Thinking on buying a Moto Maxx, is it worth it? - Moto Maxx Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Thinking on buying a Moto Maxx, is it worth it? - Moto Maxx Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I'm tired of laggy phones, buggy software and that problems that are not described on the box when you buy it.
Had a S3, then got a S4, I REALLY got tired of Lagmsung and his awful updates, every update had new bugs and lagged the phone even more.
I gave a Moto X 2014 to my GF as a christmas gift, one year later the phone is still rocking, blazing bast, no bugs, lots of updates.
So, I was looking for a motorola replacement, suddenly my eyes saw this phone, on the paper it looks awesome, 3gb ram, 64gb storage, quad core 2,7ghz, 1440p screen...amazing! But, what on the software side?
I saw some weird things on the forums that triggered the alarms and I decided to not buy it until I know what's going on directly from its owners
Are you happy with the phone, or does it have bugs, strange camera/wifi/whatever issues, what about updates, are they ok? Also saw few cases of greyed LCD on the corners...
I won't tolerate more that "sell-and-forget" policy , giving my money to what doesn't deserve it.
Any comments are really appreciated,
Regards

The Marshmallow update took awhile for the maxx to reach its soak test phase, but its gonna be rolling out officially soon.
The phone is a beast of a device. The snapdragon 805 processor can still handle anything thrown at it, and its GPU performs beautifully.
Since Motorola runs on nearly stiock android you will have a smooth experience and run apps without any problems
The roms available for it are great too, Skrillax and Baybutcher both put a lot of work into CM and RR roms and I have no complaints about my device at all, and have no doubt i'll be using my device for a long time to come
I'm using a Droid Turbo, which is Verizons moto maxx
I know you will not be disappointed

I own three. One each for me and my wife and a backup still in the box. Sold our Nexus 5 phones and LG G2 backups to go all in on this device. It's worth it. It's the first phone I will be keeping for 2 years.
Make sure you get the XT1225 Moto Maxx. The XT1250 is also called the "Moto Maxx" -- but it's the really same device as the XT1254, Droid Turbo. The XT1250 = XT1254, even same FCC ID. You don't want that one unless you need CDMA bands or LTE band 13 (Verizon). Instead you probably want the XT1225 Moto Maxx/Moto Turbo.
The XT1225 has LTE bands 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 17 -- plus a ton of HSPA bands. Of the Quarks, the Moto XT1225 has greater number of LTE bands and greater number of HSPA bands. Unless you use Verizon, the XT1225 is the better Quark. Bootloader easily unlocked via Motorola website.
There are basically two Motorola Quark devices (two different FCC IDs), sold under three model names: Droid Turbo, Moto Turbo, Moto Maxx. All have the same hardware, but different radios. The Motorola Quark was basically the Moto Nexus 6 (Shamu) in a 5.2" size. In fact, as late as mid-August 2014, Google/Motorola was testing a 5.2" Shamu variant. We saw the leaked benchmarks... But Google decided on the 6" whale, which was a mistake. I bought the Quark instead.
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5.2" Moto Maxx vs massive 5.96" Nexus 6
Motorola obviously re-purposed the 5.2" "Shamu" variant as the "Quark" -- Droid Turbo/Moto Maxx, changed the camera and gave it a BIGGER battery. Still, a lot of the hardware specs remains the same as the Nexus 6.
Same manufacturer (Motorola),
same CPU/GPU (Snapdragon 805),
same RAM (3GB),
same resolution (1440p),
same "turbo" charger
same Qi wireless charging.
Same 64GB internal storage as the 64GB version of the Nexus 6.
Bigger battery than the Nexus 6, even though a smaller phone!
We will soon get stock Marshmallow (in soak tests), but we already have custom ROM Marshmallow.
____________
FCC ID IHDT56PK1
Droid Turbo XT1254 (sold by U.S. carrier Verizon; 32/64GB internal memory)
U.S. Moto Maxx XT1250 (sold by U.S. regional CDMA/LTE carriers; 32GB internal memory)
____________
FCC ID IHDTS6PK2
"international" Moto Maxx XT1225 (64GB internal memory)
Moto Turbo XT1225 (sold in India, but identical to Moto Maxx XT1225)
I live in the U.S. but have THREE "international" XT1225, as it has ALL the U.S. carrier AT&T LTE bands (2,4, 5, 17), plus all the Brazil LTE bands (3, 7) when I visit Brazil (my wife is Brazilian).

ChazzMatt said:
I own three. One each for me and my wife and a backup still in the box. Sold our Nexus 5 phones and LG G2 backups to go all in on this device. It's worth it. It's the first phone I will be keeping for 2 years.
Make sure you get the XT1225. The XT1250 is also called the Moto Maxx, but it's the same device as the XT1254, Droid Turbo. The XT1250 = XT1254, even same FCC ID. You don't want that one unless you need CDMA or LTE band 13 (Verizon).
The XT1225 has LTE bands 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 17, plus a ton of HSPA bands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was wrong, it's a droid turbo! So, will it have issues on european bands?

dabyd64 said:
I was wrong, it's a droid turbo! So, will it have issues on european bands?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I added more to my reply above. Read again, see the all the bands for each Quark device.
Also, the Droid Turbo XT1254 comes in 32/64GB internal memory, while the Moto XT1225 is 64GB only internal memory.

Big thanks, I still don't know what model is, I've asked the seller.
It's the 64gb black model with the red letters "droid" on the back, no signs of Verizon anywhere, just like this:
In Spain we have 800 mhz LTE band, so the xt1250/1254 will not work with it, right?
Anyway I'm happy with wcdma, usually got around 12Mbits, more than enough for my everyday purposes, loosing LTE won't keep me from buying, but having ollocked bootloader will.
From what I've read, only the xt1254 has it locked, and only Sunshine can unlock it and only in certain 4.4 version, so if it has other newer build version it'll be unlockable, right?
I always hated HTC for this, all s-on and s-off stuff, complex and dangerous procedures to unlock, bricks..that was my last htc(wildfire).

dabyd64 said:
Big thanks, I still don't know what model is, I've asked the seller.
It's the 64gb black model with the red letters "droid" on the back, no signs of Verizon anywhere, just like this:
In Spain we have 800 mhz LTE band, so the xt1250/1254 will not work with it, right?
Anyway I'm happy with wcdma, usually got around 12Mbits, more than enough for my everyday purposes, loosing LTE won't keep me from buying, but having ollocked bootloader will.
From what I've read, only the xt1254 has it locked, and only Sunshine can unlock it and only in certain 4.4 version, so if it has other newer build version it'll be unlockable, right?
I always hated HTC for this, all s-on and s-off stuff, complex and dangerous procedures to unlock, bricks..that was my last htc(wildfire).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it says "Droid" on the back, it is the Verizon model.

dabyd64 said:
Big thanks, I still don't know what model is, I've asked the seller.
It's the 64gb black model with the red letters "droid" on the back, no signs of Verizon anywhere, just like this:
In Spain we have 800 mhz LTE band, so the xt1250/1254 will not work with it, right?
Anyway I'm happy with wcdma, usually got around 12Mbits, more than enough for my everyday purposes, loosing LTE won't keep me from buying, but having ollocked bootloader will.
From what I've read, only the xt1254 has it locked, and only Sunshine can unlock it and only in certain 4.4 version, so if it has other newer build version it'll be unlockable, right?
I always hated HTC for this, all s-on and s-off stuff, complex and dangerous procedures to unlock, bricks..that was my last htc(wildfire).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Shooting Star Max said:
If it says "Droid" on the back, it is the Verizon model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right. Only the Verizon model XT1254 Quark is called Droid (Droid Turbo), although the XT1250 U.S. Moto Maxx is exactly identical. There was no "exclusivity" except in the Droid name. One of the other Quarks is even called Moto Turbo.
That was also why I included the actual FCC ID numbers with the LTE/HSPA bands in my post above.
____________
FCC ID IHDT56PK1
Droid Turbo XT1254 (sold by U.S. carrier Verizon; 32/64GB internal memory)
U.S. Moto Maxx XT1250 (sold by U.S. regional CDMA/LTE carriers; 32GB internal memory)
____________
FCC ID IHDTS6PK2
"international" Moto Maxx XT1225 (64GB internal memory)
Moto Turbo XT1225 (sold in India, but identical to Moto Maxx XT1225)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In your Droid picture, you can see the FCC ID at the bottom of the phone.
I just rotated and cropped your picture. But again, if it says Droid, it's the XT1254.
The Moto Maxx doesn't have any tramp stamps like that on the back.
This is one of my XT1225:
Only the "M" logo. The FCC ID on the XT1225 is there at the bottom, but very lightly printed. Depends on the angle so you can see it. Not visible in this picture.

Finally I got the model. XT1254, so definitely a Verizon DROID MAXX. (very slow communication with seller, lots of time to get answers)
Apart of locked bootloader and missing 800MHz LTE band, it's the same as Moto MAXX. I can live with it.
The phone is the rocket it should be? Really good camera? Fast wifi, no strange hangs, no random connection drops...?
The damn thing is not cheap, so I want to be 100% sure!
Thanks to all for the experiences!

dabyd64 said:
Finally I got the model. XT1254, so definitely a Verizon DROID MAXX. (very slow communication with seller, lots of time to get answers)
Apart of locked bootloader and missing 800MHz LTE band, it's the same as Moto MAXX. I can live with it.
The phone is the rocket it should be? Really good camera? Fast wifi, no strange hangs, no random connection drops...?
The damn thing is not cheap, so I want to be 100% sure!
Thanks to all for the experiences!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Camera is good, but does not have OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) like the Moto Nexus 6.
OIS and stereo speakers are the only two features that would have made this phone even better. Motorola put those features on their Nexus 6 (Shamu), which came out at the same time -- so I don't understand why not on the Quark. (Of course, it does have a bigger battery than the Nexus 6, even though it's a smaller phone.)
Phone is very fast, very responsive.

It is a 1,5 years old phone (Released 2014, November) and you should expect not high end features.
It had a high spec at the time of launching, but support from motorola has been sparse.
It has its comunity in xda, but as it was not a high seller phone, don't expect a lot of development to it.
All development done for this phone here on xda has been done by just a few developers who have their lives outside xda and everyone here should be very thankful to them.
If you have got a good price on it, go for it. If not, I think you should go to a newer phone.

mirdones said:
It is a 1,5 years old phone (Released 2014, November) and you should expect not high end features.
It had a high spec at the time of launching, but support from motorola has been sparse.
It has its comunity in xda, but as it was not a high seller phone, don't expect a lot of development to it.
All development done for this phone here on xda has been done by just a few developers who have their lives outside xda and everyone here should be very thankful to them.
If you have got a good price on it, go for it. If not, I think you should go to a newer phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I disagree. It's still one of the best phones out there.
5.2", 1440p AMOLED display (fantastic colors, Apple's iPhone 7 is rumored to be switching to AMOLED. We already have it.)
3G RAM
Snapdragon 805
21 megapixel camera
64GB internal memory
Qi wireless charging
Turbo charging
3900 mAh battery
There's only a few phones that match or exceed that. The 2015 Nexus phones don't even have Qi wireless charging. I was a Nexus fanboi for years, but Google has lost their way on Nexus phones. The LG 5X this year only has 1080p and 2GB RAM. The Nexus Huawei 6P doesn't have features this Quark has and is STILL too big, at 5.7".
I had a 2015 LG G4 I won for FREE in a contest, and I sold it to keep this phone. I even bought a 3rd XT1225, just in case something happened to mine and my wife's XT1225 phones.
As far as specs, only with the new 2016 Snapdragon 820 phones do we have some real competition (like the Galaxy S7, where Samsung increased the battery size and uses the Snapdragon 820). All the 2015 phones used either the problematic Snapdragon 810 or the slower 808. Benchmarks on those phones were often LOWER than on our Snapdragon 805.
Not sure by what you mean by lack of development. We have CM12.1, CM13, Mokee ASOP and Resurrection Remix, and custom kernel. Yes, Motorola should be ashamed for slow rollout of both Lollipop and Marshmallow to one of their still-best phones. I will criticize them forever for that. Motorola should also be ashamed for not rolling this phone out to all countries. It's what the 2014 Moto X should have been, instead of copycat of the 2013 LG G2 copycat it was. The 2014 Quark and Shamu (Nexus 6) were the first two real top tier phones Motorola has released that could compete equally with LG and Samsung top tier phones... (and the Nexus 6 was too big.) But dev work on this phone has been outstanding.

ChazzMatt said:
I disagree. It's still one of the best phones out there.
5.2", 1440p AMOLED display
3G RAM, Snapdragon 805
21 megapixel camera
64GB internal memory
Qi wireless charging
Turbo charging
There's only a few phones that match or exceed that. This year's Nexus phones don't even have Qi wireless charging. I was a Nexus faboi for years, but Google has lost their way on Nexus phones. The LG 5X this year only has 1080p and 2GB RAM. The 6P doesn't have features this Quark has and is STILL too big.
Not sure by what you mean by lack of development. We have CM12.1, CM13, Mokee ASOP and Resurrection Remix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Spec wise, it is a great phone, but:
Camera is not only Megapixels, and I think the camera is just regular.
Snapdradon 805 is almost 2 years old and now we have more battery friendly processors that would make a better use of a battery as giant as the one from this phone.
I think a smaller resolution would be more battery friendly and I sincerelly can't notice the difference between 1440p and 1080p and a 5 inch screen.
I didn't mean lack of development, but just a few developers.
I think when baybutcher27, Skrilax_CZ and yourself move on to newer phones, I don't think we will see any new development for our quarks.

mirdones said:
Spec wise, it is a great phone, but:
Camera is not only Megapixels, and I think the camera is just regular.
Snapdradon 805 is almost 2 years old and now we have more battery friendly processors that would make a better use of a battery as giant as the one from this phone.
I think a smaller resolution would be more battery friendly and I sincerelly can't notice the difference between 1440p and 1080p and a 5 inch screen.
I didn't mean lack of development, but just a few developers.
I think when baybutcher27, Skrilax_CZ and yourself move on to newer phones, I don't think we will see any new development for our quarks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, 1440p is the standard for top tier phones. I specifically want that and not 1080p. I had 1080p with my 2013 LG Nexus 5. I want better, 1440p.
Yes, when @baybutcher27 and @Skrilax_CZ move on to other phones that will be a sad day. By that time, I will see what other phones are out there. But this is the first phone I will keep for a two full years, which is amazing. Believe me, I look at specs of other phones, but the combination of what this phone has still satisfies me.
IF for the Quark successor Kinzie (Moto X Force, Droid Turbo 2), Motorola would have added rear camera OIS and stereo speakers, I would have jumped. But instead they went with silly plastic film "scratchless" gimmick -- and made the battery smaller.
If Google would have made the 2015 5.2" Nexus LG 5X a true top-tier phone -- with 1440p, 3GB RAM and also had Qi wireless (like the 2013 LG Nexus 5), I would have gone back to Nexus. Instead they made the more reasonable size phone a "mid tier" phone, while keeping phablet 5.7" with top tier specs (and even that doesn't have Qi wireless).
5.1- 5.3" is the "sweet spot" for mainstream populace. Even LG went back down to 5.3" display and Samsung has stayed with 5.1" for at least 3 generations for their mainstream Galaxy flagship. You can have a larger phablet (like the Note), if you also make the mainstream size with top tier specs.

ChazzMatt said:
Well, 1440p is the standard for top tier phones. I specifically want that and not 1080p. I had 1080p with my 2013 LG Nexus 5. I want better, 1440p.
Yes, when @baybutcher27 and @Skrilax_CZ move on to other phones that will be a sad day. By that time, I will see what other phones are out there. But this is the first phone I will keep for a two full years, which is amazing. Believe me, I look at specs of other phones, but the combination of what this phone has still satisfies me.
IF for the Quark successor Kinzie (Moto X Force, Droid Turbo 2), Motorola would have added rear camera OIS and stereo speakers, I would have jumped. But instead they went with silly plastic film "scratchless" gimmick -- and made the battery smaller.
If Google would have made the 2015 5.2" Nexus LG 5X a true top-tier phone -- with 1440p, 3GB RAM and also had Qi wireless (like the 2013 LG Nexus 5), I would have gone back to Nexus. Instead they made the more reasonable size phone a "mid tier" phone, while keeping phablet 5.7" with top tier specs (and even that doesn't have Qi wireless).
5.1- 5.3" is the "sweet spot" for mainstream populace. Even LG went back down to 5.3" display and Samsung has stayed with 5.1" for at least 3 generations for their mainstream Galaxy flagship. You can have a larger phablet (like the Note), if you also make the mainstream size with top tier specs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Our dream phone would be april folls xda joke, the xda labphone.
Unfortunatelly, it was just a dream.
And yes, I have my quark for more than a year and it is already showing its age as the battery doesn't last anything closer to a day and I am already thinking in moving on to another phone in a couple of months.

bigjailerman said:
So can I ask is the 1225 non international is an "Obake" rather than quark? Which one has a bootloader that can be unlocked through Motorola website or other utilities?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what's an obake?
Quark is the code name for our device. XT1225/XT1250/XT1254.
Verizon's is the XT1254, and is identical to the U.S.MOTO MAXX XT1250 in every way, including the FCC ID and radio bands (CDMA/LTE,etc). Except, Verizon had Motorola lock down the bootloader.
The XT1225 and XT1250 can be unlocked via Motorola website code, for free.
"International" XT1225 has same hardware as the XT1254/XT1250, but has different radio bands -- so different FCC ID. No CDMA, more HSPA bands, more LTE bands (2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 17), but not LTE 13 (Verizon). Sold under the "Moto Turbo" and "Moto Maxx" names, depending on where you buy it.
The Quarks were basically the 5.2" version of the Moto Nexus 6, minus stereo speakers and rear camera OIS -- but having a much larger battery (3900 mAh).
Verizon tried to claim the "Droid Turbo" was exclusive, but they lied. Even the "Turbo" name was used by Motorola for another Quark. (The XT1250 was exactly the same device Verizon sells as the Droid Turbo XT1254.)

bigjailerman said:
So can I ask is the 1225 non international is an "Obake" rather than quark? Which one has a bootloader that can be unlocked through Motorola website or other utilities?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Obake was the phone previous to quark. Obake were the droid maxx droid ultra and droid mini they are only unlockable if you can get one that was not updated to 4.4.4 only previous Android versions are unlockable on those phones via sunshine. The quark phones which are the Moto maxx Moto turbo and droid turbo are as of know all unlockable via either Motorola website for all but droid turbo, the droid turbo specifically can only be unlocked via sunshine app

ChazzMatt said:
I disagree. It's still one of the best phones out there.
5.2", 1440p AMOLED display (fantastic colors, Apple's iPhone 7 is rumored to be switching to AMOLED. We already have it.)
3G RAM
Snapdragon 805
21 megapixel camera
64GB internal memory
Qi wireless charging
Turbo charging
3900 mAh battery
There's only a few phones that match or exceed that. The 2015 Nexus phones don't even have Qi wireless charging. I was a Nexus fanboi for years, but Google has lost their way on Nexus phones. The LG 5X this year only has 1080p and 2GB RAM. The Nexus Huawei 6P doesn't have features this Quark has and is STILL too big, at 5.7".
I had a 2015 LG G4 I won for FREE in a contest, and I sold it to keep this phone. I even bought a 3rd XT1225, just in case something happened to mine and my wife's XT1225 phones.
As far as specs, only with the new 2016 Snapdragon 820 phones do we have some real competition (like the Galaxy S7, where Samsung increased the battery size and uses the Snapdragon 820). All the 2015 phones used either the problematic Snapdragon 810 or the slower 808. Benchmarks on those phones were often LOWER than on our Snapdragon 805.
Not sure by what you mean by lack of development. We have CM12.1, CM13, Mokee ASOP and Resurrection Remix, and custom kernel. Yes, Motorola should be ashamed for slow rollout of both Lollipop and Marshmallow to one of their still-best phones. I will criticize them forever for that. Motorola should also be ashamed for not rolling this phone out to all countries. It's what the 2014 Moto X should have been, instead of copycat of the 2013 LG G2 copycat it was. The 2014 Quark and Shamu (Nexus 6) were the first two real top tier phones Motorola has released that could compete equally with LG and Samsung top tier phones... (and the Nexus 6 was too big.) But dev work on this phone has been outstanding.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ChazzMatt said:
what's an obake?
Quark is the code name for our device. XT1225/XT1250/XT1254.
Verizon's is the XT1254, and is identical to the U.S.MOTO MAXX XT1250 in every way, including the FCC ID and radio bands (CDMA/LTE,etc). Except, Verizon had Motorola lock down the bootloader.
The XT1225 and XT1250 can be unlocked via Motorola website code, for free.
"International" XT1225 has same hardware as the XT1254/XT1250, but has different radio bands -- so different FCC ID. No CDMA, more HSPA bands, more LTE bands (2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 17), but not LTE 13 (Verizon). Sold under the "Moto Turbo" and "Moto Maxx" names, depending on where you buy it.
The Quarks were basically the 5.2" version of the Moto Nexus 6, minus stereo speakers and rear camera OIS -- but having a much larger battery (3900 mAh).
Verizon tried to claim the "Droid Turbo" was exclusive, but they lied. Even the "Turbo" name was used by Motorola for another Quark. (The XT1250 was exactly the same device Verizon sells as the Droid Turbo XT1254.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So here is probably a dumb question but here it goes.. I am not seeing MOTO MAXX or XT1225 at all. I dont know what I am missing here. https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/home/action/add
Should I be looking somewhere else. I apologize Ive been away from Motorola since my Razr M. Currently I am currently on a Xiaomi Mi3 on CM13 and that is what I want to do for my newly purhcased Moto Maxx xt1225 (Puerto Rico)
Thank you
EDIT
I SEE MY ERROR, I WAS LOOKING FOR THE PHONE DISPLAYED BUT EVIDENTLY I NEED TO COMPLETE THE ADB BOOTLAODER KEY..
SORRY GUYS

One thing to watch out for if you have the ballistic nylon version. If you keep your phone in your back pocket and fart a lot. The phone starts to smell like ass

Related

[Q] Flagship vs Budget phones - Is there enough difference anymore?

I have been looking at new phones. The flagship phones are sexy and, at least for a few months until the next must have comes out, have a lot of bling factor. However, there seem to be a lot of decent budget/midrange phones available (<$300). Additionally, it seems phones have a short life (durability and obsolescence) to justify dropping $500-$700 every 2-3 years. I'm wondering if it still makes sense or when it makes sense to go with the flagship products.
Questions:
1) Have we reached a point, like PC's, where the even budget units perform just about all tasks pretty well?
2) What uses would a flagship phone (e.g LG G3, Samsung S5, HTC One M8, Moto X) be better for than a typical budget/midrange phone (e.g. Moto G, Moto E, LG Optimus L90)?
3) Are there any critical features missing in the budget phones?

mrstop said:
I have been looking at new phones. The flagship phones are sexy and, at least for a few months until the next must have comes out, have a lot of bling factor. However, there seem to be a lot of decent budget/midrange phones available (<$300). Additionally, it seems phones have a short life (durability and obsolescence) to justify dropping $500-$700 every 2-3 years. I'm wondering if it still makes sense or when it makes sense to go with the flagship products.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Makes sense" is pretty subjective. It depends on what you can afford, are willing to spend, want and/or need. I pursue the various "what phone should you buy" threads regularly, and I also regularly recommend phones like the Nexus 4, Moto G, Sony Xperia SP, and the like. I'm also a big fan of "obsolete" or discontinue phones that you can pick up on eBay or Amazon. For example, you can get the Nexus 4 off eBay, brand new, for $240. And it's a way better phone than a Moto G, for only a bit more. IMO people need to remember options like these. It doesn't have to be a new phone (newly released, as opposed to new vs used). A flagship for a year or 2 ago can be had for far less than its original cost, and can outstrip a "budget" phone that just came out. Another example: A co-worker of mine needs a cheap smartphone after switching to T-Mobile. He was looking at the LG L9 that just came out, which can be purchased outright for a mere $100. The main disadvantage is that it only has HSPA 21.1Mb/s download capability. I told him to get a new LG F6 off eBay for $109. Slightly smaller screen, but same resolution, better processor, and has LTE. He didn't know about it, because it's discontinued and not on T-Mo's website anymore.
Questions:
1) Have we reached a point, like PC's, where the even budget units perform just about all tasks pretty well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If we're not there yet, we're close. The Moto G really sent a shockwave out, and other manufacturers are clamoring to compete (and mostly failing). A "budget" phone, as long as you pick the right one, should be able to do nearly, if not everything you want it to. And as I said above, "budget" doesn't necessarily mean a newly released phone; flagships from a couple years ago are still capable devices and can be had for very reasonable costs.
2) What uses would a flagship phone (e.g LG G3, Samsung S5, HTC One M8, Moto X) be better for than a typical budget/midrange phone (e.g. Moto G, Moto E, LG Optimus L90)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One obvious reason to have a flagship is the superior screen. Do you need a HD screen? No, you really don't. Anything above 200ppi is usable, to be frank. But of course everybody wants a better screen, since most of what we do with smartphones involves looking at them. Screen size is a subjective preference, but everybody wants the screen to be clearer, brighter, and more vibrant.
If you like to play games, flagships are obviously better. Better resolution, higher framerates,
3) Are there any critical features missing in the budget phones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's always some things that have to be sacrificed to make a phone cheaper. Just look at the Moto E vs the Moto G. Screen resolution is lower and smaller, the processor is only a dual core, and the camera lacks flash (no front-facing camera either). And comparing the Moto G to the Moto X or other flagship phones, it's obviously not as powerful, doesn't have as much RAM, and the 5mp camera is constrained by the fact that it only has 5mp, where most flagships have at least double, and sometimes triple or quadruple that. Internal storage is an issue, especially if running KitKat and you're not able to move apps to SD, or the phone doesn't even have SD capability,
To conclude, let's compare to popular phones, the Moto G and the Galaxy S5. The Moto G runs smoothly, due to it's nearly-stock Android (completely stock if you get the GPE). The screen is very decent. But if you get the regular versions, you're limited to 8 or 16GB (less available to the user), 21.1Mb/s HSPA, and mediocre cameras. The LTE version is the better choice, since you also get a microSD slot, although it's only good for 32GB cards. Whereas with an S5 you get a higher resolution screen, more RAM, a far more capable processor, far better cameras, 32GB storage built-in, plus expandability to 128GB, etc, etc, etc. It also costs three times as much.
So yeah, it's great that we can buy a cheap smartphone that'll do everything we need. But that doesn't change the fact that there are phones that can do what we want.

Want to sell OPO, what to get instead?

HI all, am thinking selling my OPO but have no idea what other phone to get while waiting for OnePlus Two
It has to be cheap (~100 $/€) and support custom roms, thats all i am asking! (am flashaholic, so can not live without it )
Any tips what should I go for? THX!!!

Moto G is always a good choice. Tons of support for ROMs and kernels and such. Also, the boot loader is easily unlocked. It's more than your price tag, but you'll be much happier with it's flexibility and more powerful processor.

Nexus 6

otacon239 said:
Moto G is always a good choice. Tons of support for ROMs and kernels and such. Also, the boot loader is easily unlocked. It's more than your price tag, but you'll be much happier with it's flexibility and more powerful processor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
plus they have consistent speedy updates of new android versions, decent batterylife etc, etc.
just a small screen

Should I assume that despite your moniker that you do not currently own a Nexus 5? If that's the case, get your hands on a used Nexus 4. Tons of ROMs, kernels, mods, etc. A Galaxy S3 (with Snapdragon and 2gb RAM, not the Exynos one) wouldn't be a bad option either.

Go for Motorola and Nexus devices. They have plenty of custom rom support.
and fast when it comes to OS updates too.

this seems nice, dunno about updates though http://www.phonearena.com/news/Affo...edge-specs-and-fingerprint-ID-for-200_id68130

bachera said:
this seems nice, dunno about updates though http://www.phonearena.com/news/Affo...edge-specs-and-fingerprint-ID-for-200_id68130
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very cheap, been checking these out too. Would love to try one out, some nice features.
http://www.geekbuying.com/item/Elep...GHz-Smartphone-13-0MP-Dual-Camera-344057.html

gsmyth said:
Very cheap, been checking these out too. Would love to try one out, some nice features.
http://www.geekbuying.com/item/Elep...GHz-Smartphone-13-0MP-Dual-Camera-344057.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
take a note of their presale, they had another one on 11th of May
http://www.gizchina.com/2015/04/24/...tedposts_origin=84489&relatedposts_position=0
not sure of they will ever have dev support though, due to the mediatek stuff. That kinda is a dealbreaker for me.
their upcoming models next month are also interesting, more expensive though.
browse the gizchina site, they got tons of info on Chinese phones

bachera said:
take a note of their presale
http://www.gizchina.com/2015/04/24/...tedposts_origin=84489&relatedposts_position=0
not sure of they will have dev support though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea its never going to be anywhere near the OPO. I did see a video of it running CM12 though, again though who knows if you'll be able to get hold of it.

Thank you all guys, am wondering getting some "china" phone, but seems like there is a problem with MediaTek CPU/chipset - the support of custom roms is quite small if none for some CPU/chipset/phones.
Can anyone explain me to this. If to get a phone with Mediatek chip, which one to get for widest custom rom support? Or is it like that the only thing matter is the model of CPU and custom rom working on specific CPU will work fine on other phone with same CPU?

Try the Oppo Find 7A or 7. Same device in a sense, only it has native Color OS (and no touchscreen issues). Sadly, NO LTE on some carriers. I think the Find 7 is $500 while the 7A is $400. In the US, hard to get, but not impossible, trust me. The 7 is QHD (2K resolution) while the 7A is 1080p. For that case, I went with the 7A as it packs more of a punch.
Or the Xiaomi Mi3W or Mi4, the native MIUI phones. Again, lack of LTE on US carriers but trust me, they are very fast, unique and a breath of fresh air since stock ("vanilla" android) TouchWiz, Optimus UI and Sense have gotten boring. Pricing varies, but average from $300 to $400, just watch out where you order it from.
Lastly, the Moto X 2014 packs quite a punch and a beautiful display, and you have a good warranty back up. Be sure to skip the Verizon model (XT1096) as it cannot have its bootloader unlocked and root is VERY limited. They can now be ordered for as little as $400 for the 16GB or $450 for the 32GB, and customized options do not affect pricing unless you opt in for accessories.
I cannot recommend the Nexus 5 as it had very aggressive thermal throttling, so you never experience the 2.3GHz at its fullest, it has also been pulled out of Google's lineup. The HTC One M8 is a MARVELOUS device, and very lag free, however, it has heat issues, sometimes they begin over a short amount of time and that heat will QUICKLY deteriorate the battery. The LG G3 has a nice display, however, it is a lag machine. You really can not use it for 3D games. The G2 is also old and problematic. The G Flex 1 is still worth considering, but it is HUGE, the POLED display is very prone to burned in imaged if not properly taken care of, the curved display is weird to some and it has a 720p resolution. It is however pretty darn great. The G Flex 2 sports a Snapdragon 810, but that is not a good thing. It has been noted that the 810 heats up ALOT, which is why the Xiaomi Mi5 might use the 808 and the G4 is confirmed to have gone with the 808. The Galaxy S5 and Note 3 have very slow UI animations and overall do not have great performance. The bloatware on them is also through the roof. The newer Note 4, Note Edge, S6 and S6 Edge are just too pricey. The Nexus 6 is a HUGE Moto X 2014, but it has a bit of a price tag, and if your hands are not as big as mine, you can forget it. It has superb performance. The Droid Turbo is beginning to meet its end at high prices when it comes to used ones, but again, no bootloader unlock and root is limited.
I would REALLY recommend sticking to it for a while longer as the OnePlus Two is around the corner, the Moto X 2015 is already being rumored, the Xiaomi Mi5 MIGHT enter the US market (if your in the USA) and so on. It might also be a bad idea to hold on to it as the release of the OnePlus Two will mean fans of the OnePlus One will want to sell theirs to get the newer one, and the used value of it will drop significantly or become a challenge to get rid of.

Moto X style vs OnePlus two.

So initially I was really excited about the new 1+2, but since its launch I am a bit disappointed because of some crucial compromises that come with buying this phone. And under 24 hrs, moto launched its new Moto X style which just make me not like the 1+2 even more. But I am looking to buy one of these two phone so I logically comparing them to make a decision. With the current info we have moto X seem much better in many departments -
Design, Battery (Fast charge vs 1+2 charging in 3:20 hrs), wireless charging, more Premium feel according to many tech sites, 2k screen, the new Sony 21MP sensor.
But there are also some definite areas where 1+2 seems better but I wanna know 'How' much better, would like to know from someone who has used these processors or knows in detail about these RAMs and USB ports :-
808 vs 810, so the new moto X has the 808 while the 1+2 has 810, both are very mediocre processors from Qualcomm's standards, but it is what it is, so I wanna know exactly how much better 810 is than 808 in real life usage, will i be able to do all kinds of the most power consuming tasks for the next 2-3 years ?
3Gb Lpddr3 vs 4gb Lpddr4, here I am not sure if the new moto X has LPDDR4 or lpddr3 ram and if its 3 then how much difference will it have seeing as its also 3gb vs 4gb, in real life usage, how much difference is that ?
The USB - C port on the 1+2, I was really excited about this one before launch but after its launch I read 2-3 sites mentioning that it's 2.0 and not 3.1( don't know what that exactly that means), and hence it won't be much faster than a regular USB cable and u can't use it as a replacement for HDMI cable.
Edit - P.S. - Also, the moto X has NFC and much better speakers and better customer service.

Personal opinion for everything within; don't quote me as gospel. Have a google around yourself and make your own decisions based on that.
SD808 vs SD810; the SD808 is used in the LG G4 whilst the HTC One M9 uses the SD810 so you should be able to get a basic idea from this comparison. As far as I know about the LG G4, the SD808 performs really well and doesn't leave you wanting for nothing. I personally don't own a G4 so a G4 owner and M9 owner could answer this better. Have a look online and see what people are saying. Linus Tech Tips have video reviews for both phones so that may also be some help for you.
3gb vs 4gb ram; I don't think this is really going to affect mobile users. If we take a look at apple, the ipad air has 1gb ram and performs really well. Same with the iphone 6 and I don't know anyone who owns one that complains about it. Granted, iOS and android are two different beasts - but if 1gb is fine over there, 3gb should be more than sufficient for us.
USB Type-C; even though native support for USB Type-C is coming around in Android M, I don't think the adoption for it will be very quick. I know apple has it on their new macbook air (I believe) - but widespread adoption will be some time from now. Micro-USB is still going to be around for a while imo and won't be an issue for the Moto X.
Again, personal opinion. I'd go for the Moto X based on the fact that Motorola have a good name behind them, build good quality phones that last and have a decent customer service track record, whereas if you look on the oneplus forums (I'd say take it with a pinch of salt but you may need a barrel of salt) you'll find quite a lot of complaints regarding Oneplus' customer service. Granted, they are quite a young company and these issues may not be around for much longer as they work out the kinks in their processes but it's something to consider as every so often, there will be a faulty phone and it may just be your bad luck in getting the bad egg.

Skyerin said:
Personal opinion for everything within; don't quote me as gospel. Have a google around yourself and make your own decisions based on that.
SD808 vs SD810; the SD808 is used in the LG G4 whilst the HTC One M9 uses the SD810 so you should be able to get a basic idea from this comparison. As far as I know about the LG G4, the SD808 performs really well and doesn't leave you wanting for nothing. I personally don't own a G4 so a G4 owner and M9 owner could answer this better. Have a look online and see what people are saying. Linus Tech Tips have video reviews for both phones so that may also be some help for you.
3gb vs 4gb ram; I don't think this is really going to affect mobile users. If we take a look at apple, the ipad air has 1gb ram and performs really well. Same with the iphone 6 and I don't know anyone who owns one that complains about it. Granted, iOS and android are two different beasts - but if 1gb is fine over there, 3gb should be more than sufficient for us.
USB Type-C; even though native support for USB Type-C is coming around in Android M, I don't think the adoption for it will be very quick. I know apple has it on their new macbook air (I believe) - but widespread adoption will be some time from now. Micro-USB is still going to be around for a while imo and won't be an issue for the Moto X.
Again, personal opinion. I'd go for the Moto X based on the fact that Motorola have a good name behind them, build good quality phones that last and have a decent customer service track record, whereas if you look on the oneplus forums (I'd say take it with a pinch of salt but you may need a barrel of salt) you'll find quite a lot of complaints regarding Oneplus' customer service. Granted, they are quite a young company and these issues may not be around for much longer as they work out the kinks in their processes but it's something to consider as every so often, there will be a faulty phone and it may just be your bad luck in getting the bad egg.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, inclining towards the X style for now. Will wait for both's reviews now. Also, the 1+2 is priced at 25,000 (389$) in my country, and the new moto X 16gb version is priced at 399$, so that'll probably convert to 26,000 + leather/wood back ones are 2,000 extra so I guess the 64gb one will be priced around 35k, which is 40% higher price than 1+2. This one is a real doozy, both these phones at the end of the day are equal.
Sent from my HM 1SW using Tapatalk

bhu1 said:
Yeah, inclining towards the X style for now. Will wait for both's reviews now. Also, the 1+2 is priced at 25,000 (389$) in my country, and the new moto X 16gb version is priced at 399$, so that'll probably convert to 26,000 + leather/wood back ones are 2,000 extra so I guess the 64gb one will be priced around 35k, which is 40% higher price than 1+2. This one is a real doozy, both these phones at the end of the day are equal.
Sent from my HM 1SW using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One thing that may sway you towards the OP2 is that apparently (read this in a news article - take it with a barrel of salt again!) OP is concentrating heavily on selling around a million units in India, so they may be giving better support whereas Motorola may not be as prevalent in terms of support. Can't say for certain - not from and never been to India - but speaking from my experiences and knowledge of being in Pakistan for quite a while.
Also, if specs don't bother you too much, it may be an idea to look heavily at the moto x play, simply because of the huge battery whilst still being a really powerful phone.

Skyerin said:
One thing that may sway you towards the OP2 is that apparently (read this in a news article - take it with a barrel of salt again!) OP is concentrating heavily on selling around a million units in India, so they may be giving better support whereas Motorola may not be as prevalent in terms of support. Can't say for certain - not from and never been to India - but speaking from my experiences and knowledge of being in Pakistan for quite a while.
Also, if specs don't bother you too much, it may be an idea to look heavily at the moto x play, simply because of the huge battery whilst still being a really powerful phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nah, OnePlus can't compete with moto's customer service. Even if they can, then also, not a big deal, customer service, it just needs to be good, I don't need it to be great. And no moto play for me, I decided that I'll buy a flagship, so I'll buy a flagship.
Sent from my HM 1SW using Tapatalk

iOS and Android system have much differences, that's why 1gb RAM feels so different between Android and iOS..
I've found complete explanation of it but forgot the source *sorry*
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

Come on be serious...what comparison is this. Compare 1+1 with 1+2 or 1+2 with my 4 years old htc sensation
Sent from my SM-G920T

bhu1 said:
So initially I was really excited about the new 1+2, but since its launch I am a bit disappointed because of some crucial compromises that come with buying this phone. And under 24 hrs, moto launched its new Moto X style which just make me not like the 1+2 even more. But I am looking to buy one of these two phone so I logically comparing them to make a decision. With the current info we have moto X seem much better in many departments -
Design, Battery (Fast charge vs 1+2 charging in 3:20 hrs), wireless charging, more Premium feel according to many tech sites, 2k screen, the new Sony 21MP sensor.
But there are also some definite areas where 1+2 seems better but I wanna know 'How' much better, would like to know from someone who has used these processors or knows in detail about these RAMs and USB ports :-
808 vs 810, so the new moto X has the 808 while the 1+2 has 810, both are very mediocre processors from Qualcomm's standards, but it is what it is, so I wanna know exactly how much better 810 is than 808 in real life usage, will i be able to do all kinds of the most power consuming tasks for the next 2-3 years ?
3Gb Lpddr3 vs 4gb Lpddr4, here I am not sure if the new moto X has LPDDR4 or lpddr3 ram and if its 3 then how much difference will it have seeing as its also 3gb vs 4gb, in real life usage, how much difference is that ?
The USB - C port on the 1+2, I was really excited about this one before launch but after its launch I read 2-3 sites mentioning that it's 2.0 and not 3.1( don't know what that exactly that means), and hence it won't be much faster than a regular USB cable and u can't use it as a replacement for HDMI cable.
Edit - P.S. - Also, the moto X has NFC and much better speakers and better customer service.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depending on how you use your phone and how each phone handles battery life, the rate of charging might not be a factor to consider. If you burn through battery (and/or the phone itself helps) and can't get a days worth then fast charging should be important. If you don't use your phone much, turn radios off, etc. and charge your phone when you are asleep then either method of charging will do. Neither phone has wireless charging so you'd have to look elsewhere to get it. Feel is totally subjective and ONLY important for your tastes/wants. The screen is a contentious issue as some don't see a difference between 2k and 1080p, think the increase is worth the battery hit, or other reasons specific to the screens compared. If DxO is to be believed then the rear sensor in the Style is something to be reckoned with.
In real life usage, the 808 or 810 should be close to each other. The 808 is only "missing" two "Big" A57 cores when compared to the 810. The real difference is in benchmarks where having the "missing" cores will show better scores. With an almost stock Android interface the Style should show no feeling that "it needs more." I have no experience with OnePlus (or Moto and their OS optimizations) phones to speak on how Oxygen OS behaves. Since both phones aren't out to buy and be reviewed, any talk beforehand is just speculation. Wait for reviews from people you trust for an opinion or get a hand-on yourself on the UX "feel."
The amount of RAM you "need" or "should have" is debatable. If you play a lot of games and switch between heavy RAM-usage apps (or a lot of them) frequently, more RAM is beneficial. The type of RAM is cut-and-dry. LPDDR4 is simply better than LPDDR3. AS A STANDARD LPDDR4 operates at faster speeds AND uses less power than LPDDR3. Whether OnePlus has taken full advantage of the benefits has not been disclosed and no one has a device to find out the speed their RAM runs at for a definite conclusion.
USB Type-C is the "cable to end cables" when properly implemented. Full stop. Type-C was created with USB 3.1 and ALL of its benefits come with 3.1 AND software that enables those features. For the actual cable, Type-C brings a reversible plug (like Lightning) so there isn't a correct way you can plug the cable in. USB 2.0 (most likely in the Style too) will max at around 20 MB/s when transferring files to your computer or another device, and will be slower for smaller files. USB 3.0 and 3.1 will transfer at MUCH faster speeds with larger files. You can learn more about 3.1 and Type-C here and with a quick search. Other Type-C features aren't worth discussing as neither phone can take advantage of them.
Contact-less payments are supposed to finally take-off with the launch of Android (and Samsung) Pay to give that "extra push" to retailers that this is a feature that most would take advantage of when consumers can. Honestly, Apple Pay sowed the seed for contact-less payments. If contact-less payments is something you can see yourself doing then the OnePlus2 will not allow you to do so. Speaker quality or stereo speakers is a nice feature to have and should be considered if you play any media over the speakers. I have no comment with eithers' Costumer Support reputation.
For me, the decision between the OnePlus2 and Style is a no brainer. The OnePlus2 makes too many concessions against OnePlus' OWN BELIEFS and against the Style to make this a hard decision. Which is why I'll be replacing my G2 with the Style at some point this year, unless the new Nexus phone(s) are compelling enough

Think I may finally jump on a new phone, the Moto X Play or whatever it's being called for Verizon. That's a bit confusing. But Moto's radios are the best, a big factor, plus they finally went back to SD cards. I keep hearing the screen will not be tops due to it not being Amoled. Guess I'll have to check it out first before jumping. Also want it rooted, so I'm not going to be the one to jump first when it's sold so I can find out if it'll be rooted. But I'm definitely leaning towards that. It's either this or probably going to find a Note 4 developers addition and go that route...hard choices....

Moto x pure edition, not play
Galaxy S6

Which is why I'll be replacing my G2 with the Style at some point this year, unless the new Nexus phone(s) are compelling enough
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nexus line of phones will never provide microSD card slot (google wants you to use its cloud!), and the 64GB version will make you pay 100$ more than the basic 16GB model. The best 64GB cards are under 30$ right now. So, I essentially get 80GB of storage with Style for 70$ less. Give me Style any day over Nexus or even OP2 (which gives 64GB for 389).
More than that though, its the camera and front facing stereo speakers that excite me about Style. We will see when it comes out.

bhu1 said:
So initially I was really excited about the new 1+2, but since its launch I am a bit disappointed because of some crucial compromises that come with buying this phone. And under 24 hrs, moto launched its new Moto X style which just make me not like the 1+2 even more. But I am looking to buy one of these two phone so I logically comparing them to make a decision. With the current info we have moto X seem much better in many departments -
Design, Battery (Fast charge vs 1+2 charging in 3:20 hrs), wireless charging, more Premium feel according to many tech sites, 2k screen, the new Sony 21MP sensor.
But there are also some definite areas where 1+2 seems better but I wanna know 'How' much better, would like to know from someone who has used these processors or knows in detail about these RAMs and USB ports :-
808 vs 810, so the new moto X has the 808 while the 1+2 has 810, both are very mediocre processors from Qualcomm's standards, but it is what it is, so I wanna know exactly how much better 810 is than 808 in real life usage, will i be able to do all kinds of the most power consuming tasks for the next 2-3 years ?
3Gb Lpddr3 vs 4gb Lpddr4, here I am not sure if the new moto X has LPDDR4 or lpddr3 ram and if its 3 then how much difference will it have seeing as its also 3gb vs 4gb, in real life usage, how much difference is that ?
The USB - C port on the 1+2, I was really excited about this one before launch but after its launch I read 2-3 sites mentioning that it's 2.0 and not 3.1( don't know what that exactly that means), and hence it won't be much faster than a regular USB cable and u can't use it as a replacement for HDMI cable.
Edit - P.S. - Also, the moto X has NFC and much better speakers and better customer service.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same thing happened to me
I'm dropping the two and will pick the moto x pure because it has the following that the two refused to add:
microsd slot
rapid charge
21 mp camera
front facing stereo speakers
invite-less purchase
but then that might change when the moto x pure is released

Id give the nod to the moto for several reasons the 3 big ones being.
ext sd card support, this is huge
Slightly larger screen
Moto customer support. If you read anything about OPO one thing is for sure in that their support is terrible.
Thats 3 reasons enough for me.:thumbup:
Sent from my Nexus 6 or Note 4

I was inclined towards the one plus two before launch. Had really big expectations. But Moto X Style has upped the stakes. The only problem is availability and pricing. In India the customer service of Motorola is good. Only if Motorola announces the availability and pricing
Sent from my Moto G using Tapatalk

At this point I'd say moto x is my pick, one plus invite system is a turn off and is already starting to make me not want to get the device.

I still don't get their reasoning for leaving out NFC from the OP2. They claim it wasn't widely used and it added cost, yet they decided to add a fingerprint sensor...

Jweimn said:
At this point I'd say moto x is my pick, one plus invite system is a turn off and is already starting to make me not want to get the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And theres an artlicle online where someone says he cheated the invite reservation system haha. But yeah its all a joke tbh as you spam people to go up the list.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

Sporttster said:
Think I may finally jump on a new phone, the Moto X Play or whatever it's being called for Verizon. That's a bit confusing. But Moto's radios are the best, a big factor, plus they finally went back to SD cards. I keep hearing the screen will not be tops due to it not being Amoled. Guess I'll have to check it out first before jumping. Also want it rooted, so I'm not going to be the one to jump first when it's sold so I can find out if it'll be rooted. But I'm definitely leaning towards that. It's either this or probably going to find a Note 4 developers addition and go that route...hard choices....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried a Samsung Note 3 and I lost 7% of my calls according to Verizon. I switched to a Motorola n6 six months ago and haven't lost a call since. My dBm ranges from 100 to 121 (right now it 114). Motorola is the only one that can hold on to a phone call where I live. So, I will only buy Motorola phones from now on.

I had the OPO for about a year and finally was able to return it.
Too many touch issues and since getting Lollipop I've had nothing but battery issues. I tried many roms however I couldn't stand it.
I tried the Moto X 2nd gen for 2 days and fell in love.
Currently i'm testing out the Nexus 6 to see if I can handle the screen size, so far it's good however I'd like it to be a little smaller so I think the new Moto X might be fine.
I wish they went with a 5.5 and non QHD or at least went with a bigger battery.
I'm hoping the new Moto X's camera will be better than the Nexus 6

If I was rich I would get both. But the biggest advantage of the oneplus2 will likely be battery life. I have a feeling that the oneplus2 will be easier to hold. I like the fact that you can program the capacitive buttons on either side of the home button. But overall the moto x style would get my hard earned money. Software and screen quality/size give it the leg up on the oneplus2 for me.

Moto g better than idol 3?

So I am surprised no has caught this yet. But the 2015 with far lesser hardware than that of the idol 3 is getting very high praises. The one main thing that is really standing out to me is the performance reviews. The snapdragon 400 with 1gb of ram and just how smooth this phone runs. I would think this would be a major jab at Alcatel on how unoptimized their software on the idol 3 is. I think this is also a testament that our phone is very capable of a butter smooth experience without any lag or stutters what's so ever if this can be done on the moto g.
Sent from my 6045I using XDA Free mobile app

cas8180 said:
So I am surprised no has caught this yet. But the 2015 with far lesser hardware than that of the idol 3 is getting very high praises. The one main thing that is really standing out to me is the performance reviews. The snapdragon 400 with 1gb of ram and just how smooth this phone runs. I would think this would be a major jab at Alcatel on how unoptimized their software on the idol 3 is. I think this is also a testament that our phone is very capable of a butter smooth experience without any lag or stutters what's so ever if this can be done on the moto g.
Sent from my 6045I using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So for $50 less I give up 1/2 the megapixels on the front and rear camera's...1/2 the internal storage, 1/3rd the screen resolution (assuming going from 1080p to 720p is only 1/3rd) drop Lollipop back down to Kitkat (based on http://www.bestbuy.com/site/motorol...-u-s-version-black/9055007.p?id=1219387046337) and I'm sure there's more....no thanks...the time of the idol 3 is NOW. It's been rooted..has TWRP....has xposed framework working and source has just been released. Or were you trying to compare the idol 3 4.7? You didn't specify.

famewolf said:
So for $50 less I give up 1/2 the megapixels on the front and rear camera's...1/2 the internal storage, 1/3rd the screen resolution (assuming going from 1080p to 720p is only 1/3rd) drop Lollipop back down to Kitkat (based on http://www.bestbuy.com/site/motorol...-u-s-version-black/9055007.p?id=1219387046337) and I'm sure there's more....no thanks...the time of the idol 3 is NOW. It's been rooted..has TWRP....has xposed framework working and source has just been released. Or were you trying to compare the idol 3 4.7? You didn't specify.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nobody is talking about the second gen. This is the 3rd gen
http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/moto-g-2015-1300373/review
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using XDA Free mobile app

cas8180 said:
Nobody is talking about the second gen. This is the 3rd gen
http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/moto-g-2015-1300373/review
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using XDA Free mobile app
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Ok..here's a good side by side from phonedog...with the exception of battery life the idol 3 seemed to be the winner but maybe you'll lean the other way. I know I'm not giving up my dual speakers, 1080p screen and reversible feature which works really well in the car to charge it while sitting in a poor man's dock (the cup holder). Sounds like you'd have to bump up to the 2gb/16gb model for the closest match and that's gonna be $220 vs $200 (currently the idol is priced at $250 but it was when I purchased it as well and they put it on sale for 1 day in July so I was able to submit a price protection claim with my credit card bringing it down to $200...I'm sure similar specials will pop up since the preorder price was also $199)
http://www.phonedog.com/videos/moto-g-3rd-gen-vs-onetouch-idol-3-best-budget-smartphones

cas8180 said:
Nobody is talking about the second gen. This is the 3rd gen
http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/moto-g-2015-1300373/review
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I'm pretty interested in the Canadian Moto X Play XT1563
GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
UMTS/HSPA+ (850, 900, 1700 (AWS), 1900, 2100 MHz)
4G LTE (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 28)

famewolf said:
Ok..here's a good side by side from phonedog...with the exception of battery life the idol 3 seemed to be the winner but maybe you'll lean the other way. I know I'm not giving up my dual speakers, 1080p screen and reversible feature which works really well in the car to charge it while sitting in a poor man's dock (the cup holder). Sounds like you'd have to bump up to the 2gb/16gb model for the closest match and that's gonna be $220 vs $200 (currently the idol is priced at $250 but it was when I purchased it as well and they put it on sale for 1 day in July so I was able to submit a price protection claim with my credit card bringing it down to $200...I'm sure similar specials will pop up since the preorder price was also $199)
http://www.phonedog.com/videos/moto-g-3rd-gen-vs-onetouch-idol-3-best-budget-smartphones
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It's very confusing when they pull all this 2nd gen, 3rd gen or Nexus 5 2015 vs the old Nexus 5 stuff because you are never sure which one someone is talking about..I didn't even know thr 3rd gen moto g was out.

famewolf said:
It's very confusing when they pull all this 2nd gen, 3rd gen or Nexus 5 2015 vs the old Nexus 5 stuff because you are never sure which one someone is talking about..I didn't even know thr 3rd gen moto g was out.
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Ya. I should have articulated my point better. And my point was this. The 3rd gen moto (with far inferior) hardware than the idol is getting praises left and right and many are voting it asbthe best budget phone for the money. And one of the main points they bring up is just how fluid and snappy the new moto g is with less ram and smaller processor than that of the idol 3. So with that logic the idol 3 should be outperforming the moto g with responsiveness and snappyness and zero lag. But its not. I was hoping that Alcatel might take note of the new kid in the block. Get concerned about potential loss sales to the moto g and optimize the idol 3 to be a great performer with zero lag the way it should be.
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cas8180 said:
Ya. I should have articulated my point better. And my point was this. The 3rd gen moto (with far inferior) hardware than the idol is getting praises left and right and many are voting it asbthe best budget phone for the money. And one of the main points they bring up is just how fluid and snappy the new moto g is with less ram and smaller processor than that of the idol 3. So with that logic the idol 3 should be outperforming the moto g with responsiveness and snappyness and zero lag. But its not. I was hoping that Alcatel might take note of the new kid in the block. Get concerned about potential loss sales to the moto g and optimize the idol 3 to be a great performer with zero lag the way it should be.
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Comparing apples to apples. The Idol 3 4.7 is better than the Moto G 2015. They both have snapdragon 410 but the G just having a higher clock speed at 1.4 vs 1.2. I returned my Moto G when I got the Idol 3 4.7. It's just a better phone for me. As far as lag, I had the Idol 5.5 when it first came out before some of the updates and I remember there was some lag especially when clearing all recent apps. The Idol 3 4.7 does not have that lag that I experienced with the bigger Idol. The 410 is a fantastic processor especially for pushing out only 720p. More YouTube reviewers should do a comparison between the Idol 4.7 and the Moto G and not the Idol 5.5. Closer in specs and price point.

guapinoy said:
Comparing apples to apples. The Idol 3 4.7 is better than the Moto G 2015. They both have snapdragon 410 but the G just having a higher clock speed at 1.4 vs 1.2. I returned my Moto G when I got the Idol 3 4.7. It's just a better phone for me. As far as lag, I had the Idol 5.5 when it first came out before some of the updates and I remember there was some lag especially when clearing all recent apps. The Idol 3 4.7 does not have that lag that I experienced with the bigger Idol. The 410 is a fantastic processor especially for pushing out only 720p. More YouTube reviewers should do a comparison between the Idol 4.7 and the Moto G and not the Idol 5.5. Closer in specs and price point.
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You pretty much validated my point though on how the beefier heavier specd idol 3 5.5 should run flawless and as smooth as butter when lesser hardware clearly can.
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cas8180 said:
Ya. I should have articulated my point better. And my point was this. The 3rd gen moto (with far inferior) hardware than the idol is getting praises left and right and many are voting it asbthe best budget phone for the money. And one of the main points they bring up is just how fluid and snappy the new moto g is with less ram and smaller processor than that of the idol 3. So with that logic the idol 3 should be outperforming the moto g with responsiveness and snappyness and zero lag. But its not. I was hoping that Alcatel might take note of the new kid in the block. Get concerned about potential loss sales to the moto g and optimize the idol 3 to be a great performer with zero lag the way it should be.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using XDA Free mobile app
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Well one good point is the 5.0.x series of lollipop is KNOWN to be laggy...that was one of the main improvements to 5.1...with the source released we can perhaps look at Cyanogenmod in our future and eliminate alot of the lag we are dealing with now along with some optimized kernels. I think after some custom rom's come out you'll end up much happier with the idol 3 overall.

famewolf said:
Well one good point is the 5.0.x series of lollipop is KNOWN to be laggy...that was one of the main improvements to 5.1...with the source released we can perhaps look at Cyanogenmod in our future and eliminate alot of the lag we are dealing with now along with some optimized kernels. I think after some custom rom's come out you'll end up much happier with the idol 3 overall.
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Yup the 5.0 builds are very buggy and laggy but its interesting that the 4.7 inch idol with lower processor still runs smoother. I don't think we as consumers should have to root and go through all of those hoops just to have a well performing device based on the hardware running it. And from owning the oneplus one and running cm as my daily driver for quite sometime I would personally never run it again. Not only do I not support Steve and his initiatives and his company but often times cm introudced more bug than it solved issues. So that's a no go for me. I am simply asking Alcatel to optimize their flagship device the way it should be. But who knows maybe it will happen when we get the 5.1.1 update.
Right now I swap between my zenfone 2, idol 3 and oneplus one. The only thing keeping me from using my idol 3 as my daily.driver is the lag. And it's very noticeable when jumping between phones.
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I had decided to wait for the moto G 3rd gen before upgrading from the 2nd gen however...
Amazon day sale...
That was literally an insane price. Too good to pass off and I went for the upgrade.
Comparing it to the 3rd gen.. I'm not at all regretting getting the Alcatel. Gorilla Glass alternative is good, battery life is significantly better than the moto G, display resolution is a nice plus.
Water proofing just isn't a feature that makes or breaks my decision.

cas8180 said:
Yup the 5.0 builds are very buggy and laggy but its interesting that the 4.7 inch idol with lower processor still runs smoother. I don't think we as consumers should have to root and go through all of those hoops just to have a well performing device based on the hardware running it. And from owning the oneplus one and running cm as my daily driver for quite sometime I would personally never run it again. Not only do I not support Steve and his initiatives and his company but often times cm introudced more bug than it solved issues. So that's a no go for me. I am simply asking Alcatel to optimize their flagship device the way it should be. But who knows maybe it will happen when we get the 5.1.1 update.
Right now I swap between my zenfone 2, idol 3 and oneplus one. The only thing keeping me from using my idol 3 as my daily.driver is the lag. And it's very noticeable when jumping between phones.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using XDA Free mobile app
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I agree with the point about consumers shouldn't need to depend on rooting, custom kernels and ROMS. Even if I indulge in all of the above. If that's what it takes to make a phone usable, then this phone and manufacturer will fade back into oblivion. And I also haven't found custom ROMs to be a panacea. For all the talk about being "buttery smooth," "rock solid" and such, it isn't always that way. I've had some prominent ROMs that plainly gave me more problems than stock Android. But I like to experiment and I like the customization options that the ROMs provide. And I really like being rid of all the Google bloat.
I waited awhile with my Nexus 4 before upgrading to Lollipop because I wanted to keep running Xposed and it wasn't available on Lollipop for awhile. But after I did, I almost reverted because of the poor performance with 5.0x. So it's disappointing to have to be running 5.02 on the Idol 3 on the eve of the release of Android M.
I'm not holding my breath waiting for many ROMs, kernels and such on this phone. Is there a big enough community who's going to use them that people will bother to build them? I hope the answer is yes, but I'm not so sure.
All that said, I like this phone more than I thought I would. I'm having occasional laggy and erratic performance, but most of the time, it's fine, a bit better than I might have expected. And I love the light weight and the display. The current crop of flagships tend to be 30 grams heavier, a very noticeable difference. And the colors look better to me on this phone than they do on some of the pricier ones with whites that aren't white or over-saturation. Some of that's adjustable with custom kernels, but not all of it. The Nexus 6 I use sometimes, for all its many strengths, is guilty of both color problems and being uncomfortably heavy by comparison.

Ya I would have to agree with you an all of the points you highlighted. This is a fantastic device on so many levels. Just wish the damn thing didn't lag. The biggest lag issue I had was with typing. But installing the stick Google keyboard from the play store seems to have really improved the typing experience over the stock aosp keyboard that comes with the phone.
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When you guys get a sec check the performance review of the mi4 running the exact same chipset. Notice how it scores significantly hire in benchmarks then our phone and the ui does not lag or stutter what's so ever.
https://youtu.be/cCXiQQI7lpQ
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Thought you might be interested to know the Moto G's camera has been ported over to the Idol 3 and runs just fine....I posted a thread in the Idol3 apps and games section with some details. The camera is very VERY nice.

A lot of these people are comparing the lowest tier Moto G to whatever else that is available. On Alcatel's side, that would mean that you would compare the 4.7 inch model to the Moto G - and the only thing on the specs side on the Alcatel model is NFC - otherwise they are essentially the same phone - and the Moto G is waterproof - runs a later version of Android - and is from Motorola . So it does make for a compelling choice. When you compare the $220 model to the $250 Alcatel model, then the spec differences are wider. But for $180 , the Moto G is not a bad phone. If I did not have the option to buy the 5.5 inch for $200 , and the Moto G 2015 would have been around, I do not think I would have spent $180 to go with the Alcatel.

cas8180 said:
When you guys get a sec check the performance review of the mi4 running the exact same chipset. Notice how it scores significantly hire in benchmarks then our phone and the ui does not lag or stutter what's so ever.
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The Mi4i runs the same chipset and Geekyranjit says it is a laggy POS after update, before update it was overheating POS. There is something fundamentally wrong with the 615 chipset same as the 810. it just wasn't a good year to buy Qualcomm.

Karly Johnston said:
The Mi4i runs the same chipset and Geekyranjit says it is a laggy POS after update, before update it was overheating POS. There is something fundamentally wrong with the 615 chipset same as the 810. it just wasn't a good year to buy Qualcomm.
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Must not be as all the new zenfone 2 models are running this same chipset.
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cas8180 said:
Must not be as all the new zenfone 2 models are running this same chipset.
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Actually... none of the released Zen2 come with SD615.

Droid Turbo vs Moto X Play (Canada)

Hello,
I recently bought a Moto X Play, and I'm playing indeed, playing with the idea of returning it and buying a Droid Turbo on eBay.
Currently, the Turbo can be bought for around 450 cad, same as the X Play (except it's used, but it's quite easy to find Turbo in good condition considering it's made to be tough!).
It also has a humongous battery. The screen is reportedly around the same width but doesn't go as far up, so it's easier to handle. No need to mention the processor is also better, same goes for the screen, and the bigger battery makes up for the increased consumption. Moreover, the Droid has all the features of the "usual" Moto X: the screen is a Super AMOLED, unlike the X Play IPS screen; there's a gyroscope and IR sensors so you get the Moto Actions, you're VR ready, Photospheres ready... unlike the X Play. Plus I just noticed it had Glonass (which the X Play doesn't have), which can improve location tracking especially in northern latitudes (#Canada).
Oh, and it has fast charging AND wireless charging. Yayz.
The only reasons to buy a X Play over a Turbo in Canada (where you don't care about Verizon CDMA lock) seem to be:
-The Camera (even if it's not as bad as the two first Moto X, the Turbo lags behind)
-Warranty (since the X Play is bought new, but even then you can get the Moto Warranty by registering your Droid I guess, depending on how long it has been owned)
-FM Radio (yeaaaah. Personnally I use bluetooth headphones, so I can't even use it)
-Swappable back plates (impossible to buy in Canada unless you order from Aliexpress, from what I understood)
-You don't like capacitive buttons (I realized it had the advantage of freeing screen space, so it really depends on your preferences)
-You prefer big screens.
Annnnd that's about it I guess?
So in short, my question is: have I forgotten something? Is there a dealbreaker about the Turbo? etc.
PS: Sources:
http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_droid_turbo-6727.php
http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_moto_x_play-7454.php
"Duh."

Turbo is less likely to be updated past this year?

Considering the price range and specs, I don't think it'll be forgotten by Motorola... Maybe slower updates indeed (Lollipop took more time than the X 2013 apparently).
Depending on the model, the Moto Maxx has an unlockable bootloader and the xda community seems quite active. The Verizon model is BL locked, but Sunshine is reportedly working on it to unlock it, so OTA updates aren't really that necessary IMO.

Database Info

welcome