This is the A2017G version, which supports band 28.
VAT is removed during checkout (final stage before submitting order).
Full specifications available here.
CamelCamelCamel.
Great phone, pity the camera is average
Nothing all that alarming in there given the subsequent responses and the fact that I'm sure you could pick any device on the market a find a similar list of complaints compiled by someone, somewhere (that like in this case almost invariably fail to affect everyone).
is anyone else getting an error when proceeding to the checkout?
But it's EUR 420,11 today approx A$603???
Looks like deal is over/expired, price has been changed
Had the item in cart but when I tried to check out, the price changed. I guess I will not be placing an order at the increased price.
Thanks for the heads up, I've marked the deal as expired
Has anyone that ordered yesterday had theirs dispatched yet?
Still sitting on 'Not Yet Dispatched' with estimated arrival time (Sydney) being 13-16th Jan with Priority Shipping.
I wonder if we broden'd it…
same boat
Ordered on the 3rd at ~10am (our time), got a dispatch notification at ~1am this morning.
Here's the tracking status so far: http://i.imgur.com/vLx2oUE.png
ordered on the 3rd at about 11am…. still nothing.
Ordered on the 3rd still no dispatch and still no transaction on my card, so maybe on back order now?
OK i take that back, now its showing, and i can see a transaction on my card
Delivery 17 Jan - 21 Jan
Being prepared for shipping
Just pulled the trigger. The deal is back on, and comes to EUR335 without VAT. Cost me A$530
Mine arrived today. Upon booting it up I was met with a device reset protection message that prevented me from setting up the phone with my own Google account and progressing any further. The box appeared to be factory sealed and the device and all the accessories were in pristine condition so this was a bit of a mystery, but I've found some other reports online that suggest a possible QC/factory setup issue rather than it necessarily being a matter of Amazon reselling returns as new.
But either way, whatever. I was able to get around the problem after a bit of Googling and the phone is fantastic. I really really like it. I should have picked up an Axon 7 a long time ago.
Glad to hear it arrived and that you're enjoying it! Mines just updated to 'Shipping Today'… I'm swinging back between being excited for a new phone and buyers remorse with the wait time from Amazon but hearing it works well is reassuring.
Odd that it was factory sealed and still had device reset protection. I'll post back if mine comes with it as well. Did you need to flash the firmware to get around it?
It was likely a one-off issue. And the solution just involves exploiting one of the remaining weaknesses in the system: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zttWZS4hvRE
(email yourself an apk, create a screenshot and share via email, add an email account, run the apk, set a new device owner, reboot, do a factory reset etc)
It's a smart little workaround actually.
About your buyers remorse: put it aside. I've had flagship Samsung devices for years now, including an S7, and although I really like them, the Axon 7 is making me feel like a kid again. Part of the enjoyment for me is the front-facing stereo speakers, all the different options you get for Audio, and the fact that Google has now officially recognized the Axon 7 as Daydream-ready as soon as it gets Nougat: https://blog.google/products/google-vr/welcoming-more-device…
This phone is going to be fun. And beyond that the build quality is awesome, as is the display, and it was all for a really really good price.
Thanks for the update, mine still says "Being prepared for shipping". Also ordered on the 3rd with the cheaper shipping, credit card was charged on the 6th, and amount came to A$473.83 (28degree card), so that's not bad.
Can you confirm it has band 28?
I can only confirm that the phone I received was in fact an A2017G. It's gone back for reasons that I will detail below so I can't be any more definitive than that.
Having said that I think this is pretty reliable: https://www.frequencycheck.com/models/vDLER/zte-axon-7-a2017…
All you people who waited ages for dispatch are the lucky ones I think. Mine arrived on the 9th but it was sent from an Amazon UK Returns address and had a couple of problems. The first was the Factory Reset Protection that I had to bypass, which was bad enough, but the other problem was a noticeably uneven tint across the display. I spent a couple of days trying to decide if I could live with it but I eventually decided that I couldn't. So I went through the Amazon returns process and it's now on its way back. My complaint was:
Arrived with Factory Reset Protection enabled, no protective film on the display, some minor signs of previous use, and substandard display characteristics.
So I'm pretty sure I was sent a return. That doesn't bother me in principle if the product is in pristine condition and without flaws, but that wasn't the case here. It was obviously returned the first time for a good reason.
Anyway I've taken a loss here particularly given return postage costs (insured, of course) but that's the reality of shopping internationally. Most of the time you win, but sometimes you lose. I can live with that.
That's real disappointing. Are you getting a refund or replacement? Where did you ship it to (Can't ship batteries to Germany)?
A refund. I decided I didn't want to roll the dice twice.
As for shipping Lithium batteries to Germany, you absolutely can. They just need to be installed in the actual product itself, and the packaging needs to have a big sticker on it that warns the postal service not to transport it if there are signs of damage. It looks like this: http://i.imgur.com/5hpmvwK.jpg
Amazon DE provides all of these details as part of the returns process.
This meets Australia Post requirements as well. So it's all good :)
Thank you Cainn! How much was return postage?
Economy Air to Germany in the original Amazon packaging was $36.95, and insurance cover for a $470.16 value (which is what I was charged by Amazon DE before shipping at the then current exchange rate) was $19.60. So the total was $56.55.
Yeah, that definitely stung a little. But the extra 20 bucks was for peace of mind. I can't imagine sending a parcel of that value anywhere without insurance.
According to Amazon DE I will be refunded ~€8 (~AU$12) for return postage in addition to the purchase price.
For the future reference of all those who might encounter this discussion for whatever reason, Amazon DE have now received my return and issued a refund of EUR 351,85.
The means:
So far as return experiences go, and considering all of the potential problems given the international nature of the proceedings, I'd say that this has been a positive result. It shouldn't have been necessary in the first place, but I do feel that Amazon have looked after me nonetheless.
How is everyone else's experience about getting this phone from the above sale. Really surprised to see what happened to Cainn, and I am now double minded on whether to buy this phone through the same seller or not. Any comments will certainly help me in finalizing my purchase.
Personally I think it was just my turn to be unlucky (you're allowed to say "I hope so"). It was really just the screen tint issue that I couldn't live with and it doesn't appear to be a widespread problem.
I hope you get the refund soon enough then. Thanks for your response.
Mine just arrived yesterday and I'm busy setting it up now!
It arrived factory sealed and doesn't have any of the scratches Cainn mentioned, nor did it have factory reset protection. I'm pretty pleased with it so far.
Display:
Compared to the nexus, the screen is lovely. Bright and easy to read outside, no screen tinting that I can see.
Setup:
In the box there is a European charger, USB-C Cable, headphones (haven't tried them yet, but they look like the apple 'earbuds' style), sim tool, and a clear rubber case. (no screen protector, which I've head referenced in the US shipping).
*Edit: The quick setup book came in Italian, Turkish, and Spanish. No English or German. I'm not sure if there was anything important in there, but I'd have expected German at least. There are pictures, but they're the obvious stuff like 'how to insert the sim' and 'where is the screen' and 'do not attempt to use as a personal flotation device'
Network:
I've had to shave my sim down to fit (although I'll probably pick up a proper nano sim on the weekend just in case), but it looks like it picks up the same 4G channels my old phone did. I'll report back once I've got the new sim since I'm fairly sure I damaged it (I'm surprised it still works given I had to go down to metal - on that note this voids your warranty, so remove the sim if you need to send it back and I accept no responsibility if your phone mysteriously note 7's).
Battery:
I'm coming from a Nexus 5, the new size is taking some getting used to but I'm already very pleased with the battery. I've been using it since 7 this morning on the train in and it's only down to 94% in two hours, maybe half an hour of screen time in that (My nexus usually gave me about 2 hours of screen time, 6 hours off)
Software:
I can't comment on MiFavour yet. I put Google Now, the google launcher, and google keyboard back on it and it feels mostly like stock now unless you hit settings, where it's got that obnoxious frequently used settings thing that samsung has (had?). The regular settings are stock android, but it's the other tab.
The software version is 'B06', so anything you read about getting rid of the lock screen bell or fixing spotify problems from US reviews doesn't apply to this release. The notification bell is there, and I can't keep Google Play Music running (kills itself a few seconds after locking). I'll play around with some settings and see what I can fix. I suspect if I turn off the power saver this will fix itself.
Hardware:
Finger scanner works well, no lag. Camera is a league ahead of my nexus 5, but I've never used a 'good' camera phone so I can't talk here.
The capacitive buttons not having lights is a bit annoying, but at least they're the same orientation as my nexus (app drawer right, go back left) so it's not bothered me much yet and I expect I'll get used to it pretty soon. Sensitivity on the screen I'd had a few issues with close together menu items. Not sure if this is a setting or if my fingers aren't finging very well this morning.
Verdict:
Am I sad I picked this over the S7?
No, playing around with my partners S7 I'm glad I got the ZTE instead. Hardware is comparable,
software is average but I have big hopes on the Nougat update
Would I buy this again?
Maybe not from Amazon, JB Hifi will sell you them for $680 with the assurance of local returns,
but that's an extra $180 that means I would reconsider my pick over the S7. The only reason I think this is Cainn's experience.
If a local store sold them for what I paid ($490), I would buy it again.
Great feedback and good to know you are loving your new phone. Do you mean the quick charger came with an EU plug. I am assuming you will just need to buy an adapter that converts EU to AU. At least ebay sellers throw in a free adapter, but probably not the case with Amazon sellers.
That's the one - it's an EU Plug, and I've gone and ordered an adaptor from ebay.
Just an edit to my above, I've manually downloaded and installed B08, which has gotten rid of the lock bell issue!
I've not yet tested the Google Play Music, but will check shortly.
@ndallen09: Where did you download it from? I will probably be doing the same when I get my phone, but I have never really done anything like this before.
@gadgetfreak28: Hi Gadget, The update file can be downloaded from post number 46 here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/axon-7/how-to/ota-a2017g-b0…
You'll need an external SD installed to follow the steps I did, but you may be able to trawl that thread for another solution if you don't have one.
The update is 200megs so I downloaded it from the phone direct to the SD.
From there, the steps I followed are to:
Enable Developer Mode (tap build number seven or eight times)
Go to the new menu that this unlocks: 'Developer Options'
Enable the option 'OEM' unlocking.
Download and save that file to an external SD Card (root directory),
Rename the extension from '.up' to '.zip' (I used ES File manager, but the inbuilt file manager might be able to do it)
Power off the phone.
Power on the phone, whilst holding the volume up and power button. IMPORTANT: Release when it vibrates (otherwise it just reboots)
You'll see a menu. The specific menu item is 'Update from SD', but it may be under a Recovery main menu. I cant quite remember but it asks you to confirm everything so no harm in exploring the menu. quick press power button selects an item.
Update from SD will show you the contents of the SD card. It should show the zip file you downloaded and renamed earlier. Select it.
It will verify the zip, and run the update (mine took 10 mins). After that, it'll reboot and go through the tedious android 'Updating Apps' thing.
You should now be running B08!
There are troubleshooting steps on that forum thread - but mine went without a hitch.
@ndallen09: Thanks heaps. Now just waiting on the phone to get delivered from Amazon.de and will update using the instructions provided. Cheers.
An edit to my edit - B08 fixed the google play issue for me.
On a side note, in my exploration for getting B08 (how to do this I've posted elsewhere in this thread.) I talked to ZTE Australia via their Facebook.
They've mentioned they do 'IMEI' locking to figure out OTA releases, as well as geographically locking it. I checked using a german VPN but still couldn't force the B08 OTA update. I think I can conclude this phone will never receive OTA updates, but side loading it from my post below was pretty easy to do so I'm not too fussed.
Got mine yesterday, but only just started playing with it an hour ago. I was able to get B09 with OTA update with no problems, didn't do anything special, it just worked.
My package was just shipped last Thursday and i am still waiting for the package. It was also dispatched from UK.
Let us know how you go. Fingers crossed you should not have any dramas with the phone.
Hi Guys,
I have received my phone today. The phone is sealed by factory and it is brand new. I did not see any display problem either,though the quality is not so good as Samsung's display.
It has very similar feeling to HTC M8. I did not feel how good the speaker is until i compared with Samsung S7's speaker. Camera is better than I expected, you can still take good picture with night mode in low light conditions.
Finger scanner is quick.
Recommend to buy it for the price.
Regarding the display, are you sure it's not just a matter of having become accustomed to Samsung's default colour mode? Have you tried Settings > Display > Screen effect and selecting the "Gorgeous" option (along with whatever colour temperature floats your boat)?
I ended up getting an Axon 7 from JB, and I have an S7 here as well, and although I can't get the displays to look identical in terms of colour, I wouldn't say that the Axon 7 has an inferior display. To my eyes it's actually really nice. In fact if anything the display on my S7 is a touch too warm even in AMOLED cinema mode.
@cainn:I feel samsung's display is little bit sharper and clearer. I think most people won't notice the difference until comparing them.
Thread is drying up, but recommend the whirlpool thread if you have any further discussions:
https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=2534736
could be this one?
http://www.banggood.com/PPTV-KING-7-6-Inch-2_5D-3GB-RAM-32GB…