Worth using?

[gman88667733]

I've been given a white and gold 3T that was no longer needed. The battery is a bit shot and the screen has burn in on the status bar. I was thinking, if I send it off for a new battery by OnePlus, is it worth using?

My current phone is a Pixel 2XL, but I am missing the headphone jack and the cell reception isn't the best...

Is the 3T decent on the stock rom? Or is it better on a custom rom/kernel?

I only really use YouTube, Gmail, Netflix and messenger... Just want it to be smooth enough.

Thanks

 

[gman88667733]

The stock ROM updated to the latest security patch seems okay. YouTube is a bit laggy compared to my Pixel 2Xl.
I do prefer the size of the 3T though, it's really compact.

Would a custom kernel speed up the stock ROM? On apps like YouTube?

Also, I have managed to get the WiFi calling option to appear in settings, but from memory, I don't think it actually works? I am on the 3 UK network.

 

[TheZorg]

I sent mine a couple of months ago for a new battery and it's 100% worth it.
Custom kernels do speed up the stock ROM but your battery life might suffer a bit., so if you want the best experience I'd suggest a custom ROM based on Pie (e.g. Havoc/Luis' Resurrection Remix). Q ROMs are good enough but most of the better ones (as far as battery life is concerned) don't support device encryption yet.

I cannot comment on WiFi calling as I don't use it at all.

 

[gman88667733]

I sent mine a couple of months ago for a new battery and it's 100% worth it.
Custom kernels do speed up the stock ROM but your battery life might suffer a bit., so if you want the best experience I'd suggest a custom ROM based on Pie (e.g. Havoc/Luis' Resurrection Remix). Q ROMs are good enough but most of the better ones (as far as battery life is concerned) don't support device encryption yet.

I cannot comment on WiFi calling as I don't use it at all.

Good to know, thanks.
Would that be a Pie custom ROM and a custom kernel?
My only concern with custom ROMs is that I use banking apps and other apps that then may not work when rooted or on custom firmware. Does Magisk get past this? I have been using the 3T this morning and other than the unusable battery, the phone is quite nice. I like the size, the performance is decent enough (I expect it'll improve on a custom ROM) and the screen is brighter than my Pixel 2XL. It is definitely slower though, apps like gmail take a couple of seconds longer to load, but I am never in much of a rush!
How much did OnePlus charge you for a battery replacement? Can it be sent off to them when on a custom ROM, or does it need to be fully stock for them to do any work on it?

Thanks.

 

[TheZorg]

Good to know, thanks.
Would that be a Pie custom ROM and a custom kernel?
My only concern with custom ROMs is that I use banking apps and other apps that then may not work when rooted or on custom firmware. Does Magisk get past this? I have been using the 3T this morning and other than the unusable battery, the phone is quite nice. I like the size, the performance is decent enough (I expect it'll improve on a custom ROM) and the screen is brighter than my Pixel 2XL. It is definitely slower though, apps like gmail take a couple of seconds longer to load, but I am never in much of a rush!
How much did OnePlus charge you for a battery replacement? Can it be sent off to them when on a custom ROM, or does it need to be fully stock for them to do any work on it?

Thanks.

Havoc/Resurrection Remix etc are custom ROMs which come bundled with their own custom kernel. Mind you, Pie versions of custom ROMs are mainly to be found in their up-to-date threads (even if they're updated for the Q versions). Check the most thanked posts on the sidebar in the Havoc thread for an easy way to get to the updated Pie ROM with the latest security patches.

Magisk does pass CTS and banking apps/Google Pay work in my case, but it does need a module and some editing in order to work. The MagiskHide Props Config module does that job, you'll need to configure it - selecting OnePlus as brand and 3T as model, latest update, works though. Here's a quick link to the module's thread with info etc. You'll also need Busybox (available again as a module in Magisk) in order to get the Props Config module to work.

The battery replacement was free even though the initial quote was around 36€ so around 30 quid - don't know why, might have been because of the free out-of-warranty camera replacement I requested as well. I'd suggest doing that too, the original OP3 and 3T cameras are known to stop focusing after a while and OnePlus offers a free fix even if the phone is out of warranty.

 

[gman88667733]

Havoc/Resurrection Remix etc are custom ROMs which come bundled with their own custom kernel. Mind you, Pie versions of custom ROMs are mainly to be found in their up-to-date threads (even if they're updated for the Q versions). Check the most thanked posts on the sidebar in the Havoc thread for an easy way to get to the updated Pie ROM with the latest security patches.

Magisk does pass CTS and banking apps/Google Pay work in my case, but it does need a module and some editing in order to work. The MagiskHide Props Config module does that job, you'll need to configure it - selecting OnePlus as brand and 3T as model, latest update, works though. Here's a quick link to the module's thread with info etc. You'll also need Busybox (available again as a module in Magisk) in order to get the Props Config module to work.

The battery replacement was free even though the initial quote was around 36€ so around 30 quid - don't know why, might have been because of the free out-of-warranty camera replacement I requested as well. I'd suggest doing that too, the original OP3 and 3T cameras are known to stop focusing after a while and OnePlus offers a free fix even if the phone is out of warranty.

Okay, thanks again. A battery is about £15 online and replacement is very easy, so I am not sure whether to do it DIY or get them to do it and hope they may do it for free if I claim to have camera issues? (it focuses fine at the moment...)

I've had fairly good experiences with Resurrection Remix in the past when I dabbled with ROMs on my Nexus 6P (I stopped when I got my Moto Z Play as it never really needed it) So I'll give that a go tonight and see how it performs. The battery truly is shot, my partner who owned it before always had it at 100% brightness and used it whilst charging, so it degraded very quickly. As did the OnePlus 5 I gave her last year.!!!

I wish screens were cheaper for it as it has severe burn in on the notification bar, due to it being used at full brightness all the time... but the rest of the phone is in mint condition, so it seems daft to pay a fair amount of money to get rid of some burn in...

 

[TheZorg]

Okay, thanks again. A battery is about £15 online and replacement is very easy, so I am not sure whether to do it DIY or get them to do it and hope they may do it for free if I claim to have camera issues? (it focuses fine at the moment...)

I've had fairly good experiences with Resurrection Remix in the past when I dabbled with ROMs on my Nexus 6P (I stopped when I got my Moto Z Play as it never really needed it) So I'll give that a go tonight and see how it performs. The battery truly is shot, my partner who owned it before always had it at 100% brightness and used it whilst charging, so it degraded very quickly. As did the OnePlus 5 I gave her last year.!!!

I wish screens were cheaper for it as it has severe burn in on the notification bar, due to it being used at full brightness all the time... but the rest of the phone is in mint condition, so it seems daft to pay a fair amount of money to get rid of some burn in...

You're welcome! I chose the RMA way just to be extra safe, I wanted an OEM battery after reading mixed reviews concerning third party batteries (the general consensus is that they're not as long lasting, but the ones from ReplaceBase should be at least half decent) and the price difference has been worth it, for now. My autofocus was just starting to malfunction when I applied for the RMA, you could try and give it a shot.

Yeah, screens are expensive and the chances of getting an LCD display or a flickering screen when using a custom ROM are rather high and not worth the price if the burn-in doesn't bother you that much.

 

[gman88667733]

You're welcome! I chose the RMA way just to be extra safe, I wanted an OEM battery after reading mixed reviews concerning third party batteries (the general consensus is that they're not as long lasting, but the ones from ReplaceBase should be at least half decent) and the price difference has been worth it, for now. My autofocus was just starting to malfunction when I applied for the RMA, you could try and give it a shot.

Yeah, screens are expensive and the chances of getting an LCD display or a flickering screen when using a custom ROM are rather high and not worth the price if the burn-in doesn't bother you that much.

Is it just autofocus that is the issue? Tap to focus works fine. Autofocus does seem a bit temperamental....
What is your battery like post-replacement?

 

[gman88667733]

OnePlus customer service say they will replace camera free of charge (it doesn't seem too bad, but may as well?) And they will replace the battery for £24.50
Not a bad price really!
Assuming I can get WiFi calling to work, I think I will get it replaced. As long as I can get 5 hours SOT out of it across a mixed usage day, that'd be the maximum I'd ever need. I rarely ever go over 3.5-4 hours SOT on any day on any of my phones.

 

[TheZorg]

That's not a bad price at all!

SoT is, well, extremely subjective but I usually get around 4.5/5 hours SoT if mainly outdoors on LTE. WiFi, on the other hand, I can easily get around 6.5 to even 7 hours SoT. That's mainly Reddit/YouTube/Telegram/a bit of Instagram.

Autofocus started getting way more erratic than usual, tap to focus sometimes did nothing - this will generally degrade to a point where the camera won't even focus in manual mode. Also, backup your data before sending the phone (and maybe leave it on stock OOS). You'll basically start fresh with a locked bootloader and OOS 9.0.6.

 

[gman88667733]

That's not a bad price at all!

SoT is, well, extremely subjective but I usually get around 4.5/5 hours SoT if mainly outdoors on LTE. WiFi, on the other hand, I can easily get around 6.5 to even 7 hours SoT. That's mainly Reddit/YouTube/Telegram/a bit of Instagram.

Autofocus started getting way more erratic than usual, tap to focus sometimes did nothing - this will generally degrade to a point where the camera won't even focus in manual mode. Also, backup your data before sending the phone (and maybe leave it on stock OOS). You'll basically start fresh with a locked bootloader and OOS 9.0.6.

Oh wow, really? That is better that I would have imagined it would get!
I am hoping it may work out if I stay on stock as I do prefer sticking to stock these days, but if not, I will give RR a go.

 

[TheZorg]

Oh wow, really? That is better that I would have imagined it would get!
I am hoping it may work out if I stay on stock as I do prefer sticking to stock these days, but if not, I will give RR a go.

Stock shouldn't be that far off those numbers. Hope you'll enjoy it!

 

[gman88667733]

Here's hoping!

What sort of a performance increase would there be in RR over stock? Noticeable?

 

[aashutoshrc]

Are they still giving free fix for the camera in OnePlus 3?

 

[gman88667733]

Are they still giving free fix for the camera in OnePlus 3?

Yes. I was told yesterday by OnePlus that they will fix it for free even though it is well out of warranty

 

[TheZorg]

Here's hoping!

What sort of a performance increase would there be in RR over stock? Noticeable?

Sorry for the delay - RR, Havoc and custom ROMs in general would both feel smoother and more battery-friendly over stock, but I don't know if it's that huge of a difference. Haven't really tried Pie OOS that much but it felt like there was a bit more stutter when compared to custom ROMs.