I need phone advice. Note 4 is Junk

Hello Everyone.
I'll TRY to keep this short and sweet.
I'm having an almost tear inducing time trying to find a phone for me.

I went form a Nokia E63 to a Nokia E72. Loved these both.
Went to a Blackberry Q10, which was amazing. but was too small.
Upgraded to a Blackberry Passport, which is beyond perfect; but is starting to show webpage incompatibility.

I've accepted that until the new Nokia launch (come on Q4 2016!) or Q1 2017, when the new Blackberry qwerty android comes out, I need something to bide my time.

I bought a second hand (proven not stolen, receipt and such) Samsung Galaxy Note 4. I owned a Note1 and thought I knew what I was in for…. nope.

The Note1 was GREAT.
CyanogenMod had bothered to do a full release for it, which I flashed Day1 and loved the everloving sh!t out of it!

The note 4?
No stable ROM options.
I'm on the Marshmallow ROM sent OTA by Telstra, and have done a factory reset.
TouchWiz is impossible to use, options are disabled, or missing entirely (hold back to force close, for example)
You can't flash a custom ROM without triggering a KNOX warranty Bit flip (so people know its been rooted)
The GPS is close, but seems to randomly 'jump' from one side of the street to another while I'm perfectly still.
The WiFi is the killer here. It disconnects after 5 seconds of inactivity, and doesnt try to reconect, despite being in range.

So, with the official ROM, and no easy way to flash custom ROMS, and it being shit, I'm in need of help.
I was planning to move phone 'full time' till a modern android phone comes out I like.

Prior to this, I borrowed a ZTE Blade D, and it ran Pokemon GO just fine, using Wifi hotspotting from my Blackberry.
But I'd like to actually switch full time, so I'm used to android for the new BB's and Nokias to come.

I've considered an Oppo F1 (now that they're $199 at Optus prepaid), but the battery life is concerning me. I'm used to my Passport being able to stretch into the 3rd day for battery, but some people report less than 24 hours with the F1.

I keep reading Band 28 (700mhz) LTE is important, and all my previous phones have had it;
but does it simply mean my phone will drop back to 3G instead of 4G? HSDPA? 7.2mbps is faster than my phone internet connection, so that's fine.

TO cut the story short;
I need a phone thats:
-Below $300
-Can Have Cyanogen installed (or comes with ASOP and can be rooted)
-Will run Pokemon GO (AR is not needed, so dont stress about Gyro)
-3GB of RAM is preferred, but I'm open to discussion on why 2GB is enough.
-5.5" screen or bigger. I MIGHT consider 5" if its super cheap, but I have vision problems, and also like the larger keyboard.
-BATTERY LIFE!

Comments

  • +3

    I think the Note 4 you currently have is better spending $300 on one that probably wont be as good. Try android 6.0.1 http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/database/SM-N910G/

    • That's what its already running…..

      • Did they problems come up after you updated? I have a note 4 on 4.4.4 atm and considering updating it to 6.0.1 soon. ATM i have absolutely no complaints, it's snappy after you optimise touchwiz and i haven't had any reliability issues

        • Nope. Being left handed:
          I still can't move the app draw to the left for one handed operation.
          I still can't get to the built in hidden menu to modify the title bar.
          I still can't get GPS to be within 2 meters; 5M is the closest I can get.
          it all existed prior and post update.

          I also keep getting notifications form 'game optimise'or some shit. and some sort of 'ad' for 'power saving options'.

          Touchwiz is just bloat, ive used android extensively on other devices.

  • So what are you going to do with the note 4?

    • +1

      Sell it; the functions it has work "as expected"
      The gps issue is model wide, and "some brands of wifi access point not working" seems to also be common.
      I don't think its faulty, just not for me.

      Looking at Redmi Note 3 Pro 3GB

      • What are you going to ask?

        (remembering this is ozb of course I'm looking for a good price :P)

        • Tree Fiddy.
          In all seriousness, $350.
          If the extended battery and TPU case get here I'll call it $400 on gumtree and see what offers.

      • im interested also, now using note 3 and have no issue

      • I have the Redmi Note 2, and while I am happy with it, getting Cyanogen on it was a bit more hassle than usual. Looks like the Note3 is similar in that it is not an "official" cyanogen mod, so you are at the mercy (and skill/attention span) of whoever is building it in their spare time.

      • Based on your comments, you might want to mention has faulty wifi when you sell, judging a phone that's faulty is pretty pp.

        • It's well known.
          Even Samsung themselves have note of the chipset being picky.

        • @MasterScythe: ran 2 x note 4 for nearly 2 years fautless, 1 Optus 1 Telstra , Optus just updated to mm, like a new phone again with new s pen options.

        • @rokkz: Very lucky.
          Spend some time on reddit or the Samsung forums, you'll quickly see, its well known that they have a picky GPS and wifi, its not faulty, it just depends on what your wifi access points use for a chipset.

  • -7

    S7 edge.

    You'll never need another phone for at least 4 years

    • +4

      Sorry, I forgot to list that Edge screens are OUT.
      They look horrible, they have a bright 'band' at the 'edge' and that creates glare with my eye condition.

      Also I dont think I'll be going back to Samsung…..

      • +1

        I know your pain.
        I have high pressure in my eyes, when I see bright lights/glare I see fuzzy rainbows…

        • +1
        • @MasterScythe:

          I have that too :(

          Are you using hard contacts?

        • @NoobStyles:
          Who do you see? I see Frank Howes.

          No, I tried hard contacts, my body rejects them.

          I've had 4 crosslinkings and a kera-ring inserted (and removed 7 years later, after crosslinking).

          I'm about to go in for a corneal graft in the next 6 months.

        • @MasterScythe:

          I'm sorry you've been having issues. Ive been really lucky, my condition hasn't progressed for the last ~15 years and I've been able to wear contacts.

          I hope your corneal graft is a success! Im somewhat scared of getting a graft at some point in the future. The prognoses for the procedure is very good though so I'm sure you'll be fine!

        • @NoobStyles:

          Dr Howes being 'the best' has its advantages, and he's super down to earth.
          He pointed something out.
          a successful graft is a removal and reattach of a cornea…. it says nothing about patient vision afterward.

          He said the operation has about a 90% success rate, and about a 25% "improvement rate".
          The good thing, is that its repeatable. If one cornea doesnt work, you wait 1 month, and try another.

          The only thing making me wait, is that I'm in my 20's, and corneal grafts only stay good for a MAXIMUM 8 years.
          So if I start grafting, I'm in for a lifetime of "what if" moments.

          Its a (profanity) tough life though. I put the hard contacts in for an hour or so, from time to time….. I usually end up in tears from what I'm missing, so I try to avoid reminding myself.
          Depth perception and the beauty of leaves on a tree are the two that get me every bloody time.

          also people are ugly with skin imperfections visible again :P

      • the plain s7 then. It's small and does everything without drama

        • I can't find these for sub $300 I'm sorry.

        • @MasterScythe: oh yeah, sorry, forgot that part of the equation.

    • +1

      Lol a phone that lasts 4 years in this day and age, only if it has a removable battery cause 2 years after heavy use, the battery deteriorates a lot.
      I don't want to send my phone in to change a battery they charge you so much because of the waterproofing on the phones I own and since you're talking about the S7 edge which is water resistant.

      • -1

        Samsung's flagship phones don't have that problem. You can still get a lot of charge out of the battery even after 4 years.
        Ozbargain, the home of misinformation.

    • +1

      I'd love to know where you can purchase an S7 Edge for less than $300.

  • +1

    Wait for Note 7…

  • Would someone be able to help with the creme of the crop of chinese phones?

    Sub 300, 3GB ram, battery life is key, official CM12\CM13 support will be a big winner (no risk of spyware :D )

    Also, if I dont have Band28 in LTE, does that mean it'll fall back to HSDPA, because 7.2Mbps is more than enough…..

    • because 7.2Mbps is more than enough

      That's a theoretical maximum.

      Since it's a wireless data connection performance will mostly never be at this speed and will vary from no speed to something in between no speed and that theoretical maximum.

      • Well if we halve the the theoretical maximum to 3Mbps, thats still faster than my ADSL2+, so I'll still not notice :D

    • I have the Redmi Note 2, it doesn't have band 28, but I still get 4G. The 4G range would be better with 28, but going back to 850 3G is fine for my needs.

  • I've had 2 issues with my Note 4 so far this year, currently sent into warranty ; note that these have 2 year warranties if you know the previous owner.

    1st was emmc going bad; whole motherboard replacement

    2nd - cell radio activity (in low reception it was even worse) activating the recent apps capactive button (just sent into warranty).

    I picked up an oppo f1 as a backup phone in a rush for the mean time (2 year warranty, big w cos optus were out) but looking at the specs of the letv pro 1 over the xiaomi : https://www.ozbargain.com.au/product/leeco-letv-le1-pro - they are impressive at its price, downside just being the long postage, and hassle with dealing overseas for warranty issues

    • Oppo F1 is my 'go to' next!
      Can you please give me your impressions?
      Are you a heavy user?
      Does that bettery last a full day with heavy use?

      Since its available in country, for $199 (optus locked), Its VERY tempting.

      • 720p IPS display, snapdragon 616, comes with a factory applied screen protector and comes with a clear slim case. Slow to charge, I'm plugged in at work, carry a powerbank / frequently pokemon go so I haven't looked too deeply at battery life. The ColorOS didn't come with a measure of duration for battery usage on the display. I've just upgraded to the Spectrum MM ROM beta so I can pay more attention to the display's screen on time in battery stats. In the Oppo F1 post in ozbargain going around you can get it unlocked by a third party for ~$25 iirc.

        It's good for a budget/mid-range phone but nothing mind blowing.

        If you're seriously considering purchasing best to go with the BIG W eGift Cards discount, via cashrewards I think? or just the eGift card in general.

        However the LeTV will of course blow it out of the water 64gb rom/4gb ram 1440p display with the snapdragon 810; read comments in the thread, don't think band 28 is supported but not a biggie for me.

        Both of these have non-removable batteries anyhow, and the Note 7 too, pretty satisfied with the Note 4 so far, will throw a data sim into this oppo f1 once I get it back.

        • Thanks for that.

          I'm noticing the Xaiomi Redmi Note Pro 3, with 4000mah battery, has a CM13 build for it….

      • Poor battery life to begin with but with pokemon go you dont stand a chance.

        • +1

          That was the upside of the weak little Blade D; about 4 hours play time to 20% remaining.
          Was amazing.

  • +2

    iPhone

    • Where are they available at Sub $300?
      I'll honestly consider it if they're that low.

      • +1

        iPhone 5s selling at $399. just a tiny bit above your budget

        • $280 on aliexpress

        • +2

          Not quite the 5.5" OP is after…

  • +2

    You seem to like your Blackberries. Maybe Blackberry Priv?

    • ah yes, the nostalgic Blackberry phones

  • +1

    Ok, I had similar problems with my Note 3. Apparently Samsung puts the Wifi and GPS antennae together. What happens is sometimes the backplate gets a bit loose and this creates a gap between the antenna metal contacts and the main circuit board. What I needed to do was to pop open my back cover and tighen the screws at the top. I suspect you may need to do a similar thing with your Note 4. Note: you only need to pop open the back cover, you don't need to disassemble the phone…

  • My Note 4 is very fine. The only big issue is the battery goes from 50% drop to zero (the phone restarted itself at 50% and when it came back, the low battery warning came up with 0% showing). Changed the battery and it only got better (from 15% to zero in an instant). Still no solution.

    Otherwise, a great phone imho.

    Oppo would be your next try at that price.

  • +2

    Motorola Nexus 6, 6" screen $330 @ eBay
    Cyanogenmod link : https://download.cyanogenmod.org/?device=shamu&type=snapshot

    I want to recommend Xiaomi due to their impressive battery life and price.
    http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=6604&idPhone2=…

    Redmi note 3 Cyanogenmod link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/redmi-note-3
    Xiaomi Mi Max has 6.44" screen but it doesnt have Cyanogenmod yet, maybe in the future.

    • THANK YOU!!!!!

      The Note3 is the current leader, I'm just not sure how much I sacrifice missing a few of the 4G bands.
      I live in Brisbane, so I'm pretty sure coverage should be fine.

      The Nexus 6 looks tempting too….. especially 2nd hand.

      • +1 on nexus 6, we have 1 and dropped a few times, still rock solid.

        And actually the only problem i think you have might be because you bought a USED note 4? Do you think that the phone might have the problems(previous owner dropped it etc) hence he/she sold it to you?

        Well, if possible, don't go with a 2nd hand phone anymore.. just my 2cents. Cheers!

        • Thanks for the input.

          But no, I dont think the user damaged it.

          The GPS being slightly "jumpy" is a known fault, just check the Note4 subreddit. Its VERY widespread.

          The fact that I can't move the apps draw is part of TouchWIZ, so thats not a fault, its just unusable for a left hander.

          Also, the wifi, that drops constantly on my Billion device, is rock solid on all other devices. Its a "known picky chipset" in the phone. There are quite a few wifi points that will constantly drop and reconnect. I have one of them.

          Since its a custom wifi setup at my home, that wont be changing to suit one device; (I'm a network engineer by trade).

        • @MasterScythe:

          I wouldn't go for the Nexus 6, it is being left behind by Google alongside the Nexus 5.
          The OnePlus One is a possible choice, because it has the dev community you desire. But its getting old.
          I don't have too much faith for OnePlus Three, but keep an eye on it.

          If you need it now, go for the Nexus 5X or the Nexus 6P.

          But your Note 4 is still a nicely designed, modern, and competitive handset.
          So if you can wait just a lil bit more… get a Nexus 5P or a Nexus 6X instead.
          Or whatever they are going to call the 2016 Nexuses (Nexi?)

          Even if its the same device as the 2015 Nexi, they might make 3 improvements:
          - Snapdragon 820 SoC
          - Reduce bezel size (or increase Screen-to-Body Ratio)
          - OIS (and likely better camera and fingerprint etc etc)
          -…maybe even price cut or bump up the battery capacity (??)

  • +1

    There is a Band 28 version available now of the Note3 pro…..

    Its only 2GB of RAM though.

    Anyone have any input about 2GB vs 3GB RAM phones?

    • +2

      1GB is enough to run Android and most mobile Apps.
      2GB is enough to run Android and all Apps (including the heavy ones).
      3GB, same as above.
      4GB is enough to run Android, Apps, and Multitask effectively.

      5GB, same as above.
      6GB, same as above.
      8GB is enough to run Android, Apps, Multitask, and run a Virtual PC. Or even effectively run a desktop OS.
      9GB - 15GB, same as above.
      16GB, is enough to effectively run Android or Desktop OS, use Virtual PC, run all Apps, Multitask, and future-proof it for a decently long time.

      17GB - 31GB, same as above.
      32GB now you are 1337 360 noscope pwn Mega n00b 69 OG 420, sir.

  • +1

    Samsung Note 3 - pretty old but does everything you need it to while keeping the budget

  • +3

    if you have a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and you owned a Samsung Galaxy Note 1 then why not glue them together and have a Samsung Galaxy Note 5?

    (i think the maths is correct)

  • OP, I am using a BlackBerry too, Z10 to be precise. Can't really see myself using another phone especially another OS. BB10 is really good but shame that it is coming to an end. I don't like any phones out there right now, to me, whether it is a $300 phone or a $1000 phone all android phones are more or less the same under the skin. My work phone is an iPhone 5 which I use it mostly for calls, web browsing, apps. For emails, multitasking and the Hub, I always reach for my BlackBerry Z10.

    I am afraid when my Z10 dies I will have no way to go. :(

  • I still have my e72 as a backup handset. Still find the old nokia handset good to use.

    The samsung note 4 should be a good handset, have you looked at running a fifferent launcher to see how it goes? I know its not flashing another rom but at least i find it improves the UI which is beter then the old touchwiz.

    If your looking for another handset i dare say bang for buck go a redmei note 3 pro the lack of band 28 isnt going ro affect you much, i have a note 2 without band 28 and i was still getting 4g.

  • +3

    Redmi note 3 with Snapdragon chipset. Easily 2 to 3 days battery life and fulfils ALL your stated criteria .

    • Yea ever since lenovo ruined motorola, chinese phones have started taking over the midrange smartphone market.

  • Phones these days must be a bit hit and miss. I had a Samsung Galaxy S2 which was slow as a dog. Next Samsung phone was a Galaxy Note 4, which I love and haven't had any problems with. Next phone I get will probably be a newer Galaxy Note. I like the large screen mainly.

  • +2

    I just ordered!
    I dont need 4G everywhere, I proved today 3G is more than enough for my basic browsing needs and RDP

    Well I'm excited :D

    I've never used GeekBuying before, but they sound like the bees kneez considering what I've read here overall, and from "Clear" our resident Marketing rep.

    I used a site wide 5% off code.

    I changed the shipping to "Australia" was was THRILLED to see the "1-3 days TNT" option dropped to $7 AUD!!!!!!!

    I added insurance.

    So for $259, I have a Redmi Note 3 Snapdragon 3GB\32GB in BLACK\GREY (usually above $300! due to color demand….) on its way!!!!
    Im so excited.

    Cyanogenmod, and $100 back from selling my Note4, here I come!!!!!

    • Welcome to the family!
      Had mine for about 2 weeks now, and loving it. Make sure to officially unlock the boot loader when you get it, because it take a couple of days for Xiaomi to unlock it. Coming from a Nexus 5 I had the same experience when I tried to switch to a Galaxy, happy to be back on stock.

      btw I haven't had any issues with 4g living here in the suburbs of Perth

  • I can relate to the whole KNOX nonsense. Note 3 was my last Samsung due to that.

    • Yeah I wont be going back.

      The IDEA is amazing, and I love it.
      But even though you can't allow ROOT because of the whole principle of KNOX, you need to allow the option to remove and tweak Touchwiz.

      If you're going to make a secure business side, the user side needs to be equally insecure, so I can do what I want. Then I wouldnt have felt like this.

  • Wait for September 2nd - 7th IFA for the announcment of new phones if you're after a FLAGSHIP.

  • +1

    I also went from E63 to Note 1 to Note 4, and thought it just got better and better!

  • +1

    I bought a Xiaomi note 3 prime a month or so back and am loving it. I had a galaxy s7 edge before this that I sold on the week where I found out how terrible its GPS was.
    The only game played it Pokemon Go, which runs great. With the 4000mah battery, I can start at 50% battery and still be the last phone standing when playing poke.on go for hours with friends. Amazing. By far, the best $250 I've spent on a phone. Drawbacks: camera is meh and headphone jack only takes special cords apparently.

    • EUGH, the heaphone jack I hope is bloody wrong… I use normal (non phone) headphones a LOT……

      Otherwise I love what I'm hearing :D

      • Well, I say this as a warning. I have used regular headphones and fancy ones with no problem ever. The only time I had an issue was when I plugged the jack from my phone into the car jack. Then it didn't play through the car speakers like my old phones did. I don't know why so I use Bluetooth in the car now…

  • I also have a xiaomi note 3 pro prime 3gb/32gb. Good phone thats on par with note 4, except for fingerprint scanner which is much better. Also didn't notice much difference in 4g speeds in Melbourne inner suburbs.

    I'm running 6.0.1 Marshmallow Indian ROM on Note 4.
    -I'd recommend flashing this version since its been out since February and is stable and optimised. No force closes, no random restarts, and haven't had to restart phone for weeks.
    -No issues with GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth or NFC at all (although I think your problem may be hardware related)
    - Tripping knox doesnt matter at all after warranty period, only way to know its tripped is one binary digit on download mode. Once your back to the official samsung rom, device status is official and you get all the OTA updates (monthly security update). Put nova launcher, disable the samsung apps, and enjoy the far superior battery life and camera quality. It's as fluid as the xiaomi note 3 pro prime.

    • Thanks for the advice, but I've now ordered the Xiaomi.

      I had an annoyance last night too.
      There are a bunch of "Samsung Apps" that seem to be automatically installed.
      14, the app store informed me.

      I got woken up by pings pongs and vibrations at 4AM to tell me "S fit was updated!" I've never even LAUNCHED that shit.
      Yeah I can untick the auto-update now I know about it; but it doesn't stop me having already been woken up at 4 am!

      I'll be glad to be rid of closed source.

      • Haha the Samsung apps are definitely annoying, but you can disable 95% of them now in Indian marshmallow rom (without needing root and uninstalling/freezing them) which is good.

        The xiaomi is a great phone. Probably the best bang for buck. If you really want AOSP/cyanogenmod - the bootloader is locked, and last I heard it takes a week or two to get it unlocked officially from Xiaomi (there's probably other ways by now). But the global stable rom is good once you get used to the miui interface and there's heaps of customisation options. I haven't flashed needed to flash anything else.

        Good luck, enjoy your new phone :)

  • If the phone is out of warranty who cares about Knox? I rooted my note 2 and put cyanogen and boom, new lease on life!

    • Well its more that I get a brand new device, with better internals, for $100 less, without the hastle.

  • +1

    Welcome to phones in 2016 unfortunately.

    • Hardware is getting less reliable. Warranty process sucks.
    • Everything is buggier, more broken and more restricted with each Android release (and each individual app on the app stores for that matter).
    • There are probably as many things you can't do with a rooted phone as there are things you can't do with an unrooted phone…IF you can find a way to root your model.
    • Almost no manufacturer will make a phone with a user replaceable battery because you might actually look after it and not come back in 18-24 months for another expensive phone.

    My LG G4 is in the shop. Second time for the same failure (dead WIFI and Bluetooth hardware). 2nd unit as it was replaced with another phone the first time. And a lot of people are reporting "boot loop". To be clear I baby my phones and this one was near pristine.

    • +1

      Well, if it makes you feel better, NOKIA is about to break back into the market.
      Their "lock in" with microsoft is about to expire, and they have a page explaining "WE'RE COMING BACK!" so expect some "Nokia Android" within the next year.

      Also, I don't know if you've had the pleasure of using it, but Blackberry have switched full time to Android too.
      I've used a PRIV extensively, and their 'version' of android is also rock solid.
      Little slow; but rock solid.

      Between Nokia and BB, I'm sure we'll see a solid hardwware\software release; just need something to bide the time until then.
      http://www.theverge.com/2016/5/18/11699702/nokia-is-coming-b…

      http://company.nokia.com/en/news/press-releases/2016/05/18/n…

      I'm hoping for more sliders, keyboards, "always on" e-ink external displays, and the like :)

  • Redmi Note 3 Pro. I finally broke my Nexus 5 not too long ago and bought the LG G4 which was not as good as I expected (great camera though). I got my Redmi Note 3 Pro just last week and its been the best experience in terms of performance, battery life and daily usage and not to mention my wallet. I rooted it and also had the option to flash a rom but I kept with the latest MIUI which seems to be great still, it runs butter smooth and has a lot of support and updates from the Xiaomi forums as well as tools to recover from bricks.

    The only thing that might stop you is that it doesn't officially support Quickcharge 2.0 and it takes about 2.5 hours to go 0-100%. Also the camera isn't the best.

    Edit: just saw that you have ordered it :))

    • Yep.
      And the first thing I DISABLE is quick charge :P
      That's why its important for it to last a full day.

      Slow charging is less stressful to a LiPo battery, and if I can ensure I have more than 25% charge at the end of each day, it should basically eliminate any 'battery aging'. Lipo's dont age (not enough to mention in 5 years at least) unless you drain them below 25% (ideally 33%), or fast charge them.

  • +1

    Im still rocking the note 3, eagerly waiting for the note 7 though

    • +1

      Me too. It's starting to show its age though. I had originally planned for the note 5 but with no expandable memory I decided to pass. Especially after I bought a 200gb micro SD card.

      • My note 3 is still putting up a good fight on lollipop, does get a bit bogged down at times but nothing too infuriating.
        I was also in the same boat with the Note 5, almost pulled the trigger but as you said no SD card is a game changer, Note 7 is looking promising, aside from the price, the second month of the note 3 release i was able to get it for $790 from JB, won't be the same with the note 7 :((

  • Just keep saving up your money and fork out for one of the top line phones… its worth it…

    • +1

      Yeah but by the time I'm able to afford it, the Blackberry PRIV probably wont be available anymore.

      A friend has an HTC M9 and hates it (overheats while editing 4k video).
      The samsungs are STILL rocking touchwiz, so they're out.
      LG seem to be sacrificing the long battery I want for slim form factor and 'big screens'.

      The latest OPPO and Huawei are worth a consideration, but why bother?
      I'll just wait for Nokia or BB to bring out their new stuff Q1 of 2017, and enjoy the Redmi for the next 6 months :D

  • +1

    sorry to hear.

    I have a note 3 and 4.

    Wife uses 4 and loves it.

    My 3 has been going strong for almost 3 years and I love it. They are built like rocks.

    I would suggest perhaps trying out xiaomi note or someting but they are going to be puss compared to something like a note 5.

    Perhaps try a note 3?
    Pretty similar phone sounds like you got a lemon.

  • +1

    So trip knox and install cyanogen.
    I ended up doing that and am currently running 'Nameless ROM' v7, which was specifically for the Note 4.
    No complaints, no issues.

    GPS / WiFi issues sounds like hardware issues. Sure your source wasn't trying to offload a busted phone?

  • +2

    I have got a note 4 and I reckon its the best phone I have ever had so far. Its been running perfectly since I bought it new last year in February.

  • Note 3 user here still going strong after so many years. Android 5.1.1 stable rom no problems at all. Its well worth it to get latest and greatest. Will only be replaced by note 7 or likes.

  • What about just stock rom, just the latest official stock? I run that on my Note 2 and honestly I'm happy.
    I'm tempted to buy a Note 4 next year when the S8 is released. They'll be like $300 then - dirt cheap!

  • Sony might be a go to for those requirements? Only thing is I'm unsure about the rooting for the phone as I know my Z3 was next to impossible to root (unless you feel like breaking the camera on the phone) and I'm unsure of the CM requirement either.

  • Get an LG G4 or G3

    I have been with LG since the G1 and never had any any problems.

    • Me missus had a G3 and had problems. Had to get the phone replaced. It seems all phones are hit and miss. You just want to hope that whatever provider you go with and whatever manufacturer you happen to choose, that both have good after sales service.

      • I've always bought them outright from Hong Kong. Means I don't have to wait for OTA testing from carriers here.

  • Note 4 with CM running sweet here…

    • Tripped KNOX bit though?

      Dont get me wrong, I'd actually have loved to keep this phone.
      I've paid for a double size battery and a gel case to suit it, but it'll be sold.

      When I consider I can have an all around better phone, for $100 less, its just what I should have done in the first place.

      Even if I trip the KNOX bit and get Cyanogen running, there's no guarantee that'll fix the wifi driver communicating with my repeated Billion mixed mode wifi setup, without error.
      It COULD be a hardware limitation; so I dont really want to risk it.

  • I think Optus iP5s will do:

    • $399 but you can pay $99.75 a week in 4 weeks.
    • Bonus $30 prepaid.
    • Sign up a $30 plan with an ABN and you'll get 2 months free (1.5GB, free call/text & EPL subscription)

    Total cost over 1 year: $699, i.e. $58.25 per month.
    EOFY: Claim $300 (unrecognizable threshold) against your taxable income (using for work) so you'll get something $60-100 off your tax.

    FINALLY, it'll cost you ONLY: $50-53 per month.

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