Nexus 5x - Nexus never again. - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Zucca
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 18, 2018, 06:43:42 am
content: Yesterday evening on the couch watching TV. Checked the phone, no messages, put down the phone again on the couch. 15 minutes later, pick up the phone again. Dead. No images. Muerto. Kaputt. Oh well battery is drained, but strange. Plugged in the charger. It will not charge. Power button I see Google splash screen and then nada, nothing it shouts down.Tried the recovery android circus, again it will not pass the google splash screen. Oh well I took the phone apart and disconnected the battery, waited 10 minuted and reconneted the battery. I had no hope, but who knows. Confirmed it still no pass the google scrap screen. 90% HW Problem. Today I try to reflash image form adb, but again I have no hope.https://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-5x/help/guide-fix-bootloop-locked-bootloader-t3608679I think I got stung by the bootloop Nexus 5X.Bye Bye Nexus, I am in the shopping for a Samsung S8 (I want the 3000mAh battery).Those mobile phone are splenid devices, they will work 90% for two years and then by design they must fail. That's a clear design spec to me, life span two years no more, customers will change device anyway.A few days later...Yes, confirmed HW Problem. The bastard gets hot on the back top part of the phone. When it is cool down it somehow works and I was able to erase all my data (data were already bucked up) and reformat.According to my experience and google the N5x is a ticking bomb, look what you need to do to save the data with this stupid phone...https://hackaday.com/2018/01/16/a-salty-solution-for-a-dead-nexus-5x/and of course I will try to repair it...https://hackaday.com/2017/03/21/fix-a-brick-fighting-the-nexus-5x-bootloop/Now I will buy something else... sorry Nexus you lost a customer.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 18, 2018, 06:49:56 am
content: Probably a similar issue that plagued the LG G4's. Over time, the one of the BGA chips wouldn't make proper contact, forcing it into a boot loop. You could try reflowing the memory/SOC/CPU ?I have a Samsung Galaxy S8 - Brilliant phone, but get yourself a case! One drop and you'll smash the front/rear glass.

author: Zucca
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 18, 2018, 06:56:39 am
content: Quote from: Halcyon on July 18, 2018, 06:49:56 amyou bet I will, that's the fun part. Unfortunately I am out of my Lab so it will happen in September.Yeah, never a phone without the bumper (aka cover).

author: KaneTW
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 18, 2018, 09:57:21 pm
content: I've had a N5x since it was released and it still works fine. Not my actively used phone anymore, but I gave it to my parents and it works well.Not a big fan of Samsung phones. Using OnePlus 5T at the moment and very happy with it.

author: a59d1
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 18, 2018, 10:01:21 pm
content: I've had two N5Xs die on me. Reflowing the motherboard with hot air gave me a few minutes to copy my data off. Not going to get an LG phone again.

author: chris_leyson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 18, 2018, 11:05:22 pm
content: My Nexus 5 is still going strong after 6 years but needs a new battery now, probably get another 5 years out of it. Noticed that the 5x was withdrawn after only one year, only has 5MP camera, issues with boot loops and issues with the touch screen when the charger is plugged in. Either a lot of common mode from the power supply, unlikely, or LG don't test phones for conducted immunity. Some touch screen controllers are good and some are crap when it comes to conducted immunity.

author: chickenHeadKnob
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 19, 2018, 12:31:28 am
content: @chris-leysonMy Nexus 5 is about the same vintage. Started to have battery decline last year so replaced with an after market bat. Was not a particularly difficult job for anyone with the skills of forum members here as long as you have good spudgers. The bat connector was a bit "dicky" and tight to put back, and I broke one female plastic clip retainer that hold the halves together but it is working just like new now.I am somewhat of an old luddite with phones and hardly use mine. I noticed battery usage was variable even though I keep the bare minimum running. The only apps I use are google maps and the alarm app, and then only rarely. I am such a doddering fogey. I also turn off bluetooth and WiFi most of the time. In-spite of that I noticed strange power consumption both with the old and new battery. Android be 'doin some shit in the background that it doesn't account for in the power consumption tabulation. I found that performing power off and clearing the gunk out restores performance.I have a feeling the boot loop phenomena hit me 4 years ago and then went away. I don't let the phone upgrade itself when it wants to, instead I force it to my schedule every 4 months or so. On one of those upgrade occasions (it was kitkat something) it kept on downloading and rebooting. Fed up I turned it off, the back was warm, it never gets warm when I use it!. Some hours later I turned on again and it worked fine ever since (knock wood)

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 19, 2018, 12:47:29 am
content: I have had several phones and tablets stop working, but they mostly were the ones used for cryptocurrency mining, which pushes the devices harder than they were designed for. In my experience, ZTE devices (Snapdragon 210 or 410) generally fail after 6 months-1 year of mining by not being able to boot all the way, while TI OMAP devices tend to fail by blowing a voltage regulator. Moto Es, however, are surprisingly robust and all 3 of mine outlasted 4 ZTEs, over 2 years of 24/7 mining and still hard at work.

author: GeorgeOfTheJungle
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 19, 2018, 01:04:02 am
content: When my Nexus 5 battery started to die I changed it for a moto x4. Only the Nexus camera was better, everything else was worse, specially the battery life was never good enough in the Nexus 5.

author: chris_leyson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 19, 2018, 01:04:41 am
content: @ chickenHeadKnob Thanks for the heads up. Might just go ahead and replace the battery, need to find some good spudgers though. I think these days as manfactures put pressure on the designers to get products to market quicker and get costs down sometimes things slip through the net.@GeorgeOfTheJungle Nice camera, shame about the tiny battery.

author: GeorgeOfTheJungle
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 19, 2018, 01:07:37 am
content: In the end it will turn out that Apple's iPhone throttling was a good thing?

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 19, 2018, 03:39:20 am
content: Yes, this model is unfortunately known for this issue. I don't think the issues can be extrapolated to other models or market segments, though. According to the Consumer Technology Association smartphones have a technological lifespan of a little under 5 years, which is less than a lot of other electronics but more than the attention span of most owners. Of course phones tend to suffer a fair amount of abuse too, more than a television or mixer.https://www.cta.tech/News/Blog/Articles/2014/September/The-Life-Expectancy-of-Electronics.aspx

author: Zucca
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 19, 2018, 07:00:55 am
content: Well on WE I should be able to got my hands on a Samsung S8. I drool for the 3000mAh.Another thing I learn in this mess: heat is the enemy. I will buy a cover not too thick, the phone must be stay as cool as possible.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 19, 2018, 08:08:35 am
content: Quote from: zucca on July 19, 2018, 07:00:55 amLuckily for us, large batteries are becoming the standard. Having a phone with a 4000 mAh or more isn't very exceptional any more.

author: Zucca
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 19, 2018, 08:45:51 am
content: Yeah, but I want a big battery with a small screen. 4000mAh are those small laptop screen mobiles, too big for me.Ahh the old nokia times, 1 week and then recharge it.

author: D3f1ant
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 12, 2018, 07:01:29 am
content: I love my OnePlus phones, no bloat, regular firmware updates and priced well. I do miss the Samsung Note stylus tho, very tempted to try a Note 9 when it comes out

author: VEGETA
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 12, 2018, 07:34:41 am
content: I have Nexus 4 and still going nice except I changed the screen with a Chinese clone since it started to have dead pixels. Nexus 6P is very good too if you want a better choice, Nexus 5 wasn't really popular for some reason.

author: Zucca
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 12, 2018, 09:22:29 pm
content: Endet up buying the Samsung s8 two weeks ago. I was very happy until today I dropped the phone (with cover) and cracked the a little the top left corner.FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUI keep calm, I stay calm, I must control myself.I will do the surgery when I (finally) broke more than 10% of the glass or when the battery will start to go wonky.Lord have mercy I am a sinner.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 13, 2018, 12:39:10 am
content: Quote from: D3f1ant on August 12, 2018, 07:01:29 amExcept that the Chinese are watching your every move ;-)Quote from: zucca on August 12, 2018, 09:22:29 pmYep, did the exact same thing myself. The Samsung S8 was the first phone I've had with glass all over it. All my previous phones would just fall apart when dropped; pop the battery back in and off you go again. I was cocky and said I didn't need a cover... how wrong I was.Thankfully the repair was fairly cheap, $300 for a new LCD, battery and metal bezel around the edge. I also bought a case. ;-)

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2018, 12:39:54 am
content: Quote from: Halcyon on August 13, 2018, 12:37:12 amWhat's your source?Besides, pick your poison. A mobile phone is a tracking device in multiple ways.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2018, 12:41:01 am
content: $300 cheap? You buy fully fledged and quite nice phones for that.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 13, 2018, 01:39:50 am
content: Quote from: Mr. Scram on August 13, 2018, 12:39:54 amMy comment was slightly tongue-in-cheek. I am well aware of what phones record these days.Quote from: Mr. Scram on August 13, 2018, 12:41:01 amCompared to $418.95 for screen-only damage or $818.95 for "other" damage that Apple charges for their current phone, $300 for an almost brand new phone is cheap.

author: Zucca
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 13, 2018, 07:39:37 am
content: 300$ was a deal back then, but today you can buy a new S8 for 350€ (what I did).The new glass with digitizer should cost no more than 100€, but I will wait so the prices will go down further more.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2018, 07:41:55 am
content: Quote from: Halcyon on August 13, 2018, 01:39:50 amCompared to $250 for a brand new phone with performance that's mostly different in benchmarks it's not a cheap repair.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 13, 2018, 08:46:29 pm
content: Quote from: Mr. Scram on August 13, 2018, 07:41:55 amSure.But that's like saying the cost of a service on a Maserati costs the same as a Great Wall off the showroom floor. Apples and oranges.To me, while $300 is something I would have much rather spent on something else, it was a fraction of the cost of the device itself and a cost I can easily absorb in my budget. For $300, Samsung essentially replaced every component in the phone except for the motherboard, not bad.I chose to buy the Samsung S8 after careful consideration. $250 phones simply didn't meet my desired specifications or requirements.

author: VEGETA
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2018, 05:46:18 am
content: For repairing, you could always buy Chinese spare parts which are so cheap. I got Nexus 4 screen (complete unit) for 24$ delivered to Irbid! while LG told me it would cost me at least around 160$ or so for the genuine one.I didn't test it yet but the one who delivered it to repair and got it back told me the everything seems Ok. Paying lots of money for a cell phone is just wasting money and resources regardless of anything. Phones job is making calls and connecting with contacts, now it has other stuff like maps and so on... all 200-300$ phones are more than capable for this.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2018, 06:22:18 am
content: Quote from: Halcyon on August 13, 2018, 08:46:29 pmExcept that the difference isn't that distinct. It's oranges and slightly bigger oranges, but commonly with less juice. A few years back you definitely had a point, but the advantage of high end phones over quality budget phones has steadily evaporated. It's remarkable that high end phones are even sold nowadays, though it seems that cultural factors play a fair role in that. Having an expensive phone or having the latest and greatest is a way to disginguish yourself in certain groups.

author: Zucca
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 14, 2018, 07:02:26 am
content: Quote from: VEGETA on August 14, 2018, 05:46:18 amInteresting, I think 99% of mobile parts are coming from china anyway. What is somehow blocking me is the idea of replacing the glue (sealing) which is holding everything togheter.I mean lot of phones out there need a hot air gun to open it up. My problem is to find a good product which can then hold everything togheter after the rebuild. I don't think double side tape will do the trick.PS: I saw lots of youtube video with LOKI glue and replacing just the glass. To me it is not worth to go in that rabbit hole. If you are a shop repair maybe it makes sense, if not just buy a complete screen with digitizer.

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2018, 10:04:37 am
content: Don't laugh but I still own a "stupid" phone.Made in 2006 from Nokia, it fell more than 10 times, charges one time a week and still works on the original battery for over a week before recharging and can't be hacked.Somehow they should not call it phones anymore since people are not using them primarily as phones.It should be named a "fragile tinypad with phone capability"

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2018, 11:14:49 am
content: Quote from: Kjelt on August 14, 2018, 10:04:37 amFeature phones can be hacked too. Especially the baseband chipset seems to be as vulnerable as those found in smartphones. There does seem to be much less attack surface in regards to the OS and saying they're safer doesn't seem unfair.That being said, I've regularly contemplated going back to a feature phone or even to ditch the mobile phone completely.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 14, 2018, 11:20:55 am
content: Quote from: Mr. Scram on August 14, 2018, 06:22:18 amI guess we see things differently. For me, it's about security. Anyone with a laptop and a bit of knowledge can suck the data right out of those cheap phones without any dramas. Something I would rather not risk if for some reason it was lost or stolen. But it's not just that, it's the larger battery, it's the ability to still have a usable connection in remote areas well after other phones fail to even see a base station, it's the faster access to the LTE network, it's easy same-day service/repairs if I need it without voiding the warranty by doing it myself (and being able to keep all my data intact).A cheap $250 Android handset doesn't even begin to compare against a later model Samsung, except that it's cheaper. It fails in every other way I can think of. Is $800+ a lot of money to spend on a phone? Of course it is, but it's something I use heavily every single day and I cannot afford to have it fail. Not to mention a significant portion of the cost is tax deductible (for me), so in reality, it costs me far less in the long run.This is what works for me. Your mileage may differ.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2018, 11:57:48 am
content: Quote from: Halcyon on August 14, 2018, 11:20:55 amThe problem is that a lot of expensive phones do not have better security. Except for a notable few, security tends to be fairly shoddy accross the board. Very few manufacturers have decent and guaranteed update schemes. Cheaper phones also tend to have larger batteries and do longer with those batteries, as there's more leeways when it comes to the form factor and they have chipsets that don't have to perform to the hilt. The same applies to connectivity. There's no evidence to support the notion that cheaper phones wouldn't have equally sound connectivity and manufacturers pushing the edge on high end form factors often means a bigger chance of something going wrong there. It's harder to stuff a proper antenna in the tiniest housing possible.It sounds like you've fallen into the "it's more expensive so it's better" trap. Of course people want to believe that when they spend an arm and a leg on something. High end phones tend to push the envelope in regards to performance and that means they usually run hotter, are less frugal, have more issues with less proven construction techniques, are more fragile when it comes to drops et cetera. If you want something that just works you buy technology that's further down the curve without ending up at the cheap end. You could even buy a phone and a spare in case something happens for less than the price of a single high end phone.I'm not saying high end phones are without merits, but they haven't done better in regards to the basics for years now. That was true about a decade ago, but those days have long gone.

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2018, 12:02:39 pm
content: The profit margin on high end smartphones are a staggering 60-75%https://www.techwalls.com/production-costs-of-smartphones/

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2018, 01:10:00 pm
content: Quote from: Kjelt on August 14, 2018, 12:02:39 pmIt's probably a lot less. The article notes "Notice that we don’t take into account other costs like marketing, research and development, distribution, staff or packaging, so the manufacturers wouldn’t earn that much profit from their products." Typically, about one third of the cost of a product is the production cost, so it actually seems fairly typical. Obviously, that isn't such a juicy article.People are noting as much beneath the article.

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2018, 01:23:10 pm
content: Apple and marketing, last commercial I remember is for the MacIntosh .But yeah SW development is a huge cost.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 14, 2018, 07:15:53 pm
content: Quote from: Mr. Scram on August 14, 2018, 11:57:48 amThis is where my experience differs. The cheap phone manufacturers have a lax view towards security. A lot of R&D time goes into making devices secure and even more R&D goes into cracking that security. Security isn't generally a priority for cheap and nasty phones, which often makes retrieving data from them a trivial task. Sometimes even to the point where the passcode is there for show rather than an actual security measure.Apple is one example where an expensive phone isn't necessarily secure, but they do implement some elements of their design in a secure way.Quote from: Mr. Scram on August 14, 2018, 11:57:48 amCan you provide some examples? My phone has a 3000mAh battery and generally get about 2 days of usage out of it before requiring a charge.Quote from: Mr. Scram on August 14, 2018, 11:57:48 amAre you just making things up now? To the contrary, you'll find the higher end phones do have better connectivity. My phone will support up to LTE-A Cat 16, which has a maxmium downstream rate of 1 Gbps. The newest phones are now coming out with support for Cat 18 and above (1.2 Gbps downstream). You might ask are the telcos geared up for that sort of thing? You bet they are! (At least in some parts of the world). The Samsung Galaxy S8 one of the thinnest phones out there, has also been recommended for rural coverage in Australia due to the higher gain internal antenna, something very few phones are capable of.Quote from: Mr. Scram on August 14, 2018, 11:57:48 amAgain, quite the contrary. I did my homework, researched phones which met my needs then went out and looked for the cheapest possible price I could buy that phone for. I didn't just blindly pick a Samsung because I'm some kind of fan boy (in fact, this is the first Samsung phone I've ever owned). Yes it's more fragile than my previous handsets, but a case fixed that. As for running hot, again, are you making things up again? Almost all smart phones will run at elevated temperatures when pushed, even the cheap and nasty ones. During normal usage, heat isn't noticeable.Quote from: Mr. Scram on August 14, 2018, 11:57:48 amIt sounds like you've written them off without actually knowing a lot about them. I work with phones and mobile devices every single day. I spend a lot of time working in R&D and working on security aspects of the devices, that's my day job. I won't pretend to know every model of phone inside-out but I have a fair idea.Security aside for a moment, if you can find me a reliable, cheap Android phone with a Cat 16 or higher modem, has a long-lasting internal battery, that supports the 700, 1800 and 2100 MHz bands, running the latest version of Android, I'll certainly take a look.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2018, 07:42:01 pm
content: You're making the mistake of looking at "cheap and nasty" phones. You should look at just cheap or affordable phones. If you stay away from the bottom tier junk and do your homework you won't have issues. It's not just random luck. Cheaper phones tend to be much more popular in developing countries. These countries have less optimal telecom infrastructures with often sprawling countrysides. These phones are made to do well in those conditions.As for the battery example: a 4000 mAh battery and up to two weeks of light use on a single charge, or three to four days of more involved use. That's progress, although feature phones still do better.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 14, 2018, 08:37:27 pm
content: Quote from: Mr. Scram on August 14, 2018, 07:42:01 pmI consider most phones on the market at the time which has the specs I need, however the bottom tier stuff doesn't make my list at all. The quality is just awful generally.Yes, feature phones are great for long battery life, but you forego a lot of features. It's a trade-off.As I said, I did my homework and found a phone which was right for me and ticked all the boxes. To say that I over-spent and should have looked at a $250 phone instead is laughable. As I said, if you can find me a cheap phone that even comes close, I'll be happy to consider it.To give you some kind of an idea, Telstra (Australia's largest telco) currently sells over 19 phones ranging from the iPhone to Android handsets like Samsung, Sony, Oppo and their own re-branded (LG or ZTE) handsets, only 9 of them have been tested and pass the standards suitable for what they call "Class C" coverage (fringe/rural/remote coverage areas). From what I understand, their testing is quite stringent. This video gives you a bit of an idea (by the way, Dave, a tour of this place would be awesome).

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2018, 08:57:54 pm
content: Quote from: Halcyon on August 14, 2018, 08:37:27 pmAgain, I'm not saying that high end phones are without merits. I'm not really interested in my opinion being polarized into something it's not. I'm just saying that the difference with cheaper phones tends to be very minimal, negligible even when you look at how people are actually using them. There's a difference between a "nice to have" and something that impacts its effectiveness as a tool or even just the user experience. Most if not all differences fall in the "nice to have" category, at least for most people. And again, high end phones pushing certain limits also comes at a cost both in the literal and the practical sense. This is no different from computers, where something like a powerful laptop can be less convenient to live with.Realistically, a lot of people buy high end phones because they want the latest and greatest for the sake of it, because it's a status symbol or because they want to play with a new toy. I don't think very many people can rationalize the choice with practical, actual advantages. And that's okay and totally fine, as long as we acknowledge it.

author: Bassman59
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 27, 2018, 02:42:35 am
content: Quote from: Kjelt on August 14, 2018, 12:02:39 pmYeah, another article that doesn’t understand anything about how consumer products are priced. A product that costs $389 to build and put into the retail package and sells for $1000? It costs too much to build.