• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

First impressions!

secretLOVER

Android Enthusiast
Mar 25, 2010
585
140
I know it's soon but I had concerns.

-BEAUTIFUL.
-Textures and general feel of the phone are fantastic.
-Lighter than I thought.
-Battery door is very flexible (have cracked 1 b4) and grips in your palm well. I'm wondering how well it will hold on a dash.
-Comfortably using the fingerprint scanner is not an issue.
-Fingerprint scanner works great.
-Charger cord has physical bumps to identify direction of plug
-Camera pops up with quick share options after taking a pic

I'm going to need more time to mess with the second screen. I want to edit it and get use to it. The camera popping up with quick share takes away an advantage of the second screen but is definitely a plus.

Other than that, it's a zippy android.

I also discovered that nothing makes you care about a stranger more than a late delivery. Was thinking about my UPS girls family. 630 pm delivery.
 
Last edited:
Glad to hear it's all good out-of-the-box with no FUBARS.
Still waiting for local supply to arrive,my days of shipping a phone are done,unless T-Mobile switches to anyone but UPS (in my area at least).
However,I did call around to some of the smaller T-Mobile stores in the area & by chance,the one closest to work & home has a demo.
Will definitely be dropping by today for a look-see,perhaps that'll sate the new phone appetite for a couple days...
 
Upvote 0
I got mine last night from TMo. I haven't had a lot of time with it but so far I'm in love. I can't wait to customize it. I'm loving the second screen. You can add frequently called contracts and call them. It's zippy, the screen is beautiful and the fingerprint scanner works flawlessly. Today I'm signing up for the LG goodies.
 
Upvote 0
I would love to have a timer for the secondary screen to turn completely off after non-use, then turn back on after a tap specifically when the main screen is off. I don't see the need of having it on all the time (except for when in pocket or facedown) and although it supposedly doesn't suck much battery, I find this questionable.
 
Upvote 0
I also found this weird settings issue that I'm really perplexed as to how this was missed and I wonder if I'm the only one. From the notification bar you can access the Settings menu. From there you can set it to tab or list view. I selected tab view but if I access the Settings menu from the app launcher it's in list view. Even after changing to tab view, it doesn't stick but the accessing the Settings from the notification bar, the tab view sticks. So strange.
 
Upvote 0
I also found this weird settings issue that I'm really perplexed as to how this was missed and I wonder if I'm the only one. From the notification bar you can access the Settings menu. From there you can set it to tab or list view. I selected tab view but if I access the Settings menu from the app launcher it's in list view. Even after changing to tab view, it doesn't stick but the accessing the Settings from the notification bar, the tab view sticks. So strange.

So I pull down and click the gear. Change to list and back out. I then go to my apps list (using aviate launcher) and click on settings. Still in list view.

As for 2nd screen time off, they figure it saves battery by keeping you from powering up the main screen just to see a notification 100 times a day.

I love the 2nd screen. At first I didn't know how to edit the shortcuts and wasn't happy with being stuck with clock and whatever else was stock. Was happy as hell to figure it out. Also got to answer a call today after scrolling on the main screen to finish an article. Pretty useful and you can edit it down to only show what you want it to.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KOLIO
Upvote 0
Another happy camper,just got mine a couple hours ago & luvin' it so far.

It's a big phone,but,w/o a case,it's not unmanageable to handle (could be just a skosh narrower for my tastes,would luv to see a 5.5" version hit the scene),the height is no issue whatsoever for yours truly,YMMV.
As for the form,they got it right with the beveled/curved edges,for my use,this makes for a comfortable feel-in-hand & prevents accidental screen touches while holding/reading/etc....
This was one of the physical aspects of the NOTE5 that was not well thought out,even though it does have a nice feel,the unintended screen touches were/are constant if I so much as readjust my grip/etc...

The display looks quite nice,definitely a big improvement over the last high-end LG phone I used,the G3.
Haven't delved into the 2nd display just yet,only accounts set-up & Apex Launcher/Textra,the bare essentials.
Overall 1st impressions,I think LG has hit a home run w/the v10. :thumbsupdroid:
 
  • Like
Reactions: rivera02
Upvote 0
Has anybody tried gaming on the phone yet? I have a couple upgrades on my lines so I may pick this up and hand down my note 4 to my wife and ride it out until something with a snap820 and replaceable battery comes along next year. The only thing I'm worried about is the gpu (correct me if I'm wrong) being less powerful than the 805 and loss of the s-pen.

I actually wrote this phone off completely when it was announced, but dat free stuff doe lol. I also wasn't a huge fan of the buttons on the back of the g3, but I would deal with it for a good fingerprint reader.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KOLIO
Upvote 0
Has anybody tried gaming on the phone yet?
My games are fairly tame,so,I wouldn't be the best to say yea or nay.
However,there is a setting with the battery & power savings called Game Optimizer:Adjust video quality in games to save battery which is switchable On/Off.

I have a couple upgrades on my lines so I may pick this up and hand down my note 4 to my wife and ride it out until something with a snap820 and replaceable battery comes along next year. The only thing I'm worried about is the gpu (correct me if I'm wrong) being less powerful than the 805 and loss of the s-pen.
Perhaps you can improvise w/Q-Memo,not sure,YMMV.

I'll miss the S-Pen from the Note 5,especially the off-screen note-taking,very cool.

I actually wrote this phone off completely when it was announced, but dat free stuff doe lol. I also wasn't a huge fan of the buttons on the back of the g3, but I would deal with it for a good fingerprint reader.
Jump On Demand is the way to go (3x/yr).
Try one out without the in-store security tethers if at all possible & you'll be convinced.
Worse case scenario you can switch (Jump) to a SD 820-Powered phone in a few months.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rivera02
Upvote 0
Another thing I was wondering was how does the screen compare to the note 4/5? The g3 screen was much dimmer and the viewing angles were abysmal compared to the note 4 so I was wondering how much better the v10 was in this regard.

Not gonna lie,Samsung is still head & shoulders above all in the display dept.
The V-10 is perfectly OK,but,it's no AMOLED (unfortunately),gotta give Samsung props for the Note5,best display to date.
As for comparing to the G3,the V10 is much better,I returned my G3 after 6 days due to the display,looked downright awful IMHO.
Just a little up-front BTW regarding my V10:
I do have a little light bleed from the upper L/H Corner.
It's only noticable on a solid background.Not a big deal for me,in-use of videos/etc... in normal use,I'd be hard-pressed to see it.
Some are sticklers regarding this & although some light bleed is supposedly status quo w/LCD vs AMOLED,it's in the eye of the beholder on what's acceptable..........
 
  • Like
Reactions: rivera02
Upvote 0
Not gonna lie,Samsung is still head & shoulders above all in the display dept.
The V-10 is perfectly OK,but,it's no AMOLED (unfortunately),gotta give Samsung props for the Note5,best display to date.
As for comparing to the G3,the V10 is much better,I returned my G3 after 6 days due to the display,looked downright awful IMHO.
Just a little up-front BTW regarding my V10:
I do have a little light bleed from the upper L/H Corner.
It's only noticable on a solid background.Not a big deal for me,in-use of videos/etc... in normal use,I'd be hard-pressed to see it.
Some are sticklers regarding this & although some light bleed is supposedly status quo w/LCD vs AMOLED,it's in the eye of the beholder on what's acceptable..........
Yea that's what worries me. I'd hate to go to a new phone and like the display less than the one on my note 4. A quick trip to the Verizon store should help me make up my mind though.
 
Upvote 0
How about sound quality over headphones. I read somewhere in this forum that you'd only hear improvement with FLAC and Lossless files but a recent review said your old MP3 files would sound better too. Who's right?

I have a bunch of FLAC files and the 24-bit 44/1 entire Beatles collection in my phone. They sound awesome on this phone. The native music player kicks the DAC in automatically when you plug headphones in. It actually may get me to buy a quality set to take even better advantage of it. Standard MP3s sound better, but holy cow those FLAC albums! My 200GB Micro SD can't get here fast enough.

Oh, and I am using a pair of Samsung headphones that came with a Galaxy S3 I think. I am very tempted to get the LG ones that were included with the Euro versions of the phone.
 
Upvote 0
I'm on Jump on Demand w/ T-Mobile and I'm tempted to get this.

I'm on an S6 Edge Plus right now. The screen (same as Note 5) is PHENOMENAL, but I can't stand not having an sd card slot (I have a 128GB just lying around now).

It's a toss up between going with an inferior screen but gaining sd card slot, or staying with the best screen I've ever seen on a phone, and just gritting my teeth until Samsung comes to its senses and adds the sd card expansion to the S7.
 
Upvote 0
I'm on Jump on Demand w/ T-Mobile and I'm tempted to get this.

I'm on an S6 Edge Plus right now. The screen (same as Note 5) is PHENOMENAL, but I can't stand not having an sd card slot (I have a 128GB just lying around now).

It's a toss up between going with an inferior screen but gaining sd card slot, or staying with the best screen I've ever seen on a phone, and just gritting my teeth until Samsung comes to its senses and adds the sd card expansion to the S7.
Man I was in the exact same boat coming from the note 4. The v10 screen is definitely better than my old g3 but it's still a far cry from Samsung amoled. I'm also not crazy about having software buttons again but the extra internal storage and the LG promo helped sway me. Fingerprint scanner is a million times better on the v10 too.

I still have another upgrade available that I'll save for the first sd820 phablet with removable battery and storage so I really can't complain!
 
Upvote 0
I'm really digging this phone after a few days. It's super snappy and multitasking it's great with 4gb of ram. Can anyone on Verizon locate the smart settings? I can't figure out if they removed that feature or I just can't find it. I know I've seen it mentioned in a couple review videos so I know it's in the international version.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KOLIO
Upvote 0
I'm really digging this phone after a few days. It's super snappy and multitasking it's great with 4gb of ram. Can anyone on Verizon locate the smart settings? I can't figure out if they removed that feature or I just can't find it. I know I've seen it mentioned in a couple review videos so I know it's in the international version.
I believe VZW & AT&T have this set up a bit differently & have it on auto-pilot,if you will,with it out of sight/not available for tweaking/etc.....
On the NOTE5,I believe this is the case as well.
Different mfgs,same BS bloat from Cheetah Mobile........
Glad I'm on T-Mobile,rooted & disabled this garbage. ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: rivera02
Upvote 0
I believe VZW & AT&T have this set up a bit differently & have it on auto-pilot,if you will,with it out of sight/not available for tweaking/etc.....
On the NOTE5,I believe this is the case as well.
Different mfgs,same BS bloat from Cheetah Mobile........
Glad I'm on T-Mobile,rooted & disabled this garbage. ;)
That stinks! I was looking forward to being able to set it up to turn on Wi-Fi at home and Bluetooth when I left.

I hear you on T-Mobile..if my work discount didn't make Verizon so cheap for me I'd probably be all over it. I haven't price shopped in quite a while though so I wonder how they compare nowadays? I have 4 lines sharing 31gb of data and I pay 280 a month with 3 lines on a device payment plan.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KOLIO
Upvote 0
Ugh, I don't know about this. I jumped to the V10 and I'm really missing the Super Amoled screen from the Samsung. Yes, the lack of SD card support sucked, but I find that the LCD experience (with light bleed on the useless second screen) to not be worth it.

Now I'm wondering whether to pay a $50 restocking fee to avoid burning an upgrade, or to do another Jump and then have only 1 left until November 2016. :-(

But I've gotta get back to Amoled goodness pronto!
 
  • Like
Reactions: KOLIO
Upvote 0
Watch out Han! They might ban you like Best Buy did :D:p

JK, JK.

I just picked up a V10 and the second screen is a bit disappointing. It's basically an icon collector that's way too dim after 3 seconds. I still need the notifications for texts and emails to pop up over the lockscreen.

The screen is a tiny bit yellower compared to my LG G3, but wouldn't notice it if I hadn't put them side by side. I haven't noticed any light bleed. So far.
 
  • Like
Reactions: HanSolo and KOLIO
Upvote 0
Ugh, I don't know about this. I jumped to the V10 and I'm really missing the Super Amoled screen from the Samsung. Yes, the lack of SD card support sucked, but I find that the LCD experience (with light bleed on the useless second screen) to not be worth it.

Now I'm wondering whether to pay a $50 restocking fee to avoid burning an upgrade, or to do another Jump and then have only 1 left until November 2016. :-(

But I've gotta get back to Amoled goodness pronto!
I hear ya on the AMOLED,it is nice,but,I'm using the 2nd screen quite a bit,more so than I did on the Note Edge.
I luv the S-Pen on the Note 5 (off-screen use is really a nice touch),but,that & the AMOLED doesn't make up for the sealed battery/no expandable memory,I-R Blaster MIA.
I'm enjoying the V10 more than the Note5,which is admittedly a surprise to me.
Slap some AMOLED & S-Pen luv on the V10 & you have a clear-cut winner.
Maybe next year.................
 
Upvote 0

BEST TECH IN 2023

We've been tracking upcoming products and ranking the best tech since 2007. Thanks for trusting our opinion: we get rewarded through affiliate links that earn us a commission and we invite you to learn more about us.

Smartphones