Hisense A5

[tracey1]

Originally Posted by cartz

I use the A5 as my only phone. Works great. Browsing, phone calls, messaging, maps navigation., etc. Probably best to get the one with Google Play if you.want to be sure all the apps you need will work.

I generally don't use it for video, but for everything else it's great.

Thank you. Do you not miss being able to see color from time to time ?

[tracey1]

Originally Posted by milady133

I use it as a reader, so I can't help you there, but unless you have a visual problem that makes it difficult to work with normal phones, I wouldn't use it without a backup "normal" phone. Phone calls and the like will probably work without problems, and even watching not demanding short videos work, so in situations where you can wait to reach your computer or another phone for things where the screen is not going to perform as well as you would like you can use it without problems.
I definitely recommend getting the version with the Google play store, you'll be tinkering too much to get normal applications to work without that. And keep in mind the phone is marked as "rooted" so applications that check that the phone isn't rooted are not going to work (possibly bank applications and applications for payments with your phone)

I actually do have light sensitivity which is why I'm keen to getting it as my main phone.
What do you think about the A5 version with google play which doesn't seem to be updatable ?

[tracey1]

Question : If I take photos with the Hisense A5 or screenshots and transfer them to another device (laptop or LCD phone) - are they in black and white or in color ?

[cartz]

Originally Posted by tracey1

Question : If I take photos with the Hisense A5 or screenshots and transfer them to another device (laptop or LCD phone) - are they in black and white or in color ?

If you take photos they are in colour. Not sure about screenshots.

To answer your earlier question, no I don't really find myself missing colour.
Bottom line is that I have light sensitivity and the benefits of having an e-ink phone far outweigh any perceived negatives.

Regards to your concern about the Google Play version not being updateable. Personally it doesn't concern me - android phones generally have very short update lives anyway as phone manaufacturers don't care about old models. Unless you are focused on security and only use the latest model phones because you want all the updates then don't worry about it - most people use very outdated versions of Android on their phones. Not after a debate on this one, just offering my personal opinion. Basically for someone with light senstivity these are not things to worry about, you want a phone that you can comfortably use and that should trump these sort of issues.

[tracey1]

Originally Posted by cartz

If you take photos they are in colour. Not sure about screenshots.

To answer your earlier question, no I don't really find myself missing colour.
Bottom line is that I have light sensitivity and the benefits of having an e-ink phone far outweigh any perceived negatives.

Regards to your concern about the Google Play version not being updateable. Personally it doesn't concern me - android phones generally have very short update lives anyway as phone manaufacturers don't care about old models. Unless you are focused on security and only use the latest model phones because you want all the updates then don't worry about it - most people use very outdated versions of Android on their phones. Not after a debate on this one, just offering my personal opinion. Basically for someone with light senstivity these are not things to worry about, you want a phone that you can comfortably use and that should trump these sort of issues.

I'm with you on the issue of Android updates. I guess I was careful about it due to many people mentioning it as a downside.

Can you use the phone comfortably in the dark ? For example outside in the evening. One thing that was great about my YP2 in such a setting was that I could just switch to the color screen.

[Question Mark]

Originally Posted by cartz

If you take photos they are in colour. Not sure about screenshots.

Just like with a Kobo, and presumably any other eink ereader, when you take screenshots of of things which would otherwise be in colour, they will be in colour when you view them on a device which displays colour.

[Question Mark]

Originally Posted by tracey1

Can you use the phone comfortably in the dark ? For example outside in the evening. One thing that was great about my YP2 in such a setting was that I could just switch to the color screen.

The A5 has a frontlight which works very well in the dark or in low light conditions.

I originally had the A2 Pro, but found it a nuisance to have to switch to the colour screen in low light conditions when I wanted to be using the eink screen. I was so pleased when the A5 came out.

[Villain]

Hi, after the last update in June my phone turns frontlight on automatically for phone calls (when my frontlight mode is set to off). Is it only me and it means something is broken or you also have this issue? Please, let me know. It's a huge pronlem for me because I'm light intolerant.

[Question Mark]

Originally Posted by Villain

Hi, after the last update in June my phone turns frontlight on automatically for phone calls (when my frontlight mode is set to off). Is it only me and it means something is broken or you also have this issue? Please, let me know. It's a huge pronlem for me because I'm light intolerant.

At one point, I seem to remember seeing that there was a setting where you could turn that off. However, I can't seem to find it. Perhaps it was on an earlier version of the firmware. Or perhaps I'm recalling something from a different phone.

That said, under call settings, there is an option which says "Display duration". I wonder if turning that off might help?

[Villain]

Originally Posted by Question Mark

At one point, I seem to remember seeing that there was a setting where you could turn that off. However, I can't seem to find it. Perhaps it was on an earlier version of the firmware. Or perhaps I'm recalling something from a different phone.

That said, under call settings, there is an option which says "Display duration". I wonder if turning that off might help?

Thanks for the reply. Display duration is about displaying the time of a call. I've searched all settings a hundred times and nothing helped.
So you have installed the latest update (from June) and you don't have that issue? Would you be so kind and check if the frontlight is in OFF mode, the frontlight will turn on when you make a phone call?

CECT shop told me to roll back to the previous firmware version but I won't be able to do it myself and no one here can help me. I will need to buy the phone from someone who hasn't updated it in June.

[Question Mark]

Originally Posted by Villain

Thanks for the reply. Display duration is about displaying the time of a call. I've searched all settings a hundred times and nothing helped.
So you have installed the latest update (from June) and you don't have that issue? Would you be so kind and check if the frontlight is in OFF mode, the frontlight will turn on when you make a phone call?

CECT shop told me to roll back to the previous firmware version but I won't be able to do it myself and no one here can help me. I will need to buy the phone from someone who hasn't updated it in June.

I suspect that I probably have the same issue as you since my last update for the A5 dates from June. I just get so few phone calls that I don't really notice.

However, there may be some hope on the way. I just checked my A5 Pro CC which I just got the other day, and under the Display and Brightness section in Settings, there is the option to turn on or off "Automatic Backlight for Incoming Call". I suspect that might resolve the issue although I don't know for certain as I haven't put a SIM card in the phone yet.

The latest update for the A5 Pro CC is from August 21, so hopefully this option will be rolled out to the A5 model in a subsequent update.

[Villain]

Originally Posted by Question Mark

I suspect that I probably have the same issue as you since my last update for the A5 dates from June. I just get so few phone calls that I don't really notice.

However, there may be some hope on the way. I just checked my A5 Pro CC which I just got the other day, and under the Display and Brightness section in Settings, there is the option to turn on or off "Automatic Backlight for Incoming Call". I suspect that might resolve the issue although I don't know for certain as I haven't put a SIM card in the phone yet.

The latest update for the A5 Pro CC is from August 21, so hopefully this option will be rolled out to the A5 model in a subsequent update.

Thanks for the info. That's a relief. So I'll wait for the next update, hope it will come soon and that they haven't decided to stop updates for the "old" A5 altogether. And if it doesn't help, I know I can buy the phone you have to solve this problem.

[Question Mark]

Originally Posted by Villain

Thanks for the info. That's a relief. So I'll wait for the next update, hope it will come soon and that they haven't decided to stop updates for the "old" A5 altogether. And if it doesn't help, I know I can buy the phone you have to solve this problem.

I would be wary about purchasing any colour models of the A5 if you have light sensitivity issues. The screens are somewhat darker on the colour models and they really benefit from using the fronlight.

I haven't had time to test the phone out yet in direct sunlight where the light might not be needed as much. But there would undoubtedly be other times when you would wish to use the phone and you might have to use the light to do so to see clearly.

A better buy would probably be the A5 Pro. From what I gather, it is essentially the same as the A5 Pro CC but without the colour and hence it should appear like the A5 but have the better specs of the A5 Pro CC model and presumably the same options. I'm sure the folks at the CECT Shop could enlighten you on that.

[Villain]

Originally Posted by Question Mark

I would be wary about purchasing any colour models of the A5 if you have light sensitivity issues. The screens are somewhat darker on the colour models and they really benefit from using the fronlight.

I haven't had time to test the phone out yet in direct sunlight where the light might not be needed as much. But there would undoubtedly be other times when you would wish to use the phone and you might have to use the light to do so to see clearly.

A better buy would probably be the A5 Pro. From what I gather, it is essentially the same as the A5 Pro CC but without the colour and hence it should appear like the A5 but have the better specs of the A5 Pro CC model and presumably the same options. I'm sure the folks at the CECT Shop could enlighten you on that.

Thanks for that!! I will contact CECT to make sure the A5 pro has the option to turn off automatic frontlight on calls.

[tracey1]

Originally Posted by Question Mark

The A5 has a frontlight which works very well in the dark or in low light conditions.

I originally had the A2 Pro, but found it a nuisance to have to switch to the colour screen in low light conditions when I wanted to be using the eink screen. I was so pleased when the A5 came out.

Great info, thank you.

Looks like I'll be ordering it from the CET Shop. Anybody know about their returning policies ? There's no mention on their website on a time period in which you can return it. I plan on using it a for a week or two at least to see if it fits my needs and then decide.