Smartphones

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Tarrant

Tarrant

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Vaclav_sl said:
While true that they're variable, there's been many tests from different groups, all with M8 doing the best of the three.

But real world will always have some outlying cases. Part of why I personally still use an Otterbox Defender on mine. Durable is good, durable with a durable case is better.
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-shrug- I literally repair around 3 dozen phones a day at my store. You can believe what you want but I'm working off experience here. I like the the M8 a lot but it's just as fragile as any other phone. (sorry if I sound like I'm being a dick, I'm not intending that at all, I just don't know how else to phrase that.)

Totally unreleated I went over some numbers today. Here are my top 10 phones that come in for repairs (some listed more than once because of separate issues).

#1 - iPhone 5c - Can Not Connect To Wi-Fi or Network
#2 - S3 - Battery Won't Hold Charge
#3 - iPhone 5S - Touch Screen Failure
#4 - M8 - Broken Mic
#5 - G2 - Shattered Screen (insurance claim filed) ---I swear, this phones screen is made of paper. Fantastic phone but if you don't have a case on it...it's breaking. (it seems anyways)
#6 - iPhone 5S - Shattered Screen/Theft (insurance claim filed) ------Both issues happen roughly the same amount for us
#7 - S4 - Charging Port
#8 - M8 - Audio Not Working/Shattered Screen (insurance claim filed) ------Both issues happen roughly the same amount for us
#9 - S2 - Battery Wont Hold Charge/Charging Port (Should be noted that the S2 single handedly kept Sprints service and repair departments open...holy hell was that a bad phone. I'm not sure anything will ever top it.)
#10 - S5 - Camera Failure


I've had a shockingly few amount of S5's come back come back considering the amount of phones we've sold...but I'm sure it'll pick up, it always does no matter the phone. I guess I don't want to say drop tests are totally useless...but I in no way think they should be an end all be all to what phones you want to get. (except the G2...fuck that phones screen...the rest of the phone is awesome though) Battery issues could be the battery/charging port or could be user error, my systems quick synopsis just lumps anything battery life related all in together.
 
Vaclav

Vaclav

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Not saying I don't believe ya. Tests or reality can outlie from the norm.

Joeboo: Most people don't use their speakers because they're shit. When you have nonshit speakers things change for some. Additionally snapppier UI, more realistic colors, and better low light photography without even getting into software improvements like EPS and BlinkFeed.

The speaker thing is hilarious though - no one used those super low res cameras on flip phones either - guess now that cameras are decent they still don't, right?
 
Tarrant

Tarrant

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I'd disagree on why people don't use speakers. Anytime I hear a person walking around playing music from their I think they are a giant douche. I don't use mine because there's literally no situation where I'd care to burden others with what I'm listening too. If I'm at home, I'd rather play it though my headset as I'm mobile in my house or play it through my entertainment system.
 
jeydax

jeydax

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I mean, I get what Vaclav is saying. I'm going fishing this weekend and my brother's boat doesn't have speakers on it. I used my S3 a couple weeks back for a while but got annoyed because of how horseshit it sounded. I'll see how much better the M8 really is.

But I more or less agree with joeboo. So the phone looks great? Big fucking deal, you're going to cover it in plastic. So it has great speakers? Wonderful - but imo this is largely a gimmick. They sound better but unless you're camping in a remote area or on a boat with no speakers or something of that nature... who cares? Most of the time you're playing it through bluetooth/headphones. BlinkFeed is nice, especially for people who are social media nut jobs. Personally, I don't even use it. The phone is crazy fast but I've also got mine rooted/unlocked and loaded with a debloated ROM. I'm sure the S5 would be just as fast with the same changes.

For the average user the M8 is probably JUST BARELY the better phone but I'm likely going to turn it in before my 14 days are up if the S5 DE for Verizon gets ROM support. They just were able to root/unlock it in the past couple days.
 
BrutulTM

BrutulTM

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Tarrant_sl said:
-#5 - G2 - Shattered Screen (insurance claim filed) ---I swear, this phones screen is made of paper. Fantastic phone but if you don't have a case on it...it's breaking. (it seems anyways)
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I must be lucky then. I dropped my G2 from eye level onto a concrete shop floor a couple weeks ago. All it got was a little scuff on the corner. I also think cases are stupid and haven't had one for several years.
 
Joeboo

Joeboo

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I'm also on the anti-case team. I hate how much bulk they add to a phone, and a phone doesn't slide in and out of my pocket as easily when it has a rubber casing on it. But I'm also very careful with my device, it's either in my pocket, or sitting on my desk, and that's it. I don't leave it just laying around anywhere to be stepped or sat on or anything.
 
Vaclav

Vaclav

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Jey: Wouldn't consider myself antisocial, and always had 6+ hrs a day solo or duo with the wife each day. Yea, in public situations its gauche to use speakers - but some applications that would've required additional hardware or blasting Bluetooth from another room we've done:

Shower/bath music for the wife, watching Good Eats clips clearly while cooking in the kitchen, answering the phone for the wife (she's deaf in one ear and on schedule for a hearing aid for the other in the next ten years), GPS over car conversations as stated before, etc.

Hell, it's good enough we'll even use it to run music while in a Bluetooth room at times. (I.e. using it for the PS4 as well at the time) And still are able to both enjoy the same music across reasonably large rooms.

Now maybe the GNex has complete shit speakers and most are more adequate. But all those applications didn't work or barely worked without Bluetooth on the GNex.
 
Vaclav

Vaclav

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On BlinkFeed: I don't care too much about the social stuff but the custom filters are badass. Found multiple PS4 discounts from one, staying on top of smartwatch data easily with another, board game stuff with another, etc.

Lets me stay on top of tons of stuff pretty damn well with less effort. Used to waste hours a day on my research topics, now I've got more of them an probably less than 15 min a day. Not sure how valuable that savings would've been before retirement though, got in the research habit because of idle time at work but while retired, it's a huge benefit. More data on stuff to save money while saving time as well to have more time to actually do shit. (I was a HR professional, busy fields likely would benefit similarly to my retirement days, other lax ones I'd be mixed on like my own)
 
Gaige

Gaige

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I'm hard as fuck on my phone so a case is a must. Also I use the speakers a lot because my night job is a boring security deal and after dark I only have to patrol a couple times per hour and I spend the rest of the time watching Bones reruns on Netflix and since I'm by myself in a security stand thing I use the speakers.
 
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Yaamean

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S5 is actually a beast once rooted and rommed.....the new touchwiz, while much better functionality wise, seems to be a huge performance hog. Bloat apps may contribute as well......but I threw aokp on my sprint s5 and man did it fly. granted, It didnt have working camera / cpl lil bugs they need to work out.....but the hardware in the s5 is top notch for sure. Now I'm also a sucker for romming since the OG moto droid with verizon, and I also prefer stock android over blur/wiz/sense any day. But aside from the plasticy feel, id choose the s5 over the one all over again if I had to.
 
Tarrant

Tarrant

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BrutulTM_sl said:
I must be lucky then. I dropped my G2 from eye level onto a concrete shop floor a couple weeks ago. All it got was a little scuff on the corner. I also think cases are stupid and haven't had one for several years.
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Thats crazy (and awesome)!! I love the G2, it's largely the only reason that phone ever comes into my repair center. That phone is awesome and depending on the specs of the G3, I may hop over from the Note series to give it a go.
 
Tarrant

Tarrant

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Vaclav_sl said:
Shower/bath music for the wife
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Stop this.

Now.
wink.png


Steam = water damage. (happens all the time) Get a Bluetooth speaker for your bathroom.
 
Y

Yaamean

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Still waiting on a bug-free aokp or vanir rom....for now I reverted back to the debloated stock rom.....as with 2 kids, not having a working camera is a deal breaker. Im sure its not long b4 everything is working as it should.
 
Vaclav

Vaclav

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Tarrant_sl said:
Stop this.

Now.
wink.png


Steam = water damage. (happens all the time) Get a Bluetooth speaker for your bathroom.
Click to expand...
Talking 10 feet away in a master bath [it's 15x15 triangularly with a high ceiling that follows the inside of the roof - I'd guess in the 300-400 ft^3 range] with solid venting that doesn't even steam up the mirrors below about the 5-6 foot mark.... perhaps you're right, but our bathroom is pretty low moisture. (In fact, annoyingly so for me when I'm trying to use it like a sauna in the winter months since I'm short so steam just barely gets to my head when I'm standing and no chance while sitting/relaxing)
 
Siliconemelons

Siliconemelons

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Vaclav_sl said:
Talking 10 feet away in a master bath [it's 15x15 triangularly with a high ceiling that follows the inside of the roof - I'd guess in the 300-400 ft^3 range] with solid venting that doesn't even steam up the mirrors below about the 5-6 foot mark.... perhaps you're right, but our bathroom is pretty low moisture. (In fact, annoyingly so for me when I'm trying to use it like a sauna in the winter months since I'm short so steam just barely gets to my head when I'm standing and no chance while sitting/relaxing)
Click to expand...
Groupon has the waterproof wall suctioncup Bluetooth ones for like 10-15bucks often grab one of them
 
Vaclav

Vaclav

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Wife had one of the BT showerheads from Moen on the wishlist before the M8's - that would be the replacement if we go ahead with a BT for the bathroom.
 
jeydax

jeydax

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Yaamean_sl said:
Still waiting on a bug-free aokp or vanir rom....for now I reverted back to the debloated stock rom.....as with 2 kids, not having a working camera is a deal breaker. Im sure its not long b4 everything is working as it should.
Click to expand...
What phone?
 
BrutulTM

BrutulTM

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I have wished sometimes that my phone had better speakers when I want to show someone a funny YouTube video or something and the speaker is on the back of the phone and you can't fucking hear it even on max volume. My current phone is fine for that though, my shitty netbook on the other hand, is not.
 
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