I don't know how widely known this is or how many people have this on their radar, but there seems to be a very healthy market out there for "new" or "like-new", once-flagship smartphone models. And it's somehow being successfully filled by operations that, as far as I have been able to deduce, manage to collect used smartphones en-masse (from where? e-waste collectors/recyclers? buying them off of the original manufacturers -- perhaps as discards from their repair departments -- for $cheap$? unclear), they then take out any still-working internals/guts from the units they've collected, fabricate brand-new external casings (of the same material as the original product...so, glass, metals, plastics, etc.) that can almost pass for the genuine article even under close scrutiny, re-package the working electronics (mainboards, etc.) in those new casings, and then even go to the lengths to make counterfeit packaging for these re-manufactured phones that LOOKS like the original manufacturers' retail box for that model, shrink-wrap them, and then (usually) turn around and sell the phone as "new".
These guys are all over eBay and AliExpress (& similar outfits). I was quite stunned when I first ran into this, and realized what was going on. You mean there are enough people that will buy these, and at the prices that they're asking for them, for this to be profitable and worth doing at scale? Amazing.
It's hard to call the entire result "counterfeit" exactly, since there are enough original components in what gets shipped. Honestly, I'm not sure what to call them. But one of the problems is that, as amazing as the work of these refurbishers is, many (most) are being more than a bit deceptive when they go out of their way to re-create the original retail packaging and then list them as "brand new in box / old stock". That's a straight-up lie. (Also, many of them come packaged with very obviously 100% counterfeit accessories, like chargers and earbuds which are made to look like the original OEM accessories *externally*, but which absolutely are not original under-the-hood.)
They don't only deal in Sony phones, but Xperia models do seem to be a big seller for these guys, and I had a couple of Z5 Compact samples pass through my hands a couple of years ago...I got curious and wanted to see for myself what one would actually get if someone were to purchase one of these. My takeaway from this was that it's truly amazing how much attention they pay to certain details on one hand, while they simultaneously cut obvious corners on the other. The back glass wasn't original on either, but it was EASILY the best non-OEM Z5c back glass replica I've ever seen (99.9% of the ones you see listed on eBay -- even the ones that purport to be "original" -- are utter crap). The plastic shell/housing was IMMACULATE and with zero scratches/gouges/markings of any kind, as if they managed to sweet-talk Sony into letting them have the original injection molds...the texture was perfect, the color was 100% spot-on, etc. But the earbuds and charger included in the box were garbage (e.g., the charger was labeled as a genuine Sony QC2.0 model, but the label printing was all smudged up, it got SUPER hot, it felt much lighter and hollower than the genuine article, and I tested it and it NEVER went into Quickcharge mode...counterfeit all the way around), the printed literature that was included didn't look at ALL like what Sony includes in their boxes, the card stock they used for the box itself was thinner, and there are issues with the printing on the box (again: counterfeit).
Anyway, one of the things that struck me was that both of the phones still had their bootloader lock & original contents of the TA partition intact. It got me thinking: hmm, I wonder what the odds of that are?... Not everybody unlocks their bootloaders, of course, but amongst Android users, and perhaps especially among Xperia owners, I get the impression that it's not exactly uncommon. At the same time, preserving one's TA partition -- assuming it's even possible on your specific model -- is knowledge that's obscure enough and fiddly enough to execute on that most people who unlock their Xperia's bootloader probably don't even bother...and not only because of the relative difficulty, but also because they probably don't even realize it's a thing. I'd be shocked if most simply didn't Google "xperia bootloader unlock" and then click the link to the official Sony web page at the top of the results that walks them through how to do it. So if I were a betting man, I'd wager that of all Xperias out there with bootloaders that have been unlocked by their owners, easily the majority of them have permanently lost their DRM keys.
Could it be that these refurbishing shops have somehow found a way to regenerate the contents of the TA partition for the models they remanufacture? It seems hard to believe that they could do this without access to the original Sony root signing keys, but...?
For the longest time, when it came to Xperia flagship models sold by these guys, the Kitakami device family was pretty much where they seemed to have stalled out at, as far as what the newest models were that they were selling. But over the last couple of years, I've seen Tone, Yoshino, and even Tama devices of this caliber now flooding the market. I'm super tempted to pick up, say, an XZ1 Compact that's been refurbished in this way, just to see if it is as good as the Z5c samples I've seen were. But in addition to potentially just providing us with access to tons of cosmetically-flawless stock of XZ1c at somewhat-reasonable prices, I have to wonder if this also provides at least a glimmer of hope that it's *possible* to truly restore all of the software on these models to 100% from-the-factory state (complete with bootloader lock, recomputed DRM keys, etc.). I'd sure love to know where they're finding all of the phones they're rebuilding, what exactly (if anything) the software side of the rebuild process entails, and if they *do* have access to special knowledge or tools, how they acquired them...
If anyone out there has bought one of the reman'd XZ1 Compacts, I'd love to know what your experience has been like.
Here is an interesting Youtube video I found by one of these outfits (perhaps the main one even?), showing them going through a QC checklist on a Z3c post-refurbishment but before being packaged up. It's very interesting...the protective plastic with the incorrect "Xperia Z3 mini" text is very clearly not the same as the original (one of those areas where their attention to detail is less impressive...and interestingly, both of my Z5c samples had the *exact same diagram* on theirs and *also* said "Xperia Z5 mini"), but you can also see a reproduction phone barcode sticker that is laid out to look like what Sony would print and stick on the original retail box.
I think unlocked phones are *very* uncommon.
I've unlocked mine before DRM key backup solution was available. Not really missing those keys TBH.
Indeed incredible that they just seem to recreate the outer casings. It involved making new injection molds and whatnot, although in China that's not that expensive nowadays I think. Especially since many Chinese companies make it their business to produce counterfeit products and probably can do it very efficiently.
As for DRM, I'd be surprised if more than 1% of consumers unlock their bootloader, so I guess it's not that surprising to get them locked from such sources.
Got myself a XZ1c (G8441) from eBay. It was listed as new. The phone itself looks good and seems like new.
It came with UCH20 charger (AC 0061-BR).
Included headphones are MH410c.
Charger and headphones work well, but they have really cheap feel to them. I'm pretty sure they are knockoffs.
Also the user manual is definitely not original Sony manual. Just some generic pictures and text.
I purchased a brand new XZ1c G8441 and everything about it was A1 till my carrier shut down the 2100mhz 3G band and the phone revealed it's true identity as a SO-02K and no longer would make or receive calls. The seller will not respond to my emails so I have no idea as to the history of the phone, but I would be none the wiser, (and totally happy) if the network had not changed. I have been caught with 2 other phones in the same scenario, where they were working and presented as global phone and they all stopped working on the same day.
Which carrier do you have? The conclusion that it's not a legit G8441 feels like an odd one.
Some carriers (I'm looking at you, AT&T) will only do VOLTE on certain phones - even though it supports it.
I've also had very spotty reception in different places, and I'm 99.9% sure I have a G8441. I 100% get LTE on some streets, and on others only 2G.
One of my understandings for a very clear distinction is the existence of NFC on the phone. The SO-02K doesn't have it, nor will it have the stylized N on the back panel. The G8441 will. Mine has it, and I've seen Android recognize it, even though it's not something I normally use. Does yours?
While I suppose it's possible someone took a SO-02K and put it in a G8441 case to resell, the chances of that (and profit, given the work) seem extremely small.
Which might suggest it's carrier issues instead of hardware ones - as does the fact that other phones had similar problems.
Hi, All the things you have questioned are valid questions. My suspicions that the phone is not legitimate was arrived at by multiple components of information. Firstly the fact that the XZ1c no longer works on the Optus network and my XZ1 G8341 still works suggests that the XZ1c does not have the 900mhz band. Secondly the XZ1c is identified as a SO-02K when connected to Sony Xperia companion. Thirdly in the service infounder software the phone identifies as "Docomo=LTECA-user" The XZ1c has the N on the rear cover although I have never been able to get it to work. There is a high likelihood of the XZ1c having a new case as all the phones I have purchased recently that stopped working on calls, all present as new, however, the firmware on the XZ1C is global firmware and the phone presents itself in nearly all ways as a G8441. I had 2 Xperia XZ3s that both had the same firmware, one stopped being able to make calls the other still works. I am 99% sure someone has worked out how to make these phone present as global phones until the hardware restrictions tell the truth.
tonsofquestions said:
While I suppose it's possible someone took a SO-02K and put it in a G8441 case to resell, the chances of that (and profit, given the work) seem extremely small.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There seems to be a massive amount of "refurbished phones" now on ebay and Aliexpress, that present in every way as new, so it would seem that putting old phones in new cases is the new market that many sellers are jumping on.
Ah, interesting. Yes, if it's presenting to some things as a DO-02K, then that seems possible. Now I'm tempted to check mine. Which is the "service infounder software"? My computer can't run the Xperia Companion.
It's possible the re-casing phones is a thing. I was just surprised people would do it for such an old phone, and that cases would even be findable still. But it's entirely possible I don't know what I'm talking about here.
You get to the service info menu by typing in *#*#7378423#*#* into the keypad on your phone, it will then come up with Service info and Service tests. Service info has a sub menu "software info", The XZ3s that I have where one works one does not, both show in service info the same model and firmware and software. but if I check the IMEI they are 2 different models PM-1150-BV and PM-1155-BV, The 1155 says that NFC is not available in the test whereas the XZ1c has the NFC as testable.
Ah, right. I recall that menu. I've always had trouble getting in to it on my XZ1c. I enter that code, but it rarely pops open, even though other ones like `*#*#4636#*#*` work just fine. I never understood why, and figured it was something with my ROM.
tonsofquestions said:
Ah, right. I recall that menu. I've always had trouble getting in to it on my XZ1c. I enter that code, but it rarely pops open, even though other ones like `*#*#4636#*#*` work just fine. I never understood why, and figured it was something with my ROM.
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Click to collapse
It works on my XZ1c, but it is not instant, and can take 10-15 seconds to appear. The XZ2C despite what some say about it, is a better phone in my opinion. the screen is better, more responsive and the phone is generally faster. I just purchased a couple of Samsung S10e phones as the 3G has taken a nose dive in performance for the phones I have that still work. Can take 20 seconds for a call to initiate after pressing send
I did a little more digging, and it's a ROM thing. My ROM doesn't even have the APK, and it won't install since it's missing some xperia library or other. I'm guessing you're stock, or something built on it. That explains why I haven't been able to open it for ages...
Just received from Ebay a new G8441 model from China (13 days to Spain).
It's a real G8441!! and have a 20 band confirmed with NetMonster and always have a LTE 4G.
I also checked Service info/Software info: GLOBAL-LTE4A-user. PM-1061-BV
I also did a factory reset, and it's still G8441.
My main phone is a XZ1 compact for 5 years, and i decided buy a new one, because eco in calls, and gps sometimes works sometimes not.
The new one is exactly the same phone. The only difference is the display, it's not the same, it's a little bit darker, but who cares.
Related
Hi,
After comparing several phones, I am interested in buying Sony Xperia M5 phone.
However, I came across several comments on different websites about a "Battery Lock" issue where the phone shuts down itself often.
Now I am confused whether to go for this phone or not.
Is there anyway that I can identify whether the unit which I am buying suffers from this issue or not?
I really love this phone's design and specs, but worried after hearing this issue.
Hi! I suggest to think twice in buying this phone.
Theres the battery lock issue that all the devices made in 2015 has.
Theres no current custom development because it has a mediatek processor inside.
With the price that this has you could get another device with same specs (I already saw the LG G4).
Thats what I regret for now. Most the battery issue than the others. Because it is a great phone with awesome specs and waterproof with a great camera.
I bought my M5 in Germany in February and i haven't face any random reboots i don't use mobile network so mush and the coverage here is good so maybe it's that i will try the test i saw on youtube to see if my phone is suffering battery lock.I like the phone qs it is for now i don look much for development or custom rom in near future, but this is Sony guys,sony always gets custom roms,doesn't matter which chipset it has.For now i'm satisfied, the only thing i don't like is heating up,but not as much as my previous smartphone acer e700 and even when M5 heats up if you leave it on the table for 5 min. it will cool down to its normal temperature.But you don't have to take my word for it right away you can wait for more replies and then decide.
pren22 said:
I bought my M5 in Germany in February and i haven't face any random reboots i don't use mobile network so mush and the coverage here is good so maybe it's that i will try the test i saw on youtube to see if my phone is suffering battery lock.I like the phone qs it is for now i don look much for development or custom rom in near future, but this is Sony guys,sony always gets custom roms,doesn't matter which chipset it has.For now i'm satisfied, the only thing i don't like is heating up,but not as much as my previous smartphone acer e700 and even when M5 heats up if you leave it on the table for 5 min. it will cool down to its normal temperature.But you don't have to take my word for it right away you can wait for more replies and then decide.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree completely. The only downside for me is the lack of custom development. Hopefully in the future enough people will get this so we can get Cyanogen mod or something
If you plan to buy now, it's very likely to be a unit manufactured in 2016 (you can also check this in the identification sticker that resides inside SIM Card/SD Card slot). Until now I never saw a single report of a 2016 unit having battery lock issue, mine for example is also made in 2016 and I never experienced a single battery lock, not even when doing the official testing procedure. Also, depending of where you live, you can get a free replacement if you go to the Service Center in case you have a unit with Battery Lock issue...
And about custom ROM development, I never believed I would say that but.... it's not Mediatek fault this time (like with their past SoCs where little to no source code was available), if you go to Sony's Developer World, the source code for Xperia M5 is published and available, it's just a matter of getting developers interested into developing to Helio X10 based devices. Another factor to take into account is that there's very few Android devices based on Helio X10 available, so, there's little to no code "reference", unlikely a Qualcomm-based device (there's a lot of Snapdragon-based devices out there, many things can be shared between them code-wise)...
mbc07 said:
If you plan to buy now, it's very likely to be a unit manufactured in 2016 (you can also check this in the identification sticker that resides inside SIM Card/SD Card slot).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where does it says which year is it build,i can't find the year here.What should i look for.Thanks
pren22 said:
Where does it says which year is it build,i can't find the year here.What should i look for.Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
EDIT:
So i tried the test and my phone seems to passed it.
pren22 said:
Where does it says which year is it build,i can't find the year here.What should i look for.Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's right after the model number, like the photo from this user at Sony Forums. The imprint is in Year/Week format, which I believe was printed incorrectly on this user's unit (we're nowhere near week 53 of 2016). On mine I have 16W04, for comparison...
mine is 16w05 thats good then and it passed the test so my phone is most likely without battery lock issue.thanks
Sent from my E5603 using XDA-Developers mobile app
Simple question. I asked the same question on another phone I'm interested in, got some good response, am asking it here.
I need a new phone, battery is getting hinky on my HTC One M8 plus the camera is ca-ca and I need a better camera for my job because I have to use the phone's camera quite often.
Out of principle, I simply don't want to spend more than $350 or so for a phone. I toyed with the idea of going over to the dark side with an iPhone, but I'm not going to spend that much money for a phone, I've got other things I need/want to spend money on instead of phones that cost more than some cars I've driven in my life. I'm also too invested in Google's ecosystem and I just prefer Android.
I also need to be on VZW's network. Have toyed with going GSM, I need to stay with Big Red.
Phones within my price range that I'm interested in are an HTC 10 (my last two phones have been HTCs and I've liked them), a Moto X Pure (that's the other phone I asked this question about), a Samsung S7 (all that glass scares me to death, I'm a klutz and the brick-like cases my phones reside in bear that out), Moto G4 Plus or the new Moto G5 Plus (which is having all kinds of issues on the VZW network unless you disable HD calling) — and this one, which really really intrigues me.
I know it's three years old, but I see that there's still a vibrant community supporting it, I've seen people online call it "the best phone Samsung ever made and probably ever will make," and the specs are still righteous compared to newer and flashier phones.
I don't care about new and flashy, my phone is a tool, period, and I need it to work for me.
The Note 4 also apparently is rootable ... I've never owned a non-rooted phone, have never rooted one myself although I've flashed ROMs. (I've got a line on a mint used one running Noble Rom; can anyone tell me about stability of that?)
So after this long-winded drivel, I repeat the question ... this phone still worth buying in 2017?
Depends what you're looking for I guess. If you're looking for a decent phone for around $200, it's decent. Beware the emmc failure error though, these things seem to choke themselves out at either exactly one year or exactly two years after purchase. Not all of them but a large enough percentage that its worth mentioning.
Edit:Also this is anecdotal but I suspect that refurbished note 4s don't have real gorilla glass. I dropped my note 4 easily hundreds of times from around 3 feet, sometimes with some force, with only the s view cover fit a case. The screen never had problems until insurance replaced mine due to failing emmc, then it cracked on the first drop after that.
Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 07:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:19 PM ----------
Also, if you get it I would use one of the newer note rom TouchWiz ports
Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk
prw94 said:
Simple question. I asked the same question on another phone I'm interested in, got some good response, am asking it here.
I need a new phone, battery is getting hinky on my HTC One M8 plus the camera is ca-ca and I need a better camera for my job because I have to use the phone's camera quite often.
Out of principle, I simply don't want to spend more than $350 or so for a phone. I toyed with the idea of going over to the dark side with an iPhone, but I'm not going to spend that much money for a phone, I've got other things I need/want to spend money on instead of phones that cost more than some cars I've driven in my life. I'm also too invested in Google's ecosystem and I just prefer Android.
I also need to be on VZW's network. Have toyed with going GSM, I need to stay with Big Red.
Phones within my price range that I'm interested in are an HTC 10 (my last two phones have been HTCs and I've liked them), a Moto X Pure (that's the other phone I asked this question about), a Samsung S7 (all that glass scares me to death, I'm a klutz and the brick-like cases my phones reside in bear that out), Moto G4 Plus or the new Moto G5 Plus (which is having all kinds of issues on the VZW network unless you disable HD calling) — and this one, which really really intrigues me.
I know it's three years old, but I see that there's still a vibrant community supporting it, I've seen people online call it "the best phone Samsung ever made and probably ever will make," and the specs are still righteous compared to newer and flashier phones.
I don't care about new and flashy, my phone is a tool, period, and I need it to work for me.
The Note 4 also apparently is rootable ... I've never owned a non-rooted phone, have never rooted one myself although I've flashed ROMs. (I've got a line on a mint used one running Noble Rom; can anyone tell me about stability of that?)
So after this long-winded drivel, I repeat the question ... this phone still worth buying in 2017?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Note 4 is very rootable including the V variant many active devs for it. Sprint model here and was an amazon purchase. Been rock solid. Many of the others you mentioned are nice as well. Good luck!
Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk
Modtronix said:
Note 4 is very rootable including the V variant many active devs for it. Sprint model here and was an amazon purchase. Been rock solid. Many of the others you mentioned are nice as well. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it is as well . great device lotta development and now I saw they go for $149 new . Will it hang with the Note 8.....no of course it won't it is almost 5 yrs old now but it at 149 unlocked its less than 1/8 th the projected price of the note 8 .
There are lots of reasons to love the Note 4. Replaceable battery, holds up to 256GB micro SD, IR support, big bright screen, rootable with Magisk support, great ROMs from anything from nearly stock to basic 7.11 versions. If you like to use your spen, get a Touchwiz ROM.
I bought my first one on the day of release. Since then, I've bought nine more over the years for friends and family. All (except one) has been rooted and are running newer ROMs. The holdout is my daughter who thinks rooting is bad. Kids, you can't teach them anything ... ugh! However, they are difficult (shall I say tricky) to root, it's well worth it. I bought the N7 when it was released. Had it two weeks. Hated the 'edge' because I would pull that out accidentally, or couldn't close with the X because my finger was right on the edge. I was sorta glad to return it. Needless to say, I bought a refurbished N4 on Amazon and several more since then. My neighbors wanted new phones, but didn't want to pay $600+ for them. I talked them into the N4 and set them up. They love them, but don't use half of the features. Newer phones are slimmer, not as wide, but that never bothered me. The only reason I would want a newer model would be for more RAM, however I like having the extra cash in my pocket, so I'm perfectly happy and will continue with the N4 series as long as I can.
Note 4 well worth the money!
I definitely recommend the note 4 it is an amazing phone best phone i have ever had! You will be very happy if you do decide to purchase im rooted and using twrp and custom rom! I also read a article talking about how people have decided to stick with the note 4 instead of upgrading to note 5 or 7 this is because the note 4 was way ahead of its time because of the harware that is used in it. The phone has a very good processor i highly recommend this phone!
i bought an LGV20 this week, thats going to be sold, and the note 4 will continue to be my daily driver...at least until the note 8 comes out
This phone is spectacular. I have 2. Never any problems at all outside of my own rooting quandaries. Only complaint is front facing cam. I'm not into selfies but if I get decent haircut and I want to remember it or just notate something stupid like my teeth for my own personal use, the front facing cam sucks.
prw94 said:
Simple question. I asked the same question on another phone I'm interested in, got some good response, am asking it here.
I need a new phone, battery is getting hinky on my HTC One M8 plus the camera is ca-ca and I need a better camera for my job because I have to use the phone's camera quite often.
Out of principle, I simply don't want to spend more than $350 or so for a phone. I toyed with the idea of going over to the dark side with an iPhone, but I'm not going to spend that much money for a phone, I've got other things I need/want to spend money on instead of phones that cost more than some cars I've driven in my life. I'm also too invested in Google's ecosystem and I just prefer Android.
I also need to be on VZW's network. Have toyed with going GSM, I need to stay with Big Red.
Phones within my price range that I'm interested in are an HTC 10 (my last two phones have been HTCs and I've liked them), a Moto X Pure (that's the other phone I asked this question about), a Samsung S7 (all that glass scares me to death, I'm a klutz and the brick-like cases my phones reside in bear that out), Moto G4 Plus or the new Moto G5 Plus (which is having all kinds of issues on the VZW network unless you disable HD calling) — and this one, which really really intrigues me.
I know it's three years old, but I see that there's still a vibrant community supporting it, I've seen people online call it "the best phone Samsung ever made and probably ever will make," and the specs are still righteous compared to newer and flashier phones.
I don't care about new and flashy, my phone is a tool, period, and I need it to work for me.
The Note 4 also apparently is rootable ... I've never owned a non-rooted phone, have never rooted one myself although I've flashed ROMs. (I've got a line on a mint used one running Noble Rom; can anyone tell me about stability of that?)
So after this long-winded drivel, I repeat the question ... this phone still worth buying in 2017?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, the Note 4 is a fine phone, but I wouldn't spend any money on it at this point. This point was a 2014 flagship. I'd spend that money towards a more recent model. You'll really appreciate the newer Snapdragon 820/821/835 over an antiquated 805, which is a quad-core Cortex-A15. It's a fine phone, but your money will take you much further. If you do choose to buy this device regardless, I wouldn't spend more than $150.
prw94 said:
Simple question. I asked the same question on another phone I'm interested in, got some good response, am asking it here.
I need a new phone, battery is getting hinky on my HTC One M8 plus the camera is ca-ca and I need a better camera for my job because I have to use the phone's camera quite often.
Out of principle, I simply don't want to spend more than $350 or so for a phone. I toyed with the idea of going over to the dark side with an iPhone, but I'm not going to spend that much money for a phone, I've got other things I need/want to spend money on instead of phones that cost more than some cars I've driven in my life. I'm also too invested in Google's ecosystem and I just prefer Android.
I also need to be on VZW's network. Have toyed with going GSM, I need to stay with Big Red.
Phones within my price range that I'm interested in are an HTC 10 (my last two phones have been HTCs and I've liked them), a Moto X Pure (that's the other phone I asked this question about), a Samsung S7 (all that glass scares me to death, I'm a klutz and the brick-like cases my phones reside in bear that out), Moto G4 Plus or the new Moto G5 Plus (which is having all kinds of issues on the VZW network unless you disable HD calling) — and this one, which really really intrigues me.
I know it's three years old, but I see that there's still a vibrant community supporting it, I've seen people online call it "the best phone Samsung ever made and probably ever will make," and the specs are still righteous compared to newer and flashier phones.
I don't care about new and flashy, my phone is a tool, period, and I need it to work for me.
The Note 4 also apparently is rootable ... I've never owned a non-rooted phone, have never rooted one myself although I've flashed ROMs. (I've got a line on a mint used one running Noble Rom; can anyone tell me about stability of that?)
So after this long-winded drivel, I repeat the question ... this phone still worth buying in 2017?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got my Verizon Note 4 about 2.5 years ago and I still like it a lot. I did have the failing motherboard problem, but Samsung fixed it completely for only $70. It's working great now and I'm hoping to keep using the phone for at least another two years.
So, yes, I would certainly consider buying another Note 4 today. The only caution I would take is to make sure I bought a brand new one. Otherwise you are likely going to be buying someone else's phone with a failing, or soon to be failing, motherboard. Perhaps a phone that has been refurbished by a very reputable company could be acceptable (e.g., from Samsung, or Verizon), but I would want to make sure it has a very good warranty (preferably much longer than 90 days). I definitely would not buy a used phone that is being sold as-is (even if the buyer claims it works fine).
I have seen new Note 4 phones advertised on Amazon for about $300. Refurbished phones seem to be going for about $200 (but I think the extra $100 is well worth the cost for a new phone).
I've never rooted my Note 4. It sounds like versions from some carriers are easier to root than others. If you are on Verizon it sounds like it may be rootable, but it is more difficult. I would read the Verizon specific threads on rooting the Note 4 if you intend to buy a phone specifically for rooting. Personally I really don't feel the need to root the phone. For me it works fine (although I do use a custom launcher so I can customize the look and feel). I also disable any bloatware that I never use. Unfortunately you can't completely remove the bloatware without root.
The Note 4 is still an amazing phone whether you want to use it stock and unrooted or whether you want to root and flash roms. Be advised tho this particular model is a pain in the rea to roo but keep at it and you'll get it done no problem.
Personally? I can't find a phone to replace it. For me, I'm network flexible, and I've considered a V20 on TMO, but honestly I can't find a reason to switch. Rarely if ever do I feel like I need more ram, and that's basically the only significant feature that the v20 would pose for an upgrade. And I'd miss EVERYTHING ELSE about the samsung. Reasons to buy it? Cheap, plenty of power left in the processor/ram category IMO, REMOVEABLE BATTERY (this is something I can't stress enough for me personally. And I can not stand that newer models don't have it.) IR support (why would they get rid of this, why?! why?!?!) and its TWRP/root capable. Again, something I can hardly stand to live without. My phone is ad blocked, xposed, etc... I'll be eating out and I'll start changing TV volumes and my friends just get this WTF look on their face... And I can't find a newer phone to beat it, that has all the same features, and can still be TWRP. My opinion? Yeah, it IS the best phone, and maybe the last GOOD phone samsung ever made. I know there's tradeoff arguments to be made. But they'll drag me to the grave with my note 4. No way I'll be switching until the last boat leaves the dock, and the phone simply can't function in society any more. Hopefully by then, there will once again be another option with removeable battery, IR, TWRP.... but we can only hope.
For what its worth, I switched from a note 4 to the v20. I miss the stylus occasionally but there's a solution for screen writing included with the phone. I like the v20 more
Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk
I've had mine since about 6 months after release. It was a decent phone when it was still locked, but once we got root, it became a phenomenal device. I've been eligible for upgrade for over a year, but I haven't seen a new phone I'm willing to replace it with. Getting hard to find removable batteries and SD cards. I'm curious about the upcoming Pixel 2, but mostly I'm just hoping my phone will last forever.
At this point, if it dies, I'll probably hunt down another Note 4.
I think the note 4 has been a decent phone. I purchased mine new in 2015. It's always had a really poor camera that dosent auto focus without shaking it repeatedly (common issue). It's also had a round of boot looping, which could only be corrected with a factory reset. After boot looping and other random crashing issues where it suddenly powers off. I've decided to move to an LG v20. P. S. You can buy a brand new note 5 for 259.
For fun, thought I'd drop in now that 2018 is looming.
I love my Note 4 (T-Mobile). I'm a flashaholic, and there's plenty out there (though my ext sd card makes Marshmallow roms my preference, since Nougat keeps wanting to reformat the 128g sd I have in this thing!).
I've flashed a few dozen different roms on this thing and it doesn't mind at all. Bought it used off ebay (I didn't know about the emm memory mess back then, which would have given me some pause even if ebay does favor the buyer). But it runs perfectly for me. I use a rubber case because I'm paranoid.
Reasons I really like this phone?
1. big screen.
2. durable.
3. REMOVABLE battery.
4. External SD card slot (at least 128g works just fine, maybe even more?)
Reasons to not go with it?
1. Ya gotta have the newest and shiniest.
2. Small but real possibility you'll run into the emmc memory issue (if you do, get your money back from whoever sold the phone to you and/or chuck it in the trash - game over).
I love the Note 4 and was thinking about rooting it. It's the longest I've ever had a phone. Been about 3 years now and it still runs strong for daily use. Most people don't even use a phone for its full potential. It's a tool for their social media, snapping a few pics, browsing the web, paying some bills (which we all hate), getting directions, etc. As a daily driver, it's been great and I can't find a reason to upgrade to a flashier new phone for $800 plus. I'm the type that if it still works well, then there's no point in replacing it. It still performs as well as middle of the pack models even 4 years after it's release. And the 515ppi 5.7" screen with 2k quality doesn't make the phone feel dated at all. Only the style of the phone feels dated but most of us have a case on it anyway. So hopefully with a new 3220mah battery and a root, this phone will last me a little longer since it still does what I tell it to and with T-Mobile LTE, which is nearly 2 times faster than Sprint, and WiFi through Verizon Fios keeps it snappy and feeling smooth.
Hi everybody. I've recently bought this cellphone and it will arrive very soon. But it's coming from a third party company. My question is how to figure out if this cellphone is a true Sony Xperia xz2 compact?
Thank you very much.
Ps; recently I saw a video that they did a amazing job coping a iPhone X, beautifully, almost perfect.
I don't know how it works in other countries, but here in Sweden you buy the phone from third party companies like 99.99% of the times. You should of course make sure it's a serious retailer before you even buy it in the first place, and never by it from places like Wish or Alibaba (about 99% of the stuff there is crap when it comes to mobile phones).
Got it. But is there a code, or something, that it would allow us to know if it's original? Like, to connect to PC, and use the Sony program, and if it's recognized, then we will have 100% sure it's original?
Man, only iphones get replicas because they are all status symbol.
Other peasant phones are just bought for what they are worth.
Seriously, any normal shop is good.
Never heard of a Sony replica, but technically no, there is no way that I know of. Look what apps come with it, version etc.. But I think you worry about nothing. If you bought it from a known retail store, the risk is slim to none.
Well, first I've to say that I'm not absolutely objective, because I’m a fan from HTC, use their products since 2002 and apart from their update care (honestly it’s bad, just my U11 life with Android One get nearly monthly updates) I’m really happy with the hard- and software!
Back to topic... I unboxed it, and it’s like other ones in the past, high-quality, nicely tidied up, makes the impression you get something for your money. The dimension from the mobile itself is very good, first I thought it’s narrow and long, but after using it I noticed that it’ very good to handle. The wight is good, not to heavy and not so lightly that you think it’s just a plastic phone for kids. Screen is clearly, and I can’t understand some writings like “it just have FHD+ with 1080 x 2400”. I don’t want to use a microscope to find more Pixel! Human eyes can’t see that, so why to pay much more money for more DPIs you can’t see? If the brightness is fully turned up, it is a bit dazzling in rooms, but very good outside in the sunshine to still see everything. Haptic overall is very good (missing the U12+ glass back cover ), the fingerprint sensor on the back in in a good position, easy to unlock with one hand without to have touch the screen; _very_ useful if you just have one hand free.
Also nice the wall power adapter with QC4/PD with 5, 9 & 12V output with comes with, the headphones are cabled Ear-buds instead of In-Aer-Headphones (which were delivered i.e. with U19e or U12+).
Power on, and: eeeeeeehhhhhh!!!! Just 6 languages, English and 5 Asian -seems to be the new disease at HTC, because my U19e have the same - theU12+ 128GB Taiwan Version seems to be the last phone which provide much more then these 6 languages, but may it’s because the U12+ is SKU/Region 708 Taiwan, and my U19e and U20 5G are SKU/Region 709 Hong Kong. I would try to switch to 708, but information about these phones are _really_ rare, don’t think about Images, RUUs or anything else! (If you have some information, please PM me! )
Search for Updates, and Yes, there are some. 3 for mine, but none for update to Android 11 -OK it’s not even 2 month ago released, hope to get it soon! (but if you see my comment in the first sentence... :,( )
The performance is very good, but was expected. We will see what happen after dozens installed apps and several moth of use -my U12+ installation is now over two years old and is getting little bit slowly.
So I tried to copy my data from the U12+ to the new one, but it doesn’t seems to work. The HTC transfer tool recognize the U20, displays the correct PIN, but the confirm button to start the copy process stays grayed out. I also downloaded and installed the latest beta version of the transfer tool, tried to deactivate all security like fingerprint, PIN, startup encryption, administration account from Exchange Server, ... -but nothing helps. HTC Backup is shut down since 30th of September 2020, the google backup is a joke! Tried it first time and brink me back 3 of 100GB... setting up 5 accounts and install my apps (which mostly have to be setup then manually and all data are gone) can be done by myself!
The Camera is brilliant, looking forward to make some pictures, but I have to be warm with the new GUI and settings.
I’m really happy with it, hope I will find some good GSI (may try make them self, started yesterday learning about this) or workarounds to get it with German language enabled -may you noticed that I’m not a native English speaker, and it would be much more easier for me to handle the phone, and all the apps which will appear in English too, if OS is set to it.
Thanks for the review!
And sorry if this is a naive question, but does the phone come with the Google services, Play store and all that?
I'm a long-time HTC user and this would look good to buy, but since it appears that it isn't officially sold in the EU and looks targeted to the Asian market (not sure if they sell it in the US too?) and I don't have experience with import phones, I fear the possibility that making the Google services work and updating them is an experience with fraught video tutorials that have to be renewed each month, like Huawei users seem to be suffering lately (unfortunately I don't have a lot of time to devote to phone upkeep and I prefer things to Just Work(tm)...).
Hi,
don't worry -the intention of a forum IS to ask.
Yes, it have like all other HTC phones gapps installed and it is able to update them. If I'd a look to the US site of HTC, the U20 is not yet listed, I don't know if it will be available there official someday. In ebay shop it is - I've bought mine at ebay US and let send it to Germany via FedEx. As I have an account at FedEx it is very comfortable, because they charge my credit card with German taxes (for phones in Germany just the value-added-taxes VAT, momentary 16%) and deliver it directly without need to drive to the customs station and pay there.
Just google how it works in your country -as your location is not visible I can't give you a hint.
Yesterday I received my Black U20 5G (2Q9F100) from a Taiwanese eBay seller. Fortunately I had a great experience from beginning to end as it was a lot of money to put through PayPal and with global shipping the way it currently is due to COVID, I was almost holding my breath until its arrival. It took about 2 weeks to arrive in the UK which surpassed my expectations so I am pleased. I ordered a standard gel protective case from Amazon in advance for 5 GBP.
I note when compared to the square white boxes the 10, U11 & U12+ had HTC are now aping the rectangular box iPhone packaging. That's not a criticism just an observation and the U20's packaging looks quite cool. For me, once I got the phone out most of the accessories will remain in their shrink-wrap.
The handset itself is thankfully precisely what I want it to be; a quality item that feels like logical continuation of the HTC lineage. I was coming from 2 years of owning a U12+ 64GB handset and I would agree with many observations of the first post here. My U12+ was a great phone but the haptic buttons and lack of software care from HTC put a slightly downer on the overall ownership experience. The camera however was one of the best I've ever used and the U20 5G certainly has big shoes to fill in that regard. Some of the shots I got with my U12+ over the years are worth framing, and indeed some have been
Upon setup, the U20 took my UK nano-SIM and 1TB Sandisk microSD card without issue... an important first step I think we can all agree. Then once I had my Google account registered their Backup feature sucked everything down from the cloud and installed my apps inside 20 minutes or so. So far, so good. I ran through any outstanding updates and numerous reboots of which there were about 4 in total. This brought Android 10 up to November 5, 2020 security patch level which was fantastic to see... given how neglected the U12+ Android 9 had been throughout the years.
One of the main uses of my phone is for me to listen to my extensive FLAC music collection on the move hence the large microSD card... so it took me an overnighter to transfer about 800GB of files which again was pretty quick. Using foobar2000 and once I'd tweaked the EQ it all sounded just as good as my U12+. Fantastic.
Basically, I'm pretty pleased so far. Running the handset in English (US) is no big deal as I can default Gboard to English (UK). I notice Android 10 has done away with the face unlock feature but again, not a huge deal... happy with the fingerprint.
I have yet to really put the camera through its paces as we're in the middle of a few grey and dark days here in the UK due to autumn. I am hoping for a sunny blue sky day when I will take it to the park and do some landscape + close up shots of trees. As mentioned, the U12+ was the best phone I ever had for camera shots so I am expecting great things of the U20. I can see it has a "48 MP" mode alongside the standard Photo mode.
Based on what I have seen I hope HTC give this handset a chance in other overseas markets. I'm sure I'll be a happy owner for a few years yet but it feels weird I can't buy it in my own country!
So, I bought 8 Pro back in June of 2020 and I live in Europe. This is important because of law differences between countries.
Last week my 8 Pro died right after OTA, MSM wouldn't work (I am experienced I don't need fix suggestions, trust me, I've done everything) at all. I spent few hours trying to fix it and no luck. Phone is completely dead, no USB sound nor dmesg logs no matter what I do. I used to have various hard bricks before on 8 Pro and other devices. All successfully recovered. This time on the other hand it happened during an OTA, designed for this device. What that means is that this procedure has no right to break the phone, but it did, so it means that something went terribly wrong and possibly lead to hardware damage somehow? No idea.
Next thing I did was to go to OnePlus Support website and register for repair. I took pictures before sending the phone as reviews of the repair place were extremely bad, in fact they have hundreds of negative reviews. Of course I don't believe everything I read and that's why I asked my friends about their experience and two of them had successful repair/replacement and others had bad experience too (and funny enough, I already had to deal with them before! Back then I did actually have warranty but they were refusing to fix it for free, giving me completely stupid reasons)
Pictures taken, phone safely packed (this is important) and here we go, now I'm just waiting for their reply.
They got it! Their reply? "We found that Your motherboard is in fact damaged and it has to be replaced, quotation for that will be almost 500 USD", reason for quotation: "device out of warranty".
Now this kinda confused me because in Europe all phones have 24 month warranty as long as they were purchased in Europe. Now, for example Samsung knows this and their warranty documentation mentions that You can buy Your S22 Ultra in Germany and fix it in other EU countries for example. And this also applies to other companies as I've used warranty repair before and within 24 month period it went smoothly.
So I decided to contact OnePlus directly, they told me that devices bought from stores other than their own one have only 12 month warranty. Why did I even buy it from a different store? Because theirs was out of stock when I wanted to buy the phone and it didn't have Cash on Delivery payment option which I just needed at the time. So it pretty much meant that I can no longer get my phone fixed for free. At that point I contacted Consumer Rights in order to verify if a company can actually do something like their own kind of a limited warranty (they haven't replied yet). And in the meantime rejected quotation as I got a backup phone for cheap so I'll just sell 8 Pro for parts and if I'll get enough from parts I'll get a used one in okayish condition for cheap. (I have lots of Development projects for this device so time matters a lot to me)
Sounds like nothing else could go wrong right? Wrong! As soon as the device was sent back, it came in just plastic foil packaging which offers absolutely no protection. What's even worse? DISPLAY IS CRACKED. No, not from the outside. From the inside!
I had no idea how that happened until one guy from my Telegram Group told me it's most likely because Repair guy mixed up screws during the "expertise" and ended up damaging the display. And You guessed it, others in reviews also mentioned occasionally such things happening to them.
"Authorised repair service", authorised to destroy people's devices I assume?
So now I basically have a 100% trash phone that has no functional parts.
And You'd ask why don't You go to court? Well. I messed up. Usually these businesses have a simple policy "check the item in front of the delivery guy" and I didn't. I could use for an excuse the fact that yesterday I had a diabetic hypoglycemic seizure and I fell on the concrete floor and messed up my head really badly, back of my head is swollen, it was bleeding before as well, my right eye is all red and my foot is missing a lot of skin but most importantly I have extreme headaches, I can barely think straight and I'm very thankful for XDA using dark theme right now because my eyes are crazy sensitive to light. So yes, I just didn't think about it.
Check out pictures below. I also wanted to show their packing instructions which I followed a little too much just to ensure that such expensive phone (1200 USD) will be delivered safely but somehow their pdf website is 404 now. And You can see in the picture what they actually used for packing. Plastic. Thin, plastic.
This thread is mostly a warning for people to be very careful with their OnePlus phones and NEVER buy them from other websites. I paid the same price and got half of the warranty time and no sellable parts.
Sorry to hear about this.
First things first, sounds like you have a concussion, at least. You should have x-rays to rule out a fracture(s). Eye examination to rule out structural damaged especially the retina.
Concussions take at least 30 days to heal. Jacking up your bp isn't being of service to you.
Laying down ramps your bp down a lot... it can save your life. Rest.
Be very careful not to fall again while recovering especially in the bathroom and kitchen.
Phones can be replaced but your health can't.
Once I have a Android OS that's fast, stable and is fulfilling its mission, I leave it alone. Updates can and do break things. It's possible the mobo failed under the strain of updating, but much more likely it was hard bricked by it.
Your best recourse may be to use the consumer protection laws that are in place in your country. It takes time so be patient.
Document everything including a call log.
When you're feeling better go after the One Plus reps. Lean on them, if it takes 3 dozen phone calls keep at them. If you can get the CEO's office number even better.
Letters to the CEO if you're so inclined. At the very least they owe you a display.
File a claim with the carrier; they have more and better resources than you. This may save you from the burden of proof as you did document it and hopefully insured your shipment.
I've gotten a refund check from Sony, which is almost unheard of. Being assertive and having the facts work. Don't let them weasel their way out of this.