I think I finally found a phone that can replace Note 3 (except for the stylus ability and caressability of note 3). It's been a long time that I have been wow-ed by a phone. The leap of faith to buy a mainland phone seems like a good leap!
If I must find one flaw in Find 7a considering its status as a flagship phone (in the absence of Find 7), I think it is the lack of OIS+ as compared to G pro 2.
Pluses:
1. great battery life
Contrary to some online reports, mine dropped only 5% overnight. Rather, I woke up to 95% but not sure whether I had fully charged the phone. In all, similar battery drain as Note 3, so it is good!
2. rapid charging
As fast as LG G pro 2 and perhaps faster, and this is without using the Rapid Charger, but just a humble car charger.
3. great speaker(s)
Besides the amazing dual speakers of HTC, this set of stereo speakers disguised as mono ones is easily the best I have ever used. More importantly, both the music and phone call volumes are great unlike some brands, where music volume is much louder than phone calls -- HTC/Sony, I am looking at you!
4. gestures
A plethora of gestures that are very useful and can be used both when screen is switched off or on. For me, I particularly enjoy screen off and volume up/down.
5. sim slot
I am so thankful that the sim slot is not blocked, so there is no worry of adaptors breaking inside a concealed sim slot.
6. notification light
Just plain classy, and is such an outstanding feature on the plain black front face. If only it could pulsate in some Northern Lights fashion.
7. Logo on the back
I just hate having logos on the front fascia of phones as I feel (rightly so or not) that it is a waste of screen space. Besides as a marketing tool, it makes more sense to show off a brand when holding it to the ear with the back of phone facing outwards.
8. Great Earphones
For something that is free, this pair of buds are pretty good with decent (not excessive) bass, which i personally don't enjoy though.
9. Configurability
The easiest phone ever to root and virtually anything works on it. So much fun using xhalowindows instead of being tied to Samsung restricting multiwindows.
10. Camera
I don't think the quality is as good as G pro 2 (which I feel is the best currently), but the focusing speed and shot to shot speed are really good. Much better speed than Note 3 speed. The only time it is slow is when it needs to shoot the 50 mpx mode. The dual flash was sufficiently bright without being overwhelming or overly exposing (but just a bit) certain parts.
Minuses
1. a bit too angular
Not as comfy to hold as note 2 and 3.
2. power and volume buttons
Easily the worst feature of the phone. The buttons are fiddly, not wide enough and have too little travel. They are the only aspect of the phone that is decidedly low end. If they have the quality of Iphone/G pro 2 button quality, it would have underscored how well built the phone is. Instead, the buttons seem like hastily put together plastic bits, out of place. Also, I would have preferred both the power and volume buttons to be one the same side, aka the modern, sensible way.
3. soft keys
Way too dim; in fact for some sets, the buttons are completely dark. However, I suppose dimmer soft key lights save energy and probably better preserves the black uniformity of the full black screen which is really sexy I gotta admit.
4. no OIS+
Not the most crucial but having used G pro 2, I have come to appreciate its usefulness, and its absence in Find 7 is sorely missed.
5. Music Player
Not as good as Samsung's, especially the myriad ways the songs can be categorized especially by folders. Somehow also, ironically, chinese characters don't display properly on my Find 7 music tracks.
