[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by rohitoasis

Fortunately Nokia dropped prices of the Nokia 8 yesterday. Ordered one yesterday and received it 2 hours back. Got myself a new sim and now exploring it.

Originally Posted by Prathiiik

However, reports state that the low light camera performance could be better.

Install Google Camera app to solve Nokia 8 camera issues. Google's Pixel 2 camera app (for Nokia smartphones) is not available on Playstore yet - but you can download it from

https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/a...bsg_colors.apk

[RavenAvi]

Originally Posted by Prathiiik

When compared to your existing OnePlus 5T, the Ram (8/6 GB vs 4 GB) and the Camera (20 MP vs 13 MP) are a downgrade.

Thanks for the feedback. My primary set will continue to be the OnePlus 5T (I have the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage), so I am looking at something which is (performance-wise) nearly as good as this.

Originally Posted by Prathiiik

The Nokia 9 (not sure about the launch) is supposed to come with a 22MP rear camera and 4GB ram. If an excellent camera is your primary requirement, the Nokia 9 would be a superior phone.

The Net is buzz with rumors that the (presumed) Nokia 9 config is actually going to be offered in the Nokia 8 2018 edition (or it might be called Sirocco). All things will be clear come Feb 25th.

Originally Posted by Prathiiik

You can even consider the Huawei Honor 10 with 6 GB ram and a dual 20 + 16 MP dual camera.

Huawei sets are not available here, due to extremely low demand. My city folk lean more towards Xiaomi/Oppo/Vivo phones. Micromax had a stronghold earlier, but now has gone down.

Originally Posted by vb-san

If you are keen on the Pixel 2 XL I would recommend to go with that. I mean, how many times in a year you expect to take the phone to a service centre? The camera is just brilliant and probably the best in business right now.

True, and no other smartphone has an OEM camera set like the Pixel 2 XL right now (except maybe the latest iPhone lineup).

But I keep reading about issues with it's speakers, display, OS, etc. If the phone runs without any hiccups (touchwood!) then all is fine, but if it develops an issue and it's serious, lack of a service center can be tough.

My iPhone 6S developed a problem with the display within 10 months of ownership - thankfully there's a service center 300 kms away and they changed the entire display and basically gave me a new phone.

Originally Posted by vb-san

will look at the S9 as well; after seeing my wife's Note 8 my dislike for Samsung has diminished quite a bit. Infact the Note 8 is also another good option to consider.

Originally Posted by Sheel

^But we don’t get the same processors as what Samsung provides abroad. This is the sole reason, I am avoiding Note 8, else it looks brilliant I must say.

What Sheel said.

Samsung continues to treat us like a second-grade market, and even though their Exynos processor runs quite fine, it's just not as good as the Snapdragons.

I received plenty of positive and glowing feedback on the S8/S8+ and bought the latter for Dad about 6 months back. The phone has developed slight lags now (not sure if it is due to the latest OS updates) and hangs up for almost 5-6 seconds when Wi-Fi is turned on first thing in the morning and the WhatsApp/Facebook/Telegram/DailyHunt (etc.) updates start pouring in. Display goes blank and the S8+ becomes unusable during that period. Same goes for mobile data (4G). No amount of optimisation/cleaning/deletion has resolved it so far.

It used to run fine earlier.

[agambhandari]

Samsung Exynos powered phones are better than their Snapdragon counterparts in everything except maybe the GPU compute performance. And with the next Exynos 9810 even that is set to change. Kindly do a research online before posting an opinion as a fact. S7 and S8 exynos are better than the Snapdragon in terms of both performance and battery life

[RavenAvi]

Originally Posted by agambhandari

Samsung Exynos powered phones are better than their Snapdragon counterparts in everything except maybe the GPU compute performance. And with the next Exynos 9810 even that is set to change. Kindly do a research online before posting an opinion as a fact. S7 and S8 exynos are better than the Snapdragon in terms of both performance and battery life

My dear Agam, I have posted from experience, and certainly not inserting it as a fact for everyone else to comply with. That is my opinion and anyone is free to agree with it, or disagree.

I have the Snapdragon 835 in the OnePlus 5T and the Exynos in the S8+, and when both are compared, my 5T is butter smooth even with plenty of Play Store apps loaded into it.

Battery life between the two is also neck-to-neck - in fact, my 5T fares much better when constantly connected to Wi-Fi/4G than the 8+.

Online researches, like test drives of prospective cars and specifications on paper, are good but don't paint the complete picture. One needs to live with a handset for a while, as in like an actual ownership, to really know how good or bad it is, in it's day-to-day usage.

[deathwalkr]

And the OP5 has much lesser pixels to push...All this smartphone comparison really goes nowhere imo.

Does the exynos support fast charging compared to the Qualcomm's QC?

I might finally buy my coveted LG V30 this week

[Dr.Suraj]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

I am in the market for a new Android phone.

How are the new-age Nokias, specially the 8? There are a few promising ones looming on the horizon, due for launches just before the 2018 MWC on Feb 25th. I have my eye on the Nokia 8 2018 (possibly named "Sirocco") and the Nokia 9, if it's not a myth.

Requirements - UI performance as good as my OnePlus 5T and an excellent set of cameras. The latest Snapdragon processors (845 or even 835) would be a bonus.

I was really keen on the Pixel 2 XL but there are no Google outlets in the state and nobody has any idea of how to get it serviced if there's a problem, specially in remote Tier-III cities such as mine. Someone suggested that LG service centers handle the servicing but the local LG service guys denied it. Hence not taking the risk.

I have had my fill of iPhones & Samsung Galaxys so want to try something different. No X or S9/S9+ for me, thanks.

My picks in order of priority (cost not withstanding)
- Google Pixel 2 / 2 XL (minor issues not withstanding - although I do understand your concern of service centres)
- Samsung Note 8. Fantastic camera. Superb package. Only grouse - OS updates aren't as timely
- Nokia 8.
- Moto X4 (the new one with 6 Gb RAM) - good camera. Good package at price point. + Android One programme.
And if you are ok with it, - Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
I am not very thrilled about the OP5 or OP5T cameras.

[agambhandari]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

My dear Agam, I have posted from experience, and certainly not inserting it as a fact for everyone else to comply with. That is my opinion and anyone is free to agree with it, or disagree.

I have the Snapdragon 835 in the OnePlus 5T and the Exynos in the S8+, and when both are compared, my 5T is butter smooth even with plenty of Play Store apps loaded into it.

Battery life between the two is also neck-to-neck - in fact, my 5T fares much better when constantly connected to Wi-Fi/4G than the 8+.

Online researches, like test drives of prospective cars and specifications on paper, are good but don't paint the complete picture. One needs to live with a handset for a while, as in like an actual ownership, to really know how good or bad it is, in it's day-to-day usage.

The comparison that you have described, the 5T vs the S8+ is a comparison of the phones and not the SOCs powering them. The 5T feels smoother thanks to a lighter skin and more RAM (not sure if you have the 6gb version of the S8+) also keeping in mind it has lesser pixels to push and an inferior camera.

For a more apples to apples comparison, compare the different versions of the S7, S8, Note8 with their counterparts. For eg, the S7 Exynos had a much better multithread performance than the Sd 820 version, in fact closer to sd 835.

[RavenAvi]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

And the OP5 has much lesser pixels to push...All this smartphone comparison really goes nowhere imo.

True. One of the main reasons why the 5T is so fast.

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

Does the exynos support fast charging compared to the Qualcomm's QC?

Yes, apparently it does. By using QC 2.0 & PowerDelivery devices. (link)

Originally Posted by Dr.Suraj

I am not very thrilled about the OP5 or OP5T cameras.

Nice list.

I quite agree - the 5T camera is nowhere near the S8+, let alone the Pixel 2 XL, which IMO has the best camera setup in all smartphone devices today.

Originally Posted by agambhandari

The comparison that you have described, the 5T vs the S8+ is a comparison of the phones and not the SOCs powering them.

True. And we shall never know how the Exynos will fare when it's powering a set with the 5T hardware specs. Still, I think OnePlus has done an excellent job of mating the hardware and the software so perfectly. Samsung flagships still ship with plenty of bloatware and OEM apps which are not really needed/necessary - could be a reason why the Exynos inside tends to get overwhelmed sometimes.

Originally Posted by agambhandari

The 5T feels smoother thanks to a lighter skin and more RAM (not sure if you have the 6gb version of the S8+) also keeping in mind it has lesser pixels to push and an inferior camera.

6GB RAM/128GB storage version of the S8+.

And I agree. There's much lesser for the 835 to deal with inside the 5T, than the Exynos inside the 8+.

But there's a reason why USA & others gets the 835 in the S8+, while we get the Exynos? It's a given that the Snapdragon + Adreno combo is fantastic for graphics and related apps, and much better than the Exynos + Mali combo. Why not keep the specs same across markets?

Also, we pay a (comparatively) higher price too than our American friends?

Originally Posted by agambhandari

For a more apples to apples comparison, compare the different versions of the S7, S8, Note8 with their counterparts. For eg, the S7 Exynos had a much better multithread performance than the Sd 820 version, in fact closer to sd 835.

Statistically, as per the Geekbench tests, number crunching is better in the Exynos. But today's phones see usage which are more graphic-heavy - movies and games at high resolutions, photoshop editing apps, graphic designing, etc. A smartphone has now become almost equal to a laptop or a PC, even. Hence, processors which fare better in graphic-intensive apps/usage are more preferred.

One of the main reasons why, IMO, the Snapdragon + Adreno combo hold an edge.

[JonSnow]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

But there's a reason why USA & others gets the 835 in the S8+, while we get the Exynos? It's a given that the Snapdragon + Adreno combo is fantastic for graphics and related apps, and much better than the Exynos + Mali combo. Why not keep the specs same across markets?

In US, they need to support CDMA bands for some of the carriers and Qualcomm has patents for it, due to which Samsung has to go with Snapdragon chips (apparently, that is more cost effective than licensing the patents for use on their own SOC). At least, that is what i have heard. Outside US, I think they mostly use Exynos chips and they are said to be better in terms of CPU performance and efficiency compared to the Snapdragon counterparts. GPU may be slightly below Adreno but it is still more than enough for most games.

Also, we pay a (comparatively) higher price too than our American friends?

Yes, not sure why it is priced higher in India.

[Prathiiik]

My city folk lean more towards Xiaomi/Oppo/Vivo phones. Micromax had a stronghold earlier but now has gone down.

Hello Sir,

If Xiaomi phones have a stronghold in your city, you can consider the Mi Mix 2 with 6 GB of ram, a 12 MP rear camera and a 5.99-inch full display like the iPhone X.
The camera isn't all that great, but what excites is the 6 GB of ram and the Snapdragon 835 processor.

Performance wise, the phone might not be as good as your OnePlus 5T, but the 6 GB of ram and the Snapdragon 835 will definitely suit your requirements.

[rohitoasis]

Originally Posted by smartcat

Install Google Camera app to solve Nokia 8 camera issues. Google's Pixel 2 camera app (for Nokia smartphones) is not available on Playstore yet - but you can download it from

https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/a...bsg_colors.apk

Thank you very much sir. I basically bought the phone due to the lure of the optics and was not very happy with the camera app. This really helps. One doubt. If we install this app, will it get updated via Google play or would i have to download and install subsequent versions of the app manually?

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by rohitoasis

Thank you very much sir. I basically bought the phone due to the lure of the optics and was not very happy with the camera app. This really helps. One doubt. If we install this app, will it get updated via Google play or would i have to download and install subsequent versions of the app manually?

It has to be updated manually I guess. Bookmark this page -
https://forum.xda-developers.com/nok...kia-8-t3713411

If there is a new apk file for Nokia 8, you will find it there.

[roy_libran]

Guys - Have not been following the smartphone market of late, and have been surprised to see so many entrants and models on offer nowadays.

My wife is looking to change her Motorola X Play, since it has become a bit slow. She wants a phone in the 10 to 20k range.

Her priorities are -
1. A good back camera
2. Excellent battery life (1 day is a must - she isn't a gamer, but continuously chats, emails and watches TedTalks from her phone)
3. Strong build quality - on account of her tardiness
4. Some Water Resistance
5. 5.5 inch to 6 inch display
6. NOT a Samsung - She hates their UI

My priorities are-
1. To seal the deal this week and make it count as a V Day gift!
2. For the device to survive well enough for me not to be berated every single day.

Please help me.

[binand]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

My wife is looking to change her Motorola X Play, since it has become a bit slow. She wants a phone in the 10 to 20k range.

For my wife, we picked the Moto Z Play. Usage is pretty similar to yours, plus Android Auto support.

[para_7k]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

Her priorities are -
1. A good back camera
2. Excellent battery life (1 day is a must - she isn't a gamer, but continuously chats, emails and watches TedTalks from her phone)
3. Strong build quality - on account of her tardiness
4. Some Water Resistance
5. 5.5 inch to 6 inch display
6. NOT a Samsung - She hates their UI

My priorities are-
1. To seal the deal this week and make it count as a V Day gift!
2. For the device to survive well enough for me not to be berated every single day.

Please help me.

For all the above requirements, I suggest the mi A1. Apart from average front camera, there is nothing to complain about.

Timely software updates and a price of 14k is a sweet deal.