Please help with choosing a new phone

[COMPL!CATED]

I would like to buy a new phone. I remember seeing a LTT video on changing the OS of a phone (can't remember the model). Is that still relevant? Should I buy it? Also, I can't find the video again, could someone please reply with a link to it?

[dgsddfgdfhgs]

1 minute ago, COMPL!CATED said:

I remember seeing a LTT video on changing the OS of a phone

do you mean flashing a custom rom? this has been around ever since 1st android phone

check xda forum for all custom roms people made for their phone

whats your current phone & budget?

[COMPL!CATED]

29 minutes ago, dgsddfgdfhgs said:

do you mean flashing a custom rom? this has been around ever since 1st android phone

check xda forum for all custom roms people made for their phone

whats your current phone & budget?

I know this has been around for some time. I remember seeing an LTT video on it where they did it with a Xiaomi. Can't remember which one though. The phone interested me when I saw the video. I currently have a Sony Xperia Z5. The problem I have with it is that it used to lag immensely and even swiping animations looked like crap. It was so bad that I turned on a feature where the phone would always use the GPU to make the image. The lagging mostly stopped (apps still crash, especially YouTube), but the battery now drains in half a day instead of one and a half days. It is also a very hot phone. My budget is flexible, but the lower the better. A 1000$ IPhone is completely out of the question though. 

[dgsddfgdfhgs]

2 minutes ago, COMPL!CATED said:

I currently have a Sony Xperia Z5. The problem I have with it is that it used to lag immensely and even swiping animations looked like crap. It was so bad that I turned on a feature where the phone would always use the GPU to make the image. The lagging mostly stopped (apps still crash, especially YouTube), but the battery now drains in half a day instead of one and a half days.

yep that happens to a phone in long term use, those bloatwares / configs and background running apps are very annoying if you dont know how have root access to fix that.

for starters, factory reset phone.

this dont have removable battery, it would be a bit riskier.

https://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-z5/development

 

always read comments and expect some bugs in doing so & choose phones with plenty developers support

 

 

[COMPL!CATED]

10 minutes ago, dgsddfgdfhgs said:

yep that happens to a phone in long term use, those bloatwares / configs and background running apps are very annoying if you dont know how have root access to fix that.

for starters, factory reset phone.

this dont have removable battery, it would be a bit riskier.

https://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-z5/development

 

always read comments and expect some bugs in doing so & choose phones with plenty developers support

 

 

I'm not sure if that's a great idea TBH. And no software optimisation can help with thermals under load. 

[dgsddfgdfhgs]

3 minutes ago, COMPL!CATED said:

And no software optimisation can help with thermals under load. 

actually there is , same as pc, but its much more advance .

its adjusting the kernal for voltage and clock speed . or apps like 3C toolbox

 

 

[191x7]

You're probably talking about the Xiaomi Pocofone F1 video Linus did about using LineageOS or whatever on the Poco to get better pictures etc.

 

For taking better pictures, no need to flash a custom ROM, the one that comes on the device is OK, just install the latest Google Camera App (GCAM) for the device.

[COMPL!CATED]

12 minutes ago, 191x7 said:

You're probably talking about the Xiaomi Pocofone F1 video Linus did about using LineageOS or whatever on the Poco to get better pictures etc.

 

For taking better pictures, no need to flash a custom ROM, the one that comes on the device is OK, just install the latest Google Camera App (GCAM) for the device.

Yes that is the phone I'm talking about. Is it still relevant/any good? I'm not interested in the Google Pixel thing, but just wondering if I should get the phone or not. 

P.S. Are there any better alternatives for a similar price? 

[dgsddfgdfhgs]

1 minute ago, COMPL!CATED said:

Yes that is the phone I'm talking about. Is it still relevant/any good

hard ware is great, top tier performance, average build quality (camera, screen sound etc).

Poor OS (forcing you to connect to their account), just some os yo want to get rid of at once (eg oppo's color os)

also the screen isnt covered by sides, so get a better case 

certainly still the best value phone

[COMPL!CATED]

4 minutes ago, dgsddfgdfhgs said:

hard ware is great, top tier performance, average build quality (camera, screen sound etc).

Poor OS (forcing you to connect to their account), just some os yo want to get rid of at once (eg oppo's color os)

also the screen isnt covered by sides, so get a better case 

certainly still the best value phone

Also, is the method Linus described to change the OS still working? Are there any updates of some of the stuff he showed that I should know of? 

[dgsddfgdfhgs]

1 minute ago, COMPL!CATED said:

Also, is the method Linus described to change the OS still working? Are there any updates of some of the stuff he showed that I should know of? 

https://forum.xda-developers.com/poco-f1/development

here you go , linage is just one common option, many alternatives with nighty updates. but basics are similar to all phones:

root > install recovery > download & flash custom rom > install gapp > enjoy

[191x7]

I have a colleague here at work who uses the phone and I have a few friends who have it. There's no actual reason to switch from it's main OS to something different, they really improved the OS since it got the Android 9 Pie update. Performance-wise, it beats my OnePlus 6 in Antutu (scores over 300.000!) but looses in 3DMark.

The camera is mediocre, but not the hardware part since it takes great pictures with the ported Google Camera (the camera app from pixel phones).

[COMPL!CATED]

41 minutes ago, 191x7 said:

I have a colleague here at work who uses the phone and I have a few friends who have it. There's no actual reason to switch from it's main OS to something different, they really improved the OS since it got the Android 9 Pie update. Performance-wise, it beats my OnePlus 6 in Antutu (scores over 300.000!) but looses in 3DMark.

The camera is mediocre, but not the hardware part since it takes great pictures with the ported Google Camera (the camera app from pixel phones).

How do I install the ported camera app (might seem obvious to you, but I'm fairly new to phones, so I wouldn't know)? Will the photos be better than on my Xperia Z5? (23MP single camera) In what scenarios? (low light, shaky hands) 

[191x7]

You just download the APK file and install it (it might ask you to allow the installation of the app from an unverified source), that's all.

https://www.xda-developers.com/download-google-camera-hdr-poco-f1-xiaomi-mi-8/

 

Google Nightsight shoots daylight-like photos in almost complete darkness. That's for low-light situations. The regular camera mode also captures better quality pictures.

[191x7]

Sorry, here's a newer port of the GCam

https://forum.xda-developers.com/poco-f1/themes/b-s-g-google-camera-port-developed-mi-8-t3843130

[COMPL!CATED]

27 minutes ago, 191x7 said:

You just download the APK file and install it (it might ask you to allow the installation of the app from an unverified source), that's all.

https://www.xda-developers.com/download-google-camera-hdr-poco-f1-xiaomi-mi-8/

 

Google Nightsight shoots daylight-like photos in almost complete darkness. That's for low-light situations. The regular camera mode also captures better quality pictures.

I also saw that there is a 64GB and a 128GB model. They are otherwise identical, right? 

[191x7]

Yes they are.

 

I want to point out that Pocophone does not have NFC and wireless charging. If you need those features (for example NFC for Google Pay), look for a different device.

As for the specs, Snapdragon 845 and 6GB of RAM mean it's a "flagship" range device, high end.

[COMPL!CATED]

6 minutes ago, 191x7 said:

Yes they are.

 

I want to point out that Pocophone does not have NFC and wireless charging. If you need those features (for example NFC for Google Pay), look for a different device.

As for the specs, Snapdragon 845 and 6GB of RAM mean it's a "flagship" range device, high end.

I don't use NFC anyway and none of my previous devices support wireless charging so I don't even have a wireless charger. I heard that face ID is region locked though, is that true?