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In a sticky situation right now. My phone just died on Verizon and I need a new phone. Unfortunately I'm still under contract for another 9 months so I have to pay full price for a new phone or I can jump to Tmobile and have them pay my ETF but then I have to buy a phone from them. I don't want to spend more then $350 on something and I want to be able to unlock it and use it with AT&T at some point.
I can pick up the Note 2 as a refurb for $344 or I can get a Nexus 4 for $324. I guess what I'm wondering is whether or not the Note 2 is worth spending that much on?? Should I just ride out my contract for 9 months and get my old phone fixed (Razr Maxx HD $200 to fix)? Is there another phone I should consider?
Any thoughts appreciated.
Nexus 4 for $342?? I can't even sell my brand new Nexus 4 for $180 AUD.
I would not get a refurb Note II for $344, it's not worth it. You can get brand new for a bit more online.
kuromusha38 said:
Nexus 4 for $342?? I can't even sell my brand new Nexus 4 for $180 AUD.
I would not get a refurb Note II for $344, it's not worth it. You can get brand new for a bit more online.
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If I pay $200 to get out of my contract with Verizon I can get anything. I'm looking at jumping to Tmobile since they'll cover the ETF cost. Only catch is I have to buy a phone from them. So whats a good Tmobile phone that will work on ATT under $350? I'm trying to do this as cheap as possible. Otherwise I would just cancel for $200 and get a nexus 5 for $400.
Hi there,
YES it is still worth buying the Note 2. I had both phones, Nexus 4 and Note 2 and the Nexus 4, compared to the Note 2, was garbage. Nexus 4s battery is small (mAh), display colors were washed out, the speaker was completely crap when listening to music, etc. That's just my experience.
Better get the Note 2
I moved on to the Galaxy S5 and maaaan, do I miss my Note 2. That's all I need to say LOL
Okay so price of the note 2 refurb'd w/tax and shipping is about $330. I know I can buy brand new on Amazon for roughly $60 more but I have to buy from Tmobile if I want my ETF covered and they only sell a refurb'd note 2.
I'll probably go this route then unless there are any other suggestions. Thanks!
Absolutely! Its still fast as hell, even on KitKat and Im sure will remain to be so for the near future.
Note 2 still kick ass and I love it. But I think u should get a newer phone.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using XDA Free mobile app
naeem86 said:
Note 2 still kick ass and I love it. But I think u should get a newer phone.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using XDA Free mobile app
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If you can find it around $350 , I would say yes
I bought note 2 over s4 and i am perfectly satisfied
mubeenshahid said:
I bought note 2 over s4 and i am perfectly satisfied
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I'd take Note 2 over S4 (even S5) any time!
Allow me give you my opinion on this. I strongly believe the Note 2 is a remarkable device for the following reasons and I would still chose it over any other phones.
- It still has one of the best battery life of Samsung devices. I know... the Note 3 has 100mah more but that doesn't suffice, having a 1080p screen, more pixels means more drainage. Also, it has a more powerful octa-core processor (a nice pro) but again with great power comes even greater battery drainage, remember that.... lol The Knox app components which constantly guards the phone from illegal privileged access is also a resource hog (RAM) and hiders the phone even more (coming from 4.3 I have that experience). Take a look at the Huawei Ascend Mate 2, they are doing it correctly... keeping 720p resolution (which is dense enough imo) and a gigantic 4050mah, make it the longest running phone (not tablet) on the market at the time of this writing.
- The screen is 720p, as I discussed already has its benefits on battery, furthermore, it is the only flagship device by Samsung that isn't pentile. This means full RGB sub-pixel for every single pixel. It is a true-HD display. While its not as dense as other phones, it still can hold its ground very well. I am scared for the note 4, Samsung will make it a 2k display, instead of focusing on what really matters. 2k on screens below 7inches is a waste of technology. 10-12 inch tablet with 2k displays and larger batteries, now you are talking.
- It is made polycarbonate plastic, as with all Samsung phones, can be regarded as a pro. As CPUs get faster it generates more heat. Metals heat very quickly and can make you feel uncomfortable when holding while running CPU-intensive tasks. I think even though metals can dissipate heat well, if run too long it, exposes the internals to heat and wear the internals faster. But one definite pro of polycarbonate is improved reception, I assure you, along with other benefits, naturally scratch resistant, lighter, and more durable. When I look at a phone, I don't care for "premium feel", I care for quality of operation.
- Lastly, camera. Sadly, I must admit the Note 2 doesn't have the top optics, as it improves rapidly with technology. But after lots and lots of reading and comparing, I found that the Galaxy S4 has produces the best quality/sharpness/color IHMO, bar NONE (not even Lumia 1020 which captures more detail, but fails at color reproduction). The Note 2 does inherit the S4's color reproduction traits, so that's good. But the best all-rounder (ie. in low light, good light, night mode etc) I have to give it to Iphone 5s. Well done Apple, even if you do not belong here. lol
Video strangely doesn't fall into the same category as photo, as the S4 gives murky, blurry 1080p videos. For the best video I nominate the S5 at 4k, clear even when zoomed in at the slightest detail, thanks to 16MP camera. This is improvement from what used to be the best, Note 3, which is blurred when zoomed in. No, optical image stabilization sadly, but that comes later. Even so the Note 2, doesn't slouch and gives its best in both categories. It also produces the loudest audio, and all devices after the S4 has poor speaker sound quality.
So, there you have it, my long explanation of why I would still choose the Note 2 over S4, Note 3, or S5, even if it breaks now. Samsung really hit the nail on the head when it made the S3/Note 2 generation, and I hope they will again someday. Was the very best, make history, and set a good example for generations to follow.
Thanks everyone! Definitely helped make this decision much easier than I thought it would be. My note 2 arrives today and then I'll active it with T-mobile. I plan on unlocking it after the 40 day wait period is up with T-mobile and bringing it over to AT&T. From my research that shouldn't be an issue as T-mobile and AT&T share all the same bands outside of one that AT&T uses for 4G LTE. Curious to know if anyone has done this previously?
On another note (no pun intended :laugh, I've been looking into installing a custom ROM once I get it. I love cyanogenmod but curious if there are other recommendations I should consider? This may need to be in another thread so I can move it if needed.
I bought my Note 2 about 450$ in Samsung brand shop at April 2014, it worth because my work need 3G always on to check email or contact with boss (my country not have 4G LTE)
eknee1417 said:
On another note (no pun intended :laugh, I've been looking into installing a custom ROM once I get it. I love cyanogenmod but curious if there are other recommendations I should consider? This may need to be in another thread so I can move it if needed.
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In my opinion, CyanogenMod isn't a good idea for this phone. It has some annoying bugs and you lose ALL the SPen features. I'd recommend you to install any TouchWiz based Rom.
Note 2 screen is outdated though.
onagric places
Yeah, original Note screen is better
I had a Note 2 and bought a Nexus 4 as backup when my Note 2 was being repaired. I was thinking that I might switch to Nexus as android is a big interest of mine and it would be wonderful to get all the new features quick.
It was a big relief to get my Note 2 back from the shop. The Nexus 4 doesn't last a whole day (with my usage pattern). The external speaker volume is to low. And its very slippery! (had to buy the LG bumper).
Recently upgraded to a Sony Z2 and it feels like a smaller upgrade than I expected, coming from the Note 2. Its was/is an awesome phone.
Title says it all, what's the census? I realize I'm asking in the One m8 forum, so I expect bias. I'll also post this in the Note 4 forum also.
Also, I'd be purchasing both off contract. m8 would be cheaper as it's older. Figure I could get the m8 for ~400-450 and the Note 4 off contract @ $699.
Main concern with Note:
1) Size. I had a Note 2 and got along alright with it. This one is a little bigger.
2) I don't like TouchWiz. To clarify more, I find the TouchWiz on the Note series a "scaled" up version of the Galaxy S phones and doesn't take advantage of the larger screen. Multi DPI apps help. So, this would require AOSP mods or ROMS. What's the Dev community like in comparison?
Main concern with m8:
1) Camera
2) No removeable battery.
3) already out of date?
Also, if anyone has general opinions who've used both, please lemme know!
Thanks Guys
My 2 cents is this:
Samsung has superior hardware for the most part but Knox is a PITA, touchwiz kills the hardware advantage, their camera app (at least in the S4) was sluggish and pictures could be tinted weird. The size isn't bad at all (had an OG note as well). If you're a jeans kinda person and like slim cases it won't bind up at all. You run into issues with thicker cases though. It looks like from the light skimming I did that they've been able to unlock the bootloader for TWRP and full ROM changes (instead of Safestrapping) so I wouldn't be TOO concerned by that.
The M8 has much better sound, the Sense isn't too intrusive and with a couple simple tweaks the phone screams and you can eliminate all the annoying functions of sense while keeping it relatively stock or you can go totally crazy and brand new ROM, new features and the whole 10 yards. The speakers on the M8, in my opinion are far far better than other devices but that depends on you usage and what you want. Camera I've had no complaints, go check out the thread about pics from the M8 you can really see how the camera takes pictures. IMO it's fast and efficient and pretty decent in lower light conditions. I first worried about a non-removable battery myself, but I change my phone every 2 years and the battery life on the stock rom without the power saver mode is pretty dang awesome. I sync multiple push accounts on my phone with a near vanilla ROM and I usually get to about 50% on my phone by the end of the day (8 to 10 hours, streaming pandora for about 3 or 4 hours).
As for Dev community I don't think you'll find a better one than any HTC community. HTC does a great job to make their devices unlockable and keeping the hardware fairly standard. Now someone PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong, but you should be able to install just about any firmware onto your M8 from any variants of the M8 including the GPE and the like. With such a unified device the dev community can pool together and make truly great things.
The M8 is still very powerful but the N4 is newer and has beefier hardware. I still chose the M8 after running multiple Samsung devices mainly for the community and the versatility of the phone. not to mention an aluminium chassis is very nice too.
here's a good link to help with your decision:
http://www.gizmag.com/htc-one-m8-vs-samsung-galaxy-note-4/33723/
Cool, thanks. I've scoured the web and have read so many comparisons. Most just jot down the specs and say note 4 is the way to go. Very little real world experience.
Thanks for the input though.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Having previously owned the G2 and G3, I was looking forward to the G4, however personally the camera is the only reason why I stick with it. Everything else seems like a downgrade from the G3, especially in the looks and feel. I'm glad we have root and Xposed which helps greatly, but going from the G2 to the G3 showed a large decline in dev support, and seeing as how it's been several months since release and we still have no custom ROMs makes it seem like there is going to be very little dev support going forward, even if we eventually get custom ROMs.
I don't remember wanting a new phone so quickly the last 2 years, but I've been anxiously awaiting the new phones this fall to see if there is something else that I'd like more. I'm leaning towards either the Moto X Pure or new Nexus.
Is anyone else disappointed enough in either the phone or dev support that they are looking to replace their G4 earlier than usual?
For most people the G4 is one heck of a phone, but for those of us who hang out here, no development = no fun.
I do like the G4 for the most part. It has it's issues though. Particularly the Verizon one more so from all I've read.
I mainly am bothered by the touchscreen issues. So many missed taps or swipes registering as taps instead and opening things I meant to just swipe across or whatever. Little bit of lag but it's workable.
Coming to it from the Galaxy S4 it was definitely an upgrade regardless. The only thing that really stopped me from buying the S6 edge was the piddly battery and it not being changeable. Now that the S6 edge + is out and they've beefed up the battery, in hindsight if it was released at the same time I would have bought that instead because I did like the S4 for it's time.
That's the tech world for you though, you buy something new that's the best that day and something (arguably) better comes out right around the corner.
Every point I was going to make has been covered.
The Samsung development overshadows LG development, 2 to 1.
Definitely will be a consideration on the next purchase.
Take note LG, we wont be fooled again.
I was going to sell my G4 now, but not really excited about anything out there. Probably waiting for the new Motorola X Pure. Checked selling prices on swappa and I will already lose $100 or more if I sell now. Maybe I shouldn't wait..
I already got the galaxy s6 edge+ and have the moto x pure arriving soon. The development in this and the main G4 section bores me, so i recently listed my G4 on Swappa. Time will tell if i list my Samsung, but I should at least be good with the moto for a while!
If I wasn't trying to save money, I would consider the MXP. That said, even though there isn't a thriving development community for it, the G4 works pretty well for my needs since root and Xposed are available for it and haven't been giving me any issues.
mtva24 said:
I already got the galaxy s6 edge+ and have the moto x pure arriving soon. The development in this and the main G4 section bores me, so i recently listed my G4 on Swappa. Time will tell if i list my Samsung, but I should at least be good with the moto for a while!
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I remember reading that the Note 5 and I assume S6 Edge + are not able to be unlocked/rooted on Verizon and AT&T, as Samsung has incorporated that into Knox that the phones will no longer work if modified (or something along those lines).
I miss the days when pretty much all phones, especially flagships, had tons of dev support and were rooted quickly. Seems like as time goes on pretty much only Nexus and unlocked global phones get any support.
Bailed for Nexus 6...couldn't take not having roms....... my wife is happy with it.
Made the exact same decision. I don't miss that phone at all. Nexus 6 may be older but it still is a kick a** phone
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
I may regret this decision, but I decided to preorder the iPhone 6s lol
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk
So far love the G4, but it's only been a week, not noticing any issues thus far. Coming from a bad experience with a Sony Z3V and Verizon, who finally agreed to give me a new phone and I picked the G4. My biggest concern was the battery but I'm getting 2 days with moderate use.
Yes, for now.
In general the phone is pretty good I'm just disappointed that there is no unlocked boot-loader and custom recovery as yet for the VS986. I hope it becomes available in the near future.
Cwey55 said:
Coming to it from the Galaxy S4 it was definitely an upgrade regardless.
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I have a Galaxy S4 and trying to decide between the S6 and G4. What has me most considering the G4 over the S6 is the lack of removable battery and expandable memory on the S6. Reviews I have seen mostly rate the S6 higher as far as specs. But I can live with a slightly slower performing phone if it has other features more important to me. I don't care what material the phone is made of because I always put them in cases to protect them. You say the G4 is definitely an upgrade. What about the G4 in your opinion make it better then the S4? Also that screen issue you were referring to, is that typical of the G4 or an issue with some owners? I would appreciate feedback from any other former S4 owners. Thanks.
Pretty unhappy with my G4, even after rooting and trying several fixes for existing issues. The battery life is poor at best, the touch screen misses and issues are awful and on top of that, general lag persists throughout the day. Overall, I WANT to like the phone. I like the camera, the shape, etc. I really think we need the bootloader unlocked to have users fix these issues that LG and VZW cannot. I'm stuck on the edge plan, so I guess I'm waiting.
Eddie Hicks said:
I have a Galaxy S4 and trying to decide between the S6 and G4. What has me most considering the G4 over the S6 is the lack of removable battery and expandable memory on the S6. Reviews I have seen mostly rate the S6 higher as far as specs. But I can live with a slightly slower performing phone if it has other features more important to me. I don't care what material the phone is made of because I always put them in cases to protect them. You say the G4 is definitely an upgrade. What about the G4 in your opinion make it better then the S4? Also that screen issue you were referring to, is that typical of the G4 or an issue with some owners? I would appreciate feedback from any other former S4 owners. Thanks.
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Well to be honest as I write this I'm working on getting myself into the S6 edge + or Note 5 now that they've come out. More on that later.
But, coming from the S4 back in June my contract happened to be up for upgrade on the exact release date of the G4, I would have been totally content to stick with the Galaxy line had they not gotten away from the removable battery and SD card support in the S6, and the battery that is in the S6 really is pretty tiny. That was the deciding factor for me buying the G4 much like you're concerned with. Other than those things the S6/S6 edge would have been perfect to me. I decided to try something new and went with the G4 on the basis they had the removable battery and SD card slot (and the changeable backs as a bonus).
Naturally with there being two years between my S4 and the G4, the G4 is faster and smoother, has a better display, better camera. That's just advancements in technology at work. Down the line we'll look at the same specs as today's flagship phones as minor leagues.
Read around here and just about any phone forums, you'll see the same things echoed to varying degrees:
S6: Piddly battery life, no SD card, no removable battery, great looking screen, fast, arguably best camera, great build with the glass/metal, quick charge/wireless charge built in
G4: Bigger swappable battery, great (larger) screen, fast but some models lag depending on carrier, arguably best camera, nice changeable backs, wireless charge not built in, some models with touch screen response issues
Like I said you'll read the same things everywhere and just have to decide what works best for you. If you're the type that prefers to swap the battery for a quick boost to 100%, don't buy the S6 obviously. If you like the idea of using wireless charging, don't buy the G4 obviously. If you prefer a smaller screen go with the S6, if you want big go G4 (Or the newer Note 5 or S6 edge + of course), if you want to try a new button scheme go G4 (I do like the rear buttons) or if you like traditional side buttons go Samsung. It's a tough call really, you get what I mean, either way it's been years since the S4 so no matter what you're going to get a better phone due to the advancements both companies have made. Compared to the S4 both the S6 and G4 will fly through processing, have better displays, have better cameras, and be more efficient. You just have to decide which features are more important to you.
Now, I know you didn't mention the newer S6 edge + or Note 5 but they've been released since the G4 was released and in hindsight if they'd been released all at the same time I'd have chosen one of them over the G4 and am probably switching over to one of them soon as I can. As I said earlier the only reason I went with the G4 over the original S6 was the tiny battery in the S6, and in the newer two phones Samsung has beefed up that department to match the G4 at 3000mah. So that said, I'm probably looking to get back into a Samsung, because when it was in it's prime, I really did love my S4.
My main gripe with the G4 is the touch screen response, which like I said if you read around you will see it is pretty common and no known fix has been brought to light. It seems pretty hit or miss but it is really frustrating.
Hopefully I helped and answered some of your questions. If not feel free to let me know.
Cwey55 said:
Well to be honest as I write this I'm working on getting myself into the S6 edge + or Note 5 now that they've come out. More on that later.
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Cwey I very much appreciate your detailed and very helpful reply. After reading it this morning I decided to get the S6. I picked one up a 64gb version a couple of hours ago and my wife got a iPhone 6S (she loves apples ). I figure with 64gb's SD card memory expansion is no big deal. I had to give up my unlimited data because I'm doing the 24 month no-contract phone payment service. I really don't use a lot of data anyway. I was on the old service plan paying for minutes and text. I'm actually paying about $10 a month less with unlimited calls and text. I looked into other phones also like the soon to be relesed Nexus 5X but the specs don't seem to be that great. The S6 Edge+ and Note 5 are too big for my taste. The larger size of the G4 is also a negative for me. Also I have the S6 with the OE2 firmware which can be rooted. The updated OF1 cannot be rooted at this time. I just have to be careful not to allow the firmware update to go through. Thanks again.
I got a Nexus 6 as well. Great phone even though it is old now. Also got a One M9 and sent it off to Java Card S-Off'ed. Also a good phone with custom roms. I miss the G4 camera a bit but nothing else.
I'll be looking at the Nexus 5X or the Moto X Pure as a replacement for the G4
I'm not sure how long i will keep it, because the digital products update so fast!
So I have been racking my brain on what phone to buy my Nexus 6 is on its last leg and I just would like something new. So do you guys like your phone? Has it been worth it? I do like the look and I would probably be running an AOSP ROM of some kind but I'm more concerned with the Hardware? Have you guys had any major issues that would make it a deal breaker? So Otherwise I've always used the Nexus line but I just can't afford a Pixel so I'm kinda have been torn on what phone to buy a Nexus 6p, Moto G5, Honor 7, or maybe an HTC 10 or a U11 or a OnePlus 3t if I can find one cheap enough. I would like to keep it under 250$ 300$ max. Thx for all your help...
Also, development is important to me.:good::good:
NUGZZ420 said:
So I have been racking my brain on what phone to buy my Nexus 6 is on its last leg and I just would like something new. So do you guys like your -------------buy a Nexus 6p, Moto G5, Honor 7, or maybe an HTC 10 or a U11 or a OnePlus 3t if I can find one cheap enough. I would like to keep it under 250$ 300$ max. Thx for all your help...
Also, development is important to me.:good::good:
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Interested in development and custom ROMs!! then better stay away from this device. The scene might change once Oreo gets released but no one is sure when it will come.
P.S. There is no stock firmware yet for this device to restore.
If you don't need NFC or quick charge I believe you'll be happy with this phone. There's a few parameters I want in a phone and this has them---
#1---Battery life. I have NEVER had a phone with battery life like this one. I have had the Samsung note 5, Note 3, S4 active, LG g3 and a few others...even from day one there's no comparison. For example, yesterday I was on my phone texting throughout the super bowl (Philly here ) streaming MP3's, browsing the internet, etc. When I got home at midnight my phone was on 79%. Simply amazing.
#2---screen..it's essentially a 1080P screen and images are crisp and detailed. Compared to my Note 5, it's not as good side by side, but it's marginal. Still very acceptable
#3--- Speed and customization. Both are very acceptable and scrolling etc is smooth on most items but occasionally is quirky especially scrolling through group texts. Must be a bug or something.
#4---Photos are a little over saturated in daylight shots but I believe they're better than ALL of my previous Samsung phones. I have not really experimented with darker scenes and can't tell about that. Also, I've been using the standard setting for now and believe photos will get better as I adjust them
#5---form factor. It's a slim phone in every way and seems smaller but I guess being "bezel-less" makes it appear so...
Depending on your budget, you might consider the Huawei Mate 9. You can still buy new units and some vendors are starting to give steep discounts--B&H Photo sold their stock off at around $350 to make way for new models. Huawei's Oreo Beta has been rolled out to this phone. It's got a great Leica dual lens camera with a true B&W camera (check out the photos in the XDA Developers forum for the camera), NFC and a 4000MaH battery. I've given up waiting for Huawei to decide on whether they're really going to bring the Honor V10 to North America, the Mate 9 and Mate 10 (original, not Pro) top my list for a replacement phone. If you live in a large city, read Amazon reviews of the 7X. The lack of 2 WIFI bands is causing some people to return the 7X because WIFI congestion is keeping the phone from operating well on WIFI.
Well Thx everyone I am semi tempted to jump on one and I have looked at the Mate 9 some and I might try and pick one up before too long. I also might just grab a Nexus 6p I found one for 125$ and it seems fine and then maybe save up for something in the future. I am also reading that all kinds of phones are having proximity sensor problems after updating to Oreo and I think that's one of the problems my nexus 6 is having and I cant fix it no matter what I try from app to xposed apps. So IDK we will see thx for your help as well I still am halfway tempted to grab one of these just to give it a shot for the price it seems nice and I don't live in a huge city so I would hope my wifi would be ok.
NUGZZ420 said:
Well Thx everyone I am semi tempted to jump on one and I have looked at the Mate 9 some and I might try and pick one up before too long. I also might just grab a Nexus 6p I found one for 125$ and it seems fine and then maybe save up for something in the future. I am also reading that all kinds of phones are having proximity sensor problems after updating to Oreo and I think that's one of the problems my nexus 6 is having and I cant fix it no matter what I try from app to xposed apps. So IDK we will see thx for your help as well I still am halfway tempted to grab one of these just to give it a shot for the price it seems nice and I don't live in a huge city so I would hope my wifi would be ok.
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Good luck. All your options sound good. It's too bad Huawei decided to only include one WIFI band in the 7X, knowing they planned on marketing this in North America, where WIFI adoption is so widespread that 2 bands are essential to avoid congestion issues for all those in large urban areas. It will not be cost effective in the long run, given how many potential customers are affected by WIFI congestion, and clearly shows that a Chinese-dominated staff is making serious missteps in markets outside of China. Huawei desperately needs to hire western technical consulting companies and actually listen to them . They build beautiful and dependable phones that rival all their competitors. It's silly missteps like this that can mar their brand reputation. I think all the other cost cutting steps for the 7X are fine.
Having just 2.4ghz doesn't bother me much although I think they still should have added 5ghz. An old Lenovo K3 Note phone which I don't use anymore only had 2.4ghz also, however a custom rom allowed it to have 5ghz turned on. I wonder if it was hidden on this phone also.
The 2.4ghz on the Honor 7x connects to my router at half the speed my Samsung Galaxy Note 4 does.
Looking to get back into the Android modding world.
These things are important to me:
Custom Roms / rooting / unlocked bootloader
Fast
Large screen
(Stylus)
Expandable storage
Wireless charging
Don't care about headphone jack
The Note 9 (certain versions, either Exynos chipset or the n9600?) seems to meet all of these criteria, but... the a50 is *so* much cheaper.
Other than the stylus obviously, is the a50 comparable to the Note 9?
I mean, yeah, it is slightly behind in resolution, the scratch-resistance of the glass, the CPU / SOC, RAM (6 GB vs 4 GB), but it has a much better camera (which is kind of important to me, but not a game breaker).
I don't care that the Note 9 is water/dust resistant.
I would be using the phone on Ting here in the U.S.
Edit: I am also considering the Google Pixel (3, 3a xl, 4 XL) and the OnePlus 6T or Pro 7
I say don't get A50 if you want to play around with it. Yes, it's a great value phone, but only for average users. So far there's only few GSI ROMs and it's still somewhat buggy for most people.
Consider a OnePlus phone instead. It has great support for custom ROMs and tweaks.
I've got a Note 9 and the wife has an A50 (which I update etc as she's rather technophobic ... )
They are actually very similar in size, just that the N9 is noticeably heavier - though I personally don't have any issues with that. I use the stylus quite a bit so that's another point in its favour, as is the ability to use custom ROMs/root it/etc. Oh, I'm in the UK so have the Exynos version.
Not sure about the A50 being 'buggy' as the one we have works fine in day to day use on a completely stock ROM. Android 10 should be out for it anytime soon as well.
Oh, and the N9 is also noticeably faster, just installing apps, for example.
That's my experience anyway.
Dude, I don't know where in the US do you live (regarding to phones prices), and I don't mean to be rude, but this question makes no sense at all. You're comparing a flagship phone to a mid-range budget phone from nearly the same time.
It's fairly obvious that a higher-end, more expensive phone will be better in almost every aspect. No need to compare at all: SO MUCH better hardware, absolutely better camera (more quality and functions such as a better pro mode), additional functionality (DeX, MHL), etc. It's only fair... since one retailed for something like 800 dollars (N9) and the other one for around 280 USD...
By the way, I would certainly not recommend Samsung if you're into modding. Samsung phones are OK but they lack a lot of community development and customization mainly because of Exynos chipsets and locked bootloaders. There are obviously a few exceptions such as some international models that use Qualcomm processors, but that's it.
EDIT: what I meant is that the price difference between both phones, translates into A50 being a less capable product in every aspect. It's not bad at all for it's price, but keep in mind it's a 250 dollar phone. If you can afford N9, it's a flagship, and certainly not too old to be relevant in 2020.
If you can't go for it, maybe set for something in the middle like an A70? That one comes with a Snapdragon SoC, which brings support to GCam and stuff.