Develop Bugs

Early Impressions About T-Mobile Galaxy S4

I have been using mine for a few hours now and decided to write a bit about my first impressions. I hope these will be helpful.
Here are my initial thoughts (I am coming from the iPhone 5 that I had been using for the last 5 mos)
- The phone is light (feels too light for its size), but well made and well balanced in terms of weight. No issues with build quality (except for the one mentioned below). But it's so freaking slippery. I can't wait for my Spigen case to arrive.
- The screen is gorgeous. Large and vibrant. If you don't like AMOLED oversaturation, there is a "Movie" preset that tones down the colors.
- Battery life is the best I've ever experienced. Even compared to the iPhone. I used the phone for about 3 hours and was only down 25% (I understand that the gauge still needs to be calibrated and the battery life so far may not be typical).
- I am not a fan of stock Android, but Touchwhiz is bloated and laggy. With the specs that the phone has, there shouldn't be any choppiness or waiting for stock apps (caller, etc.) to open. But there is. I am hoping that Samsung will optimize the skin's performance in the next update.
- Related: People who put so much non-removable bloatware should be hung by their necks. Why is Flipboard, Chrome, Lookout and tens of other apps non-removable and always seem to run in the background? I'll wait for a verified list of safe-to-remove apps and bye-bye bloatware.
- Overall Touchwhiz is inconsistent. The design of stock apps varies so much. And damn those stupid bubble sounds.
- Camera is amazing in well-lit environments (better than the iPhone's), but not so much in low light (The Night mode fixes the issue for static objects though).
- Call sound quality is great.
- The only minor gripe about the build quality / design that I have concerns the power button. It's small, almost flush, and has very weak, almost non-existent tactile feedback. Just the opposite of what the power button on the iPhone is like. The volume rocker is fine though.
I will update this thread if I discover anything new.
Please, post your mini-reviews and first impressions here as well. Thanks.

Thanks for the early review. I'm getting mine tomorrow, so the wait is killing me.
Which color did you get by the way? And what did you think of that color?
I got black but still have some urge to get white. It might not matter because I also bought the Neo Hybrid case.
It does seem Samsung and T-Mo have put a lot of bloatware into the device - I can't wait for a good ROM to come by.
From my showrooming at AT&T and Best Buy, the display is indeed gorgeous and the design is better. I don't know.
I've seen the HTC One side by side with the S4 in AT&T and Best Buy, and I don't think the S4 is that much worse/cheap-feeling.
I actually found the S4 to be more comfortable to hold, and seems to fit more comfortably into my hand. The HTC One,
with all its aluminium glory, feels more rigid, and certainly not as light as the S4. I don't know.. preference.
I do think one other phone that doesn't get too much love is the Xperia Z. Great build quality, near-stock UI.
They have some nice themes that I'm using on the S3.

Good early review. I do have a question for you. I am thinking of returning this iPhone 5 for the S4. Knowing what you know now, would you advise others like me to hang on and wait it out? or is this a phone that even with its lag problems worth the switch?

GG2012 said:
Thanks for the early review. I'm getting mine tomorrow, so the wait is killing me.
Which color did you get by the way? And what did you think of that color?
I got black but still have some urge to get white. It might not matter because I also bought the Neo Hybrid case.
It does seem Samsung and T-Mo have put a lot of bloatware into the device - I can't wait for a good ROM to come by.
From my showrooming at AT&T and Best Buy, the display is indeed gorgeous and the design is better. I don't know.
I've seen the HTC One side by side with the S4 in AT&T and Best Buy, and I don't think the S4 is that much worse/cheap-feeling.
I actually found the S4 to be more comfortable to hold, and seems to fit more comfortably into my hand. The HTC One,
with all its aluminium glory, feels more rigid, and certainly not as light as the S4. I don't know.. preference.
I do think one other phone that doesn't get too much love is the Xperia Z. Great build quality, near-stock UI.
They have some nice themes that I'm using on the S3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got the black mist version and I like it much better than the white. But it's personal preference.
I have already rooted the phone using the Motochopper exploit (very easy; thanks to Dan).
I also find the design much better than the S3 (more "professional", "industrial").
I do like how the HTC looks and feel, but it's not by any means more rigid. None of these phones are rugged.
The Xperia Z is a great looking phone but I personally thing that the screen on the S4 and HTC One are miles better.
With that said, the most important factor for me was the removable battery. It's always great to have a phone that doesn't have a worn battery even after a year or two of use. Plus, the battery itself is the largest one among five-inchers.

ferganer said:
I got the black mist version and I like it much better than the white. But it's personal preference.
I have already rooted the phone using the Motochopper exploit (very easy; thanks to Dan).
I also find the design much better than the S3 (more "professional", "industrial").
I do like how the HTC looks and feel, but it's not by any means more rigid. None of these phones are rugged.
The Xperia Z is a great looking phone but I personally thing that the screen on the S4 and HTC One are miles better.
With that said, the most important factor for me was the removable battery. It's always great to have a phone that doesn't have a worn battery even after a year or two of use. Plus, the battery itself is the largest one among five-inchers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Note 2 has the best battery life by far of any smartphone that is not the Droid Razr Maxx. That thing can last for days, and maybe weeks with the monster Anker extended battery. I hope I can get similar results with the S4, though I'm afraid if I keep a lot of apps, that will drain the battery faster. I have to say the dual speakers on the HTC One really impressed me. I'm wondering why Samsung still hasn't done it this way (or even better, dual front and back speakers). They're already one of the few tablet makers that put the speakers in front, and not the back. I live for the replaceable battery and microSD slot.

oak25 said:
Good early review. I do have a question for you. I am thinking of returning this iPhone 5 for the S4. Knowing what you know now, would you advise others like me to hang on and wait it out? or is this a phone that even with its lag problems worth the switch?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's personal preference. There are advantages for both phones.
iPhone is much more practical to use as a PHONE (smaller size, pocketability). It's much more fluid. However, the screen size and resolution are limiting.
The S4 being a flagship Android device offers great hardware (namely the screen) and customizibility.
I have rooted my phone and installed Titanium. I will remove as much bloatware as possible and see if that fixes the lagginess problem. I will report back.
Overall, I do not regret switching from the iPhone. So far, I am really liking the S4. Let's see if that changes

My wife and I just got ours. We switched from verizon to tmo and I switched from my galaxy nexus and she switched from an iphone5. I was really nervous that she wouldnt like it but so far she loves it and hasnt put it down in few hours. For me it wasnt that big of a change... but for her it is like the first time she picked up a smart phone. The screen i think is what she likes the best... it is big but the phone doesnt feel massive. I think it actually feels smaller in hand than my gnexus. And she really likes the camera (not talking quality just the options). It is going to take me some time to get use to touch wiz but I will probably unlock the bootloader and install cm 10.1 whenever it is available for it.
If anyone else is interested in any other details let me know.
I would have no problem recommending this over an iphone5 to anyone. I probably would never have said that about any other phone before (i made my mom get the iphone4s when it came out). Now when the next iphone (5s/6) comes out that may be a different story (but we will have to wait until apple lets us know what they are doing next).

ttrevorr said:
My wife and I just got ours. We switched from verizon to tmo and I switched from my galaxy nexus and she switched from an iphone5. I was really nervous that she wouldnt like it but so far she loves it and hasnt put it down in few hours. For me it wasnt that big of a change... but for her it is like the first time she picked up a smart phone. The screen i think is what she likes the best... it is big but the phone doesnt feel massive. I think it actually feels smaller in hand than my gnexus. And she really likes the camera (not talking quality just the options). It is going to take me some time to get use to touch wiz but I will probably unlock the bootloader and install cm 10.1 whenever it is available for it.
If anyone else is interested in any other details let me know.
I would have no problem recommending this over an iphone5 to anyone. I probably would never have said that about any other phone before (i made my mom get the iphone4s when it came out). Now when the next iphone (5s/6) comes out that may be a different story (but we will have to wait until apple lets us know what they are doing next).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your input. Unfortunately, Tim Cook stated that we shouldn't be expecting a larger size/resolution screen iPhone any time soon. So, if screen size matters to you, the S4 is indeed a better option.

Phone is great. Lag is minor. But I do notice top of screen can get hot fairly quick from not too much intense tasks.. not to bad though. Amd an update will surely adress these things
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app

I made a unbagging (because Tmo shipped my GS4 in a polybag rather than a box), unpackaging, setup, and initial impressions video.
http://youtu.be/6aaJ_pAlFZw
Since I've filmed this, I wanna add this:
Basically, I believe this launch was less than stellar. Not only did Samsung tease the S4 over the last few months, but there's the locked/verifiable bootloaders (again I add verifiable because from my understanding on AT&T and most likely Verizon too, there's checks to make sure you have a legit recovery and boot image for those particular carriers, and if it fails, brick), little availability for 32GB (ironically the only carrier to have a 32GB version is the locking down AT&T); ZERO 64GB when they claimed that 16, 32, and 64 GB versions would be available, and as I expected, Sixaxis and Wii Remotes DO NOT work out of the box (mostly because it uses Android 4.2.2 and from past experience with my Nexus 7 it does NOT play nice with sixaxis or wii remotes for whatever reason).
Oh well, at least I did showcase the Motochopper root method at the time of filming and some time after I filmed, T-mobile's version of the bootloader can indeed be unlocked. (Sprint's is unlocked from the start, btw.)

adventure_of_link said:
I made a unbagging (because Tmo shipped my GS4 in a polybag rather than a box), unpackaging, setup, and initial impressions video.
http://youtu.be/6aaJ_pAlFZw
Since I've filmed this, I wanna add this:
Basically, I believe this launch was less than stellar. Not only did Samsung tease the S4 over the last few months, but there's the locked/verifiable bootloaders (again I add verifiable because from my understanding on AT&T and most likely Verizon too, there's checks to make sure you have a legit recovery and boot image for those particular carriers, and if it fails, brick), little availability for 32GB (ironically the only carrier to have a 32GB version is the locking down AT&T); ZERO 64GB when they claimed that 16, 32, and 64 GB versions would be available, and as I expected, Sixaxis and Wii Remotes DO NOT work out of the box (mostly because it uses Android 4.2.2 and from past experience with my Nexus 7 it does NOT play nice with sixaxis or wii remotes for whatever reason).
Oh well, at least I did showcase the Motochopper root method at the time of filming and some time after I filmed, T-mobile's version of the bootloader can indeed be unlocked. (Sprint's is unlocked from the start, btw.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's funny because AT&T keeps claiming "soon" for the 32 GB version yet no one knows (and AT&T will not say anything about) when "soon" is. So, although it could happen, AT&T doesn't have the 32 GB yet (and I think may never).

adventure_of_link said:
T-mobile's version of the bootloader can indeed be unlocked. (Sprint's is unlocked from the start, btw.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not "can be unlocked", is unlocked. Period.

GG2012 said:
The Note 2 has the best battery life by far of any smartphone that is not the Droid Razr Maxx. That thing can last for days, and maybe weeks with the monster Anker extended battery. I hope I can get similar results with the S4, though I'm afraid if I keep a lot of apps, that will drain the battery faster. I have to say the dual speakers on the HTC One really impressed me. I'm wondering why Samsung still hasn't done it this way (or even better, dual front and back speakers). They're already one of the few tablet makers that put the speakers in front, and not the back. I live for the replaceable battery and microSD slot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I sold my razr maxx to someone and bought a galaxy nexus.I will never again buy a phone with a non removable battery. With my gnex I love carrying an extra fully charged battery in case of emergency or if I just run out of juice
GNex // Toro // CodeX // AK exp // Hue

scott14719 said:
It's funny because AT&T keeps claiming "soon" for the 32 GB version yet no one knows (and AT&T will not say anything about) when "soon" is. So, although it could happen, AT&T doesn't have the 32 GB yet (and I think may never).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im sorry man but this has to be the worst video i have seen in my life
Sent from my Nexus 4

dkotoric said:
Im sorry man but this has to be the worst video i have seen in my life
Sent from my Nexus 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ROFLMAO!
The best part is we get to see his feet and crusty toes roflcopter! (just kidding man)
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

Charlie Brown said:
ROFLMAO!
The best part is we get to see his feet and crusty toes roflcopter! (just kidding man)
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hahahaha, I had to do anything I could to get that darned bag open (and on that note, is probably yet another reason I need to seriously consider getting the tripod for my S4... EDIT 5:45 PM: Just ordered the tripod. Use SPRINGACC up till May 15th to get 20% off on Accessories at T-mobile)
dkotoric said:
Im sorry man but this has to be the worst video i have seen in my life
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, in all fairness I accidentally made it all wordy, but it's the first unpackaging video I ever made..

adventure_of_link said:
hahahaha, I had to do anything I could to get that darned bag open (and on that note, is probably yet another reason I need to seriously consider getting the tripod for my S4... EDIT 5:45 PM: Just ordered the tripod. Use SPRINGACC up till May 15th to get 20% off on Accessories at T-mobile)
Okay, in all fairness I accidentally made it all wordy, but it's the first unpackaging video I ever made..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL I'm just giving you shlt cause I'm jealous I don't have one. LOL

Has anyone here switched to/tried extensively a Mega 6.3??

I am seriously thinking about downgrading (specs-wise) from my Note II to the Mega 6.3 simply for its screen size. 6.3" is just about the PERFECT display size I have ALWAYS wanted.
After 15 months with the OG Note and 5/6 with the Note II I planned to upgrade to a Note III in the fall but since it seems it will only have a 5.99" display and a 6.3" display *is* on the market, I can't stand to go for the worse choice. Especially since it is "almost a Note", I mean it has almost all of the hardware and software features which make Samsung top-end smartphones the ONLY smartphones I would buy today.
The biggest problem are not losing the S-Pen, losing AMOLED and losing 2 cores, the biggest problem is losing 512MB of RAM...
So, seeing as the Mega 6.3 is now available in Europe, I need to know from someone who has been using a Note II what's it like to switch to a Mega 6.3, especially in regard to the lesser RAM with heavy multitasking and to the display quality.
YouTube comparisons I have watched so far are pretty useless but I have some more to watch.
BTW, if you have come across some *good* and in-depth comparisons please point them out.
P.S. When a Galaxy Mega 6.3 forum on XDA??

The mega series is a midrange level phone. It's almost certainly going to choke under heavy multitasking. It's meant for people who aren't heavy users but just want a bigger screen for cpu light tasks like pictures, maps, reading, etc.
Ignore the screen size change and it's significantly worse than the note 2.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

I would also like to have a bigger screen than my Note II, but with Mega there is almost certainly too much to compromise.
I am looking forward for Sony's 6.44 inch device to be announced soon.

ChodTheWacko said:
The mega series is a midrange level phone. It's almost certainly going to choke under heavy multitasking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will slow down for sure, *by how much* is the question...
Anyway, since I am not interested in games in the slightest, my main concern is not a slower or laggier phone (since the difference in anything but games is very likely going to be acceptable for me), is just apps switching and how many of them can it maintain active in the RAM with their inputted data and in the state I have left them...
It's meant for people who aren't heavy users but just want a bigger screen for cpu light tasks like pictures, maps, reading, etc.
Ignore the screen size change and it's significantly worse than the note 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well.. yeah, of course it's worse than the Note II in pretty much everything.. my whole point was that I just can't "ignore the screen size" and was trying to understand by how much exactly everything else is worse than the Note II...
If it's not too much I might be willing to compromise in order to get a PERFECT SIZE display.

just wait for the note 3....

hagba said:
I would also like to have a bigger screen than my Note II, but with Mega there is almost certainly too much to compromise.
I am looking forward for Sony's 6.44 inch device to be announced soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah there is the Huawei Ascend Mate at 6.1" too but this (and most likely the Sony as well) has a f*cking integrated battery so that's the biggest deal braker of all right there and I can't even be bothered to go over the rest of their specs... Useless junk.
The LG Optimus Pro would be an alternative worthy of consideration if its screen wasn't just 5.5". Too small an improvement in screen size to consider switching over from Samsung HW and SW (both of which I LOVE).

FinancialWar said:
just wait for the note 3....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I was/am doing but it seems more and more likely that it will have a 5.99" display... (and yeah, I would buy it in a heartbeat but would still be pissed at having to give up bigger displays which already exist today!).

xdapao3 said:
That's what I was/am doing but it seems more and more likely that it will have a 5.99" display... (and yeah, I would buy it in a heartbeat but would still be pissed at having to give up bigger displays which already exist today!).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
miss for like few months, big deal! You will be getting 1080p too.

FinancialWar said:
miss for like few months, big deal! You will be getting 1080p too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not just the wait, it's the fact that its display size (if it's confirmed at 5.99") will be SMALLER than SEVERAL competitors (one from Samsung itself!) which are much closer to or exactly my ideal size!!
P.S. I care much more about a perfect size than 1080p since we aren't talking low res displays in any case here, 720p for a 6.3" display is very much OK with me (not ideal, of course. 1080p would be ideal).

Follow up: the Mega is a no-go, I have reverted back to wait for the Note III.
The smaller RAM is too much of an handicap and the Mega sold in Europe is the 8GB/LTE variant and not the 16GB/3G. LTE is pretty much still useless over here and I would much rather have 16GB of internal storage (at a lower price to boot!)...
Plus, there are ton of original accessories already available (including all of the ones I always get for my smartphones) but the Brodit car dock (the ones I use) is not available for the Mega and IDK if and where it will be and the Samsung one is the only original accessory that is not available...

It'll eventually slow down as apps getting updates and requires more cpu and ram
_____________________
Via GT-N71OO using XDA_Elite_App

I have had the Mega 6.3 for about a week now. I have had the Note 2, as well as, S4. Here's my experience so far.
--Software is identical to the S4 (airview and all that good stuff)
--Very slim body compare to the Note 2
--Battery lasts surprising well (I'm a power user)
--The display is quite amazing. I wasn't expecting much, but I am truely impressed.
--Similar sound quality as the S4
--Have not noticed any lag at all. Very fluid.
I'm trying to think of negatives, but nothing is coming to mind except:
--No dedicated XDA forum
--No Root/CWM/ROM yet
--Looking for an extra battery or charger, but could not find on Amazon or anywhere.
--There are some batteries on eBay from China...but, not gonna gamble with those.
I'm running it on T-Mobile. I'm in refarmed 4G area. There's LTE available here as well, but can't pick it up
Overall, on paper spec-wise...might seem like an inferior phone. However, in really world experience, I'm truly and utterly impressed. Not going back to my Note 2 at all. it's a godsend for ebook readings and Youtube watching.

knite75 said:
I have had the Mega 6.3 for about a week now. I have had the Note 2, as well as, S4. Here's my experience so far.
--Software is identical to the S4 (airview and all that good stuff)
--Very slim body compare to the Note 2
--Battery lasts surprising well (I'm a power user)
--The display is quite amazing. I wasn't expecting much, but I am truely impressed.
--Similar sound quality as the S4
--Have not noticed any lag at all. Very fluid.
I'm trying to think of negatives, but nothing is coming to mind except:
--No dedicated XDA forum
--No Root/CWM/ROM yet
--Looking for an extra battery or charger, but could not find on Amazon or anywhere.
--There are some batteries on eBay from China...but, not gonna gamble with those.
I'm running it on T-Mobile. I'm in refarmed 4G area. There's LTE available here as well, but can't pick it up
Overall, on paper spec-wise...might seem like an inferior phone. However, in really world experience, I'm truly and utterly impressed. Not going back to my Note 2 at all. it's a godsend for ebook readings and Youtube watching.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many thanks for the reply but the only thing I was researching and could not find a clear answer for was how 1.5GB RAM impacts heavy multitasking as opposed to 2GB RAM..
As for the original accessories I don't know where you are based but over here ALL of the original Samsung accessories (various pouches, covers, cases, batteries, chargers, separate battery chargers, desktop dock ecc) are available (and pretty cheap too) minus the car dock.

xdapao3 said:
Yeah there is the Huawei Ascend Mate at 6.1" too but this (and most likely the Sony as well) has a f*cking integrated battery so that's the biggest deal braker of all right there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This.
As for the RAM.. Has there ever been a point when you've checked and seen that your GN2 was using more than 1.5GB? If not, then you'll be fine. If so, then I'm sure managing your RAM a little better is worth if for the 'perfect screen size'

I have seen its review on youtube...its available ram is only 1.1 gb sumthing .. n most of the time note 2 consumes 1.1gb something ..so i think ram can cause you problem...
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

Also its not what RAM you use currently, its what your useage demand will be in say 6mnths time. We all know that a phone that had enough when we bought it often feels crippled halfway through ownership as more & more demand is placed on it.
A new phone needs to have twice the RAM you currently need.
Note 3 screen is an 8% increase in size & that's plenty extra for me.

KCA. said:
This.
As for the RAM.. Has there ever been a point when you've checked and seen that your GN2 was using more than 1.5GB? If not, then you'll be fine. If so, then I'm sure managing your RAM a little better is worth if for the 'perfect screen size'
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, unfortunately. As said, upon further research plus some empirical tests 1.5GB RAM is really too little RAM for me. I have to pass..

taran181 said:
I have seen its review on youtube...its available ram is only 1.1 gb sumthing .. n most of the time note 2 consumes 1.1gb something ..so i think ram can cause you problem...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, RAM size is one of the specs I care most, nowadays.
I am not a gamer and I don't terribly mind some small slowdown and lag here and there but available RAM and display size are THE things which really let you use your smartphone as a "pocket computer" so I am not willing to compromise on those as much as I may on some other things.

Pat. said:
Also its not what RAM you use currently, its what your useage demand will be in say 6mnths time. We all know that a phone that had enough when we bought it often feels crippled halfway through ownership as more & more demand is placed on it.
A new phone needs to have twice the RAM you currently need.
Note 3 screen is an 8% increase in size & that's plenty extra for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think that in 6 months I will be using double the RAM I am now doing the same things but I would surely appreciate 3 GB of RAM on the next Note!
An 8% increase in display size is definitely NOT what I am looking for in the next Note. I am, and have *always* been, looking forward to a 6.3"/6.5" display (depending on the bezel and aspect ratio, of course).
That's my ideal. Always have been (I was talking about those dimensions back when 4" seemed "huge" to most folks), always will be.
We will get there and people will get it, in the end. But these small steps are somewhat frustating (especially since a big part of the reasons for these baby steps is just people's dumbness).
I believe the "ultimate" screen sizes around which future smartphones will coalesce will be 5" and 6.3"/6.5".

My old note & my note2 both "disappeared" when not in use.. as in i forget its there .. i do alot of outdoor activity like cycling & i have the phone in my front Jean pocket, a 5.9" with small bezel will also be viable.
Its fairly clear that 6.3" is simply too big for that & Samsung do alot of research on this.
People will buy 6.3" phones but not in huge numbers like the 5.9 Note3.
Samsung know that huge numbers of people wont buy a phone they can't put in their jeans. I wonder how many people who want a 6.3" screen have made a dummy from wood ETC & tried it ... its BIG ..

[Q] Buyer's remorse??

Hey Everyone,
Curious to know if anyone has buyers remorse over making the switch to this device from another device?
Does anyone ever run the phone within the confines of the original OS?
What is your real world expectation 6 months from now with this device?
How long do you plan on keeping the device?
What is the most important everyday feature that is a keeper & deal breaker?
How has the form factor impacted the way you look at phones in terms of the screen size vs the size of the device?
Also as a side note. Have anyone ever worked with a fully calibrated monitor like a Eizo or a Ben-Q?
Or for industry folks, any panasonic or Sony broadcast monitors? The correlation being those monitors have the same look at least to my eyes.
Finally have you ever acquired a device that you did not initially have buyers remorse?
I have the phone myself. I am just curious to what the community at large is vibing at the moment...

I'm happy with the G3 especially the screen and camera. I jumped to the G3 from the LG Flex. Nice that the T-Mobile G3 comes with a unlocked bootloader and I'm sure development will be good with time. I'm a phone junkie and usually just keeps phones around 6 months. Jump helps with that.

Sometimes I DO regret getting this phone. It's a good phone, but it's just not the earth shattering, mega phone I was hoping for. Even rooted with no bloatware, i still experience lag, freezes, and subpar battery life. Also, maybe it's just my device, but I'm really not impressed with the screen at all. The blacks seem way too "milky", and i really can't see the difference between this and a 1080 screen, except for when I look at certain photos or videos.
The camera is nice for a 13mp shooter. That's really the main positive.

I returned it after 2 weeks. To many performance trade offs for the QHD screen. Once the more powerful phones hit later this year (Shamue and Note 4) the G3 will struggle. Although that's why the Prime is being released.

Curious what other 5.5" screen are you comparing it to?

Me too returned it after 2 weeks, and the reason was just the screen, everything else is great.
First, couldn't stand this yellowish tinted screen and the poor blacks, and second because of the lag/stuttering

Was it lagging in dual window mode or playing a game?
Or was it on a productivity App?
Or was it simple browsing?
Or transitioning from on app to the next?

As I never used dual window, I can't say if it lags there...
Most annoying was the stuttering to me, and this happened nearly everywhere, transitions, scrolling...
But Lg will fix it sooner or later I guess.
As I wrote, the main reason for returning it was the display...

grifter9931 said:
Was it lagging in dual window mode or playing a game?
Or was it on a productivity App?
Or was it simple browsing?
Or transitioning from on app to the next?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some people have the G3 lag some don't. I don't notice any lag. From what I read on here the lag is simple fix by changing the launcher and or a setting or two. Removing bloat helps too.
My screen is bight and battery is good enough for me. I guess I was lucky and got a good G3.
As far as the G3 being a "wow" phone it's not but I think those days are over for phones. I was going to wait for the Note 4 but after seeing the leaked pictures I think I'm glad I didn't.

Got the D855 32GB..
All I can say is, I'm so glad i didn't put much attention on others negative opinion about the device...
We all knew it come's with QHD display before buying it, I don't get why too many about it...
As of me, I'm very happy with it... Coming from nexus 7 2013, my criteria for next device was, at least 3gb ram, 32gb internal storage with external (a 64gb internal w/o ext is also okay)... Just saying by the way. =)
There are always those people who have remorse after buying a device by the way..

I've come from an iPhone 4S!:silly:
I bought the International version with 32GB and the 3GB ram (F400S) and I've not found it laggy at all, even with the all the Korean bloatware apps on there.
The main reason I purchased it was because I was so impressed with the LG G2 that I bought for my wife a few months back, just loved the design and screen.
Hopefully when the "Ints" get their bootloader unlocked and we can nandroid backup and get some cool roms (come on PardusHD!) then it should run even smoother.
The battery life isn't as good as I expected, but then I'm usually charging using a USB port (500mAH) so it will take ages and I've hardly ever had it at 100%:laugh: but it's way better than the iPhone 4s battery life.
I'm a little disappointed in the screen, I don't find it as "bright" as the Samsung S ones, I've just taken off the auto brightness as I found it too low, in any light environment and currently set it at 85%.
Overall design is nice and it's very light. I'm not a fan of big screens, but then that's the way they're all heading nowadays....

flapmio said:
I've just taken off the auto brightness as I found it too low, in any light environment and currently set it at 85%
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sole reason of fast battery discharge

I don't have this phone yet but I know the 32g has 3 gigs of ram and the 16 has 2 gigs. Might be why some suffer lag. Make sure when comparing you specify which version folks

Had the 32GB/3GB version

Fir3blade said:
Had the 32GB/3GB version
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Click to collapse
Hi Fir3blade,
Can you link a video of the stuttering if you know one?

Sorry didn't make myself a video, saw the stuttering in some video reviews, but I don't remember them, as I watched quite lots, sorry ☺

grifter9931 said:
Hi Fir3blade,
Can you link a video of the stuttering if you know one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's an example of the stutter in games. At 8min 20.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=paMb_cgVkug

I don't have buyer's remorse exactly, but I'm not thrilled with the device in every way. I like the camera a lot better than the one on my HTC One M7, and the G3 battery life is better than my M7. That's really it. My M7 felt snappier in every way, and the screen looked better. Once the Nexus 6 comes out I will likely sell the G3 and pick one up. I just can't stand all this locked bootloader nonsense and the lack of development that occurs as a consequence.

Batfink33 said:
Here's an example of the stutter in games. At 8min 20.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=paMb_cgVkug
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TY I am trying to recreate the stutter as we speak... Interesting stuff

Fir3blade said:
Sorry didn't make myself a video, saw the stuttering in some video reviews, but I don't remember them, as I watched quite lots, sorry ☺
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I noticed a few myself. I wonder why the reviewers did not mention the stuttering.....

Anyone upgraded from the g4? What did you get that was better?

I wish the g5 had better battery life than the g4.... But it isn't looking like it so far.
Maybe there'll be an extended battery friend.
Still hoping for a bigger 5.5 model like the 2 paired galaxy's and iPhones

well ,right now i'm not looking to upgrade from G4 . Is still an amazing phone ,so far i had no issues and i hope it wont be (due to bootloops problem) ,currently with S/N 602.
I don't see any benefits to upgrade to g5 or s7/s7 edge. I still don't see the point on doing that ,if we are talking in terms of perfomance /camera /etc. I will be waiting Lg G6 ,maybe next year i will upgrade not sure yet .

I'll be tuning in on HTC tomorrow, as that is the most likely candidate for my upgrade. I'm out of the LG game. The G4 was a mess and I'm not fond of the G5.
I'd also like to check out a Huawei Mate 8 but that is a little hard to come by here.

In my case.... I haven't had any issues at all
mine is a h815 sn506
Would gladly keep it if I could be sure that it wouldn't boot loop
V10 is almost the price of a new s7 here otherwise I would have bought one.
The s7 edge is impressive but I really though the screen curve is gimmicky and makes the phone unnecessarily fragile.
Would get a mate 8 if it was easy to get my hands on one

novastar1 said:
I wish the g5 had better battery life than the g4.... But it isn't looking like it so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Surprisingly it does thanks to 6.0.1
when we get it then the extra battery on the G4 will surpass it.
Still hoping for a bigger 5.5 model like the 2 paired galaxy's and iPhones
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
heard something about a mini.
novastar1 said:
In my case.... I haven't had any issues at all
mine is a h815 sn506
Would gladly keep it if I could be sure that it wouldn't boot loop
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it does there is warranty but am suprised you have doubts as your poll thread pretty much ended them for me
V10 is almost the price of a new s7 here otherwise I would have bought one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
v11 ?

One Twelve said:
Surprisingly it does thanks to 6.0.1
when we get it then the extra battery on the G4 will surpass it.
heard something about a mini.
If it does there is warranty but am suprised you have doubts as your poll thread pretty much ended them for me
v11 ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the sentiment
I have a euro model (815) but actually from .... There is no officially licensed lg reseller or service center here.
So if I have any issues my g4 will end up being a brick most likely.
I actually depend on it for work.
I like this phone as it's like the traditional androids with the removable battery and SD.
I've also taken around 2400 photos with the main camera in that time..... As I think the product so good that my mirrorless camera stays at home most times now.
I also think that sealed batteries make devices "disposable" forcing you to inevitably upgrade and also continuing to growing e-rubbish. It's really sad to me that most consumers accept that sealed batteries are more the norm than the exception now.
No LG here in Trinidad officially but there are official Apple, and Samsung stores.
I wish the Android would just make the same phone all regions so we wouldn't have this problem with matching parts and regional warranties. I honestly don't understand why there are so many different model numbers of just the g4 alone

I've gone to the GS7. I did enjoy the G4 but the S7 feels like a massive step forward.

Krisbo said:
I've gone to the GS7. I did enjoy the G4 but the S7 feels like a massive step forward.
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Click to collapse
I wish you a device without lag ,cause i know if you buy samsung after 3-4 months of use cause of touchwiz you get lag on phone and a factory reset doesn't help at all . Anyway ,post some pictures taken with s7 i'm curious . Danke

Haven't taken many photos just yet but from what I have taken I wouldn't say they look hugely better than the G4. The amoled screen makes them look better on the device but on a computer it's much of a muchness. The speaker is pretty pointless on the S7 too but that's the price you pay for IP68. Day-to-day performance and amoled alone are worth the upgrade to me. I do miss the clip tray though.
I used to be in the same boat about Touchwiz but it's come a long way since the awful days of the Captivate or even the SII

Reviews show G4 and G5 camera outperform S7

z0mghii said:
Reviews show G4 and G5 camera outperform S7
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Click to collapse
Which review are you speaking of specifically?

novastar1 said:
Which review are you speaking of specifically?
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https://i.imgur.com/wTufn3O.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/HIMYizg.jpg

z0mghii said:
Reviews show G4 and G5 camera outperform S7
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Click to collapse
Samsung has issued a new update that improves things a little. What firmware did this reviewer use ?
What resolution was S7 using ? 12MP or 9MP. If you want to do 16:9 then s7 is at a disadvantage. I don't know why they changed the aspect (!) The S6 was 16MP for same aspect as the G5.
The G5 has improved on details so it does not surprise me much. But i prefer to see image data than collages.
There are two advantages that will be useful to S7 users. As a convenience. Slowest shutter is 1/4 whereas on the G4 it is 1/9 with night shot.
And using a faster shutter speed with flash means you can freeze people better. Both with point & click.
To do this on the G4/G5 or even S6/Note 5 will require manual settings. Very possible just extra steps.
---------- Post added at 06:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:25 AM ----------
novastar1 said:
Thanks for the sentiment
I have a euro model (815) but actually from .... There is no officially licensed lg reseller or service center here.
So if I have any issues my g4 will end up being a brick most likely.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is better you ask in the title ? i don't know the answer to that question other than to speculate v11. v10 was too big for me so picked the G4.
Keep your data backed up, if it happens so you won't lose much.
It takes a lot of courage to buy a phone like this when others are more available.
In India LG uses a franchise model. I had to call up several shops on their website just to find a seller that had a demo device. It took a trip into the suburbs to finally find it. Suprisingly not available in a number of big box stores unlike samsung or apple.
LG did not spend much on publicity of the G4 compared to G3. For one month when G3 came out i got LG ads on YT and was so sick of it.
I actually depend on it for work.
I like this phone as it's like the traditional androids with the removable battery and SD.
I've also taken around 2400 photos with the main camera in that time..... As I think the product so good that my mirrorless camera stays at home most times now.
I also think that sealed batteries make devices "disposable" forcing you to inevitably upgrade and also continuing to growing e-rubbish. It's really sad to me that most consumers accept that sealed batteries are more the norm than the exception now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fully agree with everything you said there.
In fact there is a growing trend to show that a bigger sealed battery can be as good as two replaceable batteries. S7e for instance. To make replaceable batteries obsolete. If one increases the size of the replaceble battery then there is no chance.
Sealed battery has a way to go on android. Look at the ifixit repairability table.
The G4/G5 score 8.
What does the iphone with its sealed battery get ? 7
What does the S6/S7 get ? 3 (!)
htc one ? 2 (!)
Not only are these harder to repair they are also more expensive to replace the battery so you have to lose them in two years.
It does not stop there amoled is shorter lived than LCD. Loses brightness over time. Not so with LCD.
No LG here in Trinidad officially but there are official Apple, and Samsung stores.
I wish the Android would just make the same phone all regions so we wouldn't have this problem with matching parts and regional warranties. I honestly don't understand why there are so many different model numbers of just the g4 alone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google does it with nexus already. You would think its easier this way. One phone for the whole world.

z0mghii said:
https://i.imgur.com/wTufn3O.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/HIMYizg.jpg
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Click to collapse
Yeah, I'm going to need to see EXIF for that. Otherwise I call BS. I can take a few pics with my D750 and (crudely) label it "S7" and suddenly "reviews" will show the S7 as being the best camera on a phone ever. I have a G4, and under NO circumstance 100% crop looks like that (which I am assuming that is 100% crop).
Please stop the fud.
I quickly did my own "review" and I'd like you to guess which is the G4, and which is the S7e. Images attached. EDIT - Both are at high jpg quality auto mode.
Smartphone cameras these days are good, and not one is very clearly better than the other - and none of them will look pleasing at 100% crop. If you want better photo quality, invest in something not attached to a phone.:good:

Source is here and you can find a bigger discussion:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/4dmvku/comparison_shot_of_galaxy_s7_vs_lg_g4_both_in/
Both cameras are good, s7 shoots faster (2x faster), g4 is more clear at 100 zoom.

From what I've seen, nothing really worth the upgrade from g4. We still have Motorola and oneplus to look forward to but it will be very difficult to get those devices where I live so that isn't very exciting prospect. Having said that, I just grabbed the 6p with a substantial discount and I'd consider that an upgrade. If u love xda and everything root, nothing beats a nexus and the 6p is hand down the best nexus ever made

z0mghii said:
Source is here and you can find a bigger discussion:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/4dmvku/comparison_shot_of_galaxy_s7_vs_lg_g4_both_in/
Both cameras are good, s7 shoots faster (2x faster), g4 is more clear at 100 zoom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is still fanboy fud. You first claim a 'review' and then link to reddit? Attached are images shot using the G4 and S7e in manual mode @ ISO 50 1/6th shutter auto WB jpeg fine. The S7e isn't even close to looking as bad as this nonsense from reddit. In fact, I can't even call either shot I just did with either camera better than the other. There's a limit on how good a picture will be with such a small sensor.
Not to mention that the G4 in auto mode will never shoot at those settings- I've already demonstrated that with my previous post shooting in auto mode with the samples I attached.
I like my G4's camera a lot. The G4 definitely does a better job of auto white balance, but at 100% (and greater) NO smartphone camera will preserve that amount of detail. That is DSLR territory - with good glass and a larger sensor.
I've wasted enough of my time on this...
/on topic
Don't let the quality of a camera sensor determine what your next phone is. Almost every new flagship phone these days (since the last gen anyway) is more than adequate. Go by what you want in features, root/roms, etc.

anactoraaron said:
This is still fanboy fud. You first claim a 'review' and then link to reddit? Attached are images shot using the G4 and S7e in manual mode @ ISO 50 1/6th shutter auto WB jpeg fine. The S7e isn't even close to looking as bad as this nonsense from reddit. In fact, I can't even call either shot I just did with either camera better than the other. There's a limit on how good a picture will be with such a small sensor.
Not to mention that the G4 in auto mode will never shoot at those settings- I've already demonstrated that with my previous post shooting in auto mode with the samples I attached.
I like my G4's camera a lot. The G4 definitely does a better job of auto white balance, but at 100% (and greater) NO smartphone camera will preserve that amount of detail. That is DSLR territory - with good glass and a larger sensor.
I've wasted enough of my time on this...
/on topic
Don't let the quality of a camera sensor determine what your next phone is. Almost every new flagship phone these days (since the last gen anyway) is more than adequate. Go by what you want in features, root/roms, etc.
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Click to collapse
Denying the truth doesn't change the fact.

Buying Note.Is the lag from earlier reviews gone? Anything I should know/check?

Hello!
I am buying the Note 10.1 2014 for $165 from a local person.
I have seen reviews commenting about some lag issues. Is that gone with the latest ROMs? Anything else I should know or check before I buy?
I am upgrading from a Lenovo S8-50 mainly because my phone is a Xperia Z Ultra with a 6.44" screen son an 8" tablet is not quite the jump as a 10".
Plus, I do photography so it will be nice to have such screen to show images to clients and maybe it can even do some light editing on the spot if needed. Gaming not really a consideration.
As long as the screen has the quality I have read about, NFC works and it can do some light editing, it would work great for me.
Please let me know what you think after owning one for a while.

It's not fast by any means (old hardware) but at least the later OTAs are not laggy, at least not by my definition. Latest OTAs are also slower -however- due to lollipop being heavier. So if you want fast experience with many features you can use the Kitkat releases and then debloat (kills the lag). If you want the most features then use the latest OTAs (no lag but slower). And if you both want no lag and speed use CM12.1 roms (non Samsung) but they are not as feature packed (if you don't care about tablet exclusive features).
So I think software wise we're fine. We could be better, but we're fine. I think your problem is elsewhere. The screen is not that good, despite the glowing reviews it doesn't hold a candle to latest iPads or Samsung's very own Tab S series. So unless you care about the pen support I would warn you away from this tablet. Mostly because of the screen, IMO it's by far it's ... weakest spec with all else being equal.
my idea is that your use case is to show photos. The screen's render of dark hues is one of the worst I've seen to any product of that price. I almost felt duped when no reviews were mentioning it. There is some type of backlight illumination that ruins the dark scenes and since a lot of photography happens to darker areas, you reeeeally don't want to show your photos in this tablet's panel...

My P605(LTE with Snapdragon 800) never had any unnatural lags. However, there is also no decent custom rom...

P60x is a great tablet. Buy it!
There are some custom roms out there, Im using Davids rom V3: http://forum.xda-developers.com/gal...lopment/rom-david-rom-2-0-10-01-2016-t3290152
But it doesnt have NFC or a great camera.

tcntad said:
P60x is a great tablet. Buy it!
There are some custom roms out there, Im using Davids rom V3: http://forum.xda-developers.com/gal...lopment/rom-david-rom-2-0-10-01-2016-t3290152
But it doesnt have NFC or a great camera.
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Click to collapse
I actually ended up buying it and I like it but the NFC took my by surprise since I did a quick search with shot (the obviously wrong spec) of NFC YES. Oh well. No prob with the camera, I am a photographer and the LAST thing I would do is take photos with a tablet LOL

shaolin95 said:
I actually ended up buying it and I like it but the NFC took my by surprise since I did a quick search with shot (the obviously wrong spec) of NFC YES. Oh well. No prob with the camera, I am a photographer and the LAST thing I would do is take photos with a tablet LOL
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Click to collapse
lol woudnt be anybody's first choice of "camera"