All Things Android - Apps, Phones, Tablets - Discussion

Plain, stock Android will save the Tegra 3, but when you drop a heavily skinned framework such as Sense on top of it, the Tegra 3 really starts showing its weakpoint. I flashed an early alpha build of CyanogenMod on a One X+, and even in that ROM's early stage, shows considerable improvement in performance just because like the Nexus 7, it doesn't have additional rendering to worry about. The SoC's GPU, compared to even a two year old Samsung Exynos chip's Mali-400 GPU, is quite anemic for 2D performance.

 

You hipster.

If you limit it to ~4 background tasks, sure it's fine. Give it anything more and it starts having brain-farts, hardcore. Animations will lag, apps will become unresponsive and everything on the tablet will become unresponsive for a few seconds. And if you're wanting a live wallpaper, HAHAHAHHA. Forget that.

^That is one of Tegra's BIG issues. The other is that there's no SoC bandwidth. By that I mean, Exynos/OMAP features an ARM Cache-Coherent interconnect for SoC I/O, in addition to a dual-channel memory controller that with Exynos 4412 provided over 12GB/s of total SoC bandwidth. Exynos 5250 with LP-DDR3 can produce as much as 18GB/s. That's crazy for a mobile device.

Now, if you guys remember, or just know from the technical details... Android's smoothness is a product of 3 things: CPU/GPU/SoC Bandwidth. 20/20/60. Android with project butter craves bandwidth. That's why things may not be the fastest on the Galaxy Nexus, but they're ALWAYS smooth. The Nexus 7 is starved of bandwidth, and that's where it's stuttering behavior comes from.

 

Well if you could wipe out the crappy OEM image...oh wait you can't on HTC/Motorola. /facepalm

I think I will stick with Nexus devices or Samsung..

 

Huh?

 

Well hold on here...on the HTC I was able to put CyanogenMod on it. The flashing process was just a pain in the backside, and because of all the extra security placed on the U.S. version of the handset, developers are not really jumping on it so the ROM is relatively broken.

My Verizon RAZR HD was a pain as well to put a ROM on, but the international RAZR HD is a walk in the park. This is an example of another handset that became a victim of Verizon's iron fist software policies.

 

We may have to eat crow on this one HAL, Samsung went uber cheap and put some three year old off-brand SoC in this thing, it's not even the Exynos 4210.

Samsung I9105 Galaxy S II Plus preview: First look - GSMArena.com

I think the Tegra 3 is slightly better than the VideoCore... I think.

 

Hmm, my GS3 seems to have developed a GPS problem. Running rooted stock TouchWiz Jelly Bean 4.1.1 on AT&T. When not using WiFi, the phone continues to attempt to get a location fix and seems to fail to do so (the GPS notification icon continues blinking). GPS Test indicates that 21 satellites are in range, but the phone doesn't lock onto any.

Identical behavior occurs on my brother's GS3 (same configuration as mine), and on my friend's Verizon GS3 on 4.1.1, unrooted stock. Any ideas for a fix?

 

Has anyone seen the Xperia ZL listed for pre-order yet? I've only seen the Xperia Z locally, and that makes sense since Sony's given it the spotlight. Still, regional differences have me a bit worried.

 

Benchmarking CES 2013's flagship smartphones

Some surprising differences between the two Sonys, given they're supposed to be identical spec-wise.

 

Oh. O_O.

I'd assumed it was the same Exynos 4210. Broadcom?! VideoCore IV??! WTH is that, Samsung?! They could have at least went with a NovaThor SoC.

That's very interesting. Try GPS Toolbox and download the A-GPS data?

 

I've fallen in love with the Nexus 4 again. I hate Touchwiz and Sense. The Moto RAZR HD skin was OK, but this stock is awesome.

I'll probably be selling the rest of my phone collection soon.

Canadian Note II
Canadian Galaxy S3
Sensation 4G
Exhibit II 4G

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

I might take that Note II off your hands...

 

What phone should I get for my upgrade?

 

What are your options?

 

Pretty much anything - my contract is so cheap, I'm willing to just buy the handset outright.

 

A phablet.

 

Indeed. What's with the ZTE Grand S? That one's supposed to have a 1.7 GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro. That's either some terrible software optimization or the SoC's thermal throttling.

 

Xperia ZL. It's the one I'm watching right now...

 

I'd love a Z/ZL, except I don't get 600+ cash to burn for an unlocked one, and I am like 1+ years away from an upgrade.

Okay so after using my Nexus 4 for a day, I absolutely love it. The screen upgrade over my Blaze 4G can't be overstated, yet it is also thin. It does get a little warm, but IMO not any hotter than my Blaze 4G. Battery life I haven't been able to fully gauge yet.

 

Either the Note 2 or the Xperia ZL.

Choose the Note 2 if you want productivity, bigger screen, SAMOLED HD+ and great premium design/feel (due to the chromed contour).

Or choose the Xperia ZL if you want more professional-looking UI, perhaps better camera (Exmor RS sensor), SLCD3(2?), more average screen size and great design as well.

In terms of performance, according to benchmarks, both are in the same league (I get ~14k with old AnTuTu and ~19k with the new one).

In terms of development, both will be in the same degree, so lots of ROMs are expected with both phones.

 

Why no Z love from you or Hal? Form factor?

 

Duly noted.
Though I find it a little hard to get excited by Sony handsets.

I can't see me getting the Note2 now, as much as I love the S-Pen on my Note 10.1
Also, since I will be getting a steady stream of Samsung handsets, I sort of feel like I should get something else.

As for the Xperia, I don't agree that the UI is any better than Samsung's.
Also, the S3 and Note 10.1 are the first devices I've used completely stock and been happy with.

 

Well, the only thing the Z has over the ZL is the dust- and waterproofing from the OmniBalance design. The ZL has its own slew of benefits, mainly the form factor (and performance?). The Z is far from an unappealing device but I don't think most people would choose it over the ZL if they were fully aware of the differences between them.



The differences might be minor but they still add up:

ZL: No dust- or waterproofing Z: IPX5/7 (Water-resistant) & IP5X (Dust-proof)
ZL: 131.6 x 69.3 x 9.8 mm Z: 139 x 71 x 7.9 mm
ZL: 151 grams Z: 146 grams
ZL: Textured backplate Z: Glossy backplate
ZL: 2.0MP, 720p@30fps front-facing camera Z: 2.2MP, 1080p@30fps front-facing camera
ZL: Uncovered connectors Z: Rubber flaps covering its connectors (more hassle, extra protection)
ZL: IR remote functionality Z: No IR?
ZL: Dedicated shutter button Z: No camera button (no quick access)
ZL: 2,370 mAh battery Z: 2,330 mAh battery
ZL: Multi-coloured (content specific) notification light Z: No notification light?
ZL (C6506): LTE 700 / 850 / 1800 / 1900 / 2100 Z (C6603): LTE 800 / 850 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600
ZL (C6503): LTE 800 / 850 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600

 

Mainly because I HATE that everyone is following Apple with the glass back panel thing. Hate that. I mean, I love the way the iPhone is designed, but I hate all the glass. The ZL is compact, unique looking, has a great display, undoubtedly a great camera sensor and a non-glass back.

INTL Sony handsets are very appealing to me right now. Mainly because I know they have a solid developer relations team and the backing of CodeAurora and Qualcomm.

 

Not convinced many people would be swayed by that.

Fair dos.
They're just not unique enough for my tastes - the specs are the same as every other 5" full HD handset around just now.

 

Nor do I. Most of the differences are not worth much mentioning but I included them all, or at least tried to, for the sake of being thorough.

 

The notification light can make a difference, I certainly prefer handsets that have one.
Also, while the difference in battery capacity is marginal, if there's nothing else that personally differentiates the handsets then you'd err on the side of the phone with the slightly bigger one.

 

GSMArena reports that the ZL's front camera will be a 720p unit instead of the Z's 1080p, if that matters to anyone.

CES 2013: Sony Xperia Z and Xperia ZL hands-on - GSMArena.com

 

Notification light or...well you know the rest.

Seriously though, I never thought i'd be interested in a Sony (they've seemed meh) but these are lookers.

Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2

 

Thanks for the quick run-down. Knew some of those. Didn't know there were THAT many differences. I certainly like the form-factor of the ZL more.

 

So, Exynos 5 Octa is not using a Mali GPU. It's using PowerVR SGX544MP3.

So, now we have the best CPU, GPU and possibly Wolfson audio... all on the same SoC.

 

So... Are you finally 100% happy?

 

Absolutely not, it clearly should have the SGX 554MP4.



Not quite sure what kind of test they are doing to get the power consumption figures, but it looks pretty good. I thought the Exynos 4 was 32 nanometers though?

 

The first Exynos dual core processors were 45nm, then they moved to 32nm on the dual and quad.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exynos_(system_on_chip)

 

Ah cool, thanks. So according to Wiki, this new SoC will consume roughly the same amount of power as the current Exynos 4 Quad?

If that's the case, that's pretty impressive given what we know it comes with.

 

Next-gen CPU, current-gen GPU.
By the time Exynos 5 Octa hits the market, the 6-series PowerVR GPUs will be available.

The should update the whole Exynos 5 line to use them.
The model numbers even take care of themselves, instead of 5250 and 5450 they could use 5260 and 5460.

 

LOL. And I made a typo, it's 554, not 544.

Exynos 4 was 45NM in most all shipping configurations... Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note N7000/Tab 7.7/etc. 32NM Exynos is mainly used in Meizu phones and is the same process for Apple's A5r2. 32NM die shrink gave the iPad 2 about 3 more hours of video playback time. Pretty impressive. Samsung is using High-K Metal Gate, whereas Qualcomm is still using Poly-Si nodes on most consumer SoC's. Samsung's node has much better power optimization.

LG's SoC is already sampling with a Rogue 6-series GPU. It's going into home-theater equipment.

 

Anandtech reports 544MP3.

AnandTech - Samsung's Exynos 5 Octa: Powered by PowerVR SGX 544MP3, not ARM's Mali

 

I'm having an odd problem with the Note II I received today. Every 10 seconds, it freezes for about 2-3 seconds. I restored it through Odin and the issue still exists.

 

What's your Android version, file version and modem version?

 

Android 4.1.1(Latest for Telus), not sure, Baseband I317MVLALJ2.

A process called "Factory Test" has stopped working a few times.

 

LG deflects blame for Nexus 4 supply issues | The Verge

As nice as the Nexus 4 is, I hope the manufacturer for a Nexus device is either Sony or Motorola. Heck, give Samsung a third run with the Exynos 5250 SoC.

Try flashing a kernel through ODIN and see if your stock kernel's acting flaky.

ODIN-TAR

 

Sounds like NAND issues. :/

 

Aw, I contacted the seller, and I'm sending it back tomorrow.

 

Nice. Glad they're allowing you a return.

 

Yeah, I paid ~$600 for it

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

Xperia Z is available for pre-order off of Expansys.

Sony Xperia Z (Black) - Expansys.com UK

Supports European and AT&T 3G, no LTE. It's 529 pounds ($849 USD) though, so a lot of us might be on a Ramen noodle diet for a couple of weeks upon clicking the order button.

 

Oh wow that contract price might be ridiculous then 300+

 

The U.S. consumer don't realize how cheap their phones are to the rest of the world. Off contract prices in the U.S. tend to be $100-$150 cheaper than overseas, but then again they don't have to worry about carrier bloatware and additional encryptions. I'd imagine if the Z was offered by AT&T, it'll be priced $199 on a two year contract.

 

As TailGunner says, that's about the going rate for a SIM-free Android flagship handset or a 16GB iPhone5.

Not that I'd trust eXpansys with that much money.