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So, If My Phone Comes Without B14, Don't Install It?

Cybotive

Newbie
Feb 17, 2017
36
10
I have a ZMax in the mail (my local reseller kept saying they're getting more "tomorrow" but tomorrow never came). I assume it's not updated to the latest firmware since it's probably been in a box for a while. If it comes with pre-14, should I not install 14? I've seen a lot of complaints about b14, but people fixed it by resetting OS or clearing cache.
 
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If your phone works the way you want it to, I wouldn't suggest updating. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Once you update, there's no going back and if something you use breaks or your phone is noticeably worse than before then you're pretty much SOL. Plus this is a cheap phone and ZTE treats it like such, their support is mediocre and slow. You would be at the mercy of their updates to see if it fixes your problems. If you're not willing to deal with the problems then never be a first adopter to these updates, that's just something you should practice with every phone pretty much.
 
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If your phone works the way you want it to, I wouldn't suggest updating. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Once you update, there's no going back and if something you use breaks or your phone is noticeably worse than before then you're pretty much SOL. Plus this is a cheap phone and ZTE treats it like such, their support is mediocre and slow. You would be at the mercy of their updates to see if it fixes your problems. If you're not willing to deal with the problems then never be a first adopter to these updates, that's just something you should practice with every phone pretty much.

Yeah, I've learned my lesson with Android 7. It kills my battery on my Nexus 5X. And the only bug that went away, was sometimes the notification drop down wouldn't stick all the way down on the lock screen unless I relocked it (portion where flashlight is). Not worth it.
 
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If your phone comes with B12, I'd recommend upgrading to B14. If your phone comes with B08, I'd say that you might want to think about it. About the only noticeable problem on B08 is that pictures downloaded into the gallery don't update automatically as they should. It's quite annoying if you use the gallery a lot and DL pics. B12 messes up the predictive text in the text app, which sucks, adds a battery heat alarm, and it really feels slower in general. B14 fixes predictive text, and feels very fast.

But, if your phone comes with B08, I think I would seriously consider just staying there.
 
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I had actually received my ZTE from T-Mobile a few weeks back, it's been a good phone so far, but I had always pondered the same question as asked abov . Surprisingly my phone is on b04 so I'm assuming it's one of the more earlier builds of this phone? If it is , great, because I'm never updating this thing.
 
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Looks like it's B08
 

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NeoZiggyB14 is good. You also get the updated Android security patch...
I updated to B14 , against everything that I have read, but I did anyway because I had a backup phone. I did it and was suprised! It went flawlessly and I am pleased. So I am not condoning the update , it worked for me!

There is some flaws to updating to B14
 
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B14 seems to be Jekyll and Hyde on this phone. It fixed all my issues but for others it seems like it got worse. B15 and B16 have been rumored to come out but I haven't seen any official statement or date yet

True I have not heard an official date on when the B15 update will be released. This phone originally had fast charging but was also removed in the B14 update which was pretty disappointing.
 
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... been running B14 for a couple of days and my battery life has really taken a hit. On B08, my battery could last me over a day. With similar usage and B14, I now only get maybe 6-7 hours. I now need to carry a doggone charging cable with me. USB-C cables are not cheap, either:-( Luckily, no other issues have been realized.
 
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KeithHolmes<blockquote>NeoZiggyB14 is good. You also get the updated Android security patch...
I updated to B14 , against everything that I have read, but I did anyway because I had a backup phone. I did it and was suprised! It went flawlessly and I am pleased. So I am not condoning the update , it worked for me!</blockquote>There is some flaws to updating to B14

Name the flaws as I have not found them.
 
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ExLegionAir<blockquote>KeithHolmes&lt;blockquote&gt;NeoZiggyB14 is good. You also get the updated Android security patch...
I updated to B14 , against everything that I have read, but I did anyway because I had a backup phone. I did it and was suprised! It went flawlessly and I am pleased. So I am not condoning the update , it worked for me!&lt;/blockquote&gt;There is some flaws to updating to B14</blockquote>Name the flaws as I have not found them.

One being that quick charge has been removed a other is that the phone overheats and I'm still finding and looking for some other but then again updating your phone is always a good thing because it usually fixes more then it causes problems.
 
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