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I've seen a few posts of people asking what it's like coming from an Android device. I've been a hardcore android fan for years, infact I had a G1 as soon as it was released and then upgraded to a Desire. I recently took a chance and went and bought a HD7 so here are my opinions on what's great and what's not compared to android.
Just to mention, I don't have an unlock code yet, the phone is locked to o2 and I'm in a T-Mobile contract so I haven't been able to test any phone functions (Phone and SMS/MMS).
What's Good
Zune
OMG Zune is awesome, It's never been available in the UK before but the whole experience is great. People put down Zune syncing as a negative but imo it's a much nicer and better way of syncing music/pictures/videos to your phone than having to connect, mount and then drag and drop.
The application itself on the phone is great, certainly better than the iPod app on iPhones. It's nice seeing your last played artist as the background in the app and the live tile, when playing music you can see what's coming next, swipe left to right to skip tracks and there's a now playing type feature that will come up regardless of where you are just by pressing the volume button.
Zune Pass is awesome, it's slightly cheaper than Spotify which is what I was previously using but the best bit is rather than just streaming (and then adding to a playlist and making it avaliable offline) you actually download the music from the store like you would do if you were buying it, it becomes part of your library with all information, tags and cover art. You can also, like spotify, stream.
The Apps
Microsoft have totally reinvented mobile apps and, while there aren't many of them, the majority of WP7 apps are 1000x better than the same or alternative app on Android, iPhone, WebOS and any other platform you can think of. Apps look sexy, there's no more going in and out of sections to do a specific action, you simply swipe left to right.
If you're reading this, you've probably seen examples before and know what I'm on about but if you don't... Take twitter for an example. With the android app, once it's loaded up i'm presented with a load of options... Tweets, Mentions etc. I need to go in and out of these if I want to view more than 1 thing. With WP7 you're presented with everything, your timeline loaded first, swipe to the left to see mentions etc... There's no jumping in and out of different sections.
Apps are also graphically rich, there's little to no plain black backgrounds (apart form in general apps like messaging and calendar where you wouldn't really want anything else).
Gaming
The games on this platform blow away anything else I've seen on a mobile device. They're pretty much xbox live arcade games but there are other great non-xbox games aswell. It ties in with Xbox Live pretty well, you earn achievements and games go in your played list. Each game has a "trial" option where you can download a demo version before buying.
The UI
Anytime I read Android Fanboy's comments about WP7 they always point out how the interface is rubbish and tiles are too simple. I disagree. Tiles are basically widgets just like in Android. Some are live, they display information which are pushed to them or they show some sort of animation... just like how in Android widgets can show information. Some aren't live, these would be the equivalent of taking an app from your app drawer in android and putting that on the home screen. Instead of swiping left to right to see more, you swipe up and down. Instead of pressing a button to view apps, you swipe to the left. They're pretty similar when you think about it.
Scrolling is silky smooth and the whole experience is Much quicker compared to android (and I'm comparing to Cyanogenmod with Launcher Pro, not Stock). The interface and Typography is consistent throughout and the typography is awesome.
Battery Life
I have a HD7 and don't know weather this is device specific or OS specific (however the phone does seem to have a smaller battery than my desire). Today I got 12 hours use. 4 Hours of those I was playing music. The phone is constantly being turned on, new things being downloaded, wifi is on all the time due to me not being able to put my contract sim in yet. On android I averaged about 7 hours, this was with 1 hours worth of music.
What's not good compared to Android
Multitasking
There IS multitasking, to some sort of degree. I don't really know the specifics but what I do know is that Last.FM can play music in the background and Twitter seems to update itself in the background. However what it is hard to get used to is switching between apps. There's no kind of "running applications" menu or anything like that, when switching you need to go via the home screen and load the app. This isn't a biggie but it can take some getting used to when you're used to holding down the home button.
App Prices
Games are quite pricey, they're better than any other games I've seen on a mobile but nevertheless, pricey. They range between £2.50 and £6.00 from what I've seen. Apps aren't pricey but there certainly seems to be more paid apps than free apps which coming from android is weird. However, this may be down to the fact that it's a new platform and there aren't that many apps yet.
Closeness and Customisation
The fact that the device is closed doesn't bother me that much however there are a few things which are annoying like the fact that you can't load custom ringtones. Customisation also doesn't bother me that much but it might be a biggie for some people. You can chose between a light (white backgrounds) and dark (black backgrounds) theme and then choose between a set list of about 6 colours for tiles. That's about as customisable as it gets, you can't set individual colours for tiles or anything like that.
Apps
This is not really a negative, it's a new platform and there aren't many apps, this is acceptable imo. But to some people, they might not like this idea. If you're an "App Whore" and can't live without having 10s of thousands of apps to chose from then windows 7 phone isn't ideal for you yet.
Bugs
There are a few bugs to be ironed out, sometimes apps wont launch. Having said that, it's not like Android doesn't have any bugs even now...
Conclusion
IMO, WP7 has more positives over Android. There are a few niggles but I await to see how Microsoft deals with them and how the future of this platform shapes up. It certainly beats any version of android pre 2.0 hands down. I hope Google bring out something impressive with Gingerbread!
Thats some good insight for users who are planning or thinking of switching from Android.
The battery life is poor because of the big and power hungry screen and the fact that HTC put a small battery in that device.
Other phones like the Samsung Omina 7 will last much longer.
Although Zune pretty much covers my music needs I do love last.fm - Glad to hear it can play in the background.
I knew certain third party devs were/are developing with Microsoft to enable background tasks but nice to have it confirmed for last.fm specifically
Phone Titan said:
Thats some good insight for users who are planning or thinking of switching from Android.
The battery life is poor because of the big and power hungry screen and the fact that HTC put a small battery in that device.
Other phones like the Samsung Omina 7 will last much longer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't think the battery life was poor, I think it's quite good compared to my Desire.
Just to add something that I just noticed:
Status
There is no kind of status screen, you cant find out what percentage the battery is and all you have to go by is the battery icon. This is frustrating coming from android where you could find out exactly what percentage the battery was at.
Very nice review/comparison. Thanks!
yes very nice interview some of the android fanboys ned to read this!!!
How's the display on the HD7? I've heard some mixed reviews.
Phone Titan said:
Thats some good insight for users who are planning or thinking of switching from Android.
The battery life is poor because of the big and power hungry screen and the fact that HTC put a small battery in that device.
Other phones like the Samsung Omina 7 will last much longer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, that's incorrect.
The Omnia 7 has a bigger battery capacity, but as most of the backgrounds on apps such as email, webpages etc are white, the AMOLED chews the battery up just as bad if not worse if you use these resources, where as the HD7 chews up battery on blacks, so the opposite of eachother.
In general use, they work out about the same, with omnia 7 slightly better. Use the Omnia for web browsing and lots of email and it's worse than the HD7.
I have both handsets and I've tested this.
risq said:
Actually, that's incorrect.
The Omnia 7 has a bigger battery capacity, but as most of the backgrounds on apps such as email, webpages etc are white, the AMOLED chews the battery up just as bad if not worse if you use these resources, where as the HD7 chews up battery on blacks, so the opposite of eachother.
In general use, they work out about the same, with omnia 7 slightly better. Use the Omnia for web browsing and lots of email and it's worse than the HD7.
I have both handsets and I've tested this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those white backgrounds you refer to are the "Light" theme. You can change it to Dark in the settings.
Thanks for the review. I'm waiting for the HD7 to arrive. I've been waiting for a revamp of messenging and mail and WP7 has delivered them. What I really will miss is 3G video call capability.
brummiesteven said:
Just to add something that I just noticed:
Status
There is no kind of status screen, you cant find out what percentage the battery is and all you have to go by is the battery icon. This is frustrating coming from android where you could find out exactly what percentage the battery was at.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as the Battery Icon is accurate, that's fine.
On my Vibrant the Battery Icon estimates ~25% higher than your actual battery level, so it'll show full when you're 75%, and ~30% when you're about to get a warning about your battery level.
As long as it's accurate, I can care less about a status screen.
Thanks I was still being stubborn as I saw the 4g, but this reassured me that I will not regret the switch
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Took delivery of my HD7 yesterday, coming from the HTC Desire - no problems so far apart from 1 random reboot - but then I had that on the Desire in its first week as well, maybe it's a "feature" that HTC include.
I have used WM6.5 (for years), WebOS, IOS, Android and now WP7. I would say WP7 has the most promise.
Reasons:-
-The whole Zune thing - knocks Itunes into a cocked hat - it looks delightful and works beautifully - Zune Pass is what Spotify should be!
-Simplicity of the UI - Android is extremely customisable but gets cluttered and simply ain't as pretty as WP7 (IMHO).
- Social network integration excellent (bear in mind I do not use twitter)
- Info displayed on lock screen useful
- Ability to use camera when device locked
- Kindle app is coming - big thing for me as I am an avid reader.
- Everything so fast and fluid!
- Did I say it looks beautiful?
Things WP7 needs:-
- A bar code reader app/ google goggles type app
- An Ocado app (UK readers will know what I mean)
- Turn by turn nav
- Cut-n- Paste- HTML 5.0, Flash, silverlight
- Text reflow/ wrapping in the browser - the Android browsers I have used are still the best.
BTW, I fervently hope that the WP MArketplace does NOT get filled up with 300,000 useless fart apps/ tip calculators etc. quality not quantity is what is required!
Just to expand on Copy and Paste... There are some scenarios where you need it.
At the moment I'm dealing with an eBay seller. I received a message from him in my GMail Inbox. So I go ahead and type a reply. I get an error back telling me that my address isn't recognised (I recently changed from @googlemail.com to @gmail.com). So I then have to go and type the message out again in the Ebay app as I can't copy and paste what I wrote earlier in the email.
i, too, will be switching from android, but my case is different: for a year i've been stuck on 1.5 (galaxy i7500) so i didn't get the taste of even 1.6 not to mention 2.1, so i had to draw the line. i got bored with android ui and wp7 ui blew my mind, plus the incredible smoothness and speed were enough to convince me to switch. i'll be getting the mozart because it has the best dimensions among other wp7 phones, it's not a huge monster. 8mpx camera is also a treat
zard said:
Thanks for the review. I'm waiting for the HD7 to arrive. I've been waiting for a revamp of messenging and mail and WP7 has delivered them. What I really will miss is 3G video call capability.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I reached home this morning, picked up the papers, I saw the HD7! I was so happy and the rest was history. I'm enjoying my HD7 reading the posts in XDA and typing this response. I've not set up my emails and contacts, but the browser is a joy to use. It loads so much faster now than my Td2 with my same WiFi speed.
Is there backgrounds? I really like that from Android, all I have seen is white and black backgrounds...
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Smokexz said:
Is there backgrounds? I really like that from Android, all I have seen is white and black backgrounds...
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are no background options at this current time but you can change the colours.
JEEtoP said:
Although Zune pretty much covers my music needs I do love last.fm - Glad to hear it can play in the background.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
JEEtoP,
I love LastFM too. Is there already any way/app to get LastFM scrobbling the music I'm listening with Zune?
Thanks.
Evening all,
I am a long time lurker on this forum, and I have noticed that a lot of you have got Android phones so I was after a bit of advice.
Currently, I have had the pleasure of using an iPhone 4 for the last two and a bit years. It has been a spectacular phone and with the combination of iTunes for management, it had made everything a lot easier. However, with the launch of the iPhone 5 I personally feel that the ‘enhancements’ made do not warrant the extra expenditure, so I am looking for a change.
My next phone of choice is probably going to be the Samsung Galaxy note 2; which, I have read a number of reviews and watched a variety of different YouTube videos showing its features and functionality. I was looking at buying this on a 24 month contract with 3UK but there are a few little things stopping me.
First, from the management side of things, is there anything like iTunes for the Android platform, secondly is Android as fluid as iOS as I know a few early adopters who used Android and it was one of my primary decisions to go to iOS and lastly what is the build quality like on the Samsung devices?
Thanks in advance!
Do yourself a favour and get Tunesync. It syncs your iTunes library perfectly over wifi - to this day it's the only way I know to get iTunes libraries to your phone without the album art etc screwing up.
Saying that, there's always Spotify too!
In terms of build quality, the Note 2 is a mile ahead of the S3 and has a far better screen, although the sheer size difference may make your head spin. Android runs great provided you get a custom ROM, Android revolution HD is my favourite as it's a very fine tuned version of the ROM it comes with. In fact, after the hideous iOS 6 update to my ipad 3 I'd say my Android is smoother.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app
I have been offered the note 2 on three with £30 discount.
I love the way the iPhone works, but I want something that is a little different. What about app synchronisation? How is this done with android?
I'll make this short and sweet.
In terms of build quality, iphone much is better.
It terms of anything else, note 2 is better.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium
MohJee said:
I'll make this short and sweet.
In terms of build quality, iphone much is better.
It terms of anything else, note 2 is better.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In what way is the note 2 better?
MohJee said:
I'll make this short and sweet.
In terms of build quality, iphone much is better.
It terms of anything else, note 2 is better.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally agree you pay much more for the build quality, thats why iphones are expensive.
I have been very disappointed by the quality of the note2, let's start with the usb cable not working out of the box, a small scratch on the screen out of the box too, and a little bit deformed back cover (camera hole didn't fit perfectly).
Otherwise, I think it is a real smartphone, not a tinny cute Iphone.
How the note 2 is better? It is a computer like not a normal phone, you throw any media file in it and play it, you can use the stylus for working by writing notes on pdf files, highlighting sentences, signing docs, making plans... The extra real estate screen fot browsing Web and i mean, real browsing, not playing it cool with a 4inch toy, you can even use the stylus the way you use the mouse. And finally usb otg, just stick a usb drive and copy, cut, create docs or files or whatever you want.
I can't keep on, but as I said, you will use a smart phone for the first time in your life (if you are coming from iphones as you said) windows smartphones where very cool, but android is taking over.
Sent from my GT-N7100
RokkaMan said:
Android runs great provided you get a custom ROM, Android revolution HD is my favourite as it's a very fine tuned version of the ROM it comes with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I disagree, most new Android phones with ics and above run great as stock without using a new rom.
Sent from my Samsung Note II.
Tomo1971 said:
I disagree, most new Android phones with ics and above run great as stock without using a new rom.
Sent from my Samsung Note II.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+10
I don't use any custom roms. I love stock Samsung Note 2
Dylanlewis2000 said:
In what way is the note 2 better?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
-Screen size. Speaks for itself.
-Battery life. Probably the second best battery life on a smart phone, second only to RAZR MAXX.
-S-Pen(which comes with a whole set of features far too long for me to list here.)
-A lot of cool and useful features (multi Window, smart stay, smart rotation, direct call, pop up video player, pop up browser, swipe to screen shot and much more)
-Jelly bean (4.1.1) out of the box, official 4.1.2 coming soon.
-Quad core 1.6GHz processor, which is faster than iphone 5 dual core A6 processor.
-2GB ram.
- Feature rich camera. (best shot, best faces, low light, hdr, burst mode, panorama, face detection, share shot, smile detection, timer, anti shake + 12 effects + set exposure value +auto focus & macro focus etc...)
-micro sd card. Enough said. Allows you to add up to 64gb of additional storage. (64gb SanDisk card cost 40 or 50 dollars in amazon, or somewhere around that).
-removable battery, should for whatever reason the 3100mah be not enough for you, you can buy a spare one. Although you probably won't need one because like I said the battery life in this phone is amazing.
On top of my head, these things . I still haven't gone into the tens of dozens things what android can do that IOS simply can't, and I really don't want to since that'll take a lot of typing, and you can Google this stuff.
Also I strongly disagree with above who said that you NEED a custom rom. In my opinion, the stock experience in this phone is excellent and touchwiz is hugely improved than what it was before. You can get custom rom if that's you're thing, but you certainly don't need them. Only thing I'd advise anyone to do is to root their phone.
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You can mention thousand points why Note 2 is better, but the point is how many points are actually applicable in real life usage.
Anyway, replying to OP's query, well in short, NO, Android is NOT smoother or as smooth as iOS 6, in fact it is not smooth like the previous iOS, and I am talking about Jelly Bean 4.1. Well I am using both iPhone and Android/Samsung flagships for over three years now. I have never ditched my iPhone 4S for anything, but I just sold it for iPhone 5. I purchased Note 2 because I loved the S-Pen idea, the screen size. But being said that, when I scroll through my contacts, or some apps, my iPhone 5 is LOT smoother than my Note 2. Jelly Bean might have a name like 'Project butter' but iOS has the real butter.
Also, keep in mind that Android applications (Play Store) are NO MATCH for App Store. Yes, there are several crap in App Store, but more in Play Store, and the overall quality is pretty bad.
I love both my devices for several different reasons, so can't ditch either of them. And another thing about Android users you will see is their pathetic fanboys. They don't even mind a laggy, buggy, crappy device, they just want openness, now I never found out what is openness, the craze of CM ROM's maybe?
Now build quality, well boy, what can say but plastic? Well, Note 2 has all plastic. So I will not comment on it's build quality. Some kids will say glass will break easy, well lets drop both iP5 and Note 2, then see.
So, IMO, if optimization, fluidity and smoothness of OS matters to you big time then stick with iPhone 5, for all the other reasons go with Note 2, and if you have spare money to burn, then have both.
Now you see I have skipped all the cons about iOS, why? Because you know them already.
I am NOT a fanboy of either iOS or Android, I hate them.
I am used to prime-evil OSs, as over the last few years I have had a variety of devices ranging from Symbian os to windows mobile 3,4 and 5. All have their advantages and disadvantages, I loved windows mobile As it had fantastic email client support and a lot of apps (2003-2005 era) and I like Symbian for its simplicity and the devices Nokia created like the E90’ But since transitioning to the iPhone I have found a fantastic yet restrictive user experience.
The restrictiveness with apple is one of the main reasons they have created a fantastic App Store, whereas the Nokia and wimo stores back in the day were utter gash.
Do you get many problems with android apps? Do the fill the screen? I remember reading early reports that android apps were not filling the screen on some devices and on others refuse to run. This is something that would annoy me.
Tomo1971 said:
I disagree, most new Android phones with ics and above run great as stock without using a new rom.
Sent from my Samsung Note II.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uh, let's just say in my experience compared to my other android phones, that hasn't been the case yet.
And for the record, Android revolution HD is just the stock rom that's been tweaked, just to counter the "custom rom" misinformation in this thread.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app
Dylanlewis2000 said:
The restrictiveness with apple is one of the main reasons they have created a fantastic App Store
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well this is so simple to understand but some so called 'power users' are too dumb too get it
Dylanlewis2000 said:
Do you get many problems with android apps? Do the fill the screen? I remember reading early reports that android apps were not filling the screen on some devices and on others refuse to run. This is something that would annoy me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They fit the screen. At least the one I use, and I don't install anything I see. I first see if it's labeled as 'Top developer' or 'Editors choice', then I see the users rating. Just for an example, a good sports app, Score Mobile, labeled as Top developer, available in Play Store. I already was used to this app from my iPhone 4S. It was so smooth, so fluid in iOS, but when I use it on my Note, oh boy, I have never seen an app could lag/stutter like that. Now if this is an app labeled as 'Top Developer' then imagine the apps which are not labeled in anything.
I was an I phone user for 2 years then switched to galaxy s2 and now note 2. The I phone is idiot proof and everything just works but android is catching up. The apps are all full screen any phone and just as good as ios. The real beauty of android is if you don't like something rhen just change it. You can change anything from keyboard to launcher and widgets are a godsend. Got to say I'm really impressed with google now its spookily good, its like it can read my mind
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I switched from iPhone 4 to Note 2 in this week.
I'm very satisfied. The only problems that i have noticed are:
- Bad email clients (even those from the market. iOS Mail is much better to use)
- Bad space management (it's impossible, i have a giant 5.5" screen and Messages app is impossible to read decently with the keyboard open)
- Best app quality in iOS (Whatsapp messenger for iOS has more options, like custom ringtones for every single contact)
- Bad display quality if you not see it directly in front of you (iPhone has IPS, which is the best display for view angles)
- Some strange response when i receive a notification. If that is a SMS the phone rings, display turns on etc, if that is a mail, i receive only a notification sound, no display on. And seems that is no way to change this.
- Apps like Facebook Messenger, that has a unique notification tone on iOS, doesnt' have that particular ringtone here, but they use a default tone chosen by the user. And that is the default tone for ALL the application that doesn't permit to personalise it.
I know that there will be solutions for a lot of this things, they will be hidden somewhere but hey, it is a huge waste of time.
Besides, it is a great phone. Great sound quality, great battery, great screen and it has so powerful hardware that it results more smooth than iPhone 4. And it's Android, which means infinite personalization and possibility to use custom roms for reaching better battery life (i suppose), better personalization, better user experience.
Sorry for my english, i'm an italian user. :fingers-crossed:
Music sync can be done with either double twist and tunesync, they both mirror itunes libraries and playlists etc.
I've been a user of the iphone 4 for 2 years and the note 2 is a HUGE improvement. People that say ios never lagged are just lying lol. iOS lagged and apps crashed on my iphone several times.
From the opinion of someone thats been on both sides, I honestly could not go back to an iphone. Mainly because of the screen size of the note 2 makes iphone screens seem too small for me to use anymore. But to each his own. Its about what suits you.
Stock rom on the note 2 is fine. I only get a lag when opening the S-Note app and a slight delay when opening the contacts app. Other than that everything has run smooth even with 3 browser windows open at once and a video playing at the same time.
As for app syncing, why? lol. I never understood the point of it on iOS and always disabled it.
app quality is definitely more refined in iOS. But improving slowly on android finally.
edit: @ the guy above my post: you can change most notification tones in the individual app settings. Facebook -> menu -> settings -> notification tone
In what way is the stock email client bad? :S I find it miles ahead of the iOS email client because you can actually attach multiple files at once. Plus for me, it is easier to use. I find the iOS mail client to be garbage. But again, thats my opinion
If iOS email client is garbage then I see fanboyism again here? And no one said iOS never lagged.
Anyway, I don't wanna argue.
jujuburi said:
If iOS email client is garbage then I see fanboyism again here? And no one said iOS never lagged.
Anyway, I don't wanna argue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol no fanboyism here. Just my opinion. I used the iphone for 2 years and the app honestly annoyed me because it felt so limited. I actually do find the stock android one better. I dont count it as fanboyism as I genuinely used both and gave both a try instead of blindly bashing one without experience.
As for the lagging. My bad, I misread one of the earlier posts. But in general I do find my friends claiming that ios never lags.
All good bro, im not looking to argue either
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@Note 2 might be too big specially if ur coming from an iPhone
3.5→5.5
I even felt the difference between s2 and s3
4.3→4.8
2 inches more straight away ! You gonna take some time for adjusting for sure !
sent from my gs3 GT i 9300
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I would say go for nexus 4 instead it has best software and is better than iPhone 5 in terms of fluidity also it has s4 pro processor faster quad core processor presently for mobile.
Only problem is space if it doesn't bother then go for it I used nexus 4 yesterday and it is awesome a bit better than s3 overall I feel , note 2 was too big for me when I used.
I think nexus 4 was the only phone I have used and is way fluid than iPhone, note 2,galaxy s3
sent from my gs3 GT i 9300
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I see that the discussion took a turn to android vs. ios. I guess this is inevitable in these kind of topics. Anyways, here's my take, and I've used both operating systems.
-IOS has the advantage in a number of things. For one, there are way fewer devices to worry about. After all, the IOS is exclusive to Apple devices, which you can count on your finger tips. Android, on the other hand, runs on literally hundreds of devices (a side-effect of being open-source). Naturally, this has it's advantages and disadvantages. For instance, app developers for the IOS, for instance, can make sure that their apps work flawlessly in the Iphone, with all its models, and the Ipad, with all its models, before pushing that app into the market. An advantage of using an open source OS would be that manufacturers don't have to pay for using it in their devices, and as such can offer their devices at lower prices due to lower costs. Another advantage of being open source is that each one can manipulate the system however they like to make it unique than the others and add to it whatever they want (eg: Samsung's Touchwiz, HTC's sensation).
-Google and Apple have completely different philosophies. Apple believes in a "walled garden" approach. Meaning that they'll reject any app unless it fits to their criteria. Of course, what works for Apple in this case can't work for Google. If Google rejected any app that doesn't work perfectly with all android devices, their market would be a ghost town. Consequently, an app developer in android can release an app even if it doesn't play nice with all devices. Most of them will then update it to make it as perfect as possible (at least for the popular android devices) taking into consideration user feedback. Having said that, you'll be hard pressed to find an app that doesn't run on an android device, unless that device is old/obsolete/runs on a very old version of android. To put things in perspective, I still haven't run into an app or a game that don't work well in my note 2 or doesn't fill the entire screen, the same app would work perfect in my old Galaxy S2 before I sold it, which has a much smaller screen and used to run on Android v. 2.3 (this brings me to my next point, read below).
- Largely because it is open sourced, Android is a much more flexible OS. What do I mean by this? Well, take for example the jump from 3.5" Iphones to the now new screen size 4" in the Iphone 5. Most apps in the apple store would get letterboxed until the developers update them to support the new screen size, even though the increase in screen size is only 0.5". I've yet to run into a game or an app that doesn't fill my 5.5" screen in the note 2. If there are any, and probably there are, they would be rare.
- It's difficult to go wrong with IOS because it's a bare-boned operating system (all you really have is an app drawer.. i.e: a bunch of icons on the screen). For the most, the iOS now looks exactly how it did back in 2007. Even the notification slider (which was copied from android) is nowhere as good as it is in android. If that's all you'll ever need or want, then by all means, stay with the Iphone, because you're going to get much more than that moving to Android. It hard to go wrong when you don't actually add anything major. Of course, that's not to say Apple doesn't add things. They are masters in the art of adding things (say for example, the notification slider, rejecting a call with a message, or Panorama mode in the camera) and then calling it revolutionary, notwithstanding the fact that such things existed in other OS's for years.
Like I said this could go on for pages, and it really doesn't have to. Once you understand the concept of a 'closed' system vs. an 'open' system, you'll understand the major advantages and disadvantages of each. Having understood that, you decide for yourself which one is the best one for you. For me personally, I'd rather have device that runs Froyo than one that runs the on the latest iOS 6.
So I just picked up 2 Note10+5Gs from T-Mobile which are on Android 10.
Coming from a OnePlus6T running A10 I had A10 gesture on any Launcher, but on the Note I loose gestures as soon as I switch launchers and set it to default, it will keep gestures as long as is not set to default. The moment I use recents the phone switch back to TouchWiz or whatever is called now.
So here comes the Q.
Is there any way to keep native gestures on a non-stock Launcher? I'm not afraid of adb but not an expert in any way.
To the People who might ask "why did you get a Samsung if you don't like the skin?" Or "if you wanted a pixel why didn't you get one?" I have to say that the hardware is always awesome and cutting edge, their skin is Meh at best. Icons are super girly in my opinion and the themes suck, again, in my opinion.
Any help will be appreciated.
I'm using Nova launcher on my Note 10+ and didn't lose any of the gestures. Not sure what you're observing. Also, if you want to have the same behaviour as Android 10, download "One Hand Operation +" from the Galaxy App Store (part of the Good Lock power tools for Galaxy devices). You can then configure edge swipes to do what you want. I have it configured as back, recent apps and previous app switching depending on the length and direction of swipe. In fact, it's more powerful than Android native gestures so it's best of both worlds.
So, to kinda add to what has been posted here, there's a way to make any Launcher work with Native Samsung Gestures in A10 but involves adb.
This works:
https://www.theandroidsoul.com/how-...ova-launcher-and-other-third-party-launchers/
Edit: only works until a reboot
dhorgas said:
I'm using Nova launcher on my Note 10+ and didn't lose any of the gestures. Not sure what you're observing. Also, if you want to have the same behaviour as Android 10, download "One Hand Operation +" from the Galaxy App Store (part of the Good Lock power tools for Galaxy devices). You can then configure edge swipes to do what you want. I have it configured as back, recent apps and previous app switching depending on the length and direction of swipe. In fact, it's more powerful than Android native gestures so it's best of both worlds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is what I mean:
So first on the top left to the last one.
1. Have One UI selected as default
2, 3, 4. Switch to A10/Samsung Screen Gestures
5. Select my new Launcher.
6. Get a message that nav was changed.
7. Then the option to get gestures is not available, more like a gesture-like nav bar.
I've read some more and apparently it's not even possible but I had up until this morning A10 on my OnePlus6T running a Pixel Launcher (modded) with A10 gestures which were exactly the same as the Samsung Gestures. So, I've had this phone for 3 days and already had several BT disconnections while standing literally 2 feet (61 cm) away from the other device and now this Launcher crap. I absolutely hate Bixby and the fact that you can't disable any Samsung apps.
Very interesting. Is this an official release of Android 10 because I don't think Android 10 is out for the Note 10+ devices. If you're running a beta you really ought to go back to official. Feels silly to say this but you can't harp on a device if you're running unreleased software.
dhorgas said:
Very interesting. Is this an official release of Android 10 because I don't think Android 10 is out for the Note 10+ devices. If you're running a beta you really ought to go back to official. Feels silly to say this but you can't harp on a device if you're running unreleased software.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No man, T-Mobile Note10+5G shipped with Official A10.
See attached
Well would you look at that https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.an...-5g-t-mobile-will-ship-android-10-out-box?amp
I would not dismiss my point though still. With no official One UI 2.0 for any other Note 10 series devices, you may be dealing with some early adopter woes. Android Pie certainly does not have any limitations on the Note 10+, as I have already pointed out. I would be patient and wait until Android 10 rolls out to other Note 10 series devices before judging things. As it stands right now unfortunately, few folks will be able to help you. Basically nobody has Android 10 on their Note 10 series devices.
FCORivers said:
So I just picked up 2 Note10+5Gs from T-Mobile which are on Android 10.
Coming from a OnePlus6T running A10 I had A10 gesture on any Launcher, but on the Note I loose gestures as soon as I switch launchers and set it to default, it will keep gestures as long as is not set to default. The moment I use recents the phone switch back to TouchWiz or whatever is called now.
So here comes the Q.
Is there any way to keep native gestures on a non-stock Launcher? I'm not afraid of adb but not an expert in any way.
To the People who might ask "why did you get a Samsung if you don't like the skin?" Or "if you wanted a pixel why didn't you get one?" I have to say that the hardware is always awesome and cutting edge, their skin is Meh at best. Icons are super girly in my opinion and the themes suck, again, in my opinion.
Any help will be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One of the things I've found within the first couple days of using this phone is that gestures are locked to Samsung's launcher, particularly the recent apps gesture. I do not want to use the Samsung launcher but is forced to because it has to keep running in the background in order to have this gesture (is a waste of resources to have 2 launchers running at the same time).
I read somewhere that Google will take this away from them in the next OS update.
About bixby, you will have to use an app blocker if you don't use it or don't want I running in the background. I use package disabler pro (bought from their website not from the app store), you can also use ccswe. But package disabler pro can disable all and every app, ccswe cannot do this in order for them to stay in the play store.
I've been a devoted Note user since the Note 2, upgrade pretty much day 1 on every release but I've found. I've noticed that Samsung has been slowly taking away some feature while locking others. They've lied about screen size/real-estate, battery, removing and locking the ability to track battery usage. I honestly feeling this will be my last Note device until Samsung start doing the right things again.
It's funny to see how different folks react to things in a different way. In my opinion, the Note 10+ is not only the best Note device Samsung produced to date, but the best device Samsung produced to date, period. I have had prior Note devices as well, either because I've owned them or had an opportunity to use them and the Note 10+ to me feels and functions as well as the Note 7 did for its time. We all know what happened to the 7 unfortunately and what followed the next two years was absolute crap. Samsung was conservative because they were scared. Note 10+ returned to what made the Note series great - huge screen, big battery life, beefy specs. I have the S10+ and the Note 10+ is a far better, and significantly better performing device. This despite the fact that they are built on the same basic platform. I am yet to find a flaw on it, but I see plenty on the S10+. Not sure if something is different about the 5G device or whether the software is just really that immature to lead to the dissatisfaction you are describing.
dhorgas said:
It's funny to see how different folks react to things in a different way. In my opinion, the Note 10+ is not only the best Note device Samsung produced to date, but the best device Samsung produced to date, period. I have had prior Note devices as well, either because I've owned them or had an opportunity to use them and the Note 10+ to me feels and functions as well as the Note 7 did for its time. We all know what happened to the 7 unfortunately and what followed the next two years was absolute crap. Samsung was conservative because they were scared. Note 10+ returned to what made the Note series great - huge screen, big battery life, beefy specs. I have the S10+ and the Note 10+ is a far better, and significantly better performing device. This despite the fact that they are built on the same basic platform. I am yet to find a flaw on it, but I see plenty on the S10+. Not sure if something is different about the 5G device or whether the software is just really that immature to lead to the dissatisfaction you are describing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me exact thoughts! I've had almost every note made as well as the S10 e, S10 plus. The note 10 plus I have is way better than the S10 plus period.
I guess there's no discussion about how good Note10+ is over every other Note before it, is good to clear that out.
Now, here's the deal, I'm not a fan of any brand of any product, I'm almost picky about the food I buy and clothing, sure. I had a Galaxy S2, then S5. And then a Nexus 6, the best phone by far including every other phone after it, which I used for 2 years. Then a LG G6. Then an S9 (which I kinda loved/hated the same way I do this one) that I gave to my daughter and got me a OnePlus6T, the closest to rank next to Shamu.
So as you can read it's not like I hate the brand or anything like that, I hate how Samsung adds so much makeup to Android that it doesn't feel like Android. The Screen Gestures, as I mentioned before, is a Android 10 problem that I didn't seem to have on my 6T, but all that Bixby crap and the way the icons look and how their themes suck so bad, it's like a bunch of Korean 12 year olds put them together. It's just the way Samsung makes what should be a great experience as I had with the 6T on A10 feel like bloated and opaque.
My wife and daughter loves it thought so I guess I got that going for me. I'm getting money back for both my S9s which I'll use to pay for the phone and sell it as fast as I can.
For example, My Nexus 6 had most of the amenities or features that this phone has, obviously the camera technology and fingerprint scanning had advanced greatly, and no stylus but wireless charging, face unlock, you name it, it had it plus Google security patches monthly for 3 years and a still ongoing Dev community... I mean, it even use the same microsim.
So you see, it might be faster and everything but the Samsung skin is pretty awful in my opinion and I had just forgotten how much I hated the Bixby crap, I was very happy with the lack of a dedicated Bixby button thinking stuff might be better but is worst.
I hear you for sure. Unfortunately I also don't have much to add to the discussion. I currently don't have Android 10 and won't get access to it for another month or so probably. I expect a January release for Android 10 for the Note 10+ broadly. Maybe when one of the fellow members rocking the 5G version get theirs they might be able to help more. Sorry I couldn't help beyond providing some info earlier in the thread.
dhorgas said:
I hear you for sure. Unfortunately I also don't have much to add to the discussion. I currently don't have Android 10 and won't get access to it for another month or so probably. I expect a January release for Android 10 for the Note 10+ broadly. Maybe when one of the fellow members rocking the 5G version get theirs they might be able to help more. Sorry I couldn't help beyond providing some info earlier in the thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's all good. No need to say that, you did offer an option which I appreciate.
Look in your accessibility settings. There is something enabled that is causing your issue.
Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk
skinnytoo2 said:
Look in your accessibility settings. There is something enabled that is causing your issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nah, there's nothing active there bc I don't use none of that plus is also not something brought in from migrating to this phone since I started fresh on this phone.
As I wrote before, I read it is tied to A10 not allowing gestures on 3rd party launchers but it worked fine on my OnePlus6T.
dhorgas said:
It's funny to see how different folks react to things in a different way. In my opinion, the Note 10+ is not only the best Note device Samsung produced to date, but the best device Samsung produced to date, period. I have had prior Note devices as well, either because I've owned them or had an opportunity to use them and the Note 10+ to me feels and functions as well as the Note 7 did for its time. We all know what happened to the 7 unfortunately and what followed the next two years was absolute crap. Samsung was conservative because they were scared. Note 10+ returned to what made the Note series great - huge screen, big battery life, beefy specs. I have the S10+ and the Note 10+ is a far better, and significantly better performing device. This despite the fact that they are built on the same basic platform. I am yet to find a flaw on it, but I see plenty on the S10+. Not sure if something is different about the 5G device or whether the software is just really that immature to lead to the dissatisfaction you are describing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's great @dhorgas, not trying to knock what you've said or how you feel about your device in any way but I guess it's a subjective thing. I know what I paid for, I know what they told me about the device and I know what I got. You are clearly contented with what you got and that's OK.
The build quality on the N10 is exceptional, I don't think anyone can say otherwise but saying the N10 is significantly better performing than the S10 is nothing more than your bias showing in the face of all the comparison speed tests widely available. Significant? No. Exaggeration? Very much so. By the way just letting you know colors are better on the S10 screen than the Note 10 but that's neither here nor there. Performance is not a Samsung thing, it's Qualcomm. You shouldn't be giving Samsung credit for things they didn't do.
My few gripes with the phone might not be significant to you in any way. By themselves they're pretty small but together they're hard to overlook in in my day to day usage.
1) Screen size, they lied but didn't lie. Screen is correct 6.8" but actual screen real-estate is 6.5", almost the same as on my N9 which is 6.4" in immersive mode. There is no immersive mode on the N10. They artificially blocked it by having a semi-static banner there. Not a hardware problem, just a conscious decision made by Samsung as if they know how best I should use my phone. I was duped into thinking I would have a bigger screen to use.
2) The screen color are horrible, their choice of pixel color was a bad choice in my book. Now the screen has an even more reddish tint than even the N9.
3a) Battery size. They plain lied about this one. Some people might be fine with this, others might think they know all about how batteries work and will proceed to defend the company's actions.
I remember when they use to show mAh usage for all apps, they removed that. Now they have battery size mAh disclaimers? I'm getting the feeling it was a conscious decision to F us on the battery.
3b) battery tracking is petty much locked. when they removed mAh view they locked full tracking, why? Because they were getting ready to F us on the battery, that's why.
4) Gesture lock. What they did is lock the recent app gesture into their crappy launcher. You'd have to have it constantly running with full access to the device in the background in order to have full gesture while using a different launcher. Just like they use to lock gallery with a different app so if you should disable it then gallery wouldn't work.
With Android 10 we should at least have control of gestures which is a good thing for consumers like myself. But the road I see Samsung going down is a road I don't feel I should be investing my money, not like my money will be of any significance to them in any way shape or form but at least I want to feel comfortable when spending my money.
lennie said:
4) Gesture lock. What they did is lock the recent app gesture into their crappy launcher. You'd have to have it constantly running with full access to the device in the background in order to have full gesture while using a different launcher. Just like they use to lock gallery with a different app so if you should disable it then gallery wouldn't work.
With Android 10 we should at least have control of gestures which is a good thing for consumers like myself. But the road I see Samsung going down is a road I don't feel I should be investing my money, not like my money will be of any significance to them in any way shape or form but at least I want to feel comfortable when spending my money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The gesture issue isn't a Samsung move. The same issue exists in other Android 10 devices in regards to third party launchers.
https://ww.9to5google.com/2019/11/12/android-10-gestures-launchers/
The problem is with Google's code, not to say Samsung couldn't fix it and flow the changes back into the base but that could take longer to get approved than to just let Google fix it and flow it up.
pcriz said:
The gesture issue isn't a Samsung move. The same issue exists in other Android 10 devices in regards to third party launchers.
https://ww.9to5google.com/2019/11/12/android-10-gestures-launchers/
The problem is with Google's code, not to say Samsung couldn't fix it and flow the changes back into the base but that could take longer to get approved than to just let Google fix it and flow it up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, no that's a separate issue. What I'm talking about is on Android 9 running on Note 10, not Android 10 beta. If you fully disable Samsung's One UI launcher then you will lose the recent app gesture. No error no warning. If I should use a different launcher then I would have to keep the Samsung launcher also running using up resources even though I'm not using it.
I usually go full immersive, no status bar, until I need it, no navigation bar. Full gesture. And now Samsung is artificially preventing people who wants to use their phones that from doing so.
Introduction
I have never written anything like this before. You might know me as the creator of the Omega kernel for the 6T, and now the 8 Pro. But I wanted to share my experience coming from a OnePlus 6T, to help everyone make a better decision whether to upgrade or not -> I'll cut to the chase... Upgrade now.
I have been using the OnePlus 6T since it was released in November 2018. Before I had almost every OnePlus since the 2, but kept changing between the current top iPhones and OnePlus-es. That changed with the 6T. I was blown away by the speed and responsiveness vs the iPhone 8 Plus I had before that, and Google really upped their game with Android Pie.
Since the 6T I never really wanted to get back into the Apple ecosystem, Android was just too good to use.
Kernel devving on the 6T was also very enjoyable, once a person finds out some of the quirks of the OnePlus code additions.
Enter the 8 Pro
I'll just say this comparing it to the 6T (I never wanted to try the 7 Pro series because of the pop-up camera): OH MY GOD. It's like going from a Fiat Panda (no offense to Fiat) to a Tesla. It's mind-blowing.
The looks. The blue on the 8 Pro is so beautiful, this is the first time I will keep the clear case on the phone that was provided in the box.
The speed. I know, it's mostly a perception, because of the 120Hz display, but oh my does that make a difference... Of course there is the 865 chipset, faster RAM, etc, but that screen is what blows you away the first time you boot it up.
The feel of the device. It's heavier than the 6T, but that's a good thing. You feel it's sturdier.
The experience. It's like opting for the red pill. You never want to go back. I think OnePlus perfectly nailed the combination of hardware and software on this one. After so many years a true flagship.
Setup
It took about an hour to setup from scratch. Yes, I know there is a OnePlus Switch app, but that would rob me from experiencing the setup itself, and I need that. Blazing fast.
Near stock Android experience, with just the right additions. I can tweak to exactly how I like it.
For those who are like me, and want to turn off vibration for everything (since I find it annoying). Go into USB debugging mode, and do:
Code:
adb shell
Code:
appops set android VIBRATE ignore
This disables all standard Android vibrations. If you are finnicky and want to be more granular, or do away with vibrations coming from a certain app:
Microsoft Teams - which I use quite a lot - seems to ignore every single setting I have in notifications, but you can disable app-specific vibrations with:
Code:
appops set com.microsoft.teams VIBRATE ignore
Just substitute "com.microsoft.teams" with the package name you want to turn vibrations off for...
I always disable Sleep Optimization, as I need to have notifications always.
Initial thoughts
Now this is a flagship. Incredible. From the way it feels in your hand, to how blazing fast it is. Battery seems good (see attached screenshots) - I know it has to settle in since it has only been 16 hours, but still. I'm impressed.
By default the screen is set to 120Hz but FHD display. I changed it to 120Hz and QHD resolution. I mean why have a phone like this if you don't enjoy to the max?
How is it vs the 6T?
Huge upgrade.
Camera - will test further over the weekend, but one-two pics I already took are much crisper and more vibrant
Speed - incredible jump forward, and the 6T is still no slouch in 2020...
WiFi - much more stable, seemless roaming now works fully on my home mesh router system. It didn't on the 6T...
OxygenOS - I know most of the added stuff in OOS 10.5 will come to the 6T, but the additions are very nice. Horizon lights, the new fingerprint animation, raise the phone to quiet the ringtone, are all very nice touches.
As I spend more time with the phone I will update this thread accordingly. If anyone has any questions, don't be shy to ask.
The display
OK guys, after two weeks now, let's talk about the display.
Few points: resolution, size, refresh rate, colors, brightness.
Resolution:
You can run in in 1080p or 1440p - some say they can't tell the difference between the two, but I personally can, and I can't go back to FHD... Text is crisper, photos have more detail, it simply looks better. And I read a lot of emails, so it's good to have beautiful fonts on the screen -> BTW I stay on stock Android's Roboto fonts, I simply prefer the more condensed fonts.
Size
6.7". Damn. I never thought I would have such a big screen, but after two weeks my wife's iPhone XR's 6.2" is just small. Because of the size, more calendar entries, more emails, and all my Fitbit stats actually fit on one screen! ...finally
One thing, though. On 1080p, the display density is set differently than 1440p. So if you switch to 1440p (QHD), all text becomes bigger. I'm not that old (yet), so you can actually go into System - Developer options - about 2/3 down Drawing - Smallest width - and change from 411 to 432. Now the scaling is the same as with 1080p, but the fonts are still crisper. (This took me two weeks to figure out )
Refresh rate
This is the biggest jump from my 6T. At first, I was like "yeah it's smooth". After a week, I looked at my son's Pixel 3a, and I asked "what's wrong with it?!?". Then I looked at my wife's iPhone XR, and I asked "what's wrong with it?!?" I'm now spoiled with the 120Hz, and now my work laptop seems slow...
This is the red pill I talked about.
And now the technical part: frame render time is around 6ms, meaning that there is virtually no dropped frame. It took precision to tune the hardware and software to perfection, and it shows!
Colors
Two categories: bright(er) screen is perfect. Colors are accurate, and photos show exactly what it is in real life. Perfect.
Dimmer screens do seem to have a green tint (standard settings), and overblown blacks (DC dimming). But this is something I'm certain will be fixed in an upcoming update, so I'm not worried.
Brightness
After the refresh rate, this is the next best thing. I started testing the phone inside, so it was nothing special. But when I used it in the car as a GPS, even in direct sunlight I was able to see everything clearly. Incredible. Compared to the 6T, and even an iPhone 8 Plus, this thing is bright, and beautiful to look at!
Performance
OK, so next up is performance. It's now been a bit more than 3 weeks with the phone, and I've had ample time to check out performance. Again, this is coming from the 6T.
Few points: general feeling, multitasking, gaming.
General overall feeling
It's fast
In more detail LOL: With the 6T, after booting up the phone, I always had to give it 4-5 hours to "settle in", and after that time performance was great. With th 8 Pro, I'm not really seeing that. It's already fast to begin with.
My primary usage is: emails, WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams, phone calls, camera, photos. I do tons of multitasking, listen to music in the meantime, etc., and not a glitch, no lag.
Some raw performance indicators: snapping multiple portrait shots one after another is finally working. The 865 chipset does wonders for this, and on the 6T I had to wait 2-3 seconds before I could shoot again.
Multitasking
Snappy, no reloading of apps, everything stays in memory. And now with 12Gb of RAM, everything stays in memory even if I use the most memory-hog app of all, the camera. Switching on a "regular" work-day between emails, calendar, Teams, Spotify, etc. is so seamless, it's an incredible experience.
Everything stays in memory (it does get cleared overnight to help with idle drain, but I'm good with that). Coming from the 6T (and maybe that has to do with the kernel moving from 4.9.y to 4.19.y), memory management is tons better than before. Background task killing decisions are much better, and not once have I had Fitbit close on me during an exercise, it always was able to track my GPS in the background.
Another (previously taxing) scenario was: biking with Fitbit tracking my stats in the background, checking out Google Maps where I am, and doing a Whatsapp video call (I have a bike mount). On the 6T, after the video call, it started killing either Fitbit or Maps in the background, now it's all good.
I guess all this can be attributed to two things: better memory management code written by OnePlus (YAY!), and the faster LPDDR5 memory. All in all great.
Gaming
I'm not much of a gamer, I'd consider myself a social gamer. I occasionally have Clash Royale installed - when my son also installs it . But, it's limited to 60fps, and on top of that the Android code optimization is terrible, so not much of an experience there.
But lets' talk about two games in particular that manage higher FPS: Fortnite and Pokemon Go.
Fortnite: I just had to try it. I rarely play on my PC, but with all the hype, I wanted to try it on the OnePlus 8 Pro. And WOW - they really mean business...
In the menus and before playing, it's limited to 30fps (I guess to save battery, and it doesn't matter in the menus anyways), but during gameplay it was just as smooth as my gaming PC which has a 90Hz monitor. Impressive. And I even got to 4th place! :victory:
If anyone of you is into playing FPS on your phones, this is a game-changer. Also, because of the high RAM, in-game experience is top notch, with zero lag.
Battery seems decent, based on my 20-minute round, I reckon one can go around 4 hours of playtime, which is quite incredible.
Pokemon Go: Previously, my biggest gripe with Android was the performance (or rather lack of...) of Pokemon Go, especially compared to iPhones. The game takes full advantage of the 120Hz display, and it's simply gorgeous. Throwing curveballs is a breeze, and overall exprerience is now MUCH better than the iPhone. Plus add to that that I could probably manage 5-5.5 hours of game time with a full charge.
Summing up
I guess when you have a powerful phone, it doesn't matter what you throw at it... It simply performs incredibly well. And the 8 Pro is a damn powerful phone.
Camera
OK, it's camera time! It's now been 4 weeks with the phone, let's talk about the camera. Again, this is coming from the 6T.
Few points: general feeling, everyday shots, videos, low light.
General overall feeling
This rocks. On the 6T, I almost always had to shoot multiple shots to ensure I have a good picture there. Now - my use case is mostly taking pictures of the family, and they are always moving Also, family sports don't have when there is good lighting, so I was almost always struggling with getting good pictures...
Not anymore. In the first few weeks I did take multiple photos (habit I guess), but it's no longer needed. 95% of the time the photo I take is simply perfect. I think the biggest testament to this is my broader family, and everyone uses iPhones -> since the 8 Pro, they keep on complimenting me on the quality of the photos, and always ask me what phone I have
Everyday shots
Yes, because the family is always moving around (including our rabbit), it's very difficult to get a decent picture. With the 8 Pro, it's actually very easy to do that now. I guess because of the better sensor, shutter times have been reduced, so motion is no longer showing on the pictures (unless of course there is significant movement). But these are the more difficult scenarios.
For simpler scenarios, like group picture with everyone posing, the rabbit laying down, etc., the pictures are perfect, good enough to immediately take to a print studio, even without editing.
Videos
Honestly, this is the best part I am lucky to have a 21:9 QHD monitor, and I love watching movies on it. I was always bummed that none of the previous phones was able to shoot in that format. With the 8 Pro, they introduced Cinematik 4K. I now always shoot in this mode, in 60fps. And oh my it's beautiful. It already fills the whole screen on the phone, and it's immersive, but when I show the family the videos on my home computer, they are in awe. And it's perfectly fluid with 60fps! And this captures every single detail in sports, so perfect.
Low light
I only include this section because for some reason people actually take photos in low light...
Now in the Netherlands it only gets dark after 11PM, so this is a bit difficult to test, but every single dusk picture I took turned out perfectly, again prompting my family members to ask me what kind of phone I have. LOL
That sums it up (for now), do let me know if you have any questions!
Screenshots attached
My personal setup
Accounts, setups
- One personal Gmail account, IMAP idle
- One family-level Outlook.com account for the family calendar, push sync
- One company Office365 account for work, push sync
Apps
- Calendar: Google Calendar
- Email: Nine Email - works perfectly with all accounts, as well as supports dark mode and email aliases
- Gallery: OnePlus gallery - it's fast and also shows an icon for portraits
- Social apps: Twitter, WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams, LinkedIn, Google News
Settings
- Screen set to QHD and 120Hz, automatic brightness
- WiFi and Bluetooth scanning both disabled
- Disabled "Hey Google" for the assistant
- Dark mode, of course
- Disabled haptics, as per post #1
- Disabled Bluetooth Discoverable
- Disabled Sleep Standby Optimization - I want to receive all notifications as they arrive, even at night
Great Review, i also had the 6t as my daily driver before. As i bought the 8 Pro i remember your last words about the 6t, that you will not switch to another Phone... And now you bought the exact device as me...
Don't know whats better: The Phone or that it will run with omega Kernel.
Thank you.
xx00xx1990 said:
Great Review, i also had the 6t as my daily driver before. As i bought the 8 Pro i remember your last words about the 6t, that you will not switch to another Phone... And now you bought the exact device as me...
Don't know whats better: The Phone or that it will run with omega Kernel.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I loved the 6T. Like I said, I wasn't too happy about the 7 Pro's pop-up camera, but already the 7T was tempting. But then the leaks came out about the 8, it started to look better.
And I have to say, this is one hellova' phone.
Great review & sums it up rather nicely, I have the 12/256gb Glacial Green and I just love it.....? For the same reasons as yourself. Owned every OnePlus from the 3T but this is the first that really is a true flagship......:good:
Duncan1982 said:
Great review & sums it up rather nicely, I have the 12/256gb Glacial Green and I just love it.....? For the same reasons as yourself. Owned every OnePlus from the 3T but this is the first that really is a true flagship......:good:
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Click to collapse
I loved the 3T. That selfie camera was a league of its own. I remember trying to compile CyanogenMod for it. Good ole days...
And back to 8 Pro - I was testing frame rendering this morning, and per-frame rendering time is ~5ms. So even on QHD resolution with 120Hz there are no frame drops. Simply incredible.
kristofpetho said:
I loved the 3T. That selfie camera was a league of its own. I remember trying to compile CyanogenMod for it. Good ole days...
And back to 8 Pro - I was testing frame rendering this morning, and per-frame rendering time is ~5ms. So even on QHD resolution with 120Hz there are no frame drops. Simply incredible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahhh yes the good ol' days .......? To me I'm like chainfire i used to root and mod all my devices, now there is not so much of a need to, as much as I'm sure your kernel is fantastic, I'll just stay stock, locked.....?
Which is unusual for me as with all OnePlus devices it's been the first thing I have done, now im not so much compelled to (again I'm sure your kernel is fantastic).
Enjoy and have fun with it, I'm sure you will.......:good:
Duncan1982 said:
Ahhh yes the good ol' days .......? To me I'm like chainfire i used to root and mod all my devices, now there is not so much of a need to, as much as I'm sure your kernel is fantastic, I'll just stay stock, locked.....?
Which is unusual for me as with all OnePlus devices it's been the first thing I have done, now im not so much compelled to (again I'm sure your kernel is fantastic).
Enjoy and have fun with it, I'm sure you will.......:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well... Don't tell anyone, but I'm also bootloader locked currently...
kristofpetho said:
Well... Don't tell anyone, but I'm also bootloader locked currently...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Shhhhh you typed that out loud .......? Who knows I might get tempted to unlock, but like I said it would only be for kernel, as all other mods are not needed or there are no other reasons.......root is something that has unfortunately died.
Before we needed to, there was a reason to, now it's not so much......anyway broken record .....?
#Oneplus you nailed it with the 8 Pro......?
Duncan1982 said:
#Oneplus you nailed it with the 8 Pro......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely agree
Duncan1982 said:
root is something that has unfortunately died.
Before we needed to, there was a reason to, now it's not so much......anyway broken record .....?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have to disagree on this, as I think it still mostly depends on what you're going to do with your device, the way you use it, the level of 'freedom' you need to have on your system/apps.
Having been root on each and every device I've had for the past 10 years, I know I could never go backward. Not just because of adblockers (yeah, I could use a vpn-based adblocker but battery consumption is not comparable) or for Lucky Patcher, but for the level of control that you get on almost every part of your system and apps.
But I guess it depends on people, different devices for different needs
(no intention here to start a debate on whether root or non-root is best, just sharing a different opinion, peace ^.^ )
Surfeur-des-Reves said:
Have to disagree on this, as I think it still mostly depends on what you're going to do with your device, the way you use it, the level of 'freedom' you need to have on your system/apps.
Having been root on each and every device I've had for the past 10 years, I know I could never go backward. Not just because of adblockers (yeah, I could use a vpn-based adblocker but battery consumption is not comparable) or for Lucky Patcher, but for the level of control that you get on almost every part of your system and apps.
But I guess it depends on people, different devices for different needs
(no intention here to start a debate on whether root or unroot is best, just sharing a different opinion, peace ^.^ )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely some do require for a few things, also some like the freedom of the device is theirs.....no debating and each has their own take on the matter .......:good:
I still root, but it's definitely far less necessary than it was a few years ago. I do it for Google dialer and vanced and that's about it now
Sent from my IN2025 using Tapatalk
Duncan1982 said:
Absolutely some do require for a few things, also some like the freedom of the device is theirs.....no debating and each has their own take on the matter .......:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
crzycrkr said:
I still root, but it's definitely far less necessary than it was a few years ago. I do it for Google dialer and vanced and that's about it now
Sent from my IN2025 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly. For some people, root is still a necessity. To each their own.
kristofpetho said:
Introduction
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Click to collapse
Congrats on your new phone and kernel.
Sounds like a great device. The price tag on the purchase of two of them right now which is what I would need, is a little too steep. If I'm able to switch, I'm glad to have the 6t's as a backup device if needed
Great review kristfpetho!!!
I will be getting one soon..
Good Read! I'm impressed with my 8Pro Green Machine! Cool ?
Thanks for the review, I am waiting till end of November for buying a new phone so probably go for this or for the 8t but don't know what the price will be and if it's worth the upgrade or go for the cheaper 8pro at that moment... I guess 6 months difference in hardware or software won't make it a huge difference I assume.
Well after being excited to get the Pixel 6 Pro with all the hype of best pixel phone in years, i have returned the phone after finding it disappointing. Probably the phone i have been most disappointed with ever, So i have gone back to my Huawei P30 Pro
main issues are battery life, after finding the phone struggling to get through a day on a charge, after googling and finding turning off the 5g and 120hz display improves battery life. WHAT the main features of the phone drain the battery too much, battery life on P30 is 2 days for me constantly (i know peoples usage will vary), but after Lumia phones and Huawei it was like going back to Iphone 3 days barely getting 24hrs on a charge.
also the UI is terrible, how is this an improvement the notification area with the huge tiles take up so much room that you have to scroll to the right to see most of the shortcuts etc. P30 is much more intuitive and fewer steps to do the same action
The Google search bar/ assistant and clock can't be moved or resized so much for customising android, none of these restrictions on P30
Colour theming what a joke to the point of being pointless couldn't pick the colour i wanted and the choice of 4 colour LOL, P30 has a huge colour theming section and is easy pick what colour you want and away to go
You will need a case for the phone it will literally slide off everything, i know a lot pf people fit cases but you wont have any choice with the Pixel 6 or it'll end up in broke
I would go as far to say EMUI 4 was better than android 12 on the Pixel 6, only good point was the camera
Only thing I'd agree with is that Huawei makes some of the best phones and I wish they were sold for US carriers. As for this phone, it's getting better every day for me. Of course there are some annoyances here and there but battery life isn't bad for me. I still have mine on 5g and 120hz and getting 8ish hour SOT with full day use. Mostly Twitter, Reddit and cryptocurrency apps and some YouTube music. The UI I feel takes some learning and adjusting to get used to.
nighthawk626 said:
Only thing I'd agree with is that Huawei makes some of the best phones and I wish they were sold for US carriers. As for this phone, it's getting better every day for me. Of course there are some annoyances here and there but battery life isn't bad for me. I still have mine on 5g and 120hz and getting 8ish hour SOT with full day use. Mostly Twitter, Reddit and cryptocurrency apps and some YouTube music. The UI I feel takes some learning and adjusting to get used to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kinda hard to trust a device made literally by the espionage wing of a hostile foreign country...
96carboard said:
Kinda hard to trust a device made literally by the espionage wing of a hostile foreign country...
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Click to collapse
Not saying I don't get that. I just really miss Huawei phones.
Podster16 said:
Well after being excited to get the Pixel 6 Pro with all the hype of best pixel phone in years, i have returned the phone after finding it disappointing. Probably the phone i have been most disappointed with ever, So i have gone back to my Huawei P30 Pro
main issues are battery life, after finding the phone struggling to get through a day on a charge, after googling and finding turning off the 5g and 120hz display improves battery life. WHAT the main features of the phone drain the battery too much, battery life on P30 is 2 days for me constantly (i know peoples usage will vary), but after Lumia phones and Huawei it was like going back to Iphone 3 days barely getting 24hrs on a charge.
also the UI is terrible, how is this an improvement the notification area with the huge tiles take up so much room that you have to scroll to the right to see most of the shortcuts etc. P30 is much more intuitive and fewer steps to do the same action
The Google search bar/ assistant and clock can't be moved or resized so much for customising android, none of these restrictions on P30
Colour theming what a joke to the point of being pointless couldn't pick the colour i wanted and the choice of 4 colour LOL, P30 has a huge colour theming section and is easy pick what colour you want and away to go
You will need a case for the phone it will literally slide off everything, i know a lot pf people fit cases but you wont have any choice with the Pixel 6 or it'll end up in broke
I would go as far to say EMUI 4 was better than android 12 on the Pixel 6, only good point was the camera
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You really should have waited a bit to try a pure aosp build. I found the google [bloat|spy]ware to be bad enough that I couldn't put my sim card in it because it was completely unusable. Running pure aosp built from source and its like a dream.
Under very heavy use since about 7am this morning (its now after 3), I'm still over 70% battery, including leaving 120hz enabled. Not 5g though, my carrier only has LTE for now.
Some of your complaints don't really matter. The quick settings pane for example is a feature of android 12, not the google build, so no matter who sells you the phone, you'll have that eventually anyway.
96carboard said:
Kinda hard to trust a device made literally by the espionage wing of a hostile foreign country...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hostile wing of USA or China take your pick
nighthawk626 said:
Only thing I'd agree with is that Huawei makes some of the best phones and I wish they were sold for US carriers. As for this phone, it's getting better every day for me. Of course there are some annoyances here and there but battery life isn't bad for me. I still have mine on 5g and 120hz and getting 8ish hour SOT with full day use. Mostly Twitter, Reddit and cryptocurrency apps and some YouTube music. The UI I feel takes some learning and adjusting to get used to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i had no where near that battery time, fully charged at 9:00am out on the mtb for 6 hrs with pics on the way normal use after that by 8:00 pm 15%
The UI is just not as intuitive, take restricting apps working in the background pixel you have to go to each app individually, P30 the settings for all apps are on one page, just simpler
2021 has been a mediocre year at best for smartphones. Android 11 and 12 forced cpu cycle eating scooped storage sucks.
After the N20U Samsung released nothing I like and their last really great flagship is the N10+ running on Q.
2021, issues with variable rate displays, 5G and scoped storage galore. The usual Samsung Fold display delamination issues. For flagship SD card support you either got to use older Samsung flagships or go Chinese.
The Pixel Pro seems to numerous rude surprises. OK, maybe it's not horrible but not a flagship level device either... it's ok at best. It's user interface is subpar as usual with no substantial speed advantage to show for it. Why not just get an Apple rather than a Pixel at this rate?
I doubt even Samsung can modify Android 11/12 enough to make it user friendly; Pixel barely tried to fix their nightmare OS.
Small wonder Pixel as such a dismal market share... they earned it.
blackhawk said:
2021 has been a mediocre year at best for smartphones. Android 11 and 12 forced cpu cycle eating scooped storage sucks.
After the N20U Samsung released nothing I like and their last really great flagship is the N10+ running on Q.
2021, issues with variable rate displays, 5G and scoped storage galore. The usual Samsung Fold display delamination issues. For flagship SD card support you either got to use older Samsung flagships or go Chinese.
The Pixel Pro seems to numerous rude surprises. OK, maybe it's not horrible but not a flagship level device either... it's ok at best. It's user interface is subpar as usual with no substantial speed advantage to show for it. Why not just get an Apple rather than a Pixel at this rate?
I doubt even Samsung can modify Android 11/12 enough to make it user friendly; Pixel barely tried to fix their nightmare OS.
Small wonder Pixel as such a dismal market share... they earned it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Note 9 owner
Everyone knows the 10 lineup was literally a downgrade in all the ways literally a minor cpu bump and a 3rd camera.
You lost iris scanner, spo2 ,heart rate , headphone jack and sd card slot on certain models.
It was also the mark of samsung making like 4 3/4 different models of phone which had worse hard ware than previous versions unless you get the top top end.
For example the fact screens on the note10 itself are worse than 9.
It literally started the mark of samsung killing off the note line with the making it a glorified Samsung Galaxy with a pen in which case then note 20ultra is worse that the galaxy 20 ultra in a lot of ways.
It's not even ahead of software updates since the note 10 lite uses the same chipset as the s9/n9 so it's easily ported to them.
So yeah the fact you said that means you literally have no clue on the state of it.
Also you think Samsung will simplify it gl they literally need to make a new ui every year because they can't do it right it's improving but still , if you don't like stock android get different launcher.
At least we know we going to get software support for a long time and direct also support
Phone is Awesome! Best purchase ever!
blackhawk said:
2021 has been a mediocre year at best for smartphones. Android 11 and 12 forced cpu cycle eating scooped storage sucks.
After the N20U Samsung released nothing I like and their last really great flagship is the N10+ running on Q.
2021, issues with variable rate displays, 5G and scoped storage galore. The usual Samsung Fold display delamination issues. For flagship SD card support you either got to use older Samsung flagships or go Chinese.
The Pixel Pro seems to numerous rude surprises. OK, maybe it's not horrible but not a flagship level device either... it's ok at best. It's user interface is subpar as usual with no substantial speed advantage to show for it. Why not just get an Apple rather than a Pixel at this rate?
I doubt even Samsung can modify Android 11/12 enough to make it user friendly; Pixel barely tried to fix their nightmare OS.
Small wonder Pixel as such a dismal market share... they earned it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As you stated in so many posts you have 2 Note 10's so I can only assume that your opinion is pure speculation! Did a clean install and don't have any issues at all. When the Note 20 Ultra first came a lot of members were having issues with it to because of importing data and apps from an old phone, once they did a FDR all the problems magically disappeared! Just saying...........................
ggrant3876 said:
As you stated in so many posts you have 2 Note 10's so I can only assume that your opinion is pure speculation! Did a clean install and don't have any issues at all. When the Note 20 Ultra first came a lot of members were having issues with it to because of importing data and apps from an old phone, once they did a FDR all the problems magically disappeared! Just saying...........................
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read a lot. The Pixel UI... well each to his own is the best I can say.
The N20U has display issues caused by the variable frequency, the N10+ color rendering exceeds the N20U, S21U and likely the P6pro.
I have extremely good color perception, top 1% so I find color aberrations annoying with displays. The 10+ is near spot on even after two years of heavy usage. I'll do a color test between the new and old one to see how tight the calibration is just for kicks sometime.
The N20U is running on R, enough said.
Some of both have 5G, not worth the increased battery usage. This problem persists in most of the newest devices. Variable rate displays, 5G and especially scooped storage are not mature technologies and continue to underperform.
Stats with pics... or it never happened.
Here's what a stock N10+ Snapdragon/P variant did just today with a 4300mAh battery. About one hour is watching utube vids, the rest browsing. The N10+ isn't even breaking a sweat...
The entire pre-order mess has soured my excitement for the phone. Google showed early November delivery, now shows mid January. It seems to cut costs, Google went with outdated and inferior parts and made some strange sacrifices. Samsung always gives it's competitors last year's display tech. Android 12 feels largely incomplete, much like hipster aesthetics were put before functional changes. I have been excited to get a flagship that has a clean base, can be rooted and built upon, but if the hardware is subpar, it may not be worth it.
With Samsung phones, I've debloated and modded almost every element to my liking without even needing root. Custom themes, custom fonts, custom clock styles and placement, always on display scheduling, ability to hide the navigation bar, and endless GoodLock modules to fine tune the UI are all things stock Android 12 can't do. That said, it's always bugged me that Samsung phones have roughly 300 preloaded system apps, where stock Android has about 100. I'm debating whether to cancel the P6P preorder and wait for the S22 Ultra.
Guyinlaca said:
The entire pre-order mess has soured my excitement for the phone. Google showed early November delivery, now shows mid January. It seems to cut costs, Google went with outdated and inferior parts, and made sacrifices to keep costs down. Samsung always gives it's competitors last year's display tech. Android 12 feels largely incomplete, much like hipster aesthetics were put before functional changes. I have been excited to get a flagship that has a clean base, can be rooted and built upon, but if the hardware is subpar, it may not be worth it.
With Samsung phones, I've debloated and modded almost every element to my liking without even needing root. Custom themes, custom fonts, custom clock styles and placement, always on display scheduling, ability to hide the navigation bar, and endless GoodLock modules to fine tune the UI are all things stock Android 12 can't do. That said, it's always bugged me that Samsung phones have roughly 300 preloaded system apps, where stock Android has about 100. I'm debating whether to cancel the P6P preorder and wait for the S22 Ultra.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was comparing my 2 N10+'s, one running on 9, the other 10. The 10 variant has dozens of small apks that show on the package disabler, but they're not bloatware. Samsung deliberately moded Android 10 to make it more user friendly and functional. It runs very well.
The S21 isn't anything I want but it shreds the P6pro.
However both are having display issues. I would at least wait for the dust to settle...
Hold out until Samsung gets their act together again if you can... it may take a year or two. Latter 2022 or perhaps 2023. I wouldn't hold my breath... it may take until 2024 to arise from the ashes of mediocre and lack of features.
Guyinlaca said:
I'm debating whether to cancel the P6P preorder and wait for the S22 Ultra.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Keep in mind you can't unlock the bootloader on recent Samsung phones without breaking the camera completely. I had nothing against them until now but this is major BS on their part.
Ghisy said:
Keep in mind you can't unlock the bootloader on recent Samsung phones without breaking the camera completely. I had nothing against them until now but this is major BS on their part.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be fair, on a Samsung, one doesn't really need root. So much debloating can be done using ADB. Many developers have found ways to utilize Samsung's theme engine and font engine to customize the phone however one prefers. I installed an AOSP theme using Hex Installer that made the UI look 95% stock.
Guyinlaca said:
To be fair, on a Samsung, one doesn't really need root. So much debloating can be done using ADB. Many developers have found ways to utilize Samsung's theme engine and font engine to customize the phone however one prefers. I installed an AOSP theme using Hex Installer that made the UI look 95% stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm running 2 stock N10+'s using Samsung Galaxy mods, a package disabler, a firewall and heavily optimizing them.
That's all you need... they run great and look/function exactly how I want them too.
No plain Janes here... some assembly required.
Samsung phones are pus*y phones, pardon my language. If you can't unlock the bootloader have any kind of development opportunities, you're just a sheep. Last Samsung phones I had were the Galaxy Nexus and the Note 2. Seems like a lot of Samsung Fanboys here. I get it because we're here to talk about phones, but this is an XDA Development site - Development. It's all about development. So move forth and go forward with your beautiful Sammy phones and enjoy those locked bootloaders!
darbylonia said:
Samsung phones are pus*y phones, pardon my language. If you can't unlock the bootloader have any kind of development opportunities, you're just a sheep. Last Samsung phones I had were the Galaxy Nexus and the Note 2. Seems like a lot of Samsung Fanboys here. I get it because we're here to talk about phones, but this is an XDA Development site - Development. It's all about development. So move forth and go forward with your beautiful Sammy phones and enjoy those locked bootloaders!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
darbylonia said:
Samsung phones are pus*y phones, pardon my language. If you can't unlock the bootloader have any kind of development opportunities, you're just a sheep. Last Samsung phones I had were the Galaxy Nexus and the Note 2. Seems like a lot of Samsung Fanboys here. I get it because we're here to talk about phones, but this is an XDA Development site - Development. It's all about development. So move forth and go forward with your beautiful Sammy phones and enjoy those locked bootloaders!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I had two glasses of wine.
darbylonia said:
Sorry, I had two glasses of wine.
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Click to collapse
Good thing it wasn't WT 101
Stability, functionality, speed and good battery life are all that matters. This "pu$$y" phone in my hand right now has all four, it's current load is over 1.5 years old with minimum maintenance/zero updates.
Yeah, I really hate it...