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[Android] Thread v.2015: Google tries to hardware. Effort: A+. Grade score: C-
wunderbar
What Have I Done?Registered User regular
What Have I Done?Registered User regular
This is the new android thread. I may make the OP less crappy another time, but Google I/O starts in about a half an hour and I figured 104 pages on the old thread was enough.
Personally, what I want is Android M to be a bugfix release, a new Nexus 5 that's not the $700 N6, and basically I just want them to fix the dumpster fire of bugs that 5.x has been. If that is all they do I'll be happy. (We won't see the new N5, that's just a dream).
We'll also likely see Android Pay, more VR/AR stuff, more talk about wear, more ChromeOS/Android integration, some stuff about cars, and maybe if we're lucky someone will jump out of an airplane again.
Personally, what I want is Android M to be a bugfix release, a new Nexus 5 that's not the $700 N6, and basically I just want them to fix the dumpster fire of bugs that 5.x has been. If that is all they do I'll be happy. (We won't see the new N5, that's just a dream).
We'll also likely see Android Pay, more VR/AR stuff, more talk about wear, more ChromeOS/Android integration, some stuff about cars, and maybe if we're lucky someone will jump out of an airplane again.
XBL: thewunderbar PSN: thewunderbar NNID: thewunderbar Steam: wunderbar87 Twitter: wunderbar
Hahnsoo1 on
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There is a not zero chance we will see it on Friday, but almost certainly a 100% chance we'll see it before the end of the month.
I will say again, the release of Android this year and the Nexus stuff is way different than it has been in 4 or so years. We're going to get the code drop way earlier than normal, and that may mean we see the code drop before Nexus devices are announced/released, which the last time that happened was literally the original Moto Droid in like 2009.
LG has already announced that the V20 that comes in September will be the first phone that ships with Nougat out of the box. This is a weird year.
Also, no more white phone!
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197970666737/
I understand why they have done it but for the average person, to have almost the exact same internals of the 6 month old GS7 handsets with a minimal screen size increase doesn't exactly wow.
The differentiation of the note line now is the Stylus.
And really, I do think we've hit the point of diminishing returns on specs. unless you are buying a phone specifically for VR, 1440p is way overkill for a display at this size, the Snapdragon 820 is plenty fast enough, there's more than enough ram, etc.
I think its more to do with generally the note line used to have specs inbetween each yearly S line phone. So it was features that most of the time end up seeing on next years S line phone.
This is the first year where the specs haven't changed at all. I know why and I totally agree with streamlining the handsets but for the average user will only really look at numbers and see one handset costs twice the price yet does little different.
Not really true. Last year the phones were the exact same except for the GS6 had 3GB of ram compared to 4GB in the GS6 Edge and Note 5. Everything else spec wise was the same (except for storage, which is also different, but that remains true this year too)
After the reset, it's still having weird hangs and delays, leading me to believe there's hardware at fault.
Six more days.
Edit: Yep, definitely hardware. It's still doing its random reboots, and it's not an app causing the issue since it's even happening in safe mode. Oh well!
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197970666737/
So, I'm borrowing a friend's old phone until I decide what to get. It's a Moto X Pure. Feels great. I played around with a Nexus 6 like a year and a half ago, so this feels pretty familiar in a lot of ways.
First impressions on the software and hardware:
I can use this without a case because it has a rubbery back instead of the all metal build on the iPhone that felt like greased teflon. That's pretty cool, since there are like... no cases for this thing.
The fast charging is amazing. I can charge from 40% to 85% on my 30 minute commute. I almost don't need to plug this in at night. Which is also great since the battery life isn't fantastic.
Google Photos is amazing. Full stop. So much better than iCloud's lousy photo sharing/backup/sync bullshit that I couldn't even properly explain how to manage as an Apple employee.
The IR sensor that lets you do the hand wave over the phone to show the time and notifications is great. My phone sits next to me on my desk all day, so that's way handier than I ever imagined.
The shake and chop shortcuts for the camera and flashlight are also great. Super well thought out, Moto.
Don't love the headphone jack on top/charger on bottom thing. Kind of awkward in the car. Both are good placements on their own, but with both plugged in together, it's super awkward. Makes me think I should invest in a BT receiver for the car.
Built in speakers that aren't hot garbage! Wow!
The dimple is my favoritest simple feature on any phone.
Hangouts seems great, if I could ever convince my family to install it instead of iMessage.
As of yet, I'm not missing any apps from iOS. Well, just Tweetbot, but Fenix seems good enough.
I feel a surprisingly amount less stress not having red alert bubbles overlayed on tons of apps. Especially since some apps on iOS are shitty and get their notification bubbles stuck on them.
Automatic is a little jankier than on iOS. Eh.
Google Now is fucking magic. As soon as I started using this phone it's giving me estimated driving time to work, Red Sox scores, Overwatch videos, and No Man's Sky guides. Google GETS ME in a way that should probably make me a little uncomfortable, but doesn't.
Holy shit, having 64gb + 128gb (microSD) is AMAZING. Google Music is so good and convenient. It's maybe the second best Google service after Photos.
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All in all, I'm amazed that I you can get a phone that's this fucking good for like $350. It's definitely not perfect, but holy crap, is this ever a solid experience for like $500 less than I paid for that iPhone.
The only thing I'm not very impressed about in the renders is the friggin' huge bezel/chin. Although looking back, that seems to be a hallmark of HTC design, so....
Also, further confirmation that specs will be identical between the two phones, outside of screen/case size.
Also, I'll have to do some digging. Is there any confirmation either way, whether they are bringing back wireless charging or not?
Any ideas what might be up?
the leaked pictures do still show the fingerprint reader on the back.
the bezels could be used again for speakers, like what HTC used to do, and what the 6P does now.
Every indication we've gotten about these phones are that most of the back is metal, with a glass panel on the roughly top 1/4 of it. in theory this could allow for wireless charging but I wouldn't hold my breath since it's at the top and putting it on a pad where the contact point for Qi is in the middle probably woudln't work. the glass panel is more likely to give better signal to short range radio stuff like bluetooth and NFC. I find that on my 6P NFC has been fairly unreliable the few times I've tried to use it to pair things, and Bluetooth range for headsets is not great, and I'm assuming the mostly metal back is the main culprit for that.
Telus, a carrier in Canada, has posted their update schedule and has Android 7 hittnig the 6P and 5X on the 22nd. Telus did the same thing last year with Marshmallow and got the date correct.
LG also has documenation that they'll be starting a preview program for G5's in Korea starting on the 22nd. From what I'm reading OEM's aren't allowed to do anything like that until the official code drop.
So get yourselves ready. Android 7 is coming in 4 days.
no. It is out of support. Remember this phone is 3 years old now. Google promises OS updates for 2 years. It will continue to receive security updates for I think another 6 months.
as an aside, based on the state of my N5 a year ago I commend anyone who still has a working N5 3 years on. Mine was near useless after 2 years.
e: I just checked.. I ordered my N5 in April 2014.
I didn't realize it was that soon. Maybe I'll have my new 6P by then. I've placed the order but these corporate phone plan companies don't go through nearly as quickly. Are we expecting them to launch a new phone at the same time?
SteamID: edgruberman GOG Galaxy: EdGruberman
honestly, we have no idea this year. Like you said, 7.0 is hitting earlier than the android code drop the last few years, and LG has already announced that the V20 will be the first phone shipping with 7.0 out of the box, and that is coming in early September.
Confusing matters even more is the appearance of API level 25 in the android SDK documentation. If you (or anyone) don't know, google usually revs the API number in each major release of Android, even if it isn't a full point release. (5.0 was API level 22, 5.1 was 23, etc). This is how developers can target apps at certain OS versions, they target API levels, not OS numbers. Android 7.0 is API 24, and 25 is already making an appearance. this may mean that an Android 7.1 is closer to release than we've realised, and maybe that hits in Ocbober/November with new Nexus devices?
Whether people like it or not, Apple dominates September with the iPhone. And regardless as to whether the Nexus phones are better/more interesting, it just makes more sense from a marketing perspective to not announce/release a high profile device in the same time frame as Apple.
I've actually been without a phone for the past month or so but I just found my wife's cracked old Galaxy Nexus in my office and happened to have a SIM adapter lying around so I'm resorting to that for the time being. I just need it to text and call right now anyways.
SteamID: edgruberman GOG Galaxy: EdGruberman
Bummer. My friend's G4 died too (got stuck in the boot loop which bricks the phone, and is a known issue) and mine is still having multiple problems (cameras/flashlight dead, Youtube app can't connect, Call constantly crashes which makes it unusable as an actual telephone, etc) but keeps limping along otherwise. I've just pulled the trigger on a warranty repair now, despite procrastinating on it for so long because I couldn't face the potential hassle. My friend just got his back from repair.
Still a lovely phone when it works but it really does seem to have some inherent hardware issue(s) that only manifest over time, which is a real shame.
I hope you can get yours fixed/replaced.
Steam | XBL
Root and custom ROM?
I found it so slow even for that. that phone did not age well at all, and I loved it so much at the time.
I'll never knock iPhones in general, except for the price. Because yeah, that aspect is absurd. Kind of their schtick, though, isn't it? (But hell, I'm living on my old 4S now while the LG G4 is out of action; the 4S is a goddamn tank and continues to soldier on well. It's slow at loading and some websites crash Safari all too easily - might be a memory issue since the phone only has 512MB of RAM - but it still does a lot well.)
Steam | XBL
Huh... this seems fine... :bigfrown:
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197970666737/
I did! I have a G5 now :biggrin: I paid half of the phone off which qualified me for the Jump upgrade, but the phone didn't work so I used the warranty on the phone to get another G4. Then I used that working phone to get my upgrade. Had to jump a hoop there, but I'm happy so far with this new phone! The people at my local T-Mobile are cool so that made the whole process smooth too.
not that I'm aware. just choose to store it on the phone in the contacts app.
The note 7 is really nice to hold and the screen is beautiful. Only downside so far is that the speaker is complete garbage. Worse than the 4 at the very least. So happy though.
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197970666737/
Got it in an Amazon prime sale for about 400€ and it's so good.. So fast, such a nice battery, and yeah.. Quick charging is so fucking great.
30 minutes from like.. 30-80% charge.
Not that I ever manage to have 30% charge after a work day. When I'm back from work, after two bus rides where I usually surf the internet while listening to music , some games during break I usually return home with about 70% battery in the evening.
And if I don't plug it in over night it maybe loses 1-2% charge
Sounds like a good result!
I'm still waiting for LG to get back to me regarding a repair. :?
Steam | XBL
Edit: Opting out of the beta program and then returning to it did the trick. I got to download it again and this time installing worked.
So it looks like the rumours of Anroid 7.1 coming soonish are true. if we see releases every quarter we could see 7.1, 7.2, and 7.3 before any 8.0 release.
I wonder how big those updates will be. It kind of reminds me of Jelly Bean releases. 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3 were all the basic same version of android, but all had small improvements.