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[Android] Thread v.2015: Google tries to hardware. Effort: A+. Grade score: C-
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Nova launcher has the pixel 2 theme down perfectly, AND the beta version can have Google now with a swipe from the left.
Currently looking at like, the OneNote 5 and the S7 (maybe Edge?). Any opinions, or has everyone already left those in the dust?
For me, after watching videos on the device running the one baffling thing on the Pixel 2 is entirely software based but having the DCI P3 colour gamut available but only if individual apps allow it is really strange. Enough that things like photo editing on the phone is nearly impossible to get right.
From what I've read, modern TouchWiz is closer to stock Android than LG's skin, FWIW.
If you grab another launcher the only other place where you see the differences in the UI is in the settings panels, those are usually different. And honeslty, after using the GS8+ for a few months, isn't that big of a deal. Things are in different places, some better than Google's, some worse.
Then it comes down to updates. Personally, I wouldn't trust LG's track record with updating. yea, the V30 will almost certainly get Android 8. But we have no idea if it'll get Android 9, the 2018 release. the OEM's I'd trust to get Android 9 on their Flagships at this point are Samsung, and 90% Motorola. Moto's just a little iffy because Lenovo does weird things sometimes, but it'll probably get it.
I have not done the research myself, but you may also find good candidates in the Moto G5/G5S and the Moto X4. I think it's considered "mid-range" price, but on the higher end of that range, but you could also check the HTC U11.
No headphone jack on the U11.
The essential phone's camera is not great.
So excited.
I may have to remember this if/when I need to update my work travel phone; so long as the cameras can be easily removed/disabled.
What is up with my google play services? It's not doing anything and I haven't even been doing any updates this morning (that I'm aware of)
That being said, that usage does look a bit high for it. It's possible that it got an update push that caused it to need to synchronize a bunch of stuff. It's hard to troubleshoot play services battery usage because it literally does nearly everything.
sometimes it just happens, but if it happens every day then its more likely your battery going
Also, considering 8.0 just dropped and 8.1 is on the horizon, it's likely that Play Services is doing some background work regarding which apps you have that need updates and/or are waiting for wifi/idle time to do so.
Both are shots in the dark, but both are experiences I've dealt with in the recent past.
I know it's not my wifi because literally every other connected device in the house works fine.
The real question is how many games can the SD835 actually render over 60fps? It will probably be more useful in the OS honestly.
Now, Razer claims they have a better/newer heat pipe setup for better dissipation and thermal management, so we'll see. It might be better than some other phones, but I'm skeptical.
first off, the midrange U11 Life, which is basically a cost reduced U11, at $350. For the price is looks really good, except for the lack of a headphone jack. https://www.theverge.com/2017/11/2/16593862/htc-u11-life-smartphone-hands-on-first-look
Then, the U11 Plus, which appears to be europe only. HTC basically made an 18:9 version of the U11 with a bigger battery and just generally slightly higher end all around.
https://www.theverge.com/2017/11/2/16589218/htc-u11-plus-announced-specs-release-date-price-android-oreo
I really like the U11 Life. That has the potential to be nearly the defacto midrange phone recommendation, as long as the headphone jack isn't a deal breaker.
um.... your local windows store won't have it because it runs Android, and Microsoft's partnership for Android is with Samsung.
It's going to be for sale in select Windows Stores. There's a fairly big one in one the local malls, so hopefully it'll be one of the select stores.
The bigger question I have is about the software. Razer is promising some cool stuff to manage battery usage in gaming, and it might affect overhead in a lot of cool ways. I'm interested to see if any of that fills its promises and if other handset makes pick up on it.
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197970666737/
Or anything that claims to vastly improve battery life/performance in Android that isn't written by google. Google has enough trouble getting devs to play nice when they literally build it into the base OS, nevermind what a random 3rd party dev with a sales ceiling that's probably sub 250k units can accomplish.
Not saying it'll be a bad phone, but it definitely won't be the magic beans and unicorn meat that Razer is going to claim.
The headphone jack thing kills me (my car doesn't have BT). I've also gotten used to the extra tall aspect ratio of my S8+, so going back to 16x9 feels a little weird. Mainly the phone just feels huuuuuge. Not convinced $699 is the right price for it, but I'm less skeptical than I was initially. The whole thing is way more restrained than I would have thought and it feels like this is a product they really care about.
If nothing else, it's a really great alternative to OnePlus in the pure-ish unlocked arena.
https://engadget.com/2017/11/02/some-google-pixel-2-xl-phones-are-reportedly-shipping-without-an/
This has to be from a rush job production?
the pixel 2 apparently has some of the audio issues that the Pixel 2 XL has, but that's almost certainly software that will be fixed.
Sorry, it's not my personal phone, but it feels very similar to the Nexus 6P in terms of size.
ditto.
Anecdotally the three people I know IRL who have a Pixel 2, only one has reported the buzzing in calls issue, which hopefully can be fixed like wunder said. The only real downer is the lack of the headphone jack, but so far I'm living without it okay.
That actually helps a lot.
When I bought my 5X over the 6P it was because I made cardboard cutouts the size of both phones to see how they'd fit in my pockets. The 6P didn't fit or not comfortably enough. At work, my phone must always be on my pocket (as a personal choice) because I had my phone stolen off of my desk a few years ago. If a phone doesn't fit comfortably in my pocket while sitting down then it's a no go for me. The Razer phone being basically the same size as a 6P tells me all I need to know.
Tested.com put up a quick look at the Razer Phone and had an Essential Phone next to it for comparison. The Razer is much larger the the Essential Phone.
That said, I may need to do the same thing again because most phones now seem to be in the 150-155mm range and that's borderline too big for me. The Essential Phone is unusually small for it's screen size, smaller than the 5X by a good margin, so I may just have to deal with it.