two good ones, like "watchon", it actually work with my COX box and TV, although I have to align it perfectly to get the IR works.
"tripadvisor", no thanks sir!
Fourth thing, turn off any animation scales (they have three), I do not see the ****ty "transition"
Almost there, the weather widget from accuweather, any widget works better and customizable than the stock one.
Oh yeah, after remove about 30 bloatware, my phone start to fly, so lets see if the battery will perform well. I will have a report tomorrow.
Also Kudos to diztronic matte black case, really like it, best $9 case.
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Click to collapse
What do you use in place of caller name?
Blades said:
Force gpu rendering. That helps quite a bit. Could be placebo, since I can't quantify the change (besides quadrant advanced boost on 2d score), but I doubt it.. Things are visibly quicker, or rather not as laggy.
I'm debating switching back to my OC'd SGS3.
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Click to collapse
Force GPU rendering is not a placebo. There are not much differences in benchmarks such as quadrant because they already use GPU to render. But for apps such as Lucky Patcher or Evernote, the fluidity increase is significant because those apps originally use CPU to render. So far the CPU doesn't render the S4's 1080p screen very smoothly (especially when system is using the A7 cores), but the GPU does.
Of course, hardware rendering is faster than software. I'm just wondering why this is not the default behavior. Legacy app compatibility?
For some reason I cant find mobile hotspot.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda premium
pinoycrusader said:
For some reason I cant find mobile hotspot.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's under :
System settings - connection - more networks - tethering & mobile hotspot
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda premium
about 12 hour moderate to heavy use, so far so good
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2
How did you remove hotspot?
If you get samsung text to speech just set the default back to google.
Settings > my device > accessability > text to speech option >"GOOGLE TEXT TO SPEECH"
I have been coming here since the Sprint EVO ..... I never post much because I don't want to get in the way of Dev. That being said, after reading a post on Reddit today (I know..but bear with me), my ATT Note 4 is running faster than ever....I truly mean it. Anyway, I will post the link to the Reddit post, but know this.... The OP on Reddit should take credit for some of this discussion even though his "Best Buy" suggestion sucks. But the comments is where it got good, and I tried all of them...Here is what I did from that thread that made my N4 faster than ever... (link at end of post) ...I hope this helps....because it did for me 100%
soliddewitt 5 points 19 hours ago
Glad that helped ya slightly, but there are a few more things you can do!
Do Not use the: Stock Launcher Stock Messenger Stock Keyboard Stock anything Disable double tap to use Svoice then disable Svoice
I know it's a hassle, but it's worth it. Sure we shouldn't have to to make our phones work well, but we do. We can either jump on the S6 ship or deal with it.
Also, go into developer options and cut all the animations in half. Boom, your note 4 is now faster than any other note 4 you will run into. Besides mine, of course
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[–]slapchappy 2 points 18 hours ago
What apps are you using to replace what you stated here? Swiftkey, Nova, etc.?
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[–]soliddewitt 1 point 18 hours ago
Nova Prime, SwiftKey, EvolveSms.
There are other similar options, most notably free. But I've been using these apps (or by the same dev) for 2 years.
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[–]slapchappy 1 point 18 hours ago
Thanks. Just wanted to duplicate to see how different, if any, from what I'm running. I have some of the same but am not using the same messaging app.
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[–]soliddewitt 1 point 18 hours ago
Nice! I also have most Samsung apps disabled. They're all pointless.
[–]Robbbbbbbbb 1 point 3 hours ago
For me:
Nova
Google keyboard
Google Messenger
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[–]Veloglasgow 1 point 11 hours ago
Disabled svoice there and it stopped my front facing camera from working, made me reactivate.
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[–]soliddewitt 1 point 8 hours ago
Make sure you disable double tap from home.
http://www.reddit.com/r/galaxynote4...xperience_with_the_best_buy_magic_fix_for_my/
I too have been using nova prime (beta) paired with google keyboard and Svoice deactivated and using textra. No lag other than the recent key.
Much better thank you.
S VOICE is the culprit to the majority of lag on Samsung phones.
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Free mobile app
ShrekOpher said:
S VOICE is the culprit to the majority of lag on Samsung phones.
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Free mobile app
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No it's not. It causes a delay when you press the home button if you have the option selected in S-Voice to wake via the home button. The delay is there on purpose, not to lag the phone. Other than that, S-Voice doesn't cause any lag.
I just disabled s-voice, and now my entire experience is better. Just saying thanks, and I disagree about home press only. Just saying
grmcrkrs said:
I just disabled s-voice, and now my entire experience is better. Just saying thanks, and I disagree about home press only. Just saying
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No disrespect, but placebo effect. My opinion that I'm sure is shared by many others here or on XDA in general. But I respect your opinion nonetheless.
It works.. But never had a problem with lag from S-Voice. Disabled anyway since I don't use it!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app
I use Textra SMS and SmartLauncher instead of stock SMS and launcher. I never liked Touchwiz unless is was a custom ROM built on TW with all the necessary tweaks to get rid of all the clunkiness. Needless to say using those 2 apps has made me love my phone even more.
Stock MMS and stock gallery were brutally slow, especially when opening a picture from the camera.. it would literally take like 10 seconds to open sometimes. Switching to Textra and QuickPic gallery (although it can't be opened from the camera app) made a huge difference for me along with disabling S Voice.
I'll give this a shot, tried almost everything up to now... Coming from a One M8 and the lags and stutters are really making me nervous. It's not a big deal but with what the phone costs and its specs this is completely ridiculous. I had the note 2 and don't remember it being like this.
I had decided to take it back tomorrow (got it 10 days ago on the next plan) but I read this thread now and will give it a shot until tomorrow afternoon; maybe I can return it in and wait for the M9.
Thank you
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app
Does disabling svoice stop you from voice commands, such as in the camera?
Kamau54 said:
Does disabling svoice stop you from voice commands, such as in the camera?
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Click to collapse
Sure does:good:
has anyone used svoice?? when it first came out it was cool but now ... i dont think its all that
Using OK Google is 100x better than s voice
I've always been a lover of Android in the regards of how customizable it is. I've released a few custom roms in my time, mostly for the Galaxy S5 since the battery life on it was kind of honestly terrible when it came out. My roms were all based on Android 4.4.2 as 5.0 just seemed to kill a lot of my battery saving techniques. I figured I'd make a small post about my favorite ways to save on battery.
By the way, sorry if this is an incorrect section. Feel free to move it if needed. Been awhile since I've been on here...
Simple Methods
These methods don't take any special 3rd party app installs or file tweaks. These are simple adjustments you can make in your Settings application right on your device!
If you aren't using your GPS/Bluetooth/Wifi, Turn it off!
A lot of people just leave these things running constantly even when they aren't needed. I look at my fathers S3 and always cry a little inside because EVERYTHING is turned on. The reason its bad to leave these on even when not being used is because Wifi and GPS scan for a connection/location every 180 seconds (depending on phone model). This KILLS battery life so much. It takes a lot to power that little gps, and honestly even more to power that scan for Wifi to connect to. If you're feeling gutsy, you can even turn off your Data connection, but you'll still get text messages and such. Just can't browse facebook.
Haptic Feedback
You know, when you touch your screen and it vibrates. Doesn't seem like much but think about how much you use your phone. How many text messages are you typing? Facebook posts? Twitter posts? Your phone is basically constantly vibrating as you tap tap tap away at that little virtual on screen keyboard. Can we go back to hardware keyboards please?
Screen Wallpaper
This is a biggy, especially on high end phones. That HD screen takes a lot of power, but most of these screens on our phones like the Nexus, Galaxy, and high end LG's all have high end AMOLED screens. These screens work in a really cool way honestly. The darker the color on your screen being displayed, the less power the screen needs to actually show that color. White takes the most power, so if you have a brightly colored wallpaper and are wondering why your phone is dying quickly, this is definitely contributing. I always personally use a textured black background. 100% black (#000000 for you nerds out there) uses literally no power to display. The pixels actually turn off to display that color. The more 100% black in your background, the less battery power you use to display that background.
Screen Timeout Timer
Not using your phone? Turn off the screen. That easy. My timer is set to 30 seconds. I don't have a pass code on my phone because frankly, I don't care if someone gets into it. There's nothing weird on my phone that I know of. This is just one of those simple things that generally slip the mind of some people.
Fancy Features
Do you really need Multi-Window or that fancy Toolbox setting turned on? Just use your multi-tasking and switch back and forth. I use multi-window rarely. It feels like a gimmick to me personally.
Themes and Design
This harbors back to what I said about the whole "the darker the better" above with wallpapers. Using Material Design on your Android 4.4 or 5.0 will save on life because the colors are darker over all for almost everything. Anything white is going to use more power... Sound familiar? Alright, racist jokes aside, this is the truth. More power to display brighter colors. If you have the option, change the theme. A lot of apps have a built in theme changer. Things like Custom Launchers, GO SMS, Textra and many more have the customize ability to set those bright colors at bay.
Multi-Tasking, can you live without it?
This is a BIG saver on your battery, but also one you might realize you really might want to skip. I do a lot with my multi-tasking. Switching from Mobile Chrome to Text messages to a game I'm playing, this can take its toll. Turning off Multi-Tasking entirely isn't exactly the easiest to do either. You need to enable your Developer Settings on your device. If you're curious, go into your Settings App, open About Phone/Device, and tap repeatedly on Build Number. This should unlock Developer Settings. Once in there, you can scroll through and you'll find something with a name like "Limit Background Processes." If you tap on that, you'll be able to control just how many background apps can be running at a time before it starts auto-closing apps. I believe standard limit is fairly high, so setting it to 2 or 3 should help on battery usage.
Installed Apps
This is a big one. There's a lot of apps out there that when using them, or even NOT using them, they eat your battery, RAM, and processing power, alive. They just kill it. The Facebook's apps, Messenger and Facebook itself, were rated in the Top 5 for worst battery hogging apps of 2012, 2013, 2014 AND 2015. Delete those 2 apps and simply use your web browser to login to your facebook. Also, Mobile Chrome is a huge battery hog. Switching web browsers can help a lot. You can see which apps are using the most battery in your Settings by looking at the "Battery" section in your Settings app. Also, don't fall for the "Battery Saver" apps. They use more battery than they're worth and often just "emulate" some of the things I listed here that you can do yourself.
That's really about it for what you can do on a non-rooted devices without 3rd party apps. In the next section, I'll go over a lot more options with Root options and 3rd party apps.
Rooted options and 3rd Party Apps
This is the section that you'll want a little experience with. Backing up your phone entirely before continuing may be a smart option. Check XDA for the easiest way to back up your device before continuing.
Are you rooted? Kill that Bloatware!
A HUGE plus in Rooting is the fact you can remove a lot of the crap-ware that companies like Samsung, Verizon, AT&T, LG and many more of the cell phone companies out there install on your device. Not sure what you can delete? Look for things with something like "Samsung" in its app name. Or, you can go on the Play Store and grab an app called Root App Deleter. This is what I use. It has a nice Junior mode, for those who are new to this, and a Pro mode, for those experienced users. This will help you identify what you can and can't delete.
Type of root You have
There's always some sort of exploit to get root opportunity on a device, but what a lot of people don't know is that most of the Root exploits out there are called "live root" exploits. What is a "Live Root?" Well, that means the process of needing root is constantly being ran and controlled in the background while you may not even realize it. Running a Live Root will usually make your device run hot and slower. A big complaint of a lot of Rooters. Within the last few years, root exploits have gotten better, and there aren't as many Live Root exploits left, but for some devices, its the only way. To know if you have a Live Root, simply check your settings and see if your Android System is using a lot of battery power. That'll tell you. The best and I'm pretty sure only non-Live Root exploit out at the moment is KingRoot and TowelRoot. TowelRoot I trust more than KingRoot because KingRoot was made to attempt to work with ALL devices, where as TowelRoot was mainly focused on 1 specific Kernel version and Android version. Thank you GeoHot for TowelRoot. What a LIVE Saver.... get it? ... I'll see myself out.
Custom Roms
A lot of Custom Rom dev's out there focus on MORE instead of less, and those are the roms I usually steer clear of. These "more" options use a lot of battery power, even though they usually claim it uses less. The best Roms to install, in my opinion, are the ones that don't have many "new" features applied. Build.prop edits are alright, things like init.d support don't hurt anything, that usually helps honestly. The simple Debloated Dex'd Base roms are the best. You can always customize it later. A great example of a good base rom that gets good battery life is one I released a long time ago when the S5 was released. I'll leave the link below to XDA. The project is dead, but I may revive it
XDA BoxxiRoms v2.0.2
I'm in no way bashing custom rom development. New features are always awesome to have. They're cool, they bring new life to an old device.
PixelBatterySaver...
This is the ONLY app I trust to SAVE battery life because I've proven myself how well it works. While I said above that Apps don't work and use "more power than they're worth," this is the exception. This app, when activated, leaves a black mesh over your screen. and turns off pixels, but its enough that you won't notice during regular use. There's also multiple levels you can use. If you're interested in this, check it out on the play store and give it a go
Pixel Battery Saver Playstore
This is just the tip of the Iceburg for what I know honestly. I'll post more soon.
Can you help with galaxy s4 as well? Battery drains too fast..
Btw are you still using your s5 or still have it?
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blandead said:
Can you help with galaxy s4 as well? Battery drains too fast..
Btw are you still using your s5 or still have it?
Sent from my unknown using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use my S5 daily and actually just released a new ROM in the Verizon Galaxy S5 section for it based on NCG firmware and ROM.
There's many more ways to avoid battery drain than I have posted here, but these were the best top of the line ways I could think of. That being said, also check your battery for any pops and bubbles in the plastic wrapping around it OR for it being bloated in anyway. If you have had that S4 for a long time, its probably time for a new battery, which you can find on Amazon for probably less than 10 bucks.
Must say I am quite impressed with the View 20. Have been using the Pixel 2XL for the last 13 months so was quite apprehensive about switching phones, and there are certainly things I will miss from the Pixel ie dual front fitting speakers, Now Playing and monthly updates.
I find the screen on the View 20 to be very crisp, at least to my old eyes, in fact I find it to clearer than the Pixel. The camera is very good, though I need to play with the settings to probably get the most out of it. RAM management seems very good.
Notification light is tiny, and you need to be looking at the screen head on to see it.
FPS is very quick, and has worked 100%, though I must say most of the time I don't get a chance to use it as the facial recognition is so quick.
Am using gestures for navigating, very smooth, at least with the stock Launcher, not so much when using Nova. Whilst they work, swiping up to go Home always briefly brings up the multitasking screen before doing what it should. The one annoying thing is you have to be pretty accurate when typing on keyboard at the edges as very easy to end up swiping left or right which takes you Back.
There does seem to be one bug I have found so far, and that is when switching apps, if you tap on the app that is to the side of the screen, rather than opening it, it drops you back to Home screen.
Only other thing I can think of at this moment is I can't get any notification badge on Gmail, either on stock Launcher or Nova (and all settings are correct)
If anyone has any questions or anything you want me to try, i will do my best to help.
Sent from my PCT-L29 using Tapatalk
Wrong thread
saldawop said:
Must say I am quite impressed with the View 20. Have been using the Pixel 2XL for the last 13 months so was quite apprehensive about switching phones, and there are certainly things I will miss from the Pixel ie dual front fitting speakers, Now Playing and monthly updates.
I find the screen on the View 20 to be very crisp, at least to my old eyes, in fact I find it to clearer than the Pixel. The camera is very good, though I need to play with the settings to probably get the most out of it. RAM management seems very good.
Notification light is tiny, and you need to be looking at the screen head on to see it.
FPS is very quick, and has worked 100%, though I must say most of the time I don't get a chance to use it as the facial recognition is so quick.
Am using gestures for navigating, very smooth, at least with the stock Launcher, not so much when using Nova. Whilst they work, swiping up to go Home always briefly brings up the multitasking screen before doing what it should. The one annoying thing is you have to be pretty accurate when typing on keyboard at the edges as very easy to end up swiping left or right which takes you Back.
There does seem to be one bug I have found so far, and that is when switching apps, if you tap on the app that is to the side of the screen, rather than opening it, it drops you back to Home screen.
Only other thing I can think of at this moment is I can't get any notification badge on Gmail, either on stock Launcher or Nova (and all settings are correct)
If anyone has any questions or anything you want me to try, i will do my best to help.
Sent from my PCT-L29 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The international version launched only 5 days ago. Did you get a hold of one and if so, can you share where from and what price so it benefits the users here. I am considering purchasing one via a friend (who is flying) from China but he is unable to find the international version there. I am wondering if Google Playstore and subsequently Nova Launcher can be installed on the Chinese version.
It was the international version, purchases in UK from carphone warehouse. 8GB/256GB. On their website at £579.99. They charged me £549.99
Also comes with a free Honor watch (via claim)
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I bought mine here,8GB/256GB International Version in red for 600 Euro.
https://www.alza.at/honor-view-20-256-gb-rot-d5527984.htm?o=1
Agreed with the OP. Just got the same 128 gig unlocked, a couple of days ago. Coming from an S8 over the last 14 months. Must say the V20 is an awesome device.
Using the stock launcher with gestures. As the OP said, Nova does not seem to work as smoothly with gestures which is a shame. However the stock launcher with app drawer turned on is very good. Only annoying thing is I can't seem to get rid of the hi search which activated whenever you swipe down on any of the home screens. I never use it but can't find a way to turn it off! Any advice welcome!
Anyway the display, design, price point, battery life, are very good value for money. RAM management also very good. Very impressed and would highly recommend to others looking for a good deal.
To the OP: I've not had any issues with Gmail. Might be a software bug. Try clearing cache and resetting it maybe. Return to default settings.
Thanks mate, will try that. Can you confirm the issue with the multi tasking page. When clicking on any app that isn't centre page, it drops you back to home screen?
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voyager_s said:
Agreed with the OP. Just got the same 128 gig unlocked, a couple of days ago. Coming from an S8 over the last 14 months. Must say the V20 is an awesome device.
Using the stock launcher with gestures. As the OP said, Nova does not seem to work as smoothly with gestures which is a shame. However the stock launcher with app drawer turned on is very good. Only annoying thing is I can't seem to get rid of the hi search which activated whenever you swipe down on any of the home screens. I never use it but can't find a way to turn it off! Any advice welcome!
Anyway the display, design, price point, battery life, are very good value for money. RAM management also very good. Very impressed and would highly recommend to others looking for a good deal.
To the OP: I've not had any issues with Gmail. Might be a software bug. Try clearing cache and resetting it maybe. Return to default settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is max resolution for video using rear camera? Mine is set to 720p, all other options greyed out!
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saldawop said:
What is max resolution for video using rear camera? Mine is set to 720p, all other options greyed out!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4k uhd is max. Mine are all available. Sounds like you may have some bugs. Best do a factory reset maybe?
voyager_s said:
4k uhd is max. Mine are all available. Sounds like you may have some bugs. Best do a factory reset maybe?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Turned it off and on, that did the job. What about under the setting for resolution, there is AI zoom? Is yours greyed out?
Sent from my PCT-L29 using Tapatalk
What do you mean when you say unlocked? carrier unlocked or bootloader unlocked?
saldawop said:
Thanks mate, will try that. Can you confirm the issue with the multi tasking page. When clicking on any app that isn't centre page, it drops you back to home screen?
Sent from my PCT-L29 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Problem with multitasking only send to be a problem with 3rd party launchers, works fine with stock one
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Just got my phone.
From India via Amazon, sadly i dont have an update yet so no Ai ultraclarity camera and also does anyone have any idea where to find that TOF camera trick for the dancing demo they did ?
Can you help me with video camera? How is 60fps? Does it look good or does it shakes a lot? Also what about night video recording I saw on the mate 20 it look bad lol thanks
saldawop said:
Must say I am quite impressed with the View 20. Have been using the Pixel 2XL for the last 13 months so was quite apprehensive about switching phones, and there are certainly things I will miss from the Pixel ie dual front fitting speakers, Now Playing and monthly updates.
I find the screen on the View 20 to be very crisp, at least to my old eyes, in fact I find it to clearer than the Pixel. The camera is very good, though I need to play with the settings to probably get the most out of it. RAM management seems very good.
Notification light is tiny, and you need to be looking at the screen head on to see it.
FPS is very quick, and has worked 100%, though I must say most of the time I don't get a chance to use it as the facial recognition is so quick.
Am using gestures for navigating, very smooth, at least with the stock Launcher, not so much when using Nova. Whilst they work, swiping up to go Home always briefly brings up the multitasking screen before doing what it should. The one annoying thing is you have to be pretty accurate when typing on keyboard at the edges as very easy to end up swiping left or right which takes you Back.
There does seem to be one bug I have found so far, and that is when switching apps, if you tap on the app that is to the side of the screen, rather than opening it, it drops you back to Home screen.
Only other thing I can think of at this moment is I can't get any notification badge on Gmail, either on stock Launcher or Nova (and all settings are correct)
If anyone has any questions or anything you want me to try, i will do my best to help.
Sent from my PCT-L29 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stock launcher gestures are definitely better than either Nova or Action Launcher (especially related to the minimizing app/multitasking screen issue - it's a shame that you can't modify the icon settings more than 5 x 6 to make the stock launcher icons smaller. They just seem unusually large to me coming from my Pixel 2 XL. Action Launcher is a good resolution for now (minus that multitasking screen swipe up).
Does your notification LED work either when the device is plugged in or when you receive a phone call/email?
I just received my version from the UK and no LED notification light ever comes on.
Yes, notification light works, but very rarely notice it as its so small
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It's just small but it's there.
TOF Trick
berz said:
Just got my phone.
From India via Amazon, sadly i dont have an update yet so no Ai ultraclarity camera and also does anyone have any idea where to find that TOF camera trick for the dancing demo they did ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to download Magic AR app from Huawei app gallery to use that dancing trick with TOF Camera.
Oh, so the multitasking issue is connected with 3rd party launchers. Good to know. I was using Nova launcher and had this issue.
The notification light is working, but it's small, not very bright and ideally you would have to look at it dead straight or from the top of the phone.
I have other issue though: can't get Netflix to play in HD. This phone's Kirin 980 is officially supported by Netflix, but I don't get HD badge next to the titles unfortunately. Other user mentioned that it works, but not for me...
has anyone managed to restore saved wifi passwords? I used the phone clone which copied all my apps/contacts/sms (did not include app data which was a bummer) but I cannot restore all my saved wifi passwords even after loading my google account, my old phone is set to back them up to google account, but this phone wont restore them. My old phone is rooted so I can see the passwords but I have hundreds and don't wan tot do it manually