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The Game 161

macrumors Nehalem
Original poster
Dec 15, 2010
30,974
20,168
UK
Haven't tried any launchers with my Fold, but I recently got into using Wallpaper Engine... haven't gotten into the battery performance with using it. But its dope having video wallpaper on the HomeScreen.
I like the taskbar too much to use launchers on it.
 

Ludatyk

macrumors 603
May 27, 2012
5,962
5,131
Texas
Flossy will agree with this LOL
Yeah, I seen his reviews where videos were shown lol.

Wallpaper Engine been on my radar for awhile, but didn’t really fully explore it until recently. Downloaded on PlayStore and bought the $4 desktop app… never realized there were so many selections of wallpapers available. I’ll probably get around to making my own… but I have a few good ones transferred.

I like the taskbar too much to use launchers on it.
Yeah, I agree. But S series owners don’t have to struggle with the choice, however... I believe others use the GoodLock taskbar to have a 3rd party launcher.
 

mjschabow

macrumors 601
Dec 25, 2013
4,924
6,239
Yeah, I seen his reviews where videos were shown lol.

Wallpaper Engine been on my radar for awhile, but didn’t really fully explore it until recently. Downloaded on PlayStore and bought the $4 desktop app… never realized there were so many selections of wallpapers available. I’ll probably get around to making my own… but I have a few good ones transferred.


Yeah, I agree. But S series owners don’t have to struggle with the choice, however... I believe others use the GoodLock taskbar to have a 3rd party launcher.
So on the mobile app there are like 8 wallpapers, so should you decently get the desktop app then?
 

Ludatyk

macrumors 603
May 27, 2012
5,962
5,131
Texas
So on the mobile app there are like 8 wallpapers, so should you decently get the desktop app then?
Well, if you feel satisfied with the wallpapers with the mobile app... then you don't necessarily have to get the desktop app. But there's a community within Wallpaper Engine... so there's a crazy amount of wallpapers on the desktop app.
 
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Harthag

macrumors 68020
Jun 20, 2009
2,014
2,565
U.S.
Nice ..I've tried them all lol actually I have Niagara Pro maybe try it again ..

Nova is my daily somehow always ..

Scrolling dock ..pinch hide notification bar ...double tap sleep

8301f2f548b186faf8d351eac4fef5cf.jpg
4edd1e3c7eca1bc2976d8f4962ed2a73.jpg
9d71d633a342800d7dc607f95083d033.jpg
af51769ecdcb06e88ec3321165c63152.jpg
What theme / wallpaper is this? I like it!
 

Technerd108

macrumors 68040
Oct 24, 2021
3,061
4,311

This game is so addictive. If you like South Park the show this game will have you laughing and blowing up opponents. 😂 Lol

It is the only thing that will run down the battery on the s23u. I have played it on my Pixel 7 Pro but the slightly larger and more squared screen is perfect for game play and the 8 gen 2 graphics play this game with ease.

On my Pixel the phone warms up a bit but with the s23u it doesn't even break a sweat.
 

Harthag

macrumors 68020
Jun 20, 2009
2,014
2,565
U.S.
I was able to set up BlueBubbles private API yesterday on my office server PC to gain all the features, it performs identical to iMessage. Fonts, features, reactions and all. It looks just like iMessage down to the size and font of the keyboard.

Also played around with Nova Prime and Niagara launchers today, much prefer Nova with the Google Discover integration so I can swipe right on the home screen to access the Google feed. Also digging my dock with 7 icons + Soul icon pack (thanks Bkdodger), my home screen is super clean and simple.
 
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5105973

Cancelled
Sep 11, 2014
12,132
19,733
Wow a lot of good posts and conversations here. I also see there's some other stray S23 Ultra threads around deep diving different experiences. This phone has definitely captured people's attention this year.

I messed around with launchers on my HTC 10 but never a Samsung. It's cool to see some I've never seen before.

I've been either working on different things or watching terrible movies on my S23 Ultra. The only thing of note that came up was I was running errands and saw a rabbit in the woods by a parking lot.

I got one photo with my iphone 14 ProMax and the other with S23 Ultra and I was really shocked by how different the results were in this case. This was several days ago so I can't really remember exactly which was the best match to reality. I think it was somewhere in between the two.

Here's the S23 Ultra regular wide (or maybe it was 3x):

20230322_165941.jpg


Here's the 14 Pro Max at approximately the same lens if I remember correctly:

IMG_5018.JPG


I think this was 10x zoom. I'm gonna have to go look back at the exif data and correct the information after I post.

20230322_165945.jpg


This was a quick OMG Bunny! Pull the phones out of the handbag and point and shoot situation. I wasn't trying to be a pro and delve into optimal settings on either phone camera.

I do know for sure the iphone got the subtle beams of light that were present that day.

Look at the utility pole. Where is the sunlight reflecting off of the pole in the Samsung photo? Where is the dappled sunlight on the ground? The light was shining through trees. It looks like the photos were taken in completely different weather conditions. S23 Ultra looks like it's depicting a cold overcast day. But it was sunny and cheery despite being a bit chilly.

The differences frankly are disturbing. If I were relying on these photos to refresh my memory, a few years down the line I'm going to look at the S23 Ultra photos and think that day was gloomy.

I don't usually see such a deviation from reality in my photos but most have been indoor photos. And I've been quite pleased with most of those. Indoors, the iphone photos do sometimes look a bit over processed.
 
Last edited:

Technerd108

macrumors 68040
Oct 24, 2021
3,061
4,311
Wow a lot of good posts and conversations here. I also see there's some other stray S23 Ultra threads around deep diving different experiences. This phone has definitely captured people's attention this year.

I messed around with launchers on my HTC 10 but never a Samsung. It's cool to see some I've never seen before.

I've been either working on different things or watching terrible movies on my S23 Ultra. The only thing of note that came up was I was running errands and saw a rabbit in the woods by a parking lot.

I got one photo with my iphone 14 ProMax and the other with S23 Ultra and I was really shocked by how different the results were in this case. This was several days ago so I can't really remember exactly which was the best match to reality. I think it was somewhere in between the two.

Here's the S23 Ultra regular wide (or maybe it was 3x):

View attachment 2178786

Here's the 14 Pro Max at approximately the same lens if I remember correctly:

View attachment 2178787

I think this was 10x zoom. I'm gonna have to go look back at the exif data and correct the information after I post.

View attachment 2178788

This was a quick OMG Bunny! Pull the phones out of the handbag and point and shoot situation. I wasn't trying to be a pro and delve into optimal settings on either phone camera.

I do know for sure the iphone got the subtle beams of light that were present that day.

Look at the utility pole. Where is the sunlight reflecting off of the pole in the Samsung photo? Where is the dappled sunlight on the ground? The light was shining through trees. It looks like the photos were taken in completely different weather conditions. S23 Ultra looks like it's depicting a cold overcast day. But it was sunny and cheery despite being a bit chilly.

The differences frankly are disturbing. If I were relying on these photos to refresh my memory, a few years down the line I'm going to look at the S23 Ultra photos and think that day was gloomy.

I don't usually see such a deviation from reality in my photos but most have been indoor photos. And I've been quite pleased with most of those. Indoors, the iphone photos do sometimes look a bit over processed.
To my eye the iPhone does a pretty good job with the 3x zoom. Definitely better than the 3x on the ultra but once you get to the 10x the ultra is pretty amazing. The clarity of the bunny and being able to zoom in on the photo without the image blurring like the other shots is really cool.

I get the color temperature or AI post processing could be better but to me the ability to get such a clear shot from a distance is key. I really like telephoto lenses just for this type of situation. This is why the camera system on the ultra is so good.

I know there are some Chinese brands with even higher optical zoom abilities but the S23u is an all around great phone with great cameras.

Thanks for sharing!
 

keithop

macrumors 6502a
Jul 22, 2002
691
914
I’ve seen and used enough of the S23+ to be able to say it can replace my iPhone. BlueBubbles is a fantastic app, better than AirMessage and works with Android Auto! I need to set up private API which is a chore on PC / virtual Mac, in order to get all of the iMessage features and FaceTime notifications. Currently using my 14 PM again while I wait to pick up my dad’s old MBA in a week or two so that I can use that as the BlueBubbles server.

I was happyish with airmessage but when I read your post I thought I'd try bluebubbles and wow yeah MUCH better! a nice windows app as well.
 
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5105973

Cancelled
Sep 11, 2014
12,132
19,733
Interesting to see the S23 Ultra doing so well. I definitely expected Apple's chip to perform better...

I have not had a chance yet to view the video but I am curious if that’s due to superior heat dissipation on the S23 Ultra. Samsung seemed to put some effort into that this year.

Every iPhone I ever owned tends to run hot but my 14 Pro Max has been well behaved so far.
 

Technerd108

macrumors 68040
Oct 24, 2021
3,061
4,311
Interesting to see the S23 Ultra doing so well. I definitely expected Apple's chip to perform better...


That has been my experience with the s23u and P7P. The s23 ultra is just super fast and never seems to skip a beat.

The Pixel 7 Pro is definitely not as fast or thermally competent but considering it's cost and the fact it is really not designed to be a gaming phone and costs considerably less than the other two I think it holds it's own very well.

I am actually surprised that the Pixel 7 Pro wasn't in last place considering it's much weaker CPU and ufs 3.1 storage vs ufs 4.0 in the s23u and NVME in the iPhone.

It is surprising that the iPhone did so poorly considering how many times on forums like these we here about how much ahead the a series chips are over anything Android does.

It is especially egregious for Apple considering they optimized the hardware and software for the iPhone and have a supposedly superior chip.

Samsung really did a lot under the hood when it comes to the Ultra. It has a much bigger vapor chamber cooling system than last year, it has ddr5x ram, ufs 4.0 storage, and the Qualcomm 8 gen 2 seems to finally be good. Kudos to Samsung for paying attention to thermals and getting a slightly overclocked 8 gen 2.

It is one thing to have a fast CPU but if that CPU is not properly cooled in a thermally constrained design like a phone it doesn't matter how fast the chip is if it has to throttle and never cools.

Samsung learned this lesson the hard way last year with the s22 series but they didn't just sit by and say the new 8 gen 2 will fix everything they revamped their cooling system too.

I hope that Google does some work in this area because the Pixel heats up more than it should. The Pixel 8 Pro and Tensor G3 could be on a close footing to the s24u if they improve their cooling system.

The Tensor G3 looks pretty exciting with a 9 core setup, 3nm process on Samsung fab that might actually be good this year. The only thing I could see that would be a problem is that x3 core and Exynos reputation to run hot and throttle fast. If Google beefs up the cooling system and adds ufs 4.0 the next Pixel could be pretty fast.

Looking at Apple's design of the iPhone 15, the capacitive buttons that copy Samsung layout, lack of sim card, and basically same overall design and features I am not impressed. I most likely will get the Pixel 8 Pro and skip iPhone again this year.

The Apple a17 looks to be again one of the fastest chips coming up and hopefully it will have a better GPU than the a16 but honestly there isn't much tempting me to go back any time soon.
 

mjschabow

macrumors 601
Dec 25, 2013
4,924
6,239
That has been my experience with the s23u and P7P. The s23 ultra is just super fast and never seems to skip a beat.

The Pixel 7 Pro is definitely not as fast or thermally competent but considering it's cost and the fact it is really not designed to be a gaming phone and costs considerably less than the other two I think it holds it's own very well.

I am actually surprised that the Pixel 7 Pro wasn't in last place considering it's much weaker CPU and ufs 3.1 storage vs ufs 4.0 in the s23u and NVME in the iPhone.

It is surprising that the iPhone did so poorly considering how many times on forums like these we here about how much ahead the a series chips are over anything Android does.

It is especially egregious for Apple considering they optimized the hardware and software for the iPhone and have a supposedly superior chip.

Samsung really did a lot under the hood when it comes to the Ultra. It has a much bigger vapor chamber cooling system than last year, it has ddr5x ram, ufs 4.0 storage, and the Qualcomm 8 gen 2 seems to finally be good. Kudos to Samsung for paying attention to thermals and getting a slightly overclocked 8 gen 2.

It is one thing to have a fast CPU but if that CPU is not properly cooled in a thermally constrained design like a phone it doesn't matter how fast the chip is if it has to throttle and never cools.

Samsung learned this lesson the hard way last year with the s22 series but they didn't just sit by and say the new 8 gen 2 will fix everything they revamped their cooling system too.

I hope that Google does some work in this area because the Pixel heats up more than it should. The Pixel 8 Pro and Tensor G3 could be on a close footing to the s24u if they improve their cooling system.

The Tensor G3 looks pretty exciting with a 9 core setup, 3nm process on Samsung fab that might actually be good this year. The only thing I could see that would be a problem is that x3 core and Exynos reputation to run hot and throttle fast. If Google beefs up the cooling system and adds ufs 4.0 the next Pixel could be pretty fast.

Looking at Apple's design of the iPhone 15, the capacitive buttons that copy Samsung layout, lack of sim card, and basically same overall design and features I am not impressed. I most likely will get the Pixel 8 Pro and skip iPhone again this year.

The Apple a17 looks to be again one of the fastest chips coming up and hopefully it will have a better GPU than the a16 but honestly there isn't much tempting me to go back any time soon.
I agree, and the reports that Apple is going to go heavy on new features for iOS 17 isn't very comforting. iOS 16 was a buggy mess, and it's actually been a mess for a couple years now. App Library is awful. Seriously, all they needed to do was let the user make the alphabetical list the default. Yeah I know there's a spotlight search but the way Android does the app drawer is so much more user friendly. I'm not sure why Apple lost their way like they did. Their software used to focus on making things easier for the user. Now they have a bunch of half baked customization features not are letting some of the core features suffer. Siri is still bad, the swipe keyboard is still average, etc.
 

LIVEFRMNYC

macrumors G3
Oct 27, 2009
8,877
10,987
I agree, and the reports that Apple is going to go heavy on new features for iOS 17 isn't very comforting. iOS 16 was a buggy mess, and it's actually been a mess for a couple years now. App Library is awful. Seriously, all they needed to do was let the user make the alphabetical list the default. Yeah I know there's a spotlight search but the way Android does the app drawer is so much more user friendly. I'm not sure why Apple lost their way like they did. Their software used to focus on making things easier for the user. Now they have a bunch of half baked customization features not are letting some of the core features suffer. Siri is still bad, the swipe keyboard is still average, etc.

Apple adding a lot more features in the last several years (which is good), but without decent user customization. IMO, Apple's eventually going to feel the heat from users if they keep doing so.

Personally, I would like widgets without the text title at the bottom, and possibly for some of them to have a transparent background option.
 

mjschabow

macrumors 601
Dec 25, 2013
4,924
6,239
Apple adding a lot more features in the last several years (which is good), but without decent user customization. IMO, Apple's eventually going to feel the heat from users if they keep doing so.

Personally, I would like widgets without the text title at the bottom, and possibly for some of them to have a transparent background option.
I think the biggest issue is that they've lost their identity. Like they're diving into customization, and I think the Lock Screen/AOD is really well done. But the problem is, it's buggy. So now we have Apple waiting years to implement a feature that Android rolled out over a half decade ago, and the rollout on the 14PM was so glitchy. App Library is another prime example of a feature that they rolled out where I have to ask how that ever made it to a final release. Before I traded my 14PM in, Reddit was still, years later, listed under "Reading and Information" when it is clearly a Social app. Or how about when I switched from iOS Mail to Gmail app, 6 weeks later, the Gmail app was still hidden in the folder and the iOS Mail was one of the top 3 in the folder preview. Absolutely awful. And then the one feature that people would probably use a ton, icon theming, has not been rolled out yet.

/endrant
 

LIVEFRMNYC

macrumors G3
Oct 27, 2009
8,877
10,987
I think the biggest issue is that they've lost their identity. Like they're diving into customization, and I think the Lock Screen/AOD is really well done. But the problem is, it's buggy. So now we have Apple waiting years to implement a feature that Android rolled out over a half decade ago, and the rollout on the 14PM was so glitchy. App Library is another prime example of a feature that they rolled out where I have to ask how that ever made it to a final release. Before I traded my 14PM in, Reddit was still, years later, listed under "Reading and Information" when it is clearly a Social app. Or how about when I switched from iOS Mail to Gmail app, 6 weeks later, the Gmail app was still hidden in the folder and the iOS Mail was one of the top 3 in the folder preview. Absolutely awful. And then the one feature that people would probably use a ton, icon theming, has not been rolled out yet.

/endrant

Yea, I still don't get the App Library. It's useless for me.
 

Ludatyk

macrumors 603
May 27, 2012
5,962
5,131
Texas
I agree, and the reports that Apple is going to go heavy on new features for iOS 17 isn't very comforting. iOS 16 was a buggy mess, and it's actually been a mess for a couple years now. App Library is awful. Seriously, all they needed to do was let the user make the alphabetical list the default. Yeah I know there's a spotlight search but the way Android does the app drawer is so much more user friendly. I'm not sure why Apple lost their way like they did. Their software used to focus on making things easier for the user. Now they have a bunch of half baked customization features not are letting some of the core features suffer. Siri is still bad, the swipe keyboard is still average, etc.
Umm.. I don’t believe iOS 17 is going to be heavy on new features.

I recall one article from Mark Gurman that most of their resources are tied to building out an infrastructure for 3rd party devs. Given there’s so much heat from the government for competition within iOS (payment system, app stores and browser engines). So, I think its going to be a down year for features in terms of visually.
 
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