/spg/ - Smartphone General

If requesting purchasing advice, please provide your country and what carrier you will be using it with, along with wanted features, budget and size.

Good resources:
>Reviews, specs, comparisons
gsmarena.com
phonearena.com
kimovil.com

>Frequency checker
willmyphonework.net
frequencycheck.com

>Chinkphone news
gizchina.com
gizmochina.com

>Recommended Chinkphones
pastebin.com/eMtwGjJX

>Post a mini-review of your phone
>Discuss upcoming and current models
>Ask for help related to phones
>Tell us how much shekels you spent on good/bad phone
>PRAISE THE CHINKPHONES unless you live in America you shits

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youtu.be/3kf7dxcoUoE?t=22m20s
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Is it even worth it to root phones anymore? As an aside, feature wise, is it better to buy a budget phone like a moto g or a flagship like the op5t

It really depends on what you want.

I can't live without something like DriveDroid and haven't found an alternative to it yet, so I need root. If any of the applications you would possibly want don't need it just don't.

Feature wise, look at what each phone can do both with stock and the popular custom ROMs. In my opinion moto Gs are severely lacking in features in favor of a bloat-free experience. So much so that I refuse to use any of them on stock ROMs until they add such a basic feature, available in all custom ROMs that I tried on my moto G4 (I tried pretty much everything under the sun) which is to use the battery LED for notifications. I don't think it's that complex and there is literally no reason to remove that feature, no one's going to become blind by accidentally turning it on.

Yep, AdAway only works when rooted

Oh yes, that too. I find AdAway better than DNS66.

Depends on what you want. I, for one, cannot live without AdAway (works by editing hosts so requires root) and I appreciate having some kernel-level adjustments in Synapse, such as more volume controls. Helps out with development, too, as I earn money devving for Android. In general, I just like to know I can do with the device whatever the fuck I want.

For most normal users, of course, rooting has never been worth it, nor is it now, nothing has changed, except that more and more games and services refuse to work on rooted devices.

It's good that at least there are ways to bypass those checks. Essentially it's all about knowing what the fuck to do with it. For me, losing my warranty hasn't scared me in a long ass time so I unlock them bootloaders, despite it being quite risky. Though I'd like to know which companies are more... "customization" friendly, let's say.

What does the Moto g line lack compared to the op5t

Muh 5t

I wish there were more cases that integrate a headphone jack

>like the v30 but there's no root
Guess I'll go with the op5t

I think it's all down to hardware. More RAM, a better, bigger optic AMOLED screen, more resolution, more storage, a better camera, a better processor... basically what you would expect given the price difference.

I own the Moto G1, G2 and G4, my sister has the G5. All I can say about these devices is that they're quite durable and they perform pretty well, their stock ROM is quite close to stock android with just a minor set of apps included by Motorola. However they do have problems like the lack of timely updates (which I understand more from Samsung, they have their touchwizz to update and do whatever stupid shit they want to do, heck stock Moto G4 is still on 7.0), that they take your warranty away the moment you unlock the bootloader which I assume more brands do and that some years they barely upgrade their hardware to the point that you're almost getting a downgrade with a new version (hence why I like the g4 more than the g5). Also the custom ROM mess where there's always some issue common to anything that's not stock and seems unfixable.

Same here, pretty much. Thanks to the country I lived in warranty has always been a non-issue as you'd always import devices to get what you want and for a sane price. And the local service centers are utter shit anyway, you never want to deal with those scammers, even though they're official on paper. Things have changed for the better to an extent, but an aftertaste still lingers.

And yeah, if a company is saying it's okay to unlock the bootloader, that's a big fat plus in my book. Whether that cancels warranty or not. Bought OPO for that reason (even though I always stayed on stock firmwares in the end, only changed kernels), considering an XZ Premium for that reason, among other things.

Do they allow to listen to music and charge at the same time?

Weren't the "factory unlocked" US and EU versions supposed to have bootloader unlock available?

Has anyone here switched from a small screen phone to one with a larger screen? Is it easy to adjust to the difference in size? Asking because I'm looking to buy a Mi Max 2.

Thanks, I think I'll get a op5t but I was thinking about a note 8 because of how pretty the phone was and the stylus seems neat

>Do they allow to listen to music and charge at the same time?
That one is for iPhone and yes they do. The only such case I know of that was actually released.

has a battery built-in

Solution to a problem that shouldn't exist.

I always find the stylus to be a huge plus, but I won't ever pay premium price for it to be honest. If you can afford it go for it.

I bought several phones, always going higher each time. 4.5 to 5.0 to 5.5. My current phone is 5.5 and I have a little bit of trouble reaching the top left corner with my thumb (I'm right handed). I held the Mi Max 2 and even though I love the screen size I just cannot have it as a phone. It's fairly inconvenient to have to hold it with both hands and a bit heavy as well. I love but if it were me, I'd try finding the same exact thing on 5.5 or even go back to 5, as long as I had the same everything else. It's really hard to adapt to something so big.

My friend says that Samsung is awful because of efuses and touchwiz. He also says that always on displays cause burn in. Is this stuff true?

I love it*

Redmi note 4 or moto g5 plus?

After 4.7 inches all phones become kinda unwieldy, but it's not that bad when you're standing or sitting - gravity helps holding it in one hand. But when lying on your back, or in bath? Typing with one hand becomes impossible.

/spg/ thought on OP5t? about to pull the trigger on this one

Is there a phone that allows you to unlock to a different profile if you scan different finger with the fingerprint scanner?

Killer deal of you're okay with meh camera. Performance and build quality are amazing.

Regarding Samsung it's a really mixed bag. I don't appreciate them trying really hard to basically become Apple with a different logo and older devices / their budget stuff is some actual crap. They actually had bloat, and by bloat I mean applications that hardly anyone would really need, couldn't be removed and actually would be highly beneficial to remove. The Note 8.0 (the ancient note tablet, not the Note 8 phone) is notorious for this, the stock ROM which they updated this year with some security patches (however still kitkat) is filled with shit and any custom ROM is quite faster, even shitty modified versions of stock.

However, I also owned for a few months (until I sold it because I didn't really use it at all) a Galaxy Tab S2 and throughout its life with stock ROM and plenty of its services, the only annoyance was indeed applications I wouldn't use much, but the device was really fast and had most of what you would need on a tablet anyways. I was quite happy with it. So I think that maybe now they learned their lesson a little bit and even though there's bloat, it's more like just having more apps than having your device literally slow itself down to a crawl due to crappy software running in the background. I didn't try any custom ROM on it (nor did I look for it) but it was fast enough that I couldn't seriously give a crap about it.

mate 10 pro does this
youtu.be/3kf7dxcoUoE?t=22m20s

Thanks.
Is this the only phone available that does that?

Aside from the X Compact, are there any other non-flagship devices which have some sort of improved DAC in them? (gsmarena says it has one.)

I was looking at that phone as a replacement anyway, but I want to know what my options are.

Thanks, do you own it yourself?
Notice any issues with it?

My main concern is the burn-in effect on AMOLED panels, though this phone hasn't been out for over a month yet, do you notice some build over gray background? (preferably the notificaition bar)

I own 5, 5t simply fixed all of its issues. And I've seen the teardown - pixel 2 looks like chink shit in comparison. No burn in so far( I'm using a browser that changes status bar color depending on the web page, so maybe this helps) and 5t supposedly has a better display(no jelly scrolling). This really shouldn't be an issue though - AMOLED phones, except for the most recent ones, took years to develop burn in.

Is Huawei Mate 10 the best phone you can currently get?

Thanks user, appreciate the help.
Guess i'm getting one

No

Also check out Essential - it has no jack, but it's cheaper and just as fast.

Then what?
And don't tell me it's iPhone X.

It's such a shame they dropped the ball on the camera so hard.

As you look at comparisons, it's commonplace to see 2 year old phones out perform it (Nexus 5X and 6P for example).

In the UK I don't think the 5T is that good of a deal either. £500 for the 128 GB puts it almost in line with the S8+, which is waterproof, expandable storage, and actually has a good camera.

Yeah, and you'll want to throw it out the window after some time because it's a Samsung phone, bloated as ever.

Is there any gallery app with a search feature?

Should I go for the Galaxy Note5 for 250$

any recommended accessories for the xz1 compact?

Sure, it's still a great phone

ZTE Axon 7

How many years should it last me?

Note 8 is objectively the best Android smartphone in existence prove me wrong...
*protip you can't

xbox huge

>t. handlet

since my contract is running out soon, my carrier offered me a note 8 for 350 eurobucks to keep me. currently i'm sporting a 6P and i'm happy with it. would i regret the upgrade? never had android devices other than nexus before.

>open up dev settings on s8+ to enable usb debugging
>find the OEM unlock option that wasn't there last time i tried to root
>ohshit.jpg
>flash twrp with odin and install magisk
>everything is great for an hour, installed systemwide adblocker and removed facebook apps
>google apps start crashing left and right
>removed adblocker and restore the bloat I deleted
>still crashing
>decide to reboot phone, my biggest mistake
>get "only original firmware allowed to be flashed" error on spalsh and phone won't boot
>reflash stock firmware and try to root again
>tfw OEM unlock option gone from dev settings

Is there anything I can do to restore that option or am I fucked until it magicly decides to appear again?

samsung gives everyone one chance to install custom roms. you blew it.

I want to get my mom a smartphone for Christmas. Setting a $300 CAD budget and want to buy the phone without a plan. Any recs?

Forgot to mention that "OEM unlocked" still shows up on the download screen but it still won't let me flash twrp again.
R-really?

requesting purchasing advice

country: USA
carrier: att
features: just google maps and texting without lagging too much, I'm coming from a first gen moto G so anything will be an improvement
budget: whatever, anything under $1k I guess
size: as large as it can be while fitting into skinny jean pockets

>R-really?
i'm sorry, user.

>set up my XZ1
>watch some YouTube
>sound is really muffled compared to Z2
Is this normal? Everything else seems fine, but the sound is really strange.

Activated ClearAudio+ and it seems a better, maybe it's just placebo though. Sounds kinda hollow, like you're holding the speaker facing away from you.

Nvm I found some hope, if anyone was experiencing the same issue and had to reboot just wait a week.

I got a Note 8 recently, which is my first android phone

I sent a picture to my dad today on it and when i sent it it said it was converting it to multimedia-somethingrather and it ended up sending a very low-resolution version of the picture. like the original picture was crisp and clear but the one that it sent was all blurry when you zoomed in.

why did it do this and how do i change it?

I am thinking about unironically buying an iPhone SE.
Should I Sup Forums?

no dont stop

Would rather have a bloated Samdung phone than the shit Oneplus pulled with their current phone lineup.

I've been using the g5+
It's worked pretty good for the last 6 months or so, but the Bluetooth is kind of janky and will not turn on sometimes.

tested this again with a friend. the sent photo is converted to 'multimedia message' and the resolution is lowered.

anyone? i've gone through all the settings and it's set to send the original image size.

It automatically lowers the resolution because MMS can't handle much, try sending it online

fuck. do i gotta email pics now if i want to send the full versions?

My screen size has been going up as has been the trend. Went from a 5" S4 to the 5.5" OP3T, I have no desire to go back. I thought I'd hate going bigger than 5", but it turns out I fucking love the giant screen. I don't even have big hands or anything, my hands are average as fuck, but I haven't found it to be unwieldy really. Course this is all subjective, so you might hate large phones. Maybe go to a store and try out some larger display phones to get a feel? Or cut a piece of paper or something to the dimensions of the mi max 2 and use that to get a feel?

I'm buying a Redmi Note 4 from Amazon and wanted a case and a car holder. I looked them up on Gearbest and it's pretty dirt cheap, so I'll probably buy them there. I've never purchased anything in Gearbest so how much can I expect to pay for shipping to the US, and how long could it take?

>tfw actually and unironically using the squeeze feature to snooze alarms and occasionally ask Google to do simple shit

t-they got me boys

I'm sorry user...

I'd look into the Xperia X or the compact variant of she likes smaller phones. Got an update to Oreo and is officially supported by Jolla for Sailfish OS. About $300CAD on B&H.

Otherwise in that price range maybe look into Moto phones but they sometimes aren't sold in Canada so you'd have to import with a questionable warranty status (same with the X from b&h).

>fall for redmeme note 4x meme
>try connecting to car handsfree
>car asks me to enter pin on screen into phone
>no dialog pops up to enter pin on phone
>cant even connect the phone to car bluetooth
>mfw I fell for the redmeme

My Nexus 6P died. It got caught up in a boot-loop, and this was my third time through this song and dance.

Reached out to Google Fi and let them know I wanted a replacement, but found out they replace 6P's with Pixel XL's. I also found out that the Pixel XL also trades in for $405, versus my 6P's trade-in value of $70.

Ended up getting the Pixel 2 for my gf, Pixel 2 XL for me, got a total of $100*2 credit from the promotion and two Google Home Minis. A total credit of $605, which means that my gf's new Pixel 2 is only $40, and now she's on Fi. Dunno if I need these Home Minis but I'll see if they're worth keeping around.

I recently got an S8. Looking for a durable battery case that can be used as a wallet too. I'm already asking for a bit so if it doesn't look nice that's fine. Any anons know of one?

>budget up to 475 eur
>good specs, need to handle CG in idol games, I'm mainly thinking about upcoming SIF All Stars release
>good battery time
>preferably a 3.5mm Jack and full 4G bandwidth
>trouble-free 2 years of warranty, I don't wanna wait 5 weeks for them to fix it or send it to China
any recommendations?

is there anything wrong with being logged in on 2 different google accounts at once all the time?
I use one account for gmail and play store, and the other account for youtube and google drive

LG V20 is a last year's flagship, and now it's pretty affordable. Axon 7 has already been mentioned, and Highscreen Boost 3 is said to have a very good DAC inside, however I don't know whether it's available internationally
- and it's already two years old or something.

With Sony, according to gsmarena at least the audio is considered average (not in a bad sense, but nothing outstanding), but I dunno, never held one in my hands.

Considering it as one of my options, however it has no SD card slot - keep that in mind - and the 64 GB version is notably more expensive.

Oreo update only next year and will probably be the last non security patch update you'll get, so keep that in mind, too.

It also costs a small fortune, and with a curved screen you currently cannot use tempered glass protectors with it (or it will look super awkward, leaving sides uncovered or having air between the protector and the screen) - which is a tragedy just waiting to happen, and it looks like a slippery phone.

It really is the best phone overall, but not necessarily on price/worth and it has its drawbacks.

This is what keeps me from buying XZ Premium, it advertises good audio quality but it seems not that rosy in real life?

Oneplus 5T

Don't you use messengers? MMS is horribly outdated. SMS in general only lives as a fallback.

>Don't you use messengers?

Like I said man this is my first android phone. I've been using a windows 7 phone for the past 6 or so years.

What's a good messenger?

still the best iphone form factor, compact phones are very nice to hold. I use the 4s

Just wait, they are going to release the SE2 or whatever in March.

Why is the XZ Premium always overlooked or talked in a bad light? Most reviews I see shit on it's launch price, but since then it's radio silence. Any anons suggest getting it?

sony pls

>ultra wide
>it's actually thin

fake?

Thin and wide aren't mutually exclusive, retard

it's a phone, not a TV

huge bezels, people who buy it needs to be technical enough to actually flash the euro rom yet at the same time doesn't want adblock or custom roms. the camera is shitty, the phone is expensive.

all in all only hardcore sony fans WITH MONEY would buy it

What are your guys opinions on refurbished phones? I could get a "Like New" XZ1 Compact for 425 USD, but I could get a brand New one for 490 USD so I'm not sure which to go for.

recommend me a phone around the size of an iphone 5s/SE that I'll be able to use until around 2021
should I wait for the SE 2?

it's mostly crap that the owner didn't want repaired because it was like its 5th time visiting the tech service so they just demanded a new one or a refund, while the phone was cheaply "fixed" aka "refurbished"
it's possible that it's different outside of my country but I wouldn't trust it anyway

Wait never mind it's listed as "Used like new" not refurbished.

since it's a new model having it be used shouldn't be a big deal
still, it would be better if you can confirm its condition yourself

Just ask them for any issues, etc. Generally if they fail to mention it, you should file for a refund. 90% of the time, Like New and Refurbished items aren't bad. But you must make sure there are not any notable problems. There are a few scumbags that list it Like New and it has a noticable crack, but their stupid reasoning is "well uh it still works". Make sure they allow refunds and there is no notable issue and you'll be fine.