Google Android users clubhouse

[FreedomEclipse]

Im torn between a Find 7a & a Find 7 - The find 7 is the 'pro' or 'ultimate' version and the 7a obviously the lesser version but the spec you get for the money on the 7a can only be beaten by the HTC OnePlus One.

Im stuck in a bit of a bind because im trying to work the delivery into my work schedule which is going to be all hands on deck until the 29th, I only get Tuesdays & Saturdays off at the moment so shit is real difficult to time. The Find 7 (pro) should start shipping early july and I dont mind waiting if thats the case but I want something shiny to play with.

I dont mind waiting till the end of the month to order it but the desire is real.

some of the changes on the Find 7 compared to the 7a are:

-Slightly faster CPU - bit of a moot point since theres only 200-300mhz difference between them.

-bigger screen res, higher DPI - Ive heard a lotta people say bigger res screens take up a lot more processing power and because of that it ends up eating more battery in the long run. - Also a bit of a moot point as the 7a screen is roughly about the same as Note 3 in terms of quality & DPI and that screen is just delicious.

-bigger battery, 3000mAh compared to 2800mAh though the extra capacity means little if the screen is going to end up eating it all anyway......

-More Ram - 3GB compared to 2GB - Not that it matters much when it comes to Oppo handsets as they have always supported running 3rd party ROMs on their handsets, it would be real easy to just flash the handset to gummy and lose all the bloat which is the main problem im currently having with my S3. 3GB isnt necessary but it would make the handset a little more future proof as I tend to keep my phones for a minimum of 2-3years before upgrading. even with 2GB on the 7a ram usage shouldnt be a problem with custom roms. the only issue is google apps being a resource hog.

Judging by the specs, which handset out of the two would you go for?

 

[Doc41]

The only difference i see between the Find 7a and Find 7 is:
Find 7:
1440p
32GB mem 3GB RAM
stereo speakers
Find 7a:
1080p
16GB mem 2GB RAM
single speaker?

if there is a big difference in price i would get the 7a, unless you're considering other brands

Personally i don't believe in any resolution bigger than 1080p for mobile devices or any screen that's smaller than 7" as i don't think it would make a huge difference plus i think it would consume a lot of power to run @1440p.
heck my 24" monitor is 1080p and i don't see myself getting a 5.5" screen with a bigger resolution than my much bigger monitor


ps. its not HTC, the company is called OnePlus and the phone One, not to be confused with HTC one

 

[FreedomEclipse]

but its all about dat 3GB ram

Meh - so long as the screen is roughly about the same as a Note 3 then im more than happy. gonna get it and install Gummy on it.

 

[Doc41]

would have suggested the Z2 but its screen is 0.3" smaller and the price is just ... wow

anyway the Find 7a looks like a very solid phone, looking forward for pics and review

 

[FreedomEclipse]

The Z2 is IMMENSELY more expensive compared to the Find 7a. One of the only reason why the 7a is top choice for me is because of the price compared to whats out there. Its not far off the price i payed for my S3 about 2 years back, I dont want an GS5 either. A friend of mine was thinking about an upgrade from his S4 and i offered to buy his it but hes changed his mind now.

I'll put in an order on thursday, or friday, that way it should arrive on my day off.

Nvm, i decided to put in an order anyway Fingers crossed that it arrives on friday - Ive managed to shift my schedule around a little

 

[Doc41]

Ooooh teardown me like, glue..... not much

 

[FreedomEclipse]

My Find 7a was delivered this morning but i didnt have time to mess with it as i had work. Im home from work now and even though i have rooted the handset, Im having no amount of success trying to make sense of the forums to load up Gummy Rom. And its making me fucking furious that i might just straight up down a pint of whisky.


According to the thread on oppo forums i have to some how change the normal oppo recovery to CWM one but i have no idea how to do it and gummy rom straight up wont install because the rom isnt an official rom.

If theres anybody out that can save my liver and a trip to the hospital to have my stomach pumped, please help me. I dont want to start using this phone till ive got rid of colour OS.

Heres the thread on XDA forums http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2758638

and the thread on oppo forums http://www.oppoforums.com/threads/rom-aosp-find7a-team-gummy-rom.15593/

 

[Doc41]

My Find 7a was delivered this morning but i didnt have time to mess with it as i had work. Im home from work now and even though i have rooted the handset, Im having no amount of success trying to make sense of the forums to load up Gummy Rom. And its making me fucking furious that i might just straight up down a pint of whisky.


According to the thread on oppo forums i have to some how change the normal oppo recovery to CWM one but i have no idea how to do it and gummy rom straight up wont install because the rom isnt an official rom.

If theres anybody out that can save my liver and a trip to the hospital to have my stomach pumped, please help me. I dont want to start using this phone till ive got rid of colour OS.

Heres the thread on XDA forums http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2758638

and the thread on oppo forums http://www.oppoforums.com/threads/rom-aosp-find7a-team-gummy-rom.15593/

Try this, as the dev of the ROM himself uses twrp as i read, description on how to flash it in twrp's site too

 

[FreedomEclipse]

I tried TWRP manager. it wouldnt download so i tried a manual install... Still wouldnt get rid of stock recovery

 

[Doc41]

Download the above file. Go into settings and enable USB debugging. On your computer type:

adb reboot bootloader

Your device should now be in fastboot mode. Type the following command, changing the recoveryfilename to the correct path and name of the image you want to flash:

fastboot flash recovery recoveryfilename.img

Note that you will need to change the last part to match the name of the file that you just downloaded. You will also need adb and fastboot for your computer.

have you tried this specific method and it didn't work?

sorry man, not sure on how to help you further as i have never used the adb/fastboot method before "although it seems fairly simple", and am not familiar with the bootloader of the oppo.
might want to wait for someone familiar with this to log in and see if they can help?

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Not tried that method, I was going to be then I had so much shit to download - android manager and drivers etc etc and i just gave up...

 

[Doc41]

the adb/fastboot method

try the hidden link in that post, he seems to have made a lightweight and simple installer.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

I cba with it at the moment, its 4.19am im tired as fuck and ive just done updating and installing all my apps on the stock colorOS - gonna roll with this for a while and see how it is before i go back to attempting to load a new OS.

Thanks for your help though. I'll most likely give it another go after ive had some sleep, that way my head is clear

 

[Doc41]

I cba with it at the moment, its 4.19am im tired as fuck and ive just done updating and installing all my apps on the stock colorOS - gonna roll with this for a while and see how it is before i go back to attempting to load a new OS.

Thanks for your help though. I'll most likely give it another go after ive had some sleep, that way my head is clear

No problem, it's 6:30 for me and have only slept for an hour and right now will be heading for a trip outside the country.
Would like to help more but after I have returned home tomorrow

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Well.... It too many hours, and the struggle was real. but with a random guys help in the XDA forums i managed to get Gummy 4.4.4 running on my handset. Now all i need to do is go through and reinstall all my shit.

 

[micropage7]

Well.... It too many hours, and the struggle was real. but with a random guys help in the XDA forums i managed to get Gummy 4.4.4 running on my handset. Now all i need to do is go through and reinstall all my shit.

nice you go to 4.4.4
and the boring and the difficult part is reinstall all the apps and setting it back like before
titanium backup may help you when you backup your apps and data but the rest still need manually set

 

[Mussels]

be careful using titanium to restore apps between different android versions, it doesnt always work out well.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

nice you go to 4.4.4
and the boring and the difficult part is reinstall all the apps and setting it back like before
titanium backup may help you when you backup your apps and data but the rest still need manually set

well I didnt have many apps on my phone anyway - just the normal stuff & some extra's like currency converter, City Mapper, Dolphin browser & Power amp. I might of had 2 or 3 small games like jewelstar installed.

Though it is kind of funny that I have a $541 handset and all i do with it is message on hangouts or whatsapp, send the odd text & make a few calls while 99% of the time my phone is being used as an mp3 player more than anything else.

Though stepping up from an S3 that didnt have LTE but was bogged down by a shit tonne of bloatware Id say it was a worthwhile upgrade. Tethering gets me about 10-15mbps DL & Upload is about 20mbps on LTE/4G not the best but better than the 5mbps DL i was getting on 3G or HSDPA. This service provider really throttles the connection hard but another way to look at it now is that im on 4G and still have unlimited tethering, the same tariff has been discontinued but they wont change my contract because ive been with them a long time. The ISP doesnt do unlimited tethering anymore on any tariff So i pretty much have unlimited broadband for $30 & i NEVER go over the limit of my free mins or messages so i dont pay any extra


Gonna upload some new pics in a bit.

::EDIT::

Unfortunately Ive discovered that my Sandisk 64Gig microSD wont work in this phone the data on it has been corrupted so thats about 35gigs of music I have to put back on the new one once the new replacement comes in.

 

[Mussels]

well I didnt have many apps on my phone anyway - just the normal stuff & some extra's like currency converter, City Mapper, Dolphin browser & Power amp. I might of had 2 or 3 small games like jewelstar installed.

Though it is kind of funny that I have a $541 handset and all i do with it is message on hangouts or whatsapp, send the odd text & make a few calls while 99% of the time my phone is being used as an mp3 player more than anything else.

Though stepping up from an S3 that didnt have LTE but was bogged down by a shit tonne of bloatware Id say it was a worthwhile upgrade. Tethering gets me about 10-15mbps DL & Upload is about 20mbps on LTE/4G not the best but better than the 5mbps DL i was getting on 3G or HSDPA. This service provider really throttles the connection hard but another way to look at it now is that im on 4G and still have unlimited tethering, the same tariff has been discontinued but they wont change my contract because ive been with them a long time. The ISP doesnt do unlimited tethering anymore on any tariff So i pretty much have unlimited broadband for $30 & i NEVER go over the limit of my free mins or messages so i dont pay any extra


Gonna upload some new pics in a bit.

::EDIT::

Unfortunately Ive discovered that my Sandisk 64Gig microSD wont work in this phone the data on it has been corrupted so thats about 35gigs of music I have to put back on the new one once the new replacement comes in.

dont feel bad at all, i've got a note 3, four S4's (trying to sell 3 of em, locals here are idiots who wont pay more than scrap prices) and various other samsungs... and most of em just sit around as youtube watchers around the house, so i dont have to get up to watch something. heater? note 1. bedroom? tab 3. lounge? S4 MHL'd to the TV. bedroom? another S4, another TV. car? another S4, just as a BT media player.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Well my S3 will be sold off soon enough just keeping hold of it until i know this oppo wont suddenly all up and fail on me. Everything should be ok though. The handset does feel a little light and somewhat cheap but its a lot of phone for the money. Reminds me a lot of my Xperia Arc S that i loved

 

[Durvelle27]

i went from an iphone 5 to an s3, and all those things were better. then to an S4 and an N3 for more leaps in all areas.

S5 will crap all over an iphone 5s in every way.

hmmmmmm

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Not quite sure what to show here - pics of my phone online are a lot better than what i can take so i wont bother with that but just leave this here....

Unlike the handset pictured here.... My phone has the 'carbon fiber' looking back cover

Its still plastic though.


The phone itself feels a little cheap due to the plastic of the back over, The handset itself doesnt weigh very much either furthering that feel of cheapness. Apart from that, the screen is pretty sharp and surfing the web on it is a joy compared to my S3 which felt a little cramped. The handset is very responsive thanks to its snap dragon 801 CPU but even more so the 2GB ram that help keeps things running smoothly. I have been using it for a little under a week and have been fairly impressed though, with that said, i didnt really put the phone through its paces by loading up a lot of games and stuff but for daily tasks coupled with a big screen its plain to see why handsets like the Galaxy Note 3 is so desirable and drool worthy even though some people dislike how big the handset is. The 'feel good' factor about this handset is further improved by my networks LTE speeds. Even though it might not hit the 70mbps that 4G is capable of, an average speed of 20mbps means that i can stream youtube in HD with no stuttering or buffering at all but, but of course - so long as the area im in has a strong 4G signal.

Battery life is good, Since this handset is a non-gamer (unless otherwise) surfing the net, playing Jewelstar on the shitter & listening to music during my commute dont drain the battery all too much. I can go through 2 days without charging, On the 3rd day id still have battery life but id be at a stage where i WOULD need to charge it..

I already have a spare battery for it so what im gonna do is see how long the battery lasts on a full charge with my normal usage before It either runs flat out or i need to desperately charge it. If im lucky i might even squeeze 4 days out of it but i think thats highly unlikely give the fact that it is just a 2800mAh battery.


Not sure what else to say so let me know what you wanna know about the handset and i'll answer the best i can

 

[Durvelle27]

Not quite sure what to show here - pics of my phone online are a lot better than what i can take so i wont bother with that but just leave this here....

Unlink the handset pictured here.... My phone has the 'carbon fiber' looking back cover

Its still plastic though.


The phone itself feels a little cheap due to the plastic of the back over, The handset itself doesnt weigh very much either furthering that feel of cheapness. Apart from that, the screen is pretty sharp and surfing the web on it is a joy compared to my S3 which felt a little cramped. The handset is very responsive thanks to its snap dragon 801 CPU but even more so the 2GB ram that help keeps things running smoothly. I have been using it for a little under a week and have been fairly impressed though, with that said, i didnt really put the phone through its paces by loading up a lot of games and stuff but for daily tasks coupled with a big screen its plain to see why handsets like the Galaxy Note 3 is so desirable and drool worthy even though some people dislike how big the handset is. The 'feel good' factor about this handset is further improved by my networks LTE speeds. Even though it might not hit the 70mbps that 4G is capable of, an average speed of 20mbps means that i can stream youtube in HD with no stuttering or buffering at all but, but of course - so long as the area im in has a strong 4G signal.

Battery life is good, Since this handset is a non-gamer (unless otherwise) surfing the net, playing Jewelstar on the shitter & listening to music during my commute dont drain the battery all too much. I can go through 2 days without charging, On the 3rd day id still have battery life but id be at a stage where i WOULD need to charge it..

I already have a spare battery for it so what im gonna do is see how long the battery lasts on a full charge with my normal usage before It either runs flat out or i need to desperately charge it. If im lucky i might even squeeze 4 days out of it but i think thats highly unlikely give the fact that it is just a 2800mAh battery.


Not sure what else to say so let me know what you wanna know about the handset and i'll answer the best i can

Wow how come I've never heard of this phone

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Wow how come I've never heard of this phone

Because Oppo is a Chinese brand and until now has only really sold their handsets in Asian countries. The brand is quite big in China/Hong Kong though Apple, Motorola, LG, Samsung & HTC are BIG competitors there. Nokia & Blackberry are there too obviously but the whole wow factor behind them has obviously declined. There is so much choice out there.

Usually when people thing chinese made phone, they think of some cheapo bootleg Samsung or LG rip off. thats built using the same general design but made with massively inferior products to give you something that looks like a Note 3 or S3 Etc but at less than 50% if the price in most places. While these handsets DO work, they not for everyone given the fact that they are mainly made in unknown factories in china, some of these handsets are sold on amazon, ebay and can also be picked up on aliexpress & other similar dodgy sites like that.

Oppo is a lesser brand when it comes to LG, samsung or Motorola but the guy who designed the Find 7a also designed the HTC One M8 & OnePlus One. --- I could be wrong but thats what ive heard. the lead designer who originally came up with the HTC One M8 design left the company not long after and ended up working for Oppo, Im not sure where the OnePlus company comes into it but somehow they're all linked together.

 

[Doc41]

Not quite sure what to show here - pics of my phone online are a lot better than what i can take so i wont bother with that but just leave this here....

Unlike the handset pictured here.... My phone has the 'carbon fiber' looking back cover

Its still plastic though.


The phone itself feels a little cheap due to the plastic of the back over, The handset itself doesnt weigh very much either furthering that feel of cheapness. Apart from that, the screen is pretty sharp and surfing the web on it is a joy compared to my S3 which felt a little cramped. The handset is very responsive thanks to its snap dragon 801 CPU but even more so the 2GB ram that help keeps things running smoothly. I have been using it for a little under a week and have been fairly impressed though, with that said, i didnt really put the phone through its paces by loading up a lot of games and stuff but for daily tasks coupled with a big screen its plain to see why handsets like the Galaxy Note 3 is so desirable and drool worthy even though some people dislike how big the handset is. The 'feel good' factor about this handset is further improved by my networks LTE speeds. Even though it might not hit the 70mbps that 4G is capable of, an average speed of 20mbps means that i can stream youtube in HD with no stuttering or buffering at all but, but of course - so long as the area im in has a strong 4G signal.

Battery life is good, Since this handset is a non-gamer (unless otherwise) surfing the net, playing Jewelstar on the shitter & listening to music during my commute dont drain the battery all too much. I can go through 2 days without charging, On the 3rd day id still have battery life but id be at a stage where i WOULD need to charge it..

I already have a spare battery for it so what im gonna do is see how long the battery lasts on a full charge with my normal usage before It either runs flat out or i need to desperately charge it. If im lucky i might even squeeze 4 days out of it but i think thats highly unlikely give the fact that it is just a 2800mAh battery.


Not sure what else to say so let me know what you wanna know about the handset and i'll answer the best i can

Sure does looks nice, and more importantly that you are enjoying it

my phone does have a 3100mAh battery but with my usage the most it lasted was a day and a half [mobile data always on except when asleep and sometimes on LTE really drains the battery]
i believe if i used wi-fi instead , reduced brightness and my usage a little i can make it last 2~3 days...

man dat 4.4.4 though, wonder when sony will release 4.4.3