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Phone camera nerds may want to keep an eye on the Zenfone 4 Pro announced today, it sports a Sony IMX362 sensor, f/1.7 aperture, OIS, and dual cameras for 2x zoom. Whether it can dethrone the Pixel will remain to be seen (and is unlikely)
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Aug 17, 2017 21:34
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bull3964 posted:Looks like the Nokia 8 excitement is moot for most of this thread anyways since the 8 won't be coming to the US. It would have bombed here and they know it. They can still fix the Nokia 6 if they put in a better processor.
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Aug 17, 2017 21:36
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3peat posted:My nexus 5 is falling apart so I looked up what's the best under $200 phone right now and ordered a xiaomi RN4X; can't wait not having to recharge during the day, that xiaomi supposedly does 14hr screen on time animephone arrived this morning, here's my initial impressions - I had to sneak around so nobody could see that box - the green-blue color looks better irl than in videos or photos, it's one of the best looking phones I've ever seen - the front is all glass wrapped around the edges, the back is mostly metal with plastic on the top and bottom; it feels very solid, no creaks or rattles whatsoever. In short, it looks and feels way more expensive than the $200 I paid for it - the fingerprint sensor unlocks the phone instantly - it's sensibly faster than my nexus 5, especially at installing apps; my n5 took like 30 seconds to install something, this one takes 5 or less - for some reason 4g speed is also way higher; I suspect it's because my mobile operator uses 2 4G bands, one that's typically used in Europe and a Chinese one, and the n5 could only use the first while the xiaomi can use both, and the chinese one is faster? I have no clue how this poo poo works, so whatever - the screen is great, also better than the nexus 5 - my adventures with the MIUI experience lasted a few hours until I finally gave up; it's either having all your apps scattered around like on an iphone or putting them in folders that look like poo poo, and btw it turns out you can't put apps in folders if the folders are next to the edge of the screen, you have to move the folder to the middle first (???). And simply dragging and dropping apps or folders around doesn't work right, like 1 in 3 times it doesn't register - anyway, after trying out nova and n launchers, I settled on a stock pixel launcher port I got from here https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/6gn8f9/rootless_pixel_launcher_port/ and now everything works fine, including the stupid folders or drag and drop - the stock camera app can only record up to 1080p, but the google camera app can do 4k (!?), not that it matters since I don't use the camera much - it comes with android 6 but with a prompt to upgrade to 7; it was a 1.3GB update which it downloaded and installed in about 40 minutes tl;dr the phone looks and feels great, and for my use case of just phonecalls and internet browsing it works really well
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Aug 17, 2017 22:36
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RVProfootballer posted:Serious question: how is this different from the G6? Are the G and V lines just both flagships that get released 6 months apart? The V series phones are now the flagship devices in LG's lineup. The G is turning in to the "budget flagship" series, similar to some Chinese manufacturers like Huawei and Xiaomi.
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Aug 17, 2017 23:49
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Don't have any cool panoramas but got my XL and it rules. I knew plenty of stuff on my 5X was slow (and things were constantly getting kicked out of memory) but the Pixel is like being fast in ways I hadn't even noticed were slow on the 5X. Was leaving it unplugged after charging overnight to get a feel for the battery; for a minute I actually was thinking it wasn't blowing me away and then I checked SOT and it was >5 hours with 50% left. This thing is gonna be at like 80% after a typical workday.
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Aug 17, 2017 23:57
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KICK BAMA KICK posted:Don't have any cool panoramas but got my XL and it rules. I knew plenty of stuff on my 5X was slow (and things were constantly getting kicked out of memory) but the Pixel is like being fast in ways I hadn't even noticed were slow on the 5X. How? I average 3-4 hours SOT with my Pixel XL under normal use.
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Aug 18, 2017 00:04
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CLAM DOWN posted:How? I average 3-4 hours SOT with my Pixel XL under normal use.
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Aug 18, 2017 00:34
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bull3964 posted:I'm cautiously optimistic, but at the same time I'm so infatuated with the Pixel it's hard to look elsewhere. Thus far no provider has even tried to match the optimisation work Google put in for sleek butteryness; here's hoping.
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Aug 18, 2017 01:28
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Well my year and five month old 5x went into boot loop today. Off it goes tomorrow to LG, Project Fi is of no help since it wasn't purchased through them.
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Aug 18, 2017 02:36
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Yeah, my December 2015 Nexus 6P started bootlooping today as well. The Goog is replacing it out of warranty, but as I don't use credit it will tie up some money untill they release the authorization hold.
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Aug 18, 2017 05:16
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It's not perfect but I was pretty pleased w/ this Pixel + Google Photos panorama!
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Aug 18, 2017 06:58
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Working nights in a windowless department and stepping outside at 7am at the end of my shift is such a great feeling. Even the sky was on my side this morning.
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Aug 18, 2017 09:04
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Had my fist experience with the automatic panorama tool with my pixel the other week. Didn't realise it did it so I took these photos without the intention of making a panorama and was nicely surprised when it popped up.
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Aug 18, 2017 10:13
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Ebola Dog posted:Had my fist experience with the automatic panorama tool with my pixel the other week. Didn't realise it did it so I took these photos without the intention of making a panorama and was nicely surprised when it popped up. Where was that taken? I love mountain lakes. Here's Cajas National Park in Ecuador with my Nexus 6P (whose camera REALLY impressed me on the trip). 
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Aug 18, 2017 13:37
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I never get any of the cool collages, panoramas, etc from the assistant, and I went into the settings only to find those turned off.  What's the status of Bluetooth audio on the Pixel? I'm getting the skipping when streaming Play Music, restarting fixes it very temporarily, etc. Hearing rumblings of Android O fixing it finally?
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Aug 18, 2017 14:07
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CLAM DOWN posted:Here's a better panorama imo, this was taken on a Nexus 6 believe it or not The Nexus 6 camera got really good with updates. To this day I still wish I had held onto mine as a backup or occasional use device.
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Aug 18, 2017 14:20
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Are there any other things I can do with the Pixel in terms of fingerprint reader gestures? Swiping down for notifications is great, but what about locking the screen or turning on the flashlight with a few taps or something?
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Aug 18, 2017 14:51
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Grumpwagon posted:Where was that taken? I love mountain lakes. Here's Cajas National Park in Ecuador with my Nexus 6P (whose camera REALLY impressed me on the trip). It was taken in Snowdonia national park in Wales, I also love mountain scenery.
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Aug 18, 2017 14:55
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Mental Hospitality posted:The Nexus 6 camera got really good with updates. To this day I still wish I had held onto mine as a backup or occasional use device. They backported all of the Pixel's processing tricks that they could make work on the 810. It was pretty good at launch, now it's better than just about any phone camera but the Pixel itself.
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Aug 18, 2017 15:09
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Mental Hospitality posted:The Nexus 6 camera got really good with updates. To this day I still wish I had held onto mine as a backup or occasional use device. Really? I'm replacing my Nexus 6, and just opening the camera app will slow the phone to a crawl. Taking a photo means I won't be able to use my phone for like a minute unless I'm at like 80% battery.
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Aug 18, 2017 15:12
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The Verge has their Essential Phone review up. Looks like others are up as well. "Somewhat dissapointing camera" Pass. Stick with it and get better, and hopefully I'll have a PH-2 to consider in a year or two. e; to be clear, the camera is the "make or break" feature for me anymore. Everything else is on a sliding scale of tolerability for me, but if the camera is slow or janky to use, or the image quality is lacking, then I just don't want to waste my time. It seems like they've almost got it, to be honest. I just hope that the current phone's UX actually does improve with updates. sirbeefalot fucked around with this message at 15:33 on Aug 18, 2017 |
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Aug 18, 2017 15:16
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The Verge writer is clearly of the opinion that the camera is the only thing that could really matter on a phone, though.
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Aug 18, 2017 15:20
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MikeJF posted:The Verge writer is clearly of the opinion that the camera is the only thing that could really matter on a phone, though. I mean, he could have slapped together some meaningless benchmarks or something, I guess? It's a phone running stock Android with the defining features being the display and design (reviewed), camera (reviewed), and eventual promise of mods (reviewed). "Right now, it's like a Pixel with a bezel-less display, unapologetic but good chunky design, worse camera, no headphone jack, and promise but uncertainy with future mods and software updates." Done!
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Aug 18, 2017 15:41
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MikeJF posted:The Verge writer is clearly of the opinion that the camera is the only thing that could really matter on a phone, though. quote:Aesthetically, it might be my favorite Android phone. But in achieving its monolithic design and in getting it to retail store shelves so quickly (presumably to beat some of its highly-anticipated competitors to market), it seems like Essential cut the one corner you just can't cut on a premium smartphone: the camera. Seems more like the camera is a glaring miss in a phone that hits the mark on practically everything else that's important.
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Aug 18, 2017 15:42
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MasterSlowPoke posted:Really? I'm replacing my Nexus 6, and just opening the camera app will slow the phone to a crawl. Taking a photo means I won't be able to use my phone for like a minute unless I'm at like 80% battery. Weird, I don't remember mine being that bad at all. I got rid of mine a little over a year ago though. FAUXTON posted:Seems more like the camera is a glaring miss in a phone that hits the mark on practically everything else that's important. Which sucks because they made a big deal about how great it would be, and for a lot of people, having an excellent phone camera is a pretty big deal seeing as it's often the only camera people have on them. Mental Hospitality fucked around with this message at 15:46 on Aug 18, 2017 |
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Aug 18, 2017 15:44
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The camera also got an update 8 hours before the review went live and even though it was retested quickly, it may not have been tested as completely. What I'm saying is that we don't know how much of the camera impressions were colored by the previous experience and if the opinion would moderate with more varied shooting. Really though, I'm honestly impressed for a first attempt and not really having much to say about the software other than "can't notice much difference from the Pixel" is extremely high praise. Android O will be the litmus test though. How quickly they get that out will color people's perception of the company.
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Aug 18, 2017 15:48
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thats a pretty good candidate for me since I steadfastly refuse to purchase a 6" phone
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Aug 18, 2017 15:48
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Mental Hospitality posted:Which sucks because they made a big deal about how great it would be, and for a lot of people, having an excellent phone camera is a pretty big deal seeing as it's often the only camera people have on them. Yeah, it's kind of a letdown. It's one of the most visible ways a phone can differentiate itself from others - design gets covered by a case, a lot of people buy Samsung so Android purity probably doesn't rank that highly, you can throw extra ram, battery, and proc power in there to make up for bloat, screens will generally fit one of a few solid high resolutions, but the camera is like this tricky marriage of hardware and software that can easily make the difference for prospective buyers since as you said it's most folks' only camera and we live in a world with highly visual social media.
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Aug 18, 2017 15:55
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Most consumers have no way of identifying which camera is best. It's not something that you can really put a metric on.
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Aug 18, 2017 16:00
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MasterSlowPoke posted:Most consumers have no way of identifying which camera is best. It's not something that you can really put a metric on. Maybe not "which camera is best," but "is this specific camera good or lacking" is super easy to quantify. Is it fast? Are the images in various situations bad/ok/good/great? I read one experience in one of the couple reviews about a 30 second lag while it processed a handful of burst shots. My 6P did that several times, where I couldn't even take more photos until it was finished processing the queue. It caused me to miss shots. That's a straight up bad experience.
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Aug 18, 2017 16:05
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MasterSlowPoke posted:Most consumers have no way of identifying which camera is best. It's not something that you can really put a metric on. Maybe, but the pictures my 6p takes are significantly better than any other phone camera I've ever had. It's amazing how having a decent camera in your pocket will get you to take more pictures.
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Aug 18, 2017 16:38
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MasterSlowPoke posted:Most consumers have no way of identifying which camera is best. It's not something that you can really put a metric on. That's actually not true, there are a number of objective ways to differentiate cameras.
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Aug 18, 2017 17:07
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Turns out O must be a representation of the sun's corona because it's being released Monday. http://www.droid-life.com/2017/08/18/android-o-name-release-date-solar-eclipse/ With this, I've figured out an arbitrary metric for Essential's success. If they manage to get Android O out to the phone before Google announces the Pixel 2, they will have earned my recommendation. bull3964 fucked around with this message at 17:36 on Aug 18, 2017 |
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Aug 18, 2017 17:12
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bull3964 posted:Turns out O must be a representation of the sun's corona because it's being released Monday. Yeah, I'm with you on this. At this point I'm waiting for more reviews, but my enthusiasm has died for the Ph-1. I'm most likely going for the Pixel 2, but if essential gets the update rolled out along with the the other colors, I may still get it. Sucks I have to wait a couple more months though cause I'm really tired of my 6p.
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Aug 18, 2017 18:41
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I am extremely biased, but I can't wait to see what Huawei does with the Mate 10. I hope it doesn't end up being some ridiculous $1000 phone like the rumors suggest. But, if it can maintain the 8+ hour SOT on a charge like the 9, and the camera gets even better, and the Kirin 970 kicks as much rear end as the 960, it will probably be my next phone.
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Aug 18, 2017 19:33
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The camera is not that big of a deal to me...however the phone apparently having a lovely radio setup either in software or hardware is a pretty big dealbreaker
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Aug 18, 2017 20:18
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Been a while and had too play catchup on this thread. Like some others, my third 6P failed with a bootloop of death. I was able to do the workaround that was posted which made it still usable, but got it RMAed for a much better looking and feeling Frost 6P from them. (Google is super cool about just offering a replacement with little question with theses two issues which is good) However instead of sticking with it I decided to sell it on Swappa and hold out on my test phone until either Essential of Pixel 2 XL launches. I really want to give Essential a shot and wonder how it would do with the Google Camera APK installed on it. It woks great on my test device and the camera on my 6P, while not as fast as a pixels, always seemed to take better shots than anyone around me with an iDevice or even some Samsungs in low lights. Will absolutely miss the 6P as I just loved the look, style, feel, speakers, screen, etc, but the battery or bootloop issues that hang over it make it impossible to guarantee it would last other 6 months before it does another death jump again. This replacement was even a bit older per the build barcode date, but was the first I got that had Hynix ram and Toshiba storage which both felt and benched faster than the all Samsung devices I had before. Interesting for sure. Also not to fully bring up the headphone talk, but on the headphone port itself, outside of devices with dedicated DAC's like the HTC 10, V10 and a few newer devices, the one thing I hated was the headphone port of my 6P and any other devices that didn't have a DAC. It made BT audio sound immensely better as the headphone port itself was weak and lacked any sort of punch from itself as well as passed through audio if the phone was being charged at the same time which made it pretty much unusable. Even in my old 2001 Mustang GT I put in a AUX in plug to the stock deck, but usually use a Antec Smartbean which has a much better audio out boost through its port, and doesn't tether the phone down to two cables as it is playing audio/driving. While the port is convenient, I personally won't miss it as long as my Smartbean or another BT receiver with apt-x continues to be affordable and keep the audio quality up. And I have long since ditched wired headphones as I just got sick and tired of those cables snagging on just about anything and everything. I still have some, but rarely use them ever. Completely different question, but can anyone quit tell if the Essential phone has a square edged screen, or if its going to be rounded like a Sammy/Pixel device? I really liked the flat edges of the 6P for glass screen protector fit and use, and the rounded edges without being a purposeful edge display screen, really just makes the screen protector fit look like crap. I may attempt to roll a Essential naked, but not without glass on its glass.. EdEddnEddy fucked around with this message at 21:57 on Aug 18, 2017 |
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Aug 18, 2017 21:43
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Google seems to have a pretty good track record when it comes to selling a Google-phone that is better than the one that came before it. And hey, maybe the pixel 2 will even be available to purchase when it launches instead of immediately sold out for a couple months.
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Aug 18, 2017 21:53
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Hey man, I got my nexus 4 by setting up an autoclicker to check for stock every second. lovely launches are part of the Google(tm) experienc!
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Aug 18, 2017 21:57
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Mental Hospitality posted:I am extremely biased, but I can't wait to see what Huawei does with the Mate 10. I hope it doesn't end up being some ridiculous $1000 phone like the rumors suggest. But, if it can maintain the 8+ hour SOT on a charge like the 9, and the camera gets even better, and the Kirin 970 kicks as much rear end as the 960, it will probably be my next phone. Huawei is a piece of poo poo company and you are crazy as hell for wanting to buy their products with how they deal with their customers
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