yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[General Questions and Answers] gezafisch:
I heard that HTC locks and encrypts their bootloader? And Samsung's have always been easy to root and unlock. Besides Samsung's hardware beats HTC any day.

Sent from a Galaxy far away
[General Questions and Answers] zelendel:
Two words for you. Knox and efuze
[General Questions and Answers] :
^^ This ^^
[General Questions and Answers] Planterz:
Sometimes, not always. A lot of the time it depends on the carriers. A Samsung from AT&T or Verizon will be very different than one from T-Mobile or an unlocked international version.
[General Questions and Answers] MK_infinitive:
I recently purchased a coolpad 8750 and it stopped working do I thought I should upgrade to a better phone and got an S5 and it is a clone so I was hoping you guys could suggest a mid ranged phone for me
[General Questions and Answers] kenth_kristoffer:
I have a choice of a Refurbished Note 3 N9005, or Note 3 N900S and the Asus Zenfone 2 4GB/64GB 551ml. All of them are about the same price range.

Which should I get?
[General Questions and Answers] jshamlet:
Yes, but given that Verizon and AT&T represent the vast majority of smart phone customers in the US, and that several of the larger carriers in Europe are pulling the same shenanigans, that puts a massive crimp in the developer pool. Then, consider that even the unlocked versions still have Knox and eFuze, and you start to see that Samsung is trying their hardest to tell the developer community to sod off.

I used to be a huge Samsung fan - I even still have my last Samsung feature phone (Flight 2), which I learned how to hack and add Java apps to (I turned it into a proto-smartphone) as well as my old Galaxy S2. Now I'm just hoping HTC doesn't fold, and if they do, that the Nexus line sticks around.
[General Questions and Answers] LoneWolfSK:
Go for the first Note 3
[General Questions and Answers] kenth_kristoffer:
Can I have your reasoning?
[General Questions and Answers] TheCezus:
Hey Guys , i need your help, i'm going to buy a new smartphone as my samsung s3 become so lagy , i really hesistate between note 4 and S6

i use the phone mainly for browsing internet , watching youtube videos , reading books and play hearthstone and other small games. I like the new design of S6 but battery life is worrying me , also i heard that note 4 has some lags and problems with latest update, I need a device that can last me 3 years at least cause i rarely change phones, thanks in advance.
[General Questions and Answers] Dr Grato:
guys, between nexus 5, and meizu mx4, which one is better in overall? i dont care about the cost. juz between two this. [MENTION=4564111]KidCarter93[/MENTION]
[General Questions and Answers] Planterz:
Battery life should worry you - not day-to-day use though, but lifetime longevity. If you expect a phone to last 3 years, you'll want something with a replaceable battery, be it instantly swappable or at least only require a few screws and some prying. Touchwiz lag can be tamed by turning off unused features.

Maybe look at the LG G4. 64bit processor, removable battery, etc. Daily battery life might be average, but you can always get a spare.
[General Questions and Answers] Falster:
Galaxy S4/S5, Xperia Z1/Z2, Honor 6, Huawei P7 or LG G3.

---------- Post added at 04:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:46 PM ----------

Overall I would say MX4, because it has a way better camera (8MP vs 21MP) and a bigger battery (2300 vs 3100mAh). Performance should be quite the same. But Nexus 5 has a great community & many custom roms.
[General Questions and Answers] Dr Grato:
thanx for the guide. i actuall got 200$ to spend. i love gaming, taking picture. i love to play around with my phone (flash rom,try tweak..). i dont like the size too big. 5-6 inch is good but im not that serious about the size though. so, maybe i posted here many time. but i think, this is the most detail post. haha. so, can u guys help me to figure it out? (prefer unlocked phone too :D )
[General Questions and Answers] Planterz:
LG G2 is a better phone in nearly every respect than the Nexus 5 (the exception being the amount of development, although there's still a lot for the G2), and can be found in the US for $200. If you can find one there, I'd go with the G2. The processor/GPU will handle any game you can play on a phone, and the camera is excellent. Great battery life too.
[General Questions and Answers] class_of_punk25:
I'm kinda stuck on choosing either the note 4 or the s6 I'll be going with T-Mobile so I don't have to pay the full price here's my needs I'm the type who has to have the latest and greatest which would be the s6 from what I heard I wished it was that simple but my drawbacks are the lack of removable storage and removable battery and the poor battery life I saw on different sites now I have only owned one galaxy note which was the first model i liked it but the battery was awful I had a galaxy s4 I loved it it was actually my favorite phone ive ever owned I'm also a heavy gamer and I use Skype a lot so camera quality should be decent too also the note is 32-bit cpu where as the s6 is 64-bit please any help would be appreciated
[General Questions and Answers] Planterz:
I'd go with the Note 4. I'm sorta considering one myself. I wanted (well, I still do) a Nexus 6, but didn't want to pay the full $700 through T-Mobile (even spread over 24 months) when Google is selling it for $150 less, but while waiting/hoping for T-Mobile to match the price, they've discontinued selling it (just the refurb'd 32gb one). Big, beautiful screen, loaded with features.

With the 64 bit processor, the S6 sounds like it's more "future proof", but it depends on how you look at it. The 2 biggest gripes of the S6 (and Note 5) are the lack of microSD and removable battery. Let's assume you're OK with no microSD card slot, and talk about the battery. A lithium battery degrades over time; after about 500 charge/discharge cycles, you'll have lost upwards of 20% of the battery's original capacity. It won't last you as long through the day, and the last 20-30% or so of your charge will "dump" a lot quicker than you expect it to. 500 charge cycles is a bit more than a year and a half, if you drain and charge it daily. Less if you're conservative, but Skyping and heavy gaming isn't conservative. A year or so down the road, and you'll notice some battery performance degradation. A new battery is $15-20.

The S6 (and Note 5 and their variants) are amazing devices, but IMO they're too much like iPhones, in the way that they're designed and marketed. Think of it like this: The Note 4 could be compared to a Chevy Tahoe. Big, utilitarian, will handle whatever you need it to, and if you take care of it, will last you a long time. Wereas the new Samsungs, with their sexy looks and unrepairability, are more like a Mercedes M Class. Something you lease for a short time before swapping it for something new long before it wears out. Kinda like the Jump program, I guess.

So if you want something that'll last a long time, both in terms of hardware/software capability and physical durability, the Note 4 is probably the best device on the market right now. It's a lot cheaper now, too, even through T-Mobile. And the big screen makes a huge difference when playing games. While I want something bigger than my OnePlus One, it feels positively huge when playing a game compared to my S4.

EDIT: I'll also add that "latest" doesn't always mean "greatest". Look at the Snapdragon 810, for example. Even the Exynos 7420 gets a bit overly toasty sometimes. The SD 805 has the power to do whatever you want it to, and for a long time.
[General Questions and Answers] class_of_punk25:
Those were the exact reasons why I was skeptical about getting an s6 I love the ability to have that extra storage option even if I didn't need it it's better to have it and not need it then need it and not have it lol thanks so much this just made me even more sure of what Ima get cuz I was leaning more towards the note 4 so thanks a lot :)
[General Questions and Answers] kamikazeedriver:
I personally am trying to decide between a VZ s5 or a VZ s6 to put on straighttalk.

Initially, I was hands down on the s5 due to:

-Reportedly good battery life

-micro SD card slot

-replaceable battery

-price

After more research into it, the s6 gained some points:

-Really gorgeous screen, can't remember the res and pixel count but it was significant.

-placement of the speaker on the bottom instead of the back

-Camera. Though they are both 16 megapixel, the s6 takes a much sharper picture

-8 core processor?

Still torn.
[General Questions and Answers] Planterz:
Tough choice. You're coming from an S3, which means you like to hang on to devices for a long time. Strike one major minus for the S6, with a non-removable battery, and one that's practically impossible to replace yourself even with the right tools. If you can't live with 32gb native storage, an S6 with 64gb or 128gb will cost you a significant amount more on an already expensive device. But the S6's camera is definitely better than the S5's (which is still pretty good), and the screen is unmatched. But there's nothing wrong with the S5's screen, plus the phone is waterproof, you get the removable battery, and microSD slot. The Snapdragon 801 is very competent, but will it be able to keep up 3 years yater? I think it will be on my OnePlus One, but its interface isn't remotely as heavy as Touchwiz, plus the S5 has only 2gb RAM. So I don't know if the S5 will still be hanging in there 3 years down the road, especially on a locked-bootloader device like the Verizon S5 where you can't load an AOSP based ROM to give it new life.

Like I said, tough choice. I'm guessing you're going with a Verizon device because of coverage/service. If you want freedom (root/ROMs), go with a T-Mobile one. The hardware of the S6 is definitely more future-proof, but there's the issue of the removable battery (see my post re: S6 vs Note 4 above) and physical longevity.

It's obvious you're a Samsung fan, but I would recommend seriously giving the LG G3 and G4 a look. Both have amazing cameras, great screens, microSD slots, and removable batteries. The G3 is a superior device than the S5 (apart form waterproofness), and the G4 has the 64bit processor. 2 years down the road, I think the G3 will still hold up, the G4 even better, while you'd be frustrated with lag with the S5, and pissed off at the degraded battery life of the S6 that you can't fix. 3 years down the road the G3 will likely have you looking at newer devices, but you won't have paid (relatively) much for it, the G4 might frustrate you if you're doing graphically intense games, the S5 will have you cursing and screaming, and the S6 will have a shattered glass back and horrible battery life, and the cost to repair it won't be justified over getting a new phone. I think the G3 will give you the most phone for your money over time.
[General Questions and Answers] kamikazeedriver:
Thanks for the informative response. Yeah, a non removable battery could potentially be very bad should anything happen to the battery. I'm still using the same battery that came with this S3, but I like the fact that i can always replace it if need be. I like options. That's why I'm on android to begin with. It's also what I have most against the S6. It has left a formula that has been proven good, and went that path of an iphone by removing microSD and battery etc.

As far as the camera and screen, I try to tell myself an S5 will still be an upgrade for me, coming from an S3 so I shouldn't stay too focused on the screen or camera being inferior to the S6, but I'm also the type that likes to hold on to something for as long as I can, so when I do decide to get one, I usually pick one from the top shelf if I can.

I'm a little fixed on Verizon's because of coverage. My S3 is StraightTalk branded, but runs off Sprint towers. The service is acceptable, but there are many places I go where I have a weak signal, or none at all and after awhile, you get tired of it. My home is one place where I have a weak signal (even with AT&T). Verizon is the only provider that actually covers my home well, as well as all the other places I end up.

The Straighttalk branded S5 also runs on Verizon towers, but one thing I have against Straighttalk is they don't release any updates. So what you buy, is what you're stuck with. Plus, their branded version of the s5 only released a few months ago, and is $530. I can get a Verizon S5 for about $250-$300, and use the BYOD kit. I don't know if I'd get the OTA updates using a Verizon phone on StraightTalk, but I know I could find and download them and update it via my PC.

Didn't know the Verizon S5 had a locked bootloader. I haven't gotten around into loading custom roms, though I have looked into it, just have not followed through. Still, I like knowing that I can though.

As far as LG, I did have an Optimus G (E920?), AT&T branded running on StraightTalk for about 2 weeks. I love LG displays, so I figured I'd give their phones a chance. The downside to that phone was it was made of glass on both sides, much like this new S6. That made it very slippery, and well, after 2 weeks and having already shattered the rear glass, I dropped it and shattered the front glass. The screen works fine, just does not accept any touch input, which pretty much makes it useless. I actually still have that phone and am about to order a replacement glass to fix it, but not to fix it for my use, but rather fix it and give it a neice or nephew to play with. In a pinch, I caught a good deal on an S3. Desite having inferior specs to the Optimus G, I loved how the S3 did everything. Everything made sense to me, how it interacted etc. That was when I became a Samsung Phone fan.

Thanks again for your valuable input.
[General Questions and Answers] jshamlet:
If you are aiming for longevity, and you want to stay up to date, choose a phone based on whether or not there is a bootloader unlock available (or equivalent), and that there is an active dev community. It's as simple as that, and why I chose the phones I have.

I used to use a Samsung Galaxy S2, and that turned out to be a great move, because it is now running a newer version of Lollipop than my current daily driver, the HTC One M8. In turn, I chose the One M8 because it had an S-off/BL unlock solution, which practically turns it into a Nexus device (in terms of being able to update things), and loaded the unbranded Developer Edition stock ROM. The only thing that makes me nervous is the non-replaceable battery. Otherwise, I fully expect it to have unofficial support long after HTC abandons it.

You do sometimes have to give up a few things if you are looking to keep your phone past the usual 18-24 month replacement cycles, and you have to study a bit longer, but it's doable.
[General Questions and Answers] only-one:
Ok I'm back on the hunt for a new tablet. I would like something that has good battery life, good resolution, expandable memory. It will be used for playing games and going on the internet. I won't say heavy usage (btw heavy and avg for the most part)
[General Questions and Answers] class_of_punk25:
My buddy ended up selling me his note 4 so I got it sooner then I thought I got it for $400 so knowing that it's 2 weeks old since he got it exchanged for another I couldn't have got a better deal lol thanks for your advices and I'm very happy :)

Edit: is lollipop coming to the tmobile note 4? Thanks :)
[General Questions and Answers] anarm:
im searching device with good battery life, good resolution, expandable memory, big ram, nice camera
[General Questions and Answers] djstammo:
Best camera phone

Hi all

Atm I’m using HTC M8 and I learned to do very nice photos with this not so good 4MPx camera. It really do amazing photos at night or day when you know how to configure. Also I like the sound of recorded video, as I work in nightclub for me it’s very important to record sound without distortion.

So question would be: what is best cameraphone for today (near future)?

Main points are:

– best photo capture quality day and night time (OIS must be)

– good recording quality

– good sound recording and cancellation

– over 3GB RAM

– at least 32GB ROM or 16GB+microSD support

– 5-5,5″ screen ~300ppi or more (not amoled, need true colors for photo viewing)

– metal or carbon frame (because in parties sometimes phone can be dropped)

– Fingerprint scanner can be but not must. Android OS or Windows. Must be screen protection (gorilla glass, dragon trail, sapphire or ect.), dual led flash or xenon.

– ~3000mAh battery or more

For today LG G4 and Samsung S6 have best cameras, but they are too expensive. What’s your thoughts about alternatives, One+2, Meizu M2 Note, Xiaomi Redmi 2, Bluboo Xtouch, Meizu MX4 and ect.? Maybe I don’t know some brands and phones that you can suggest me?

Thank you
[General Questions and Answers] Hannah Stern:
The N9005 is the best choice.

4K Videos

Most Features

1080p@60fps

All Gimmicks

S-Pen

I've also got one. :)

---------- Post added at 10:31 ---------- Previous post was at 10:30 ----------

If it's not too Expensive, take a look at the LG G4. It's got everything that you mentioned.
[General Questions and Answers] gezafisch:
The s6 has an amoled fyi

Sent from a Galaxy far away
[General Questions and Answers] DarkLink42809:
My next phone

Hey everyone long time follower of this page first time poster. I am writing this to ask you about what I should get for my next phone. I have been a long time Android and Samsung Galaxy fan since the original. They have always been great phones imo and was excited to hear about the s6 (on the s4 right now and I'm way over due for a upgrade). Some of the main things I love about the Galaxy series (removeable battery and micro SD card storage) have been taken out and that's a huge bummer to me. I am debating if I should look pass it or if I should look into another phone because not having thoes two things is as bad as I am woried about. If I won't miss either one of thoes things then what do you recommend the s6 the s6 edge + or have been looking into the notes and the note five looks good as well. I am looking for a good phone with a solid battery life, fast, and of couse some nice extras. I have long work days so if I can't have two batteries would like a phone that can stay with me. Any and all suggestions appreciated. thanks in advance for your help.
[General Questions and Answers] pauliusval99:
Hello,

I'm looking to buy a new phone, but I have some non-standard requirements for it.

First of all, I absolutely hate how giant the flagman phones have become lately... I'm looking for something that can be used with single hand easily, so probably a sub-4.5" screen is needed.

However, low-end devices do not satisfy my need, as I want my phone to be completely lag-free. That means at least 1GB RAM and a quad-core processor for most phones - taking into account how much bloatware they put in nowadays. I have used a HTC Sensation with Kitkat and newest Sense at the time (with Blinkfeed, so I think it was v5) and it had absolutely zero lag with 700-ish MB RAM. I would gladly use this device today if it weren't broken... On the other hand, my Samsung Galaxy S4 constantly lags with 2GB RAM and at least 4 times better processor. So don't suggest Samsungs, I don't want their Crapware®.

Another thing I want is at least one hardware button. I mean real hardware button, not a capacitive one. I live in North Europe and winters are VERY cold here (-30°C at times). So I wear very fat gloves during the cold season, and I want to have the ability to answer and reject calls without taking them off. With SGS4 I could do that by pressing the home button to answer or power button to reject a call. I'd prefer to have this ability without root, as I feel like keeping my warranty for at least a couple of months.

And last but not least, please don't offer chinese crap like Prestigio or GoClever. Yes, they're cheap, but they lag all the time no matter what hardware they have, and the build quality is non-existant. My phone needs to be durable and the battery sufficient for a couple of days.

Oh, and I forgot to tell that the phone needs to be carrier-free. Here where I live, the US UK, etc. carriers don't exist, so if a phone is locked to one of them, it just won't work.
[General Questions and Answers] Hannah Stern:
I will give you more suggestions later, but here are the first two ones, which came to my mind.

Sony Xperia Z3 Compact.

Advantages:

Robust

High Water Resistance

Physical Shutter Button: Focus, Shoot and Quick-Launch Camera

Very Bright Screen

4K Video Recording + 1080p@60fps + 720p@120fps with Sound (See: http://xdaforums.com/general/general/slow-motion-phones-device-how-to-imo-t2998500#post58887440 )

Fast Processing Power + Graphics

Fits in one Hand

MicroSD

MHL-MicroHDMI

Disadvantages:

Non-Removable Battery

Only 720p-Screen (which is still OK.)

Bad Panorama Feature

Camera Auto: Only 8MP (Also HDR: 8 MP Max.)

No OIS

Here is the comparisson to Alpha, the second phone: http://xdaforums.com/z3-compact/gen...lpha-versus-sony-xperia-t2937852#post62483907
[General Questions and Answers] mr0roboto:
I'm currently using a Samsung Note 3, I like the removable battery, and SD card slot. Looking to upgrade, and I'm considering the Note 5, but I'm not too thrilled with the non-removable battery, and no SD card slot. Couple that with the 64GB max memory size at a premium price, and the S5 is looking like a disappointment. I looked at the Moto X pure as an alternative, still no removable battery (I think this is a dead feature nowadays), but at least there is an SD slot, and the cost is more acceptable.

What are your thoughts on the Moto X Pure vs Note 5?

Thanks
[General Questions and Answers] GrimEire:
hey guys

Not sure if this question is OK as I'm not sure is it only android we can talk about here.

Basicly I'm looking for a windows tablet for programming in college with keyboard, stable os, Good battery. Expandable memory(SD card) and at least 10 inches in size.

Sorry if this is a no no question.

Thanks for any help
[General Questions and Answers] gezafisch:
Not sure if you'd be interested but the surface 3 pros are pretty good

Sent from a Galaxy far away
[General Questions and Answers] Onestay:
Cant decide

Hello guys.

First of all I want to say sorry for my bad english.

I currently don´t have a phone (My old S4 mini died 3 weeks ago) and I can´t decide. I already had the S6 Edge but didn´t liked it and send it back. Now I need a new one. I wan´t something High-End so my decision is between the LG G4, the Motorola X Style and the Nexus 6. But since I love stock Android I preferably want a Nexus. I´ve been also looking forward to get the new Nexus 5 which is coming out later this year. So my idea was to buy the old Nexus 5 and then when the new one is coming out to sell the old one on Ebay or something.

So these are my two options:

1: Get High-End Smarthphone (LG G4, Moto X Style, Nexus 6(which I think is a little bit too big))

2:Get old Nexus 5 and sell it later for the new one

I hope you can help me decide.
[General Questions and Answers] LoneWolfSK:
Go for the high-end now, because Nexus 5 price will drop when you try to sell it and no (good) phones are being released until the end of the year.
[General Questions and Answers] Onestay:
Okay. Thank you for your advice. My choice is the LG G4.
[General Questions and Answers] GrimEire:
the cheapest pro with a keyboard is nearly 1000. i dont wanna spend that much was looking for at the cheap Chinese tabs. but not sure if they are any good,
[General Questions and Answers] jim16127:
It's marketing...the happy medium will be found. There's already rumors that the next iPhone will be available in a 4 inch size again!
[General Questions and Answers] renaltosonylevi:
It is not just marketing, it is much simpler to engineer a powerful big phone than a small one. There is more room for batteries and surface area for heat dissipation.
[General Questions and Answers] abhi4328:
Moto X pure or Oneplus two

Having a hard time deciding between Moto X pure and the Oneplus two. I own a Oneplus One but i am not interested in waiting for an invite to buy the OP2. Help me people! :crying: