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I've been seeing a lot of blowback on what many are considering sub-par specs for the Galaxy Nexus. I'm not sure it deserves as much criticism as it's getting.
Processor
The Complaint:
1.2 GHz isn't 1.5
The chip comes with the outdated SGX540 GPU
The Possible Reason:
The s2 Exynos apparently doesn't work well with LTE right now. Personally, I'd prefer LTE latency to HSPA+ with a marginally faster processor.
The GPU does suck, but unfortunately there aren't really any other chipsets available right now offering something better for LTE.
And keep in mind, the OMAP 4460 is BRAND NEW. This is not the same OMAP 4430 that has been in other phones to date. The clock speed was tuned down to 1.2 GHz in order to avoid delays when the 1.5 speeds were not stable.
While the GPU may suck, apparently the OMAP 4460 has some nice features in the way of media/video processing, which was behind Google's decision to go with that chipset.
Update: That media/video processing feature is called the IVA 3 -- it is a hw video decoder/encoder that supports [email protected] for h.264, MPEG-4, and h.263, VP8, etc. In essence, it allows for low power consumption while playing back HD quality video (and this makes a lot more sense as to why Google decided to go with OMAP for their new 720p resolution device). More info: http:// blog . webmproject . org/2010/10/demo-of-webm-running-on-ti-omap-4.html
Camera
The Complaint:
5 MP isn't 8
Sample pictures aren't mind-blowing
The Possible Reason:
Instant shutter and panoramic photos.
The Galaxy Nexus takes photos REALLY quickly, and the panoramic photo capability depends on that. This means the phone needs both a fast lens (search Wikipedia for "Lens speed") and likely a sensor capable of operating at those speeds. It's quite possible that they had to sacrifice in MP in order to get those speeds.
So yes, the camera is not as "good" as other phones might have, but the marginal decrease might be what's allowing it to run circles around other cameras in photo speed and generate some impressive panoramas.
Those seem to be the two major complaints right now. Also, I admit my hardware knowledge isn't as in depth as some others on xda, so I welcome any additional info. Thoughts?
For me it would be the Camera and lack of SD card.
I can deal with 5MP if it also had better image stabilization. The pics I have seen were not sharp. However, the fast AF and panoramic mode are bad ass.
The lack of a SD card is just annoying. As a developer, it would be nice to have this support.
Based on previous Nexus devices (One and S) i think NO see a
FM radio. Too bad...
The lack of SD card is kinda annoying.
The only two "sub-par" items that were listed is rather "meh." You will never tell the difference of 300Mhz. You can run your benchmark tools, but, user experience is nil.
Camera MP doesn't mean anything if the phone can't take decent pictures at all. If you're worried about anything over 5MP, then, you should carry a real camera.
For an FM radio... if it's lacking the hardware.... Tune In Radio app is a sweet replacement.
The Nexus phones sets the standard for all smartphones. This phone seems to be "above-par" to what is currently out there.
My gripes:
1. Way too close to the SGSII form factor. I found the SGSII to be insanely uncomfortable for me. It's far too thin to be so wide.
2. No SD card. Instant fail for me. It's not that the built-in memory isn't enough, it's that Samsung has a history of Nexus devices with failed memory and no way to fix it because there isn't an SD slot.
3. Samsung's total plastic body builds are lightweight, sure, but they feel like cheap pieces of throwaway junk. The Amaze, IMO, makes the SGSII feel like a chump (for reference, I don't use most HTC devices due to Sense, I prefer stock software but I love HTC's build quality).
4. It's made by Samsung. Again.
bfspider said:
If you're worried about anything over 5MP, then, you should carry a real camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Couldn't agree more.
JaiaV said:
My gripes:
1. Way too close to the SGSII form factor. I found the SGSII to be insanely uncomfortable for me. It's far too thin to be so wide.
2. No SD card. Instant fail for me. It's not that the built-in memory isn't enough, it's that Samsung has a history of Nexus devices with failed memory and no way to fix it because there isn't an SD slot.
3. Samsung's total plastic body builds are lightweight, sure, but they feel like cheap pieces of throwaway junk. The Amaze, IMO, makes the SGSII feel like a chump (for reference, I don't use most HTC devices due to Sense, I prefer stock software but I love HTC's build quality).
4. It's made by Samsung. Again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
#3 has been connected with a metal chassis. If you take a look around some of the reviews, a few sites notice that difference.
kromem said:
I've been seeing a lot of blowback on what many are considering sub-par specs for the Galaxy Nexus. I'm not sure it deserves as much criticism as it's getting.
Those seem to be the two major complaints right now. Also, I admit my hardware knowledge isn't as in depth as some others on xda, so I welcome any additional info. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the device is meant for DEVELOPERS, not normal folks basically, that was probably their mentality
thus all the lack of high tech stuff, except for the screen
bfspider said:
#3 has been connected with a metal chassis. If you take a look around some of the reviews, a few sites notice that difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most of them do have some internal metal chassis that acts like a skeleton of sorts, if I am not mistaken. That doesn't stop them from feeling like cheap pieces of trash.
I won't be able to jog faster with this phone, as it's slightly bigger and heavier than S2.
Galaxy S II weight = 116 grams
Galaxy Nexus weight = 135 grams
AllGamer said:
the device is meant for DEVELOPERS, not normal folks basically, that was probably their mentality
thus all the lack of high tech stuff, except for the screen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If anything, that makes less sense. Normal people don't even know what OMAP or a SGX540 is.
And I kind of meant thoughts on whether or not my reasoning relating to the hardware choices seemed sound.
kromem said:
I've been seeing a lot of blowback on what many are considering sub-par specs for the Galaxy Nexus. I'm not sure it deserves as much criticism as it's getting.
Processor
The Complaint:
1.2 GHz isn't 1.5
The chip comes with the outdated SGX540 GPU
..snipped..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ha even the 540 is upgrade for me, I'm still using the OG Droid with it's SGX530 toting OMAP3 chip. So a dual core OMAP4 is a vast upgrade for me.
Plus the lack of an SD card is no big deal for me...16GB of onboard storage is more than enough for me, meaning it doesn't really need an SD card as much as my Droid does.
For a while, I was sort of disappointed with a couple of the GN's specs, but I'm now very excited. Let me address the specs in question:
1. GPU : The GPU is the Nov 2007 SGX540 while the current ringleader is the Jan 2009 SGX543MP2. The difference is that the GN's GPU is clocked at a speedy 384 MHz, almost double that of the 200 MHz clock speed of the SGX543MP2. With that knowledge, plus the fact that I won't be playing console-quality games on a touchscreen, I was pretty much satisfied.
2. CPU : I first cringed when I heard that the GN was going to have a Ti-OMAP processor instead of the Exynos, but I was sort of happy when I learned it might be the OMAP4470, a beast of a phone. Then I checked Wikipedia, and was disappointed to learn the 4470 is coming out in Q2 2012, meaning I would have to settle with the lesser version. I'm still uneasy about this aspect, but the fact that Google has chose this processor specifically inclines me to think it will be optimized thoroughly. Just look at the iPhone4 vs the iPhone4S; a dual-core, plus a beefed up GPU don't make the phone any faster, as the OS has been perfectly coded to the hardware already. The GHz make no difference in real life, aside for half a second. Besides, more ICS devices are coming up according to Black_man_x, with AT&T leading in specs for now (the GSMarena Nexus Specs leak is probably that phone) so the best phone is perpetually going to be "right around the corner".
3. Camera: I knew this was going to be a 5MP shooter, as I predicted Google would push Google+ and instant upload with this model, which allows unlimited storage to 5MP photos. The camera is also hard coded to the CPU, which is why you get 1080p on a 5MP camera, which was previously unheard of (at least to me). Some 8MP still can't even do 1080p, resting at 720p only. Plus you get awesome features such as continuous exposure and photo capture while recording.
4. No SDCard slot: I never use microSD's so this isn't a problem for me. I can see how it would affect others though. I prefer internal storage over anything, as it's fast and secure. I just need to keep a NANDroid at all times on the device though
Honestly, everything else was amazing. The LED notification totally surprised me, as I thought it was going to be like the Epic's (a lame blue light at the top). I love the form factor and size, and I'm personally going to buy the HSPA+ model. I hate CDMA with a burning passion, and T-Mobile has got a new prepaid $30 5GB Unlimited Plan with 100 Mins and Unltd Texts that I can abuse. Whenever I feel like it, I can hop on over to AT&T, switch to 3 in the UK when I travel, or go with a local carrier. I made the mistake of buying the Nexus One a couple of months before the Nexus S landed, not going to make the same mistake again
where has it been confirmed the prime will ship with the 4460?
edit: aaaaand here's my answer:
http://www.fudzilla.com/home/item/24529-ti-confirms-omap-4460-is-in-nexus-galaxy
eric b
IMO nothing is wrong with the Camera, plus by now everyone should know that Megapixels don't mean a damn thing -_- this camera is actually pretty damn beast.
i think you misunderstand lens speed. the aperture of the lens for this camera really shouldn't be affected by the sensor. perhaps you mean sensor speed.
people still had the same complains with the NS...........I doubt we will be seeing any Nexus device jump as far ahead as the N1 did
For all those complaining about the lack of SD card slot I'm guessing you don't have a Honeycomb tablet with an SD card slot. Even with the latest Honeycomb update that came out about a month ago Google still doesn't have the SD card working like most expect. It is nothing like an SD card under Gingerbread. I believe they want people to use a new storage API to interact with the SD card so many apps don't see it or consider it read-only. Applications using the new storage API are read/write. It's a change and I think many existing Froyo/Gingerbread era apps will need to be updated for Ice Cream Sandwich.
That said my guess is Google still hasn't worked out these kinks with SD cards for early Ice Cream Sandwich either. Therefore going with all internal storage and no SD card option avoids the problem and will provide the best user experience. Motorola on the other hand has taken a beating from Xoom owners like myself that waited 6 months for any kind of SD card support and even then found it lacking.
The lack the sd card is a bit of a downer, if samsung goes the same route with the partitions as they did on the sgs2 then we'll only have 11.5gb of free space left on the sdcard.
wat no sd card? blasphemy!
This phone is expensive, under powered, No external SD; 16 Gig internal no external SD card is the deal breaker for me.
The camera sounds interesting but I use smart phones only for casual pictures, us a SLR when pictures matter.
What does it have CM?
I used CM is the past now it never was that great because the people creating builds often had no drivers and had to reverse engineer the ROM.
I read this no a problem with Opp N1 CM edition? (drivers having the source code)
Do you think CM will be special for this device?
you must not buy special CM 16Gb version
buy as me 32GB regular and install CM vesrion of ROM
you will be happy !
AstroDigital said:
This phone is expensive, under powered, No external SD; 16 Meg internal no external SD card is the deal breaker for me.
The camera sounds interesting but I use smart phones only for casual pictures, us a SLR when pictures matter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're that against it, then you definitely should not buy this phone.
- It really isn't that expensive though, have you by chance looked up off-contract prices lately? I'm not talking about the Nexus 5 or Moto G/X. Everyone knows about them and their price, but those are not the standard, no matter how much people want them to be. Look up prices for Galaxy S4, HTC One Max, Note 3, etc... This phone isn't that expensive.
- "Under-powered" is kind of a joke at this point in phones. It has a Snapdragon 600, which is plenty powerful for just about everything. Holding the top spot on some benchmark doesn't really mean anything for performance. How the device runs is more important, and I can tell you from experience that this phone runs fast and smooth all the time. 2GB of RAM is plenty right now. Android has come a long way in memory management. The Note 3 is not the standard at 3GB of RAM. It needs that because of how heavy the UI is. Loading up a phone with twelve thousand "features" makes for a monster of a RAM hog.
- No external SD will always be a controversial issue. Cloud storage is nice, but we can't all be on blazing fast 4G all the time with the ability to swap data quickly with cloud servers. You find ways around it though. I'm on the 16GB (note, not "Meg") and I usually hover around 4-5GB free at all times even with 3 full backups (stock, Omnirom, and CM).
AstroDigital said:
What does it have CM?
I used CM is the past now it never was that great because the people creating builds often had no drivers and had to reverse engineer the ROM.
I read this no a problem with Opp N1 CM edition? (drivers having the source code)
Do you think CM will be special for this device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The difference between this CM and other phones with CM is that this CM is actually approved by Google itself. This means that Google apps will come with it as it gets updated, and they will be supported by Google on the phone. Since Oppo is working with CM, this means that when running CM, you won't have to sacrifice features like you do on most other phones. The first-party features won't be lost, such as O-Touch, O-Click, knock on screen, etc...
CM will also be managing the builds directly. This means that it won't be like normal OEM skins and UIs. Instead of OS updates having to go from the company (Oppo) to the carrier (Sprint for example) to add in the features, CM will be able to build it all in-house. Oppo is giving them access to the data directly so they won't have to wait for Oppo to update the CM build with their own updates. This will create full builds that don't lose functionality, and they will also come out quickly to the users.
Sorry for the long post, but I ramble sometimes.
Harfainx said:
If you're that against it, then you definitely should not buy this phone.
- It really isn't that expensive though, have you by chance looked up off-contract prices lately? I'm not talking about the Nexus 5 or Moto G/X. Everyone knows about them and their price, but those are not the standard, no matter how much people want them to be. Look up prices for Galaxy S4, HTC One Max, Note 3, etc... This phone isn't that expensive.
- "Under-powered" is kind of a joke at this point in phones. It has a Snapdragon 600, which is plenty powerful for just about everything. Holding the top spot on some benchmark doesn't really mean anything for performance. How the device runs is more important, and I can tell you from experience that this phone runs fast and smooth all the time. 2GB of RAM is plenty right now. Android has come a long way in memory management. The Note 3 is not the standard at 3GB of RAM. It needs that because of how heavy the UI is. Loading up a phone with twelve thousand "features" makes for a monster of a RAM hog.
- No external SD will always be a controversial issue. Cloud storage is nice, but we can't all be on blazing fast 4G all the time with the ability to swap data quickly with cloud servers. You find ways around it though. I'm on the 16GB (note, not "Meg") and I usually hover around 4-5GB free at all times even with 3 full backups (stock, Omnirom, and CM).
The difference between this CM and other phones with CM is that this CM is actually approved by Google itself. This means that Google apps will come with it as it gets updated, and they will be supported by Google on the phone. Since Oppo is working with CM, this means that when running CM, you won't have to sacrifice features like you do on most other phones. The first-party features won't be lost, such as O-Touch, O-Click, knock on screen, etc...
CM will also be managing the builds directly. This means that it won't be like normal OEM skins and UIs. Instead of OS updates having to go from the company (Oppo) to the carrier (Sprint for example) to add in the features, CM will be able to build it all in-house. Oppo is giving them access to the data directly so they won't have to wait for Oppo to update the CM build with their own updates. This will create full builds that don't lose functionality, and they will also come out quickly to the users.
Sorry for the long post, but I ramble sometimes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am so excited to have it right now ...
but I have to wait for delivery !!
Hi guys,
I want to buy a new phone. I discovered this amazing Zenfone 2 device (model ZE551ML, 4GB RAM, 64 GB FLASH storage), which looks it suits my needs, and I like its look too. But is this 1,5 year smarphone still worth buying in 2016? I mean, is it's performance good enough for modern apps and for future?
My demands on phone are:
- Basic smarthone functions, like messaging (I am heavy IM user), calendar, notes, ...
- Good enough performance to play some game (probably Heartstone and like this, I dont like to play GTA on my phone, I prefer play it on my gaming console instead) and to test some VR apps (probably for movies, maybe one or two games, with some cheap chinese VR headsed, I dont believe VR is ready for normal use, but I would like to try it)
- microSD card slot. It is always good to have option to extend my storage for multimedia content. Plus when I had android before, I really liked option to backup my phone to SD card before reinstalling ROM.
- I like when I am able to replace dead battery (after two years, or just when it is dead) at home. I dont mind some screwing, but I really hate "the glue-made phone" (you know, when you need to heat phone, then pry glass out, it will never be the same after putting together again - not even if authorized service will do this).
- I just hate glass-made back on phones. Just another weak spot. And it looks so ugly, because so many fingerprints on it... I like metal back case, or some resistant polycarbonate.
- It is good when phone has good support here on XDA. There is good chance I will be able to install newer version of android (AOSP or else), when manufacturer drops support (which is in many cases right after device is sold )
On the other hand, I dont care about:
- camera - I really dont need it at all. It is good there is some to photograph something instead write down a note. But if phone has no camera, I dont care. I have much better option for taking photos then my phone is.
- LTE - I dont use it. It just drains my battery. GPRS speed is good enough for IM messaging and to recieve e-mail (and no, I am not sending pictures or videos in them). And there is WiFi almost everywhere (any pub, coffee shop, workplace, everyone at home has a Wifi) if I want to stream something from Internet (oh, there is even Wifi in BUS, if I take a long journey across half my country). So no need to drain my battery at all.
- Display size - I am okay with almost everything. Just be between 4" na 7" and I am OK with it.
Will be Zenfone 2 good for these my needs? I am worried mainly about it's performance now and in the future.
Originally I had OnePlus 3 in mind (even though it has no SD card slot). But then I discovered this Zenfone, which does have SD card slot and is also nearly half the price comparing to OnePlus 3.
I looked at some antutu bechmark results for these two phones. There is tremendous difference between these two. So these are my options:
Phone | Antutu Result | Price (including taxes)
Zenfone 2 | 47 300 | 6500 CZK (approx 250 USD)
OnePlus 3 | 143 000 | 11 000 CZK (approx 430 USD), probably more for updated 3T model, 3 model is sold out
Will be this difference in synthetic test be noticalbe in real-life experience?
I hasitate if buy Zenfone 2 and be happy with it. Or waste more money (almost twice, maybe more after 3T will be announced) on OnePlus and have more performance for the future?
It all depends on what you do with your phone. There are people that have been satisfied with their Zenfone and people that haven't been satisfied and only had complaints.
Personally, I love this phone, got it 1 year ago and still works like a charm. It was cheap for what it offered and it still is. Performance is good, never had any delays or problems like freezes, crashes, restarts. If you want to compare it to another phone, I think its performance would be similar to that of a Galaxy S5 (it is a 2015 phone so can't compare it to current 2016 ones). The latest Marshmallow update also solved most problems this phone had on MM so I upgraded to it (was still on Lollipop until now) and it works great. Regarding gaming performance, it can be good or bad, depends on what game and if it has support for x86 or not. Like 90% of the games on Playstore won't have any problems with Intel x86. Regular applications will run without any problems. So considering the price and the pretty good performance, I'd say go with the Zenfone 2. The One Plus 3 is a better phone indeed, but the price is almost double.
Regarding your Antutu score, no idea why yours is so low, mine is 67000+ (2.3 Ghz version, 32 GB storage and 4 GB RAM).
Oh and I will also add:
- as you see the phone has support on XDA
- from what I heard, battery isn't too hard to take out (but still non-removable, One Plus 3 has non-removable as well)
- it has VR support, Asus also has a VR application named Zenfone VR. Haven't tested the VR on this phone yet, gonna buy a VR set for myself next month.
- it has a few cute functions like resize for the screen so that you can use the phone with one hand more easily (one hand mode), draw letters on the turned off screen to open apps directly, Cover Mode (if you have a cover with a circle so that you can see clock and certain functions in it)
If you like Intel chipset, 4 hour SOT, and Asus / Zen system, it is still a nice phone for nice price.
The one+ 3 is not for sale anymore, and the 3T is not available until the end of the month. But it will be almost double the money...
So get this phone and stick with it's curiosities, or wait for ever because there is always a newer, better phone in a couple of weeks...
Verstuurd vanaf mijn ASUS_Z00A met Tapatalk
I have the Pixel C right now and been using it for the best part of a year and a half and it has been quite good, very smooth interface and probably not as silky as the Pixel phone but light-years better than my old Nexus 9.
Question is, as good as it has been, a few things are bugging me now. First is the age; it is almost 2 years old now and while it has been getting updated rather quickly the latest Oreo update seems to be stretching the limits of the aging hardware, because I've seen no absence of lags and stuttering on Oreo that weren't as noticeable or pronounced as it was on Nougat 7.1.2. In fact these performance hitches are enough for me to consider wiping all my important (but not too important, just a few apps and games) data and downgrade back to stock 7.1.2, since the YouTube app is just horrendous on Oreo, but I haven't gone around to it yet.
The more important thing is the Tab S3. The Android tablet market is all but dead with nothing but crappy budget devices released but the S3 seems to be a major contender for the best Android tablet, and I can see why. It does have a crap 2016 processor (given the release date of March 2017 you'd expect it to have at least 821 or 835, or better yet, a more optimized Exynos 8890 or 8895), but it still handily beats the clock speed (2.15 vs 1.9) of the X1 chip in the Pixel C and RAM (4 vs 3). But given the Pixel C's obvious advantage with the absence of any memory-hogging skin, I am having doubts on upgrading because of hardware. Speaking of which the S3 also has the quad-speaker advantage and the HDR capable AMOLED panel, not to mention the glorious S-Pen. So given all these clear advantages the S3 has over the Pixel C, is it worth the "up"grade? Or is the S3 just another crap tablet with a bunch of gimmicks like the S2 and still packed with all the useless junk that Samsung tends to cram into their devices?
Note that I use my tablet for purely entertainment purposes, I don't have the keyboard and I just use my Pixel C for videos, games, and web browsing (I reserve productivity for an actual Laptop). I generally value performance over everything else as a result.
pixel c has more rom and kernel development and it is very smooth and perfect for gaming thanks android stock and lineage based roms
tab s3 has touchwiz and as we know touchiz lags and has performance issue
it would be a best if google release a new tablet
but for now pixel c is best android tablet ( the display doesnt have hdr but is a quadhd ltps very good display)
And you'll get quicker updates than the S3. Samsung are woeful at updating their devices.
My nexus 9 crapped out and needed a new tablet and got the S3. I looked at the pixel c but since it's 2 years old ruled that out. You're right, there is no good android tablet now. The s3 is good but it's just a tablet. Nothing special. I haven't even rooted it yet because of the stupid knox and voiding the warranty if I trip it. I have no idea when it'll get oreo. My nexus 5x is running it now and it'll probably won't be until next year that samsung finally releases it. The samsung bloat is not that bad and most of it you can disable.
There's basically no development on it and very little activity in the forum. So if you're into that don't expect much.
If I had the pixel I'd wait and see if something else comes out, preferably from google. But I don't know how likely that is.
There's actually a good tablet on the market, but it's small. It's the Huawei mediapad M3 with kirin 930 and 4 gigs of ram. I tried it for two weeks and absolutely loved it; amazingly fast and fluid, super lightweight and a gorgeous hi-res screen. In the end I sent it back because the long 8.4" screen, resolution is superb but you have to hold it so close to your face because it's too small.
So it's no alternative to the pixel C but its fast and high end. I have hopes that Huawei will decide one day to make a 9.7 inch version, I would buy it immediately.
ASW1 said:
There's actually a good tablet on the market, but it's small. It's the Huawei mediapad M3 with kirin 930 and 4 gigs of ram. I tried it for two weeks and absolutely loved it; amazingly fast and fluid, super lightweight and a gorgeous hi-res screen. In the end I sent it back because the long 8.4" screen, resolution is superb but you have to hold it so close to your face because it's too small.
So it's no alternative to the pixel C but its fast and high end. I have hopes that Huawei will decide one day to make a 9.7 inch version, I would buy it immediately.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought the mediapad m3 used the kirin 950? it's hard to find out what's going on with the specs. The 32G model comes with 3G ram and the 64G with 4g ram. Where I live so far I only found the 32/3 model. I also would like the larger screen size... I have a Tab S2 and it's pretty good. There is no lag from touchwiz. I use Nova launcher anyway and it's lightning fast. And I get OTA updates on Nougat. Not every month but they are updating it. No complaints whatsoever.
So I am also trying to decide whether to go with the mediapad M3 (the T3 looks like a serious downgrade from every angle) or the Tab S3. There is a new google Pixel isn't there? But I guess it's like 1,000 dollars and probably not worth it.
midnightrider said:
I thought the mediapad m3 used the kirin 950? it's hard to find out what's going on with the specs. The 32G model comes with 3G ram and the 64G with 4g ram. Where I live so far I only found the 32/3 model. I also would like the larger screen size... I have a Tab S2 and it's pretty good. There is no lag from touchwiz. I use Nova launcher anyway and it's lightning fast.
So I am also trying to decide whether to go with the mediapad M3 (the T3 looks like a serious downgrade from every angle) or the Tab S3. There is a new google Pixel isn't there? But I guess it's like 1,000 dollars and probably not worth it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right it's the kirin 950. I tried the model with 4 Gb ram and its unbelievably fast and snappy.
Much more so than the pixel C that I finally bought.
The screen of the M3 is seriously small though, 8.4 inches diagonally which sounds ok but it's really narrow. Feels like you're just looking at a large phone.
That's why I decided in the end to keep the pixel C instead, even though it's older, slower and lacks a fingerprint scanner.
ASW1 said:
You are right it's the kirin 950. I tried the model with 4 Gb ram and its unbelievably fast and snappy.
Much more so than the pixel C that I finally bought.
The screen of the M3 is seriously small though, 8.4 inches diagonally which sounds ok but it's really narrow. Feels like you're just looking at a large phone.
That's why I decided in the end to keep the pixel C instead, even though it's older, slower and lacks a fingerprint scanner.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I agree. The 8 inchers are dangerously close to an S7 Edge in size and how they feel and look. I may go for it anyway if I can find the 64G model. If not I'll probably buy the Tab S3 since I'm happy with the S2. I think the extra 1G of RAM will be worth it. Samsung has some nice addons over stock 'droid and almost completely non-bloaty.
---------- Post added at 10:56 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:17 AM ----------
Is nougat OTA available for the m3 btw?
I just purchased an S3 and I'm comparing it side-by-side with my Pixel C.
It's too soon to compare battery life, although I don't expect the S3 to last quite as long. The Pixel C lasts forever.
But so far I see a number of advantages on the S3.
- SD card (not that I care)
- S-Pen (not really my thing either, but great for Pictionary with a Chromecast)
- Fingerprint sensor
- Vibration
- GPS
- Slightly faster, but not night and day.
- Slightly more vibrant screen. It's capable of being more saturated with certain settings but only if you want to go blind. With tolerable settings the difference is minor.
- Camera flash. Everyone makes fun of tablet cameras but they forget about scanning documents. It's hard to do without casting a shadow.
- No 30-second delay when it's unlocked
- Easier to download drivers. I can't do ADB with my Pixel unless I find a Windows 7 computer.
Pixel C advantages
- slightly larger screen, although at these sizes it doesn't matter much
- higher resolution - again, side-by-side it doesn't jump out at me.
- Less customized, so it works like I'm used to
- Custom ROMs
- On-screen buttons that always rotate to the bottom of the screen
I think there will eventually be some ROM development for the S3. But if not, perhaps Oreo will let me apply some themes.
badwiring said:
I just purchased an S3 and I'm comparing it side-by-side with my Pixel C.
It's too soon to compare battery life, although I don't expect the S3 to last quite as long. The Pixel C lasts forever.
But so far I see a number of advantages on the S3.
- SD card (not that I care)
- S-Pen (not really my thing either, but great for Pictionary with a Chromecast)
- Fingerprint sensor
- Vibration
- GPS
- Slightly faster, but not night and day.
- Slightly more vibrant screen. It's capable of being more saturated with certain settings but only if you want to go blind. With tolerable settings the difference is minor.
- Camera flash. Everyone makes fun of tablet cameras but they forget about scanning documents. It's hard to do without casting a shadow.
- No 30-second delay when it's unlocked
- Easier to download drivers. I can't do ADB with my Pixel unless I find a Windows 7 computer..
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I don't see how screwgle can sell devices without an SD card. That's just insane. S2 doesn't have vibrate, cool to hear the S3 does. I wish the S2/S3 had a notification LED. Not having that is stupid. Yeah the screens on the Galaxy S2/3 are the cat's meow. Really great color and clarity. Battery life on my S2 is just meh. Used to be better, now it seems not to last very long. I noticed some charging issues with one of the Nougat updates. I blame software for this.
I like the Samsung addons and you get some freebies with it like 100G of Onedrive, MyKnox/Secure folder, and a cloud that isn't screwgle. Good encryption options for the device and SD cards. Not bloaty and runs great with Nova. Did not like the stock launcher. Nova is the first thing that goes on any Android device.
badwiring said:
Pixel C advantages
- slightly larger screen, although at these sizes it doesn't matter much
- higher resolution - again, side-by-side it doesn't jump out at me.
- Less customized, so it works like I'm used to
- Custom ROMs
- On-screen buttons that always rotate to the bottom of the screen
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Of all that nothing seems important except for the ROMs and the buttons. I hate that the Samsung hardware buttons are friggin unusable in landscape. Dumb!
I guess the S3 is the best big screen tablet right now and maybe the Mediapad M3 is the best 8 incher. They can put 6 or 8G of RAM in a phone, why not a tablet? And bring back Exynos 8 bangers and leave the Qualcomms in phones where they belong
If I have one big gripe about the Samsung buttons it's that in addition to being where they aren't expected, they aren't lit. You have to learn where they are.
But today I picked up my Pixel C and i was looking for the Samsung buttons even though the onscreen ones were plainly visible.
The S3 battery has done reasonably well.
But it's the strangest thing that matters. As soon as I typed on the Pixel I missed the vibration. I have it set really low - 4ms - but it just makes typing feel more like typing.
Oh, I meant vibrate for notification. I turn vibe off on all Samsung devices because it can cause keyboard lag. I suck at typing though.
If you don't care about the s-pen, pixel C is still a better device especially for gaming. Look at some benchmarks, Nvidia's X1 process in pixel C is much better than Tab S3. I'd hold on to the Pixel C for now. There is no good android tablet on the market at the moment.
no absence of lags and stuttering on Oreo
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My Pixel c was terrible straight after the Oreo update, so laggy and slow. A factory reset followed by a restore from backup sorted it out and I've not seen any lags or stuttering since. It might be worth trying this before downgrading the firmware.
I made sure I wiped System Cache after I updated to Oreo. No issues at all for me.
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.