The Android Thread - He;pl - The Something Awful Forums

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > The Android Thread - He;pl

some dillweed: Mar 31, 2007

So I've had the Axon 7 for a couple of days now. Is there a known good battery monitor app? I just want to see if I'm getting around the kind of screen-on-time that's expected out of this. e: Is GSam the one people still use?

General impressions:

Software-wise, other than a couple of quirks (specifically, certain things like the structure of the "Settings" menus, the lack of detail in the default battery monitor, and having/wanting to disable a few of the pre-installed ZTE apps/bloat after updating to the newest firmware), this thing seems fine so far.
The capacitive buttons haven't been an issue at all yet. The spacing seems fine, but maybe I just have smaller or more precise fingers than some reviewers. I'm sure it would be better if the buttons were lit, but it hasn't been a problem for me.
ZTE's MiFavor obviously isn't stock Android, but it still seems usable in the same ways so far, the various apps just have different looks and slightly different functionality in certain cases. Not that it likely matters for the most part, since I'll probably just use replacements like Nova Launcher and the Google versions of other apps (like Calendar) when I get around to installing them again.
The display is definitely faster than that Moto G5 Plus I had and the contrast and colours look nicer (or at least are generally more saturated) and it seems like some of those saturated colours are still much more accurate than my old Moto G 2014. I haven't done any measurements with my colorimeter or anything, but just from a quick comparison the Colorful/Warm screen settings seem like they're the closest to my PC's calibrated screen, but certain colours are still slightly strong. Trying to select Natural/Warm causes white to turn pinkish and certain colours also look undersaturated. It would be nice if there were an sRGB mode of some sort, but the way it is right now is fine considering I'm not really doing anything colour-critical on my phone. It would also probably be nice if there were any kind of fine display calibration controls in Android in general, but maybe I'm asking for too much.
As minor as it is and as little as I'll probably end up using it, getting stereo sound out of the phone speakers is nice. It felt weird to me hearing audio coming from one side on the G5 Plus.
Loading times and general use so far seem about the same as they were with the G5 Plus. The signal strength also seems to be about the same as the G5 Plus (better than the old Moto G). I don't currently have a connection that can saturate the WiFi on either phone, so I can't make any meaningful comparison there.

Basically, right now it just seems like I traded out a disappointing display for a better display, an overall upgrade in hardware (at least on paper), and having to adjust to a slightly different setup on various parts of the UI. This ended up costing the same as the G5 Plus (with its associated duties, fees, and currency conversion). I'll just have to see how this one is over the longer term. Hopefully it's good.

some dillweed fucked around with this message at 13:00 on Jun 7, 2017

# ? Jun 7, 2017 12:57

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 26, 2024 17:12

vyst: Aug 25, 2009

Chikimiki posted:

More RAM than storage or bust! As long as they keep the ~SD card slot~

Instead of a sd card slot I want an expansion slot for more ram

# ? Jun 7, 2017 13:32

Uthor: Jul 9, 2006; Gummy Bear Heaven ... It's where I go when the world is too mean.

I just want a RAM module with a cellular antenna and T9 keypad attached.

# ? Jun 7, 2017 14:07

Incessant Excess: Aug 15, 2005; Cause of glitch:
Pretentiousness

Grog posted:

So I've had the Axon 7 for a couple of days now. Is there a known good battery monitor app? I just want to see if I'm getting around the kind of screen-on-time that's expected out of this. e: Is GSam the one people still use?

General impressions:

Software-wise, other than a couple of quirks (specifically, certain things like the structure of the "Settings" menus, the lack of detail in the default battery monitor, and having/wanting to disable a few of the pre-installed ZTE apps/bloat after updating to the newest firmware), this thing seems fine so far.

The capacitive buttons haven't been an issue at all yet. The spacing seems fine, but maybe I just have smaller or more precise fingers than some reviewers. I'm sure it would be better if the buttons were lit, but it hasn't been a problem for me.

ZTE's MiFavor obviously isn't stock Android, but it still seems usable in the same ways so far, the various apps just have different looks and slightly different functionality in certain cases. Not that it likely matters for the most part, since I'll probably just use replacements like Nova Launcher and the Google versions of other apps (like Calendar) when I get around to installing them again.

The display is definitely faster than that Moto G5 Plus I had and the contrast and colours look nicer (or at least are generally more saturated) and it seems like some of those saturated colours are still much more accurate than my old Moto G 2014. I haven't done any measurements with my colorimeter or anything, but just from a quick comparison the Colorful/Warm screen settings seem like they're the closest to my PC's calibrated screen, but certain colours are still slightly strong. Trying to select Natural/Warm causes white to turn pinkish and certain colours also look undersaturated. It would be nice if there were an sRGB mode of some sort, but the way it is right now is fine considering I'm not really doing anything colour-critical on my phone. It would also probably be nice if there were any kind of fine display calibration controls in Android in general, but maybe I'm asking for too much.

As minor as it is and as little as I'll probably end up using it, getting stereo sound out of the phone speakers is nice. It felt weird to me hearing audio coming from one side on the G5 Plus.

Loading times and general use so far seem about the same as they were with the G5 Plus. The signal strength also seems to be about the same as the G5 Plus (better than the old Moto G). I don't currently have a connection that can saturate the WiFi on either phone, so I can't make any meaningful comparison there.
Basically, right now it just seems like I traded out a disappointing display for a better display, an overall upgrade in hardware (at least on paper), and having to adjust to a slightly different setup on various parts of the UI. This ended up costing the same as the G5 Plus (with its associated duties, fees, and currency conversion). I'll just have to see how this one is over the longer term. Hopefully it's good.

What's the system/security patch situation like? I understand ZTE is pretty good about keeping phones up to date. I'm a bit surprised by how little performance difference you're noticing to the G5+ I gotta say, seeing how the 820 was a top of the line chip just last year.

# ? Jun 7, 2017 14:27

El Mido: Feb 22, 2011

Last I checked the Axon 7 is still on the March security patch. Specs don't matter when the software experience isn't tuned like a Pixel.

# ? Jun 7, 2017 15:25

Grey Area: Sep 9, 2000; Battle Without Honor or Humanity

Is there a noticable performance difference between SD 430 and 625? I'm wondering if I should pay the extra �50 for the G5+ (625) or wait until the Nokia 6 (430) comes out on the 20th.

# ? Jun 7, 2017 15:34

Helter Skelter: Feb 10, 2004; BEARD OF HAVOC

The 625 will have better battery life. It's also faster in general and is supposed to have a better LTE modem, though whether or not you'll notice the difference probably depends on your usage habits.

# ? Jun 7, 2017 15:40

Thermopyle: Jul 1, 2003; ...the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt. �Bertrand Russell

El Mido posted:

Last I checked the Axon 7 is still on the March security patch. Specs don't matter when the software experience isn't tuned like a Pixel.

I don't know if this is true or not, but I do know that ZTE let it go months without a security update before they pushed out 7.0

Thermopyle fucked around with this message at 17:12 on Jun 7, 2017

# ? Jun 7, 2017 15:50

El Mido: Feb 22, 2011

It's true. When they did push out 7.0 they only updated it to Dec 2016 instead of the Jan 2017 that was current at that time, too.

# ? Jun 7, 2017 16:06

Incessant Excess: Aug 15, 2005; Cause of glitch:
Pretentiousness

Are there any companies with a good track record with regard to security updates other than Google and Lenovo?

# ? Jun 7, 2017 16:38

Endless Mike: Aug 13, 2003

Samsung

# ? Jun 7, 2017 16:44

Syrinxx: Mar 28, 2002; Death is whimsical today

Incessant Excess posted:

Are there any companies with a good track record with regard to security updates other than Google and Lenovo?

Samsung and Google are good at updates. Lenovo isn't.

https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2017/06/2017-android-security-rewards.html

# ? Jun 7, 2017 16:45

Incessant Excess: Aug 15, 2005; Cause of glitch:
Pretentiousness

Syrinxx posted:

Samsung and Google are good at updates. Lenovo isn't.

https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2017/06/2017-android-security-rewards.html

Thanks for the link, I assume that the G5+ is considered a Motorola phone rather than a Lenovo one? It's the main reason I mentioned Lenovo

# ? Jun 7, 2017 16:48

Macichne Leainig: Jul 26, 2012; by VG

Incessant Excess posted:

Thanks for the link, I assume that the G5+ is considered a Motorola phone rather than a Lenovo one? It's the main reason I mentioned Lenovo

I would say Motorola devices probably have better support than most Lenovo devices, but that's not really a guarantee that if you buy a G5+ now you'll be on the latest security update in 6 months.

# ? Jun 7, 2017 17:12

CLAM DOWN: Feb 13, 2007

Incessant Excess posted:

Are there any companies with a good track record with regard to security updates other than Google and Lenovo?

One problem is the carriers, not necessary the OEM. Like, Samsung can release regular updates, but the carrier has to do it too. For example, Rogers will only release 1 security updates a quarter for Samsung phones and I've seen them delay those, so you're potentially 3+ months out of date at any given time. Not to mention it took 6 months after Samsung finished 7.0 for Rogers to release it to the S7.

# ? Jun 7, 2017 17:31

Incessant Excess: Aug 15, 2005; Cause of glitch:
Pretentiousness

I just looked at the list again and the Moto G series isn't even on it, how come the G5+ is so highly recommended in spite of that? Security updates simply not the be all end all?

# ? Jun 7, 2017 17:49

CLAM DOWN: Feb 13, 2007

Incessant Excess posted:

I just looked at the list again and the Moto G series isn't even on it, how come the G5+ is so highly recommended in spite of that? Security updates simply not the be all end all?

I dunno, I put a lot of emphasis on them but maybe it's just me. That's why I've always bought a Nexus or Pixel for my personal phone.

# ? Jun 7, 2017 17:51

CFox: Nov 9, 2005

Incessant Excess posted:

I just looked at the list again and the Moto G series isn't even on it, how come the G5+ is so highly recommended in spite of that? Security updates simply not the be all end all?

Is there a phone as good as the G5+ in it's price range that has frequent updates?

# ? Jun 7, 2017 18:00

monster on a stick: Apr 29, 2013

Incessant Excess posted:

I just looked at the list again and the Moto G series isn't even on it, how come the G5+ is so highly recommended in spite of that? Security updates simply not the be all end all?

I think the idea of buying the G series is that it's a disposable phone. My G4 Play (bought late last year) had security updates from... July? Then in April I think they updated to the February security patch, and that's been it.

# ? Jun 7, 2017 18:04

Syrinxx: Mar 28, 2002; Death is whimsical today

Incessant Excess posted:

I just looked at the list again and the Moto G series isn't even on it, how come the G5+ is so highly recommended in spite of that? Security updates simply not the be all end all?

I think people still have the perception that Motorola is good at keeping up security patches, which hasn't been true since they became a Chinese brand

The G5+ is good because of its price, specs, and relatively stock version of Android. Of course, so are OnePlus and Honor but the thread will endlessly poo poo on any non-Pixel/Moto device so welp

# ? Jun 7, 2017 18:07

Blue Train: Jun 17, 2012

The g5 is cheap enough it can be purchased yearly, offsetting it's lack of updates

# ? Jun 7, 2017 18:32

Thermopyle: Jul 1, 2003; ...the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt. �Bertrand Russell

Syrinxx posted:

I think people still have the perception that Motorola is good at keeping up security patches, which hasn't been true since they became a Chinese brand

The G5+ is good because of its price, specs, and relatively stock version of Android. Of course, so are OnePlus and Honor but the thread will endlessly poo poo on any non-Pixel/Moto device so welp

Specs don't matter. The G5+ isn't good in an absolute sense, it's just that its the least worse option for the price.

# ? Jun 7, 2017 19:11

Incessant Excess: Aug 15, 2005; Cause of glitch:
Pretentiousness

I've come across the option of replacing my Nexus 5X, which I find to be kinda slow to open apps and eager to close them, with a Galaxy S7. Would that be a bad idea, seeing as how I would only have a limited time of software support left from the S7? Is the S7 even a meaningful upgrade to the 5X?

# ? Jun 7, 2017 19:14

Blue Train: Jun 17, 2012

The 5x will likely bootloop at some point in the future

# ? Jun 7, 2017 19:21

some dillweed: Mar 31, 2007

Incessant Excess posted:

What's the system/security patch situation like? I understand ZTE is pretty good about keeping phones up to date. I'm a bit surprised by how little performance difference you're noticing to the G5+ I gotta say, seeing how the 820 was a top of the line chip just last year.

Like other people said, the most recent update is based on 7.1.1 and includes the March security updates. As for the performance, it's mainly because I didn't do any significant testing on the G5+ before returning it. Loading games seems slightly faster on the Axon, at least.

From prior experience with Motorola, I would say not to count on timely updates at all. Also, I think their customer support used to be alright but their standards seem to have slipped in the past few years (or plummeted, depending on who you ask).

# ? Jun 7, 2017 20:43

bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

Moto's been handling the Z and Z Play on Verizon well at least. Both are on May's security update.

# ? Jun 7, 2017 20:49

always be closing: Jul 16, 2005

I have a job as a delivery driver for a large parcel service. I am using a Nexus 6 on AT&T, is this phone capable, and is there a good app for counting steps/distance walked that won't be screwed up by driving the truck a couple blocks, riding in elevators, etc. Or do I need a smart watch or something?

# ? Jun 8, 2017 01:36

Blue Train: Jun 17, 2012

You could just use Google fit I would assume but you could also buy a Xiaomi mi fit 2 for like twenty bucks

# ? Jun 8, 2017 01:41

Blue Train: Jun 17, 2012

Note that p much any solution will be inaccurate on the step counts

# ? Jun 8, 2017 01:43

Wayne Knight: May 11, 2006

You could keep count and type each stepping session into a spreadsheet.

# ? Jun 8, 2017 01:45

Blue Train: Jun 17, 2012

Yea buy a pedometer and do it the old fashioned way

# ? Jun 8, 2017 02:06

rotaryfun: Jun 30, 2008; you can be my wingman anytime

Google Now search and and the Google Now slide page with all the cards will not load anything. Or actually run any searches.

Know of a fix for that?

# ? Jun 8, 2017 02:07

IuniusBrutus: Jul 24, 2010

always be closing posted:

I have a job as a delivery driver for a large parcel service. I am using a Nexus 6 on AT&T, is this phone capable, and is there a good app for counting steps/distance walked that won't be screwed up by driving the truck a couple blocks, riding in elevators, etc. Or do I need a smart watch or something?

I was formerly a courier for a Large Parcel Service. I tried numerous step counting devices, all of them were thoroughly fooled by rattly, vibrating old trucks.

# ? Jun 8, 2017 02:13

Wayne Knight: May 11, 2006

But you know how many you take. Just count as you walk. "One, two, three. <Drop off package> Four, five, six."

# ? Jun 8, 2017 02:27

Internet Explorer: Jun 1, 2005

And then swiftly blown your brains out.

# ? Jun 8, 2017 02:31

incogneato: Jun 4, 2007; Zoom! Swish! Bang!

rotaryfun posted:

Google Now search and and the Google Now slide page with all the cards will not load anything. Or actually run any searches.

Know of a fix for that?

I've had this problem a few times over the past month or so. Clicking on the search bar/pill or swiping left to Now (on a Pixel) both are just blank, and searches do nothing and give no suggestions. It's been pretty infrequent, but once it happens it doesn't go away. Only way I found to fix it is a restart.

I'm hoping the Pixel Launcher update that just downloaded will have a fix for it, although I don't even know if it's the launcher causing the issues.

# ? Jun 8, 2017 02:47

Sininu: Jan 8, 2014

I find it dumb that power saver mode lowers brightness lower than lowest brightness I can manually set. Plus there's even lower brightness that's set after minute of inactivity. Why can't I manually set the brightness to that level?

# ? Jun 8, 2017 02:49

ClassActionFursuit: Mar 15, 2006

rotaryfun posted:

Google Now search and and the Google Now slide page with all the cards will not load anything. Or actually run any searches.

Know of a fix for that?

Clear cache for Google app and if that doesn't work, clear data. All your poo poo is in the cloud so setting it back up isn't painful.

# ? Jun 8, 2017 05:37

Kerning Chameleon: Apr 8, 2015; by Cyrano4747

LastInLine posted:

Clear cache for Google app and if that doesn't work, clear data. All your poo poo is in the cloud so setting it back up isn't painful.

Unless you use non-cloud based 2FA authenticators.

Which you should, since U2F isn't nearly as widespread as it should be yet (then again, neither is 2FA, lol every loving bank ever).

# ? Jun 8, 2017 07:01

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 26, 2024 17:12

DemonMage: Oct 14, 2004; What happens in the course of duty is up to you...

Clearing the google app cache/data doesn't touch your installed apps. So doesn't matter what kind of 2FA you use in this instance.

# ? Jun 8, 2017 07:28

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > The Android Thread - He;pl

«‹›2236 »