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  • Hdale85
    Moderator Emeritus
    • Jan 2006
    • 16075

    They don't? News to me....

    Comment

    • aud19
      Twin Moderator Emeritus
      • Aug 2003
      • 16706

      Not that they're horrible....most modern smartphone cameras are all pretty decent.

      The Samsung S6 and LG G4 seem to be a couple of the better reviewed ones though as far as cameras go. I'm not a big fan of the LG for other reasons though (size, curved back, lesser screen etc). It does have a mSD slot though...
      Jason

      Comment

      • P-Dub
        Office Moderator
        • Aug 2000
        • 6766

        At the moment the S6 is the way to go, if I remember correctly you are on Bell and the pricing looks really good on the base 32G model, I would spring extra for the 64G model. The extra space will be welcome, especially since there is no microSD card slot.

        The other option is to look for the S5, which is at a lower price point. Being the last removable battery and SD card has it's positives. It also has USB 3.0 for faster transfer. But the camera is okay, and speed wise, obviously not as fast as the S6. I'm thinking of possibly going this with on Fido and then get it unlocked and then use it as a travel phone. Light weight, water resistant and can do what I need it to do, supports LTE and microSim cards. Don't need to stick a case on it, where you really need a case on the S6 or at least some kind of skin on the back and possibly on the camera glass protrusion. I saw that someone cracked the camera glass on the Note5, which was a surprise to me.

        The other option is the midtier Moto X Play, but I don't know about the camera on this one.
        Paul

        There are three kinds of people in this world; those that can count, and those that can't.

        Comment

        • aud19
          Twin Moderator Emeritus
          • Aug 2003
          • 16706

          Yeah leaning 64gb for me, 32 for the wife.

          I'll be getting another wallet case for mine...love having everything in one package.

          Jason

          Comment

          • Hdale85
            Moderator Emeritus
            • Jan 2006
            • 16075

            You aren't really going to notice much of a performance difference in newer phones now. I doubt you'd notice much of any difference performance wise (CPU) between the S5 and S6.

            Comment

            • madmac
              Moderator Emeritus
              • Aug 2010
              • 3122

              Originally posted by aud19
              Yeah leaning 64gb for me, 32 for the wife.

              I'll be getting another wallet case for mine...love having everything in one package.


              I love the wallet and phone idea !! I would buy into that concept!
              Dan Madden :T

              Comment

              • aud19
                Twin Moderator Emeritus
                • Aug 2003
                • 16706

                Originally posted by Hdale85
                You aren't really going to notice much of a performance difference in newer phones now. I doubt you'd notice much of any difference performance wise (CPU) between the S5 and S6.
                According to internet tests, yup you would. S6 is WAY faster than a lot of other phones.

                Originally posted by madmac
                I love the wallet and phone idea !! I would buy into that concept!
                Have had one the last two years for my Sony phone and I'd never go back. Everything all in one place...no more stuffing your pockets with a phone and wallet...I LOVE it.
                Jason

                Comment

                • Hdale85
                  Moderator Emeritus
                  • Jan 2006
                  • 16075

                  Internet tests as in synthetic benchmarks? Sure you can measure differences but that doesn't reflect real world use at all.

                  And anything over a 1080p screen on a 6" or smaller display is a waste of battery.

                  Comment

                  • madmac
                    Moderator Emeritus
                    • Aug 2010
                    • 3122

                    Originally posted by Hdale85
                    Internet tests as in synthetic benchmarks? Sure you can measure differences but that doesn't reflect real world use at all.

                    And anything over a 1080p screen on a 6" or smaller display is a waste of battery.
                    That's what I believe too. I mean, My Note II is incredibly fast on the LTE network! I can't even imagine how the Note 5 could be that noticeably faster. As for the screen, the Note 5 has a much higher resolution screen but I'm just not sure how much better it would look to the human eye in real world circumstances.
                    Dan Madden :T

                    Comment

                    • Hdale85
                      Moderator Emeritus
                      • Jan 2006
                      • 16075

                      You might be able to tell the resolution difference if they were side by side, but really it wouldn't effect you in day to day use and the higher resolution screen will eat up way more battery.

                      Comment

                      • madmac
                        Moderator Emeritus
                        • Aug 2010
                        • 3122

                        Originally posted by Hdale85
                        You might be able to tell the resolution difference if they were side by side, but really it wouldn't effect you in day to day use and the higher resolution screen will eat up way more battery.
                        As it stands now, I have to charge my Note II every night and have had to do that since the day I bought it. I think that is the case with all smart phones honestly. I would hate it if the Note 5 didn't make it through the day!!??
                        Dan Madden :T

                        Comment

                        • Hdale85
                          Moderator Emeritus
                          • Jan 2006
                          • 16075

                          It might barely make it through a day, but wouldn't it be nice if it was just a tad thicker, and used a lower res screen, and some other changes so it went maybe 1.5 days? Or even 2 days? Getting kind of tired of this higher res phones that are thinner and thinner, give me something I can hold on to that's not overly thick but thick enough to have a really nice beefy battery, and a 1080p screen that doesn't eat it in a couple hours.

                          Comment

                          • Chris D
                            Moderator Emeritus
                            • Dec 2000
                            • 16877

                            I have to recharge my iPhone 6 several times through the day, but then again, I've been using it a lot lately for data-exchanging apps. iOS 9 says that it can increase battery life by up to an hour, but I haven't noticed any difference yet. My guess is iOS 9 sets settings for people that are ignorant and don't know how to change stuff themselves, like turning off bluetooth if you're not going to be using it.

                            (then again, come to think of it, I noticed when upgrading to iOS 9 it automatically turns bluetooth on, just like previous iOS updates)
                            CHRIS

                            Well, we're safe for now. Thank goodness we're in a bowling alley.
                            - Pleasantville

                            Comment

                            • P-Dub
                              Office Moderator
                              • Aug 2000
                              • 6766

                              Chris - You have to toggle the low power mode in iOS9 for it to stretch the battery life. It is somewhere in the battery settings. Once your phone is charged over 80%, the toggle will automatically turn off. I used a 6 for about a month or so and though the battery was pretty decent. Now if you're playing a lot of TSTO, then that is a battery drain!

                              The newer bluetooth 4.0's are much better than the older versions. But yes, turn that off if you don't need it. Also check the various background app refresh, toggle the ones you want and shut down all those others.

                              I've not updated yet to 9, still on 8.4 and rocking an old 4s! The battery is really going on it. I bet I'd get about 3-4 hours max of onscreen usage. Will look to update to maybe 9.1 if it is faster.

                              I don't get the higher resolutions on all these smartphones. The only reason that made any sense was if you used them in conjunction with a virtual reality headset. But I find that awkward and not something I would use daily.

                              It is as if somewhere during the design phase that the battery life gets pushed down for sake of saying we got a 4k screen, we are so slim, etc.

                              Imagine if you could actually go a full day without a charge and without being miserly on settings, that would be something.

                              Well the new iPhone drops tomorrow. It seams like they have more supply this year than last. There will be the usual lineups and new stories. Online orders are looking like 3-4 weeks out now, which isn't too bad.
                              Paul

                              There are three kinds of people in this world; those that can count, and those that can't.

                              Comment

                              • madmac
                                Moderator Emeritus
                                • Aug 2010
                                • 3122

                                Some people are on their phones constantly. I would assume in that case that you would not get a day's use on a charge. I don't have the wifi or the bluetooth enabled on my Note II phone unless I want to use it. I also use the power saving mode. The only thing I do that chews battery power is my screen is set always to maximum brightness.

                                I use my phone only moderately so I get a full day out of it on a charge. If I forget to put it on the charger when I go to bed then I'm in trouble the next morning. It will still be on but I'll start getting low battery warnings right out of the gate!
                                Dan Madden :T

                                Comment

                                • P-Dub
                                  Office Moderator
                                  • Aug 2000
                                  • 6766

                                  Hmm, that is where the wireless charging would come in real handy for you, just drop it on the pad at night and no worries.

                                  I've used this page as a reference point, just scroll down and click the battery life. It has quite the list and shows the Note 5 tested at 9 hours vs the Note 2 at 6 hours.

                                  The scientific measurements allow us to inspect the quality of different important components such as the display, processing power, camera speed, audio ouput and battery life.
                                  Paul

                                  There are three kinds of people in this world; those that can count, and those that can't.

                                  Comment

                                  • madmac
                                    Moderator Emeritus
                                    • Aug 2010
                                    • 3122

                                    Originally posted by P-Dub
                                    Hmm, that is where the wireless charging would come in real handy for you, just drop it on the pad at night and no worries.

                                    I've used this page as a reference point, just scroll down and click the battery life. It has quite the list and shows the Note 5 tested at 9 hours vs the Note 2 at 6 hours.

                                    http://www.phonearena.com/phones/benchmarks
                                    That's great news and progress !! The Note 5 is likely going to be my next phone. That or the Galaxy 6S edge.
                                    Dan Madden :T

                                    Comment

                                    • aud19
                                      Twin Moderator Emeritus
                                      • Aug 2003
                                      • 16706

                                      The S6 apparently has decent battery life FWIW even with it's mega-pixel screen.
                                      Jason

                                      Comment

                                      • P-Dub
                                        Office Moderator
                                        • Aug 2000
                                        • 6766

                                        So Jason, did you get the S6?

                                        After all my humming and hawing, I ended up going for the new iPhone 6s+. Yes this thing is pretty massive. But I love the large screen. Bought it off contract so I can easily use other carrier sims when I travel.

                                        The 3D touch so far is more of a gimmick. So far no real benefit yet, but I think it is still early days. I missed having my phone be my activity tracker. I found that the iPhone did better in tracking my steps than the Note4 and S5. Those would actually over report my steps, which probably had something to do with a sensitivity setting. I had placed them in the drivers door pocket and afterward saw a hug amount of steps.

                                        I went for the 128GB model as I didn't want to run out of space when taking pictures and video. I've almost filled up a 64GB 4s and 5s previously. I've used the 4s almost since it came out in fall of 2011, so 4 years and only recently has it really been slowing down. Pictures are still pretty good and I did change the battery on it about 2 years ago.

                                        The purchase process was much better this year. I was able to reserve one for pickup in store on Nov 1.

                                        Let me know if you have any questions.
                                        Paul

                                        There are three kinds of people in this world; those that can count, and those that can't.

                                        Comment

                                        • aud19
                                          Twin Moderator Emeritus
                                          • Aug 2003
                                          • 16706

                                          Actually ended up with the S4 and switching carriers form Rogers to Virgin. Needless to say, I'm not terribly impressed with the current lack of competition in our Canadian wireless providers. Particularly disappointed in my soon to be previous carriers (nearly 20 years!) willingness to do ANYTHING to maintain my business.

                                          Excited about the wallet case I ordered for it though! :lol: It's purrrrrrty :drool:





                                          Jason

                                          Comment

                                          • P-Dub
                                            Office Moderator
                                            • Aug 2000
                                            • 6766

                                            It's been a while since I've posted on this thread. There has been the introduction of the Samsung S7 and S7 Edge.

                                            The S7 Edge is now the larger phone with a 5.5" curved display. I'm still not quite sure of this 'feature' but they have added some more functionality to it. Across both devices they have upgraded internals with a better camera, lowered MP down to 12 but most reports show it is far better than the S6 camera. The camera hump has been reduced, which is good. Larger batter and what I think are the 2 key features are back. Expanded memory via a microSD card slot integrated with the nanosim tray and waterproofing!

                                            So these all come stock as 32 GB of storage, but with around 20-24 GB of free storage, which is kinda sad.

                                            Here's a speedtest comparison with the iPhone 6s. Even with the 4GB of ram in the S7 it really doesn't look like it is doing too well. I wonder if there are other comparisons out there. I honestly have not bothered looking.

                                            [youtube]10UBsSo6O4I[/youtube]

                                            I would still like to try a the S7 or even the Edge to see if it might be my next phone. But seeing as I just got a 6s Plus last November, I'm pretty much stuck with this for the next 1.5 years.

                                            The LG G5 was interesting in that they have a modular design with a Camera hump and a B&O Hi-Fi module. I don't really follow LG that much but will wait for some reviews to see how this design is going.

                                            All I know is a friend had the G4 for about 6 months and the phone is basically dead. He dropped it on carpet from his chair and it cracked his screen. Probably landed on the corner. It worked for about 2 more months and at the 6 month mark it has stopped responding to screen inputs. Plus the camera glass is all cracked. I don't he is that hard on stuff and he does have a case.
                                            Paul

                                            There are three kinds of people in this world; those that can count, and those that can't.

                                            Comment

                                            • P-Dub
                                              Office Moderator
                                              • Aug 2000
                                              • 6766

                                              The Apple announcement today was for the iPhone SE, which is basically the guts of the 6s packed in the body of an iPhone 5s. They did not include 3D touch, which is just fine. But you get the new A9 chip and the new camera, without the hump! I've always liked the 5s design. If the Canadian pricing was better I would actually consider getting one as a backup. The US pricing is spot on. I'd say Apple is going to sell a lot of these.

                                              iPhone 5SE

                                              16 GB US$399.00 vs C$579.00 a difference of C$180.00 for an exchange of $1.4511
                                              64 GB US$499.00 vs C$709.00 a difference of C$210.00 for an exchange of $1.4208

                                              The 4" form factor is going to be a great entry level phone for most and I'm interested to see how the performance compares to other top end phones. I believe the SE is only going to come with 1GB of ram, so this will affect performance, but since the display is only 1,136 x 640 it has far fewer pixels to push than even a standard 720 display.
                                              Paul

                                              There are three kinds of people in this world; those that can count, and those that can't.

                                              Comment

                                              • aud19
                                                Twin Moderator Emeritus
                                                • Aug 2003
                                                • 16706

                                                Wish there was a way to disable my S4's 'wake on home button' funcionality without rooting my phone :rant:
                                                Jason

                                                Comment

                                                • P-Dub
                                                  Office Moderator
                                                  • Aug 2000
                                                  • 6766

                                                  Jason - Hmm, I thought your case would protect it against waking on home button. I'm guess that is what is happening and it is draining battery?

                                                  So this is interesting. The Samsung S7 is shipping with the Snapdragon 820 chip, I think mainly to North America and possibly Europe, while in Asian markets they get the Exynos 8890. Well check out this speedtest between these two chips.

                                                  [youtube]233f0ewFWGk[/youtube]

                                                  I found it quite interesting and revealing. I like how programs are all loaded once and then run again from the beginning. I've found another channel that does something similar so will see when they post up their results.

                                                  If you don't want to bother watching it, I've put the result of the video below.

                                                  S7 Exynos 8890 1:27.40 2:0332
                                                  S7 Snapdragon 820 1:36.73 2:41.00


                                                  And for comparison from the video above comparing the iPhone 6S Plus and the S7 Edge

                                                  iPhone 6S Plus 1:17.55 1:54.40
                                                  Samsung S7 Edge 1:33.55 2:35.12


                                                  All together ranked:
                                                  iPhone 6S Plus 1:17.55 1:54.40
                                                  S7 Exynos 8890 1:27.40 2:0332
                                                  Samsung S7 Edge 1:33.55 2:35.12
                                                  S7 Snapdragon 820 1:36.73 2:41.00


                                                  It is a really strange Samsung decision to split the production with different processors. One reason might be at the time of production there was a perceived or paper superiority of the Snapdragon 820 chip. There could also be a supply constraint as well. The Exynos chips are produced by Samsung and the S6 did come with the Exynos 7420 chips. I would have expected Samsung to stay inhouse with the S7.

                                                  I did have a chance to try both the S7 and S7 edge in a store recently. But did not have a lot of time to play with them. They both seemed to run pretty fast and the camera is really quick. The screen colours are great as I tried some videos. The feel, well with an antitheft device attached, was really good in the hand. Much more contoured and comfortable than my 6s+. It is really nice how small the bezels are with respect to the screen size.
                                                  Paul

                                                  There are three kinds of people in this world; those that can count, and those that can't.

                                                  Comment

                                                  • aud19
                                                    Twin Moderator Emeritus
                                                    • Aug 2003
                                                    • 16706

                                                    Originally posted by P-Dub
                                                    Jason - Hmm, I thought your case would protect it against waking on home button. I'm guess that is what is happening and it is draining battery?
                                                    EXACTLY what's happening.
                                                    Jason

                                                    Comment

                                                    • P-Dub
                                                      Office Moderator
                                                      • Aug 2000
                                                      • 6766

                                                      Try the following to speed up the app load animations on your iPhone as well as iPad . This works and I've used it on my phone for a few weeks. I have Reduce Motion set to ON already and it speeds things up.

                                                      You will have to re-initiate it every so often as it does go back to the stock. This happens when the device is powered off or after some time.

                                                      Go to Settings->General->Accessibility->AssistiveTouch and turn it on
                                                      There will be a little white circle on your screen. Touch and drag it to the bottom right corner of the screen.
                                                      Then on any screen swipe down to get into the search screen and then tap to bring it back to the home screen.
                                                      Continue to do this until the dot quickly moves down from the top of the keyboard.
                                                      To see if it works, go back into settings, or any builtin app. It should snap right to the screen, instead of showing an animation.
                                                      Once completed you can go and turn AssistiveTouch off.

                                                      Here's a video of how this works.

                                                      [youtube]Knzk2c9fzvw[/youtube]

                                                      I've tried this on an 6sPlus, Air2, Air, Mini4, Mini2, iPod Touch and it worked on all. They were all on some version of iOS9. Don't know if it works on a prior vision of iOS.

                                                      Does not work on my 4s on iOS 8.4.1 and on an iPad2 on iOS 6.1.3. Will keep trying every so often, but may just upgrade to 9.3.1.
                                                      Paul

                                                      There are three kinds of people in this world; those that can count, and those that can't.

                                                      Comment

                                                      • P-Dub
                                                        Office Moderator
                                                        • Aug 2000
                                                        • 6766

                                                        Let me bring this one back up.

                                                        So in my previous post, back in March 8O, there was a speedtest between the Galaxy S7 using the Snapdragon 820 or the Exynos 8890. Check out the post to see the actual result.

                                                        So the Galaxy Note 7 is out and of course another speedtest comparison is in order against the basically year old iPhone 6s.

                                                        [youtube]3-61FFoJFy0[/youtube]

                                                        Here are the specs of the two devices:



                                                        In case you don't want to watch the whole video, but you should just for the coolness factor. Here are the results.
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                                                        Now you could say that the better comparison would be between the 6s+, but from previous speedtest videos, I would say the times would be just a bit longer but not that much more.

                                                        It will be interesting if they will do a iPhone 7 vs 6s when the new one launches.
                                                        Paul

                                                        There are three kinds of people in this world; those that can count, and those that can't.

                                                        Comment

                                                        • P-Dub
                                                          Office Moderator
                                                          • Aug 2000
                                                          • 6766

                                                          Well the exploding battery in the Note7 is hitting Samsung hard. Apple has increased it's production order by 10%.

                                                          And speaking of Apple.
                                                          Paul

                                                          There are three kinds of people in this world; those that can count, and those that can't.

                                                          Comment

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