Wow, not much interest for this phone - Motorola Razr 5G Guides, News, & Discussion

I'm ready for an upgrade. I run an old Moto Z2 Force and would get another Z phone if Moto still made a new one. I've followed the new razr a little when the first model came out but since I'm not on Verizon I wasn't in the market (On AT&T). With the 5G unlocked version and the $400 savings it's now on my radar.
I came here to gauge the interest by how much activity this forum has and now I'm delaying my purchase and there seems to be very little interest in this phone.
Am I wrong?

theandies said:
I'm ready for an upgrade. I run an old Moto Z2 Force and would get another Z phone if Moto still made a new one. I've followed the new razr a little when the first model came out but since I'm not on Verizon I wasn't in the market (On AT&T). With the 5G unlocked version and the $400 savings it's now on my radar.
I came here to gauge the interest by how much activity this forum has and now I'm delaying my purchase and there seems to be very little interest in this phone.
Am I wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone has been out long enough to garner larger-scale attention, what you see is probably the best you can hope for.
I picked up a T-Mobile version for $499,otherwise, it'd been an easy pass.
Even then, it's got little use since I went through the initial set-up.
It has a big "WOW" factor, but, that sensation has long since left the room.
If they continue with a newer version, Moto should take a couple of features from the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3, like Flex-Mode & wireless charging.
The (physical) chin needs to disappear, it makes for a weird experience.
It's a neat phone, but, definitely not daily driver material for moderate to heavy users.

hello, being the owner of both the 5g razr and the 5g flip, I can guarantee you that the 5g razr (leaving out flex, or wireless charging etc) despite being released before, I always use it as a primary phone to the detriment of the 5g flip
the difference? first of all the battery life, which with the 5g flip lasts three times less than the 5g razr, then the razr has android stock while the 5g flip has the heavy oneUi interface, etc
how the razr is built, the materials used are clearly better than the flip 5g, in short, for me it remains a truly excellent phone, then it remains to personal taste.

iaio72 said:
hello, being the owner of both the 5g razr and the 5g flip, I can guarantee you that the 5g razr (leaving out flex, or wireless charging etc) despite being released before, I always use it as a primary phone to the detriment of the 5g flip
the difference? first of all the battery life, which with the 5g flip lasts three times less than the 5g razr, then the razr has android stock while the 5g flip has the heavy oneUi interface, etc
how the razr is built, the materials used are clearly better than the flip 5g, in short, for me it remains a truly excellent phone, then it remains to personal taste.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes sir, both are nice phones, in the end, it's indeed a matter of preference, definitely a YMMV,etc.....
The RAZR 5G would stand a better chance of getting more use from me, but, it's a numbers game, I have 2 phone lines, but, ATM, 4 phones.
Fortunately for me, I still have time to buyer's remorse return mine to T-Mobile. It's going back tomorrow.
Enjoy the RAZR 5G , it's a nice phone, just not the one for me.........

Related

Overall love

Yes, yes, it's possible to love a phone. Heck, you sleep next to it, don't you? Rate this thread to indicate your love for the LG V20, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the LG V20 is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
Surprised at thin, light and high quality.
yup...runs smooth...great replacement for my N7
Didn't think I was going to be happy with ANY phone after losing my first true love, the Note 7. All joking aside, this is one of the better phones currently available today! Once you disable bloat and that God forbidden "Lookout" app that is the WORST app that a company could pre-install on any phone...
I'm impressed with Android 7.0 and the LG V20 hardware. I'm coming from a Note 4, and so far, I like it. I've been riding stock. No Nova Launcher, yet.
I love it too. I'm on day two coming from a GS7 Edge that I just gave to my wife. AT&T had a great deal on a LG 10.1 G-Pad to go along with this phone so my wife got the pad and the edge. We're both extremely happy.
I should also mention that I'm a loyal Note user from the original days. The GS7 Edge was my first foray back into a regular phone.
Original Note
Note 2
Note 3
Note 4 (just sold back to AT&T)
GS7 Edge
This monster
Switched to this phone after Note 7.
I haven't found anything that I don't like about this phone yet. It is a great phone that helped me forget the Note 7. It is the best smartphone available at this time, period!
XDA_RealLifeReview said:
Yes, yes, it's possible to love a phone. Heck, you sleep next to it, don't you? Rate this thread to indicate your love for the LG V20, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the LG V20 is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After using this phone I went back to my Note 7. I'll take my chances. Don't get me wrong, the LGv20 is not a bad phone, it just doesn't do anything exceptionally well. The screen is meh, the fingerprint scanner is annoying as all you have to do is touch it and it unlocks, i'd rather have the lgv10 fingerprint implementation. And the quad dac is less obvious than the lgv10. In other words the Dac on the v10 was better as in loudness. I don;t know if its nougat or the v20 but when I use the built in gmail app and I delete an email I get the option to undelete but it doesnt actually undelete. And one you go SAMOLED all screens look like ass in comparison.
Best phone on the market as of November 2016.
I just bought mine yesterday. I've been using Galaxy S5s for a year and a half waiting for someone to come out with a new phone with swappable batteries and MicroSD. The S5 is much loved by me. I'm going to miss the wallet cover which positively shut off the screen on the S5 and the V20 is a little larger than I like, but I do like the fingerprint scanner which works a lot better than the last I used, which was a Note 4.
galr said:
Best phone on the market as of November 2016.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice going to T-Mobile today and going to use my jump on demand and get this bugger.. So pissed off about Samsungs locked bootloader! Going to miss the wireless charging in the brand new Defender case I just bought LOL no biggie.
jrno1 said:
Nice going to T-Mobile today and going to use my jump on demand and get this bugger.. So pissed off about Samsungs locked bootloader! Going to miss the wireless charging in the brand new Defender case I just bought LOL no biggie.
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Click to collapse
Do you also get all the gifts with the V20 in the states?
galr said:
Do you also get all the gifts with the V20 in the states?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was supposed to get the VR headset when I bought this galaxy S7 Edge never did though..
jrno1 said:
I was supposed to get the VR headset when I bought this galaxy S7 Edge never did though..
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Click to collapse
In Israel we get with the V20:
1. LG 360 Cam.
2. VR headset.
3. 16GB Sandisk type 10 sd card.
4. A second original battery.
Pretty neat.
I love this phone! It's the first phone that I didn't had mixed feelings about and I've had just about every flagship from Sammy n LG.
---------- Post added at 08:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:45 PM ----------
galr said:
In Israel we get with the V20:
1. LG 360 Cam.
2. VR headset.
3. 16GB Sandisk type 10 sd card.
4. A second original battery.
Pretty neat.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dam! Nice!
I love my V20, I am so happy with it, the performance, battery life, build quality, appearance, all of it! <3 This device!
I got it this past Monday 11/14, and it has been an absolute joy.
It has also made work related tasks much easier and my signal throughout the Denver metro area has been fantastic, much better than my S6 or my iPhone 6S Plus.
Full bars in data centers where the other devices had one or two.
I traded in my phone and sent my company issued phone back after two days owning the V20.
It is that good.
I previously had an LG G4 for about a year before switching to a Huawei Mate 8 for about 3 months until I received my V20 H990DS this Friday, 18 November. So far I'm really happy. The phone has excellent build quality for a phone that has a removable battery. It's thin and light albeit slightly tall.
I love the QHD screen, it may not be AMOLED but it is an excellent LCD panel with vibrant colors and it really looks great. I do have slight light bleed from the second screen but it doesn't bother me at all. In fact, I'll accept that to have the extra screen and I really hope LG keeps this feature in future versions of the V series. Though I do agree that LG should move to AMOLED for the next version in the V series lineup.
I've enabled the app drawer and have found the LG skin to be a pleasant experience with its customization options and themes. Certainly a step up from the G4. The phone is really fast and the audio is absolutely amazing.
I love having true dual sim with a memory card slot. Signal quality on wifi and LTE is excellent.
As for the camera's, I haven't spent much time testing them out yet but so far the image quality looks great and the wide angle lens is awesome despite the lower resolution.
So, I'm still experiencing the phone and testing out the various features but overall I really think LG did a great job with the V20 and I'm very happy with it so far.
What else would I have liked? Wireless charging, AMOLED displays, higher resolution wide angle rear camera and front facing camera. Unlocked bootloader.
Thanks LG. Happy customer here! (so far)
Had the phone now for about 2 weeks. Coming from a Samsung ATIV SE Windows phone with Win10 Mobile.
So far I like the build quality of the phone. Feels solid, glad it is not super thin like some of the new phones. Hate that, do designers think people are a bunch of wimps that can't hold anything over a 5mm thick?
The screen is good. I am not one that really cares what type of screen I have, whether its OLED or LCD. As long as I can read it, I am good with it.
Guess my biggest disappointment is with the OS. I have been away from Android on a phone, though I have three Android tablets, plus an Ipad for work and a 8" Windows tablet for tinkering.
I am NOT IMPRESSED with Android 7.0. The camera app on the V20 is good, but the processing software makes for some rather crummy pictures, either in auto or manual mode. Too much noise if you barely zoom in. Not real impressed right now after spending a couple days trying to get good with the camera.
As far as Android in general, there is too much fragmentation, almost too many apps trying to do the same function, while all of them doing it rather poorly. I don't need 5 different file managers, I just need one that does what I want it to do. Same with web browsers. How many do you really need?
Guess I am just used to using my phone as a phone first, work tool second. I don't have all the gee whiz apps like Instagram, Snapchat, and all that garbage. I use my phone for specific functions and I want apps that do it right the first time.
Hopefully by the time my contract is up on this phone, Verizon will be off CDMA and fully switched to their version of GSM. Then maybe some phone makers will start making Windows phones for their network again. Going to be a long 2 years for me. May just sell this V20, and go back to my ATIV SE for the duration. Not impressed with Android right now.
jthomas1987 said:
Had the phone now for about 2 weeks. Coming from a Samsung ATIV SE Windows phone with Win10 Mobile.
So far I like the build quality of the phone. Feels solid, glad it is not super thin like some of the new phones. Hate that, do designers think people are a bunch of wimps that can't hold anything over a 5mm thick?
The screen is good. I am not one that really cares what type of screen I have, whether its OLED or LCD. As long as I can read it, I am good with it.
Guess my biggest disappointment is with the OS. I have been away from Android on a phone, though I have three Android tablets, plus an Ipad for work and a 8" Windows tablet for tinkering.
I am NOT IMPRESSED with Android 7.0. The camera app on the V20 is good, but the processing software makes for some rather crummy pictures, either in auto or manual mode. Too much noise if you barely zoom in. Not real impressed right now after spending a couple days trying to get good with the camera.
As far as Android in general, there is too much fragmentation, almost too many apps trying to do the same function, while all of them doing it rather poorly. I don't need 5 different file managers, I just need one that does what I want it to do. Same with web browsers. How many do you really need?
Guess I am just used to using my phone as a phone first, work tool second. I don't have all the gee whiz apps like Instagram, Snapchat, and all that garbage. I use my phone for specific functions and I want apps that do it right the first time.
Hopefully by the time my contract is up on this phone, Verizon will be off CDMA and fully switched to their version of GSM. Then maybe some phone makers will start making Windows phones for their network again. Going to be a long 2 years for me. May just sell this V20, and go back to my ATIV SE for the duration. Not impressed with Android right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you got some bloat from your carrier, not LG.
galr said:
I think you got some bloat from your carrier, not LG.
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Click to collapse
Actually I have disabled everything from VZW except their Messaging app.
Guess you didn't follow what I was saying. Too much fragmentation in Android, period. Minimal quality controls. Instead of one or two really good apps to do a specific function, you have 15 or 20 that are at best mediocre apps.
I blame the majority of that on having Java as the main app language for Android. Any 12 year old can write code for Java, doesn't mean it is clean, concise, efficient code. Same with apps. Just because it was easily written, doesn't mean it is a good app.
Are there bad examples of other type of code? Of course, but Java seems to be the most prevalent from what I have seen.
Also the few apps that I have on Android now that I had on my Windows phone, mainly the Office and MS related ones, are not that great actually. I don't expect MS to make them as good for Android, but even then, at least make them useable.

Seriously thinking of taking the plunge and buying

Hello I have been looking into buying this beautiful phone since I first seen it. I am in the US and will be buying it online to use on T-Mobile, I would like to know if anyone is here also using it and how is the reception? Do you get LTE? Also I've read in the roms section about a lithium and hydrogen version? Are they from different regions, what makes them different? I'm using a Mate 9 but am ready to own this phone.
sent from my rotary phone
This is phone ONLY ment for Chinese market.
I had it and here in Europe, I am on T Mobile as well but without LTE connection, and I had various problems with it, mostly about not localised and optimised software, very bad camera, handling (very slippery)...etc.About Roms, there are global roms and other roms and I found them pretty unstabile.
Literary, if you speak Chinese, then this is phone for you, if not, from my experiance, for that money better buy Samsung S8+.It is more serious product.
Before you start using Mi Mix you need to create MIUI account which is bounded with your phone number,so eventual reselling is another problem.
Anyway....it is beautiful device but for costs of a lot of headaches.
Here are the specs: http://www.mi.com/en/mix/specs/
The Network Bands supported are:
FDD-LTE: B1,B2,B3,B4,B5,B7,B8
TD-LTE: B38,B39,B40,B41
TD-SCDMA: B34,B39
WCDMA: B1,B2,B5,B8
GSM: B2,B3,B5,B8
CDMA1X/EVDO: BC0
Does your carrier support these?
The official Global Rom has all the languages, so no problem with the language (and it includes Google Play and it doesn't include any chinese-only apps)
There is a also a port of the LineageOS Rom and the RESURRECTION REMIX Rom.
The biggest problem is that you will not have any warranty, no service, no spare parts. If you are willing to resign from these for the best looking device, go ahead!
I can't speak for Tmo, but att I rarely get LTE but it is available, mostly HSPA+ though
The camera is a disappointment, but I was coming from a galaxy s6 so I was a little spoiled
If you are comfortable with flashing roms, I'm really enjoying the resurrection remix rom
It's a big usability improvement coming from the chinese stable rom
I have TMobile I get 4G I'm in NY my camera takes good pics I'm on the global stock MIUI rom and get insurance thru 3 party
jr313 said:
Hello I have been looking into buying this beautiful phone since I first seen it. I am in the US and will be buying it online to use on T-Mobile, I would like to know if anyone is here also using it and how is the reception? Do you get LTE? Also I've read in the roms section about a lithium and hydrogen version? Are they from different regions, what makes them different? I'm using a Mate 9 but am ready to own this phone.
sent from my rotary phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using this on MetroPCS and for the most part it has been very very solid for me. MetroPCS is basically the same network as Tmobile. On EpicRom I have LTE and my calls work just fine. Also, the version of Epic ROM I used had VoLTe support. Not even 100% on what it does but the option was checked off.
If you don't believe me just go to willmyphonework.net and type in Xiaomi Mi Mix and it will tell you exactly what carriers will work.
tin2404 said:
This is phone ONLY ment for Chinese market.
I had it and here in Europe, I am on T Mobile as well but without LTE connection, and I had various problems with it, mostly about not localised and optimised software, very bad camera, handling (very slippery)...etc.About Roms, there are global roms and other roms and I found them pretty unstabile.
Literary, if you speak Chinese, then this is phone for you, if not, from my experiance, for that money better buy Samsung S8+.It is more serious product.
Before you start using Mi Mix you need to create MIUI account which is bounded with your phone number,so eventual reselling is another problem.
Anyway....it is beautiful device but for costs of a lot of headaches.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THIS GUY AGAIN, seriously though I actually have this phone on T-Mobile US, South Carolina Upstate area. It connects at 4G LTE in almost every place my wifes Samsung S7 Edge does. Durability wise you have to keep in mind its slippery and needs a case if for anything else to keep a grip on it. Screens fantastic, connections on par with US models and the storage /ram is unequalled currently. Had a mate 9 just before it and there really worlds apart. Now the camera is MEH, be prepared for that - its not bad just MEH. Everything else is really good, bonus it has built in equalizer for head phone playback [which means I didn't need to root it to put viper on].
I use the shipped Chinese official, google apps all installed with no issues. You can buy the S8+ if you want to step down in storage, ram and over all screen to phone. Personally the S8+ and the LG 6 are basically the same compromised high price devices. But its your money, both break fast when dropped also.
Haven't had a single head ache out of the Mi Mix or the MIUI [been using it on other devices for years]. Shoot me questions if you want.
Thank you all for your posts they have been helpful. I definitely wouldn't buy another Samesung ever again. I do love rooting and romming my phones, I have been following the ROM section and yesterday when I checked up on it I seen the additions of lineage and RR both I ran on my Nexus 6P and OnePlus 3T. Those were a big deciding factor for me because I can't live without my aosp, and now with the reassurance of LTE working I think I will be jumping in on this beast.
sent from my rotary phone
Nicolfa said:
THIS GUY AGAIN, seriously though I actually have this phone on T-Mobile US, South Carolina Upstate area. It connects at 4G LTE in almost every place my wifes Samsung S7 Edge does. Durability wise you have to keep in mind its slippery and needs a case if for anything else to keep a grip on it. Screens fantastic, connections on par with US models and the storage /ram is unequalled currently. Had a mate 9 just before it and there really worlds apart. Now the camera is MEH, be prepared for that - its not bad just MEH. Everything else is really good, bonus it has built in equalizer for head phone playback [which means I didn't need to root it to put viper on].
I use the shipped Chinese official, google apps all installed with no issues. You can buy the S8+ if you want to step down in storage, ram and over all screen to phone. Personally the S8+ and the LG 6 are basically the same compromised high price devices. But its your money, both break fast when dropped also.
Haven't had a single head ache out of the Mi Mix or the MIUI [been using it on other devices for years]. Shoot me questions if you want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed.
But good for you...wait when he try to enter to VR world with Fiit vr2s as I did.
I hope and I am sure he will "understand" all "boxes and houses" and content inside.
tin2404 said:
This is phone ONLY ment for Chinese market.
I had it and here in Europe, I am on T Mobile as well but without LTE connection, and I had various problems with it, mostly about not localised and optimised software, very bad camera, handling (very slippery)...etc.About Roms, there are global roms and other roms and I found them pretty unstabile.
Literary, if you speak Chinese, then this is phone for you, if not, from my experiance, for that money better buy Samsung S8+.It is more serious product.
Before you start using Mi Mix you need to create MIUI account which is bounded with your phone number,so eventual reselling is another problem.
Anyway....it is beautiful device but for costs of a lot of headaches.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh you're back. Good.
Yeah he's back lol.
jr313 said:
Hello I have been looking into buying this beautiful phone since I first seen it. I am in the US and will be buying it online to use on T-Mobile, I would like to know if anyone is here also using it and how is the reception? Do you get LTE? Also I've read in the roms section about a lithium and hydrogen version? Are they from different regions, what makes them different? I'm using a Mate 9 but am ready to own this phone.
sent from my rotary phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go for it. It's one of the best device I've ever owned.
Don't worry about it when people say that they are having trouble with softwares that are not "localised or optimised". They don't know what they are talking about. The ROM is not really an issue at all, just flash to third party ROM like EPIC Rom, or you can use Xiaomi's Global Rom.
And don't be misguided, you don't need a MI account to use any Xiaomi device, that includes the MI MIX.
This is my second Xiaomi phone and I'm running off the stock Chinese Rom which I have no issue with. There's no need to create a MI account to use this phone.
Here is my opinion->
- The phone is great in build quality with the most premium material(ceramic);
- It has huge amount of storage(I have 256GB);
- It has a lot of RAM(6GB for me);
- It has the best Android iteration - MIUI;
- It has quite some innovations brought at once in terms of tech;
- It has great battery life;
- It is too big;
- It has the worst camera I've had for quite some time;
I will stick to mine for the good reasons, but really regret for the camera.
Make your math and good luck.
P.S.
If you buy one, install Camera FV or some other app. You will get far better shots.
P.S.2
Don't mind the comments about that this is for chinese market only, or the MIUI account is bad....etc. The phone works perfectly on most places(but still do a check for your country) and MIUI is great performer with lot's of cool stuff. I am using their system since my Samsung Galaxy Nexus
The problem with MIUI is not that it doesn't perform well.
It may still be on Android 6 and it is missing the enhancements of API 24 and API 25 but it has other additional features that compensate for this.
The problem is that it is closed source and you cannot know what the code does in the background, and whether it sends data back home. But thank god, there are now ports of LINEAGE and RESSURECTION REMIX roms. So no reason not to get the device from a software perspective.
Well, you got a lot ppl here telling you some good, some, but here my 2 cents. I love the phone! I love the big screen, I dont use the camera so I dont care, I like the call quality. Its cool being that there is no earpiece yet, you can still hear the ppl youre talking to. You may have to turn the volume all the way up in certain situations, but its fine. I love the fluidity, moving around the phone is very snappy, I never have any issues. I do play Pokemon Go, a lot, and that isnt as smooth as it is on the iPhone, but its not bad. It did freeze on me when I dropped a lucky egg and went through to try and evolve as many Pokemon as I could. The battery life is the BEST IVE EVER HAD on a phone before... well, maybe the battery life on the Nokia Lumia 1520 was better, but I cant recall. Now, EMUI as a whole isnt bad, it really isnt! I am currently using stock, chinese ROM. and as far as I know, im on the latest firmware. But, as soon as I get my hands on a Windows based computer, im going to root it and install a custom ROM. Ive heard Epic is supposed to be the best, but im the type of guy that will flash a few ROM's before I settle. I could go on and on about this phone as a daily driver, but, I really do like it. If you have any specifics, hit me up and id be more than willing to answer your questions. But long story short, I love the phone.
Don't do it!
You're gonna get addicted, especially to the screen and build materials! Have seen tear-down videos, and even the inside is beautiful! I rotate to different phones often and you will find yourself wanting when using phones after this one. Questions will subconsciously creep into your head when you go back to a different phone; ie. "why is there a bar at the top of this phone?""why does the back of this phone scratch so easily?" Its like seeing a slice of the future in a dream and then waking up to a disappointing reality as you grab that iOS or Pixel device. You've been warned.
...
I recently picked one up, I have the Chinese Rom version, 256gb 6gig of ram. I've been using it for a month now in CA and NY and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that this is the best device I have ever owned, hands down, nothing comes close. I honestly haven't had a issue with the camera but I don't take many shots with the phone so I don't care. As for MIUI I really like it, as a 1st time user of it, it has a very different feel and look to regular stock android which is very refreshing to me. You end up purchasing one, you will not regret it.
I've also had the phone great phone but I'm one of those people who likes to change phones every few months.
MIUI was great to use and if you get board just us a different launcher, now only thing you need to know if your staying on Chinese build is disabling a few power saving features to get push notifications like what's app, email etc
My only issue letting it go was I wanted the 7.0 to use 2 app support and I really didn't like the notification tray, tried exposed but couldn't change it the way I wanted. Again this will probably not bother you but overall it's a great phone once you fiddle around the software.
Sent from my MHA-L09 using Tapatalk
Pros and cons
I've had my Mi Mix (International stock rom, 6gb, 256gb) for a few days. I got it on sale on Gearbest for $606! Here's some pros and cons so far:
Pros:
-I'm on AT&T and I get 4g LTE all the time in my area.
-Insane amount of storage. I can't imagine ever maxing this thing out.
-A very good screen (though not as colorful or as sharp as what you'll find on Samsung's new phones).
-Excellent performance (though again, not quite as snappy as the S8+, which my wife owns).
-The most beautiful device I have ever held! Pictures do not do it justice. It is simply exquisite.
-The camera is plenty good for my purposes (taking pictures of my kids when we're on outdoor adventures).
-Watching videos and playing games on that bezel-free screen is awesome!
Cons:
-MIUI does have a bit of a learning curve.
-You have to change battery and notification settings quite a bit to get push notifications working properly (though this only takes 15 minutes to do).
-I had issues with text messages for a couple days before I found a fix. Now they work perfectly.
-The phone is very slippery.
-Ceramic, while very scratch resistant, shatters easily. (I'm using the provided leather case most of the time.)
-Despite the tiny bezels, the phone is still big and heavy. There's no way to make a 6.4 inch screen feel small in the hand.
-Call quality, while adequate, is nowhere near as clear as on my Moto Z or my wife's S8+. It sounds like the other person is on speaker phone.
-The camera, while fine for me, would never be good enough for my wife (she has a blog and needs professional-quality images, which she really can get with her S8+).
All in all, the pros definitely outweigh the cons FOR ME. But they might not for everyone. I hope this helps.

Looking into buying this phone, but wanted actual owners inputs

I'm looking into getting this phone, but wanted actual owners inputs on the phone.
I bought a g5 plus on black friday at bestbuy, and used it for about a week and a half. I has issues with calls were cutting out, as if I had dropped call, but if I waited long enough, the call would resume fine, but the other side could not here me and eventually hung up without waiting long enough. This is a known issue on lenovo forums, as others have the same issue with the g5 plus.
I'd like people with say a month or better to chime in on this if you would.
I've watched numerous videos on the 5s plus and read thru countless reviews on it as well, and the biggest complaint seems to be with the camera and the depth feature, both of which have terrible lag time and wait time.
I've also sifted thru lenova forums to see if there are any issues, and the only other issue that I would call major is the screen cracked when it was not dropped or anything, was due to an alarm, although I'm not sure how that would happen.
That being said, has anyone encountered any issue, that I would call deal breakers, like voice calls, wifi dopping, slow hotspot or cell data, etc....
I'm not an avid big user of the camera, so I'm what you'd call a casual point-n-shoot person, so the camera is a low priority on my list when it comes to phones, as I don't do much with selfies or picture taking.
What I do want in a phone is good working voice and data, hotspot, and fingerprint scanner. I could even get past a buggy or glitchy fingerprint scanner even.
I've had some really bad bad bad experiences with phones as of late. I bought that g5 plus and had the voice call issues, which was not a carrier thing it was the phone, as my nexus 5x and oneplus 3 do not suffer from it. Now I have a oneplus 3, and although I love the phone, but it seems that I cannot upgrade my os at all, past 7.1.1, due to I get drastically slow data speeds. I won't go into a lot of detail on that, just in short anything past 7.1.1 android it happens, data speeds get cut near in 1/2. I'm in contact with 1+ and hope dearly that they can find a fix to this, but I am still shopping as I don't hold much stock in they will actually find a fix and more sluff it off, especially given they no longer support the phone at all.
My poor nexus 5x is suffering from bad battery life, more-so than before , and has some slow downs now, and stuttering at some points. I'm guessing it's on it's way out, this is why I was shopping for another phone and I got the 5 plus, but had issues, and now this oneplus 3 issue.
So as for looking and researching, it seems like the g5s plus doesn't suffer from the issues the g5 plus has, so it seems like it would be a good choice.
So I'm hoping those who actually have the phone and use it on a daily basis can chime in and tell me what the pros and cons are, what you like and/or don't like, aside from the obvious camera issues.
Thanks for any input that might help me with my choice.
I never faced any issue with Fingerprint, call, Wi-Fi. The only issue that's particularly bothering me is that most call recorder apps don't work (except Boldbeast recorder which is doing fine as of now).
My phone fell from 6 feet height once and landed flat on the screen. I thought it'd have shattered by some miracle (or the chinese tampered glass), even the protector didn't get any scratch except like 3 mm of it got chipped off one of its corners.
So, it's quite a sturdy one. Moreover, the camera quality has been improved significantly after the updates. Now, there's almost 0 shutter lag clicking the normal pics and almost half a second to 1 second lag to click in Depth mode or HDR mode.
However, I still think one plus3 is still a much better option than this one. You may also have a look at Xiaomi A1.
For the money, it's a great device. Had it for 3 months, used on gsm (att) and cdma (Verizon) no issues with calls. Since camera isn't am issue for ya, I'll say it takes pictures, certainly not the best pictures, but it works - but what would ya expect for a $300 or less phone. Low light is where it really struggles (as expected). Rom development isn't the greatest, is a relatively new device, hoping that gets better but what is available is good enough for daily drivers at least. And custom roms are 64 bit, not 32 like stock which does give a noticeable performance bump. Battery life is great - better than my 6p when it was new, and better than my n5 when it was new. Games, if that's your thing, run fine. I tried some racing sims for fun and no problems (I was actually impressed by how they ran). The all metal construction feels solid, really solid. I've never used a case or screen protector (it lives in my back pocket), dropped it from about 4 feet one day on to a hard tile floor, not a mark in it. I'll also say the finger print gestures are great. No need for the nav bar, which makes the screen almost the exact same size as the 6p (at my age bigger is definitely better!). The sd625 has enough power to run everything smoothly, with the benefit of being very power efficient. Ruining 64 bit os, performance is almost as good as my 6p (before the big cores died) - sorting and adding formula to a spreadsheet with 100k to 150k rows takes a few seconds, but barely longer than the fully working 6p.
This is a good bang for your buck device. I'd recommend it, and have to a few people who are getting it now.
It has its Pros and Cons, but it's really the first Android device I've had that I haven't immediately thought about my next phone. It's fast enough, smoother than my wife's iphone 7 at least..Everything is a little better than average except camera performance. Camera is "meh" as others have pointed out, and there have been times where I was frustrated trying to take decent photos over the holidays.
*Really wish it had NFC for Android Pay
*If you can afford it, get the 4GB RAM version. Using the camera causes most apps to close out of memory for some reason on my 3GB model. Sent bug requests and they say it is due to RAM management.
In the $200-$300 price range, I think it's either this phone or the Honor 7x. Honor has a better Camera, but has EMUI
Thanks for he input.
On looking more, it seems moto released a patch that fixes the camera issues now, so that's a good thing. The video I saw with the new update and depth setting was a HUGE inccrease in speed now....almost instant now compared to 2-3 seconds or better.
So far I can't seem to find much negative about this phone, perhaps because its still new, not sure.
easyrider77 said:
Thanks for he input.
On looking more, it seems moto released a patch that fixes the camera issues now, so that's a good thing. The video I saw with the new update and depth setting was a HUGE inccrease in speed now....almost instant now compared to 2-3 seconds or better.
So far I can't seem to find much negative about this phone, perhaps because its still new, not sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looking on Swappa.com, I was seeing OnePlus 3T's in the $300-$350 range, which if you ask me, looks like a better phone...Not as "new", but Snapdragon 821, 6 GB of RAM, I think they're already on Oreo too...
Coming from the oneplus 3 and having slow data issues, and this is not just a little, this is at least 1/2.....24Mbps before the update to Oreo, down to 8-10Mbps after. That unexceptible in any terms. I've been in contact with 1+ and after 5 emails, still no fix in sight.
I don't feel like repeating the same thing all over.
This data issue is rampant on the one plus 3. Do a search on "oneplus 3 slow speed after android update". Tons of people having the issue. This has haunted these phones since 2016.
Not everyone has it, some do, but I'm not willing to take that chance again.
Update:
Did some testing on my hotspot today on the 1+3, so I wanna ask, is anyone here with a g5s plus, using tmobile service and hotspot? can you test your hotspot speeds and let me know what you get.
I have a suspicion tmobile is limiting non-branded tmobile phones ie: a phone that's unlocked, and not bought from tmobile store or tmobile.
Both my 5x and 1+3 have the issues of slow hotspot, but when I went to a tmobile store today, inserted my sim card in a tmobile branded phone and tested hotspot on my 5x and 1+3, I got good speeds, 24-50Mbps, but when I put the sim in the 5x or the 1+3, both suffer from bad slow hotspot speeds 1-3Mbps, while cell data on the phone is fine.
If they are indeed blocking or limiting non-tmobile branded phones, then even the g5s plus will suffer from slow hotspot as well.
Last update:
I finally did some more tesitng today, and found that the 1+3 has what I think is hardware issues with hotdpot. I placed my sim into my 5x phone and now things are fine, so it's not a tmobile issues or blocking non tmobile phones, as my 5x is still non tmobile, but it works fine.
I'm going to chalk it up as the 1+3 has bad hardware or flawed hardware of some sort that affects bad hotspot.
I'm going to order the g5s Plus this coming friday so I am looking forward to getting this phone.
" the screen cracked when it was not dropped or anything, was due to an alarm, although I'm not sure how that would happen."
Lol. It wouldn't. I read that a lot about the xperia z3 too. People drop phones and struggle to admit "i was clumsy and dropped my glass phone and it cracked".
I have the g5s plus and it's great. The camera isn't very good, and sometimes apps crash, usually at the point they're loaded/switched back to, and sometimes an app I'm not using will tell me it's crashed but other than that it's very stable. I've had no random reboots. Battery life is great. I had the z3 before for about 3 years and the screen just failed while I was holding it. I just can't be bothered with expensive phones any more so I got the g5s plus expecting it to be a step down from the z3 but it is better in every respect except for the camera (awesome on the z3, average on the g5s plus) and the magnetic charger (z3 has, g5s plus has the old fashioned usb only and i'm always worried it's going to die one day). If I lost this phone I'd buy another one to replace it without thinking about it. I considered the oneplus 5 initially but it's twice as expensive and the camera isn't very good on that one either so i wasn't sure where the extra £250 I'd need to pay would be going (I paid £260 in the uk for my g5s plus).
I'm not expecting moto to rush out oreo, however. I get the feeling they're even slower than samsung for updates.
Webern said:
" the screen cracked when it was not dropped or anything, was due to an alarm, although I'm not sure how that would happen."
Lol. It wouldn't. I read that a lot about the xperia z3 too. People drop phones and struggle to admit "i was clumsy and dropped my glass phone and it cracked".
I have the g5s plus and it's great. The camera isn't very good, and sometimes apps crash, usually at the point they're loaded/switched back to, and sometimes an app I'm not using will tell me it's crashed but other than that it's very stable. I've had no random reboots. Battery life is great. I had the z3 before for about 3 years and the screen just failed while I was holding it. I just can't be bothered with expensive phones any more so I got the g5s plus expecting it to be a step down from the z3 but it is better in every respect except for the camera (awesome on the z3, average on the g5s plus) and the magnetic charger (z3 has, g5s plus has the old fashioned usb only and i'm always worried it's going to die one day). If I lost this phone I'd buy another one to replace it without thinking about it. I considered the oneplus 5 initially but it's twice as expensive and the camera isn't very good on that one either so i wasn't sure where the extra £250 I'd need to pay would be going (I paid £260 in the uk for my g5s plus).
I'm not expecting moto to rush out oreo, however. I get the feeling they're even slower than samsung for updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My own opinion, coming from a Note 4..... Camera isnt good. Other than that, this is a spectacular phone, running rooted stock only. Catch it on sale and cant beat it.
Use it as my work phone, great battery life and very smooth. Here in the UK I can't get volte or WiFi calling which is a little annoying.. Motorola don't release updates like they used to either, they are much slower.
That's not too say is a bad phone though, I really like it.
Phone is really good for a normal user. I'm using this for more than a week now. It works well. I get 2 days battery backup. This is the best phone available at this price for the hardware specification.
My 2 cents , is this I had a Nexus 6 p and then an Essential , the Nexus was great but it had a terrible battery issue, the screen wasnt very good, i actually had two of them the first one died within a week, then aftrr 2 years i got the Essential , what a beautiful phone , very elegant, barely drop it , crack, still nice, but there is a terrible camera. The calks dropped because the cellular software and radio is messed up , the side screen s have touch issues , theres a lot of little things
The G5S+ , i bought because it was rated high for midlevel phone and to be quite honest , its lightbthan both previous phones, better call quality , vetter battery life, this phone wont be any other phone on any test , but it will always rate in the middle of the pack, it has not let me down at all, feels good in the hand , great touch , everything about it is mediocre , but thats ok, because it rocks, its my go to daily driver , it was sim unlocked when i bought it, bl unlocked after 5 minutes adb , havent rooted or twrped it yet , nit enough time, but its worth the money

Any one still using DROID TURBO in 2018 and will ?

i just bought one from ebay i had droid turbo 2 but i feel like OG droid is better , so are you going to still use your droid in 2018 and why ?
yeah
i do
Still rockin mine. Over 3 years old now. Getting close to upgrading though. Already replaced the battery but its just not cutting it anymore. its still in great shape and i love that is heavy vs the others. Just the Pixel XL seems a bit too big and even though the Pixel size is the same the screen is smaller. Also been looking at the new Moto Phones but I need Root though.
drtweak said:
Still rockin mine. Over 3 years old now. Getting close to upgrading though. Already replaced the battery but its just not cutting it anymore. its still in great shape and i love that is heavy vs the others. Just the Pixel XL seems a bit too big and even though the Pixel size is the same the screen is smaller. Also been looking at the new Moto Phones but I need Root though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went Pixel 2 XL from the Turbo and it's really not that much bigger. It's only 1.4 cm taller.
I had to sell my U11 because of Verizon issues and went back to the turbo. Aside some lag spikes it's working well tuning the crDroid rom.
Using lineage os on mine
Yes. But why not? The Droid Turbo runs apps and games just fine. Play any game available on the playstore without problems. In some cases it runs better than most current cell phones, like Moto Z play, or any other device with a 625 snapdragon for example. I recharge my cell phone once a day. And thanks to the fact that the Android is an open source, we are running current versions of the system (soon we will have the 8.1 for the Droid turbo) So while it works, I will continue with it.
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Still using mine , although gave it a rest for last 2 month because I'm using work phone ( A5 2017). Only reason It's resting is to keep it in as best condition as possible, I love this phone and plan to keep it for much much longer. Although it's technically MOTO MAXX. . Hoping there will be Oreo port.. If there is enough interest from other developers I am willing to participate with my lower mid knowledge.
this phone is for me better than most of new phones, and I have a feeling they won't make anything similar in near future..
Was thinking about droid turbo 2 ( moto X force actually) ,to have along with MOTO MAXX but they are still way pricey and custom support seems to be non existent.. So pass for now..
Still have mine and works great for my needs. Battery seems to be doing good still. I ran mine down to 7% the other day without issues. Using RRemix for the last few months. Won't replace unless it dies of natural causes. May have to get a new battery for before I can't find any.
Still using mine as a daily driver. Waiting on a replacement battery to arrive today which will be welcome (60% shutdown is annoying) but after three years that's sort of expected.
If I could track down a clean 64GB model I would probably grab it. Wireless charging, OLED and fairly durable construction for astronomy use outdoors make the quark a great phone for me.
lattosimbaste said:
Still using mine as a daily driver. Waiting on a replacement battery to arrive today which will be welcome (60% shutdown is annoying) but after three years that's sort of expected.
If I could track down a clean 64GB model I would probably grab it. Wireless charging, OLED and fairly durable construction for astronomy use outdoors make the quark a great phone for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My fell directly on screen on concrete and other so many times that I don't even count anymore.. Just a hairline very small crack at the edge of screen, can't even see it. Did destroy original red cover though , and current black ballistic nylon is a bit banged up.. Cheap and easy to replace though.. I'm never using a bumper case on it.. Only screen protect..
I will think about treating it with new screen, said to myself I will buy it when it cracks , but this thing doesn't want to break lol.. It has some burn in at top from status bar and middle though , that was there since I bought it (used) ..
Battery was pretty ok but I bought new original one when I bought the phone.. I do have to say that battery on my A5 2017 is same in worst case scenario and mostly better, and it's 900mAh smaller.. But power of those phones is not comparable too..
I am still using my Droid Turbo in 2018 as my spare carry typically. (in backpack) However, ZTE is fixing my Axon 7 at the moment, and my MXPE has a smashed screen and i have to wait until Monday for the OEM used screen i was lucky enough to find on the 'bay. So I am using the Turbo on Tmobile.
Band 4 is fast enough when i have it, but it's seriously a step backwards anywhere but my home as i live in a predominately band 12 area. I was so glad to be off of Verizon, until now. The Turbo is still a great device, even when i dont have signal in entire cities during the course of work. (i deliver medical equipment these days, mostly rural areas here in Upstate SC.)
All of that being said, all of the initial comparisons to the Nexus 6 and the similarities, especially apq8084 if ya know a bit about SOC's/etc, along with re-reading posts by some of the people in the Turbo forums that I have come to know over the last 3 years, has lead me to be convinced again that the Turbo can do whatever Shamu (N6) does. That being said, I just booted into Linux with the intention (i may not succeed) of modding the su49 radio image with the latest n6 image. Will it work? The popular answer is 'Probably Not'. However, I have an extra Turbo board, an incentive to make it work, and a day to wait on my MXPE screen with crappy coverage on Tmob. Ultimately,
Turbo has been the best android I have owned aside from the axon 7. That bar was high. No wireless charging is literally the only detraction I think most of us can come up with. Honestly, though, I don't miss the trickle charge speed of wireless. and the axon 7 daughter board and charging port are easily changable and accessible, so really, it's a moot point.
Turbo is still fast enough running the newest Res Remix and @bhb27 kernel. I hope all of you know how much that dude has done for all Quark owners. and @beaups if you're on an xt1254 running a custom OS.
Turbo still has a decent screen and rock solid build quality. Not the fastest vs newer phones, but if I had held on to upgrade, it still would hang in most scenarios and still be a great device 3 years later.
UPDATE: Although I believed it to be a simple task, I did not manage to have any success in modding the shamu flashable radio zips to yield band 12. i figured i could open the zip in Winrar, swap the mdm1m9kefs.1 .2 and .3 files, but the turbo radios i have in fastboot format dont quite jive. i tried to mod my build.prop so the phone would read as 'shamu' from ro.get.prop, but that also did not work. the shamu radio files that did not have device checks written in still bootlooped after flashing and did not change permanently the device name or radios. im sure there are people that know way more about why that is totally not possible, but i had an evening to waste for the greater good. i know there are a few moto radio people around these parts that could tell me why its impossible, or how to go about utilizing the apq8084 aspect since radio does not have any checks in TZ, but still the only out i have is to assemble one of my old win 7 or xp machines and plunk away in RSDlite. probably would change nothing. but if anyone knows of the top of their head, id love to have the knowledge.
kitcostantino said:
I am still using my Droid Turbo in 2018 as my spare carry typically. (in backpack) However, ZTE is fixing my Axon 7 at the moment, and my MXPE has a smashed screen and i have to wait until Monday for the OEM used screen i was lucky enough to find on the 'bay. So I am using the Turbo on Tmobile.
Band 4 is fast enough when i have it, but it's seriously a step backwards anywhere but my home as i live in a predominately band 12 area. I was so glad to be off of Verizon, until now. The Turbo is still a great device, even when i dont have signal in entire cities during the course of work. (i deliver medical equipment these days, mostly rural areas here in Upstate SC.)
All of that being said, all of the initial comparisons to the Nexus 6 and the similarities, especially apq8084 if ya know a bit about SOC's/etc, along with re-reading posts by some of the people in the Turbo forums that I have come to know over the last 3 years, has lead me to be convinced again that the Turbo can do whatever Shamu (N6) does. That being said, I just booted into Linux with the intention (i may not succeed) of modding the su49 radio image with the latest n6 image. Will it work? The popular answer is 'Probably Not'. However, I have an extra Turbo board, an incentive to make it work, and a day to wait on my MXPE screen with crappy coverage on Tmob. Ultimately,
Turbo has been the best android I have owned aside from the axon 7. That bar was high. No wireless charging is literally the only detraction I think most of us can come up with. Honestly, though, I don't miss the trickle charge speed of wireless. and the axon 7 daughter board and charging port are easily changable and accessible, so really, it's a moot point.
Turbo is still fast enough running the newest Res Remix and @bhb27 kernel. I hope all of you know how much that dude has done for all Quark owners. and @beaups if you're on an xt1254 running a custom OS.
Turbo still has a decent screen and rock solid build quality. Not the fastest vs newer phones, but if I had held on to upgrade, it still would hang in most scenarios and still be a great device 3 years later.
UPDATE: Although I believed it to be a simple task, I did not manage to have any success in modding the shamu flashable radio zips to yield band 12. i figured i could open the zip in Winrar, swap the mdm1m9kefs.1 .2 and .3 files, but the turbo radios i have in fastboot format dont quite jive. i tried to mod my build.prop so the phone would read as 'shamu' from ro.get.prop, but that also did not work. the shamu radio files that did not have device checks written in still bootlooped after flashing and did not change permanently the device name or radios. im sure there are people that know way more about why that is totally not possible, but i had an evening to waste for the greater good. i know there are a few moto radio people around these parts that could tell me why its impossible, or how to go about utilizing the apq8084 aspect since radio does not have any checks in TZ, but still the only out i have is to assemble one of my old win 7 or xp machines and plunk away in RSDlite. probably would change nothing. but if anyone knows of the top of their head, id love to have the knowledge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had long thought it would be possible for the XT1254 to at least add the LTE bands/HSPA bands the XT1225 has (LTE bands 5, 17 being the extra LTE bands the XT1254 doesn't have). That would help on AT&T, if not T-mobile. AT&T now calls their band 17 to be "band 12" in all new phone specs... But in reality they still use the band 17 portion of LTE band 12. Band 17 is a subset of LTE band 12, and their AT&T NEW phones have full band 12 compatibility for roaming purposes -- but AT&T network itself still uses only band 17 portion.
But no one was able to do that. I'm not a dev, but I messed with QSPT, QXDM and other programs to try to enable extra bands.
I'm still running a pair of them. Many thanks to @bhb27 for keeping them alive with bug fixes and security updates. Like Chazzmat, I eagerly anticipated the LG v30+. Unlike him, I was unwilling to buy without a confirmed bootloader unlock. LG is letting everyone down in that arena and it looks like it may be their new policy. I'm in no hurry to buy since the Turbos continue to perform. Nothing out there ticks the boxes and offers cdma yet.
update : my droid just arrived and battery life is very good , i got around 5-6 hours of SOT and the screen look very good it's my first phone with quad hd amoled display , as for performance it's very fast , this phone really better than any mid ranger now days and perhaps high end .
Claro que si
Claro que si es un exelente telefono funciona perfecto para todo uso aunque ya estamos esperando un moto verde pomelo xt1799-2 de china a mexico esta a un exelente precio checaremos y comentaremos saludos
droid_ulti said:
update : my droid just arrived and battery life is very good , i got around 5-6 hours of SOT and the screen look very good it's my first phone with quad hd amoled display , as for performance it's very fast , this phone really better than any mid ranger now days and perhaps high end .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quark was very high end, the BEST phone at end of 2014. Snapdragon 805, 3GB RAM, 1440p AMOLED, 3900 mAh battery, Qi wireless charging, 21MP camera. Lack of rear camera OIS and front facing stereo speakers (both of which Moto/Google put on the Moto Nexus 6) were the only things keeping it from perfection. It was the "reasonable" size version of the Moto Nexus 6, with most of the same specs -- yet had a BIGGER battery than the larger Nexus 6.
In 2015, I won a free LG G4, but sold it to buy my 3rd Quark (Moto XT1225 with 64GB internal storage). Quark with 3GB RAM really kept pace with other phones in 2015 and even 2016.
Only with the 2017 "next gen" Snapdragon 835 phones (LG V30, Samsung Note 8, even Galaxy S8/S8+) do you see phones that are "better" (4GB RAM) while still having features like Qi wireless charging and headset jack -- and OLED displays. And these newer phones have rear camera OIS, which Motorola left off for some reason.
---------- Post added at 06:50 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:47 AM ----------
cmrntnnr said:
I'm still running a pair of them. Many thanks to @bhb27 for keeping them alive with bug fixes and security updates. Like Chazzmat, I eagerly anticipated the LG v30+. Unlike him, I was unwilling to buy without a confirmed bootloader unlock. LG is letting everyone down in that arena and it looks like it may be their new policy. I'm in no hurry to buy since the Turbos continue to perform. Nothing out there ticks the boxes and offers cdma yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Luckily I also bought the LG V30 US998 (64GB) model, which does have bootloader unlock. That phone has TWRP and is rooted.
But my V30+, which I like better (128GB storage and BLACK) still does not have bootloader unlock. I'm going to wait a little longer. Maybe the V30S model which LG is in the midst of releasing has messed up things. Apparently the V30S will replace the other V30/V30+ models?
Well I, after over 3 years, jumped off the Turbo Train. For those looking for a good Moto Phone that you can still have a unlocked bootloader I would highly recommend the Moto G5S Plus.
I was skeptical about it at first, and it is now only Day 3 but so far I am loving it. Yes it is bigger than the turbo (about the same size as the Pixel XL which my wife has) and feels a lot more slippery but about to order a case. The camera is, in my opinion, just as good as the turbo (But i take pictures for work not so much of anything else lol). The Qualcomm 625 is very snappy and man the 4GB of ram? After rooting and turning off a TON of stuff on startup my phone hovers around 50-60% used VS 80-90% Used. My Turbo just hasn't seem to be like it use to be. Even after a clean flash it just was slow and sluggish still (might be some kind of hardware issue though as some people are perfectly happy still). I both cases I am on stock rom for VoLTE. it works decent on Verizion and haven't had any call drops, bad quality, or slow internet. The reception does seem to be 1 bar low that the Turbo though but I can't see any difference besides that.
Screen looks great, I can't see any difference. Only thing is I hate how the power button is below the volume now. The Finger scanner is nice. I didn't think I'd want one but after having one i like it. I use a Pin/Finger combo for boot at least and screen can be turned off with finger scanner as well which is nice. The normal moto stuff like chop and twist are there. It doesn't have the 4 IR Sensors like the Turbo so you cant just wave and see the time/notifications, but if you pick it up the screen does turn on which I only need it for checking time in which i usually picked it up when laying in bed anyways so I'm good there.
The speaker is louder but lacks the bass that the turbo has. I do miss the hardware keys but I had the Razr Maxx HD so i'm use to it.
Battery life so far is to be determined. I just got finished setting it all up last night and turning off a lot of startup items and what not. In a almost 6 hours period, but almost no use, has only gone down 15%. My turbo would be more than halfway gone by now (yes i replaced battery but this one lasted less in a year than the OEM battery after 2). The Turbo never lasted me more than a day anyways (I'm a heavy user).
Over all i like it and would recommend it to Turbo users looking for a Verizon phone that they can unlock and root. On and did i say that root was Free? XD No Sunshine earned in IMO. The Turbo was a GREAT phone but it just wasn't cutting it for me anymore. I will probably use it to play my games that detect root and what not or to play with/backup for now.
and i meant/needed Radiocomm, not rsd lite. lol. maybe i will assemble a circa 2012 machine just to have it again and plunk around.
I am still using the XT1254. I believe it is still a very advanced model as compared to devices now. It works very well in all aspects except battery. I am in Hong Kong and this model was never publicly sold, so even if I can get a replacement battery I cannot find someone to replace it, and I am not technically capable to do it myself. That's why I have no choice but to start looking for a new device slowly while mine is still working.
There is not any model in mind that get my interest. But my droid's battery is deteriorating and I do not think I am using it as the daily driver by the end of this year.

Why Pixel 5

I am trying to compare the specs of the "Pixel 5" and the recently released "Samsung S20 FE" and would actually want to know, why Pixel 5 and not the S20 FE?For the reference, GSMArena comparison here.
Currently i see the following pros and cons comparing those devices:
S20 FE pros:
SD card slot
Bigger battery
Better SoC
Better GPU
120hz scree refresh rate
Front fingerprint sensor (debatable, but definitely my personal preference)
More cameras and (hopefully) better camera sensors (but not better camera software)
Available (unlike Pixel 5, that is still on pre-orders)
Pixel 5 pros:
More RAM
Better camera software
Less bloatware
Direct updates from Google
Usable eSIM (none of the S20 series have their eSIM enabled on US models)
Unlocakble bootloader (just an assumption, but the QC based S20 FE is unlikely to have it's btl unlockable)
Missing SD slot (which a find to be a pretty big deal) and a somewhat weaker SoC/GPU/battery make me lean toward the S20 FE, yet there seem to be a pretty big fan base on the Pixels those days, and i want to know why. So, what Pixel 5 pros did i miss?
Thanks in advance for replies.
You might not care what I think but I'm gonna reply anyway. Im using a Note 9 now.
The reason the P5 beats any Samsung phone, again this is IMO, is because it runs STOCK ANDROID OS. One UI is trash, TouchWiz was trash. Samsung can make a great, beautiful, crazy spec'd phone every time but it still runs a trash OS. And plz dont try to tell me its not that bad. It is and my wife has a Note 20 5G and its trash on there too even with the newer updates. This one thing is the reason I will never buy a Sam phone again.
And do I have to get into the bloat ware. Oh MY God! I have like 25-30 apps. When my phone updates, its says its optimizing 450+ apps. WTF. And forget about removing them cuz u can't UL BL to debloat. EVER.
Also don't let Sammy fool u with this quick monthly security updates. When it comes to new Android versions they still lag behind, especially if your device is a year or more old.
TokedUp said:
You might not care what I think but I'm gonna reply anyway. Im using a Note 9 now.
The reason the P5 beats any Samsung phone, again this is IMO, is because it runs STOCK ANDROID OS. One UI is trash, TouchWiz was trash. Samsung can make a great, beautiful, crazy spec'd phone every time but it still runs a trash OS. And plz dont try to tell me its not that bad. It is and my wife has a Note 20 5G and its trash on there too even with the newer updates.
And do I have to get into the bloat ware. Oh MY God! I have like 25-30 apps. When my phone updates, its says its optimizing 450+ apps. WTF. And forget about removing them cuz u can't UL BL to debloat. EVER.
Also don't let Sammy fool u with this quick monthly security updates. When it comes to new Android versions they still lag behind, especially if your device is a year or more old.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually do agree on that, yes, the crap on Samsung stock ROM is pretty bad, but is it THAT bad? On a carrier branded CSC - yes, absolutely. Just a """"clean"""" (yea, i know, i know) stock Samsung - bad, but not THAT bad. And thats the main factor that makes me lean toward Pixel indeed.
Latest and greatest Android? Well, i can live without that. Heck, i am typing it from an Android 8 device right now, lol.
But... lower specs, and ESPECIALLY, the SD card slot do bother me. I've got Nexus7 FHD tablet, bought it more or less a few month after its release, still using it sometimes, and one damn feature i've missed every single time i've boarded a long flight is having an SD card slot! I don't know why the heck Google hates SD cards so much, but thats definitely bothers me.
In any case, i did mention "less bloatware" in my pros list, guess i should have called it "clean android". Do i turst it to remain totally clean? NO! Don't get me started on Google, their platforms, and ****loads of ads, some blockable, some may soon be less so. Just a few things to list on that topic, though - YouTube midroll ads (that drove me to finally start using alt client) and Android TV leanback launcher update with a huge ad on the top 1/3 of the screen (which has forced me to disable apps updates, cause on a TV Play market its all updates or no apps update).
I'm sorry. I do not agree. OneUI is far worse than u think. Im using it now. Go try for yourself. And I dont mean go to the store and look at it. Actually use a phone with it on it and u will want to throw it against a wall.
I have a 400gb mem card in my phone now. There is nothing an it. I used to need it for music but now everything is streaming. Photos and vids get backed up to cloud. I dont think I need a mem card anymore and I was a firm believer in them.
Please dont ever compare Google with Sam in terms of bloatware. It makes you look like u have no idea what u are talking about. Its not even a competition. I mean Sammy tried to put ads to our lockscreens at one point. If u think the Pixel has bloatware, go look at an app list on a new Sam phone. The Note 20 is an absolute joke.
I'm in the same debate as you... Pretty sure p5 wins due to unlocked bootloader. My p2 stands up still to processing power, I suspect I'll get 3 years out of the p5 since I've always found more ram is more important than more processing power and the 765g does hold up next to the p4 865.
Why do we run Pixels? Stock android, superior experience, no/limited bloat, reliable updates, and superior camera performance. But, you likely knew that already, and you came here to discuss specs. It's not the specs; it's the real world performance. You ever run a Windoze comp with a fresh install? See how snappy and smooth the performance is? Well, that's what a Pixel is like all the time. You're basically asking the PC equivalent of asking a tech forum "should I buy an Acer (or Dell or whatever) or build my own?" The answer will likely be build your own or reinstall Windoze and upgrade what you have. Look man, I was a Samsung lover for many years. But their bloat is intrusive and very poorly implemented, and I got sick of it. To complete the analogy: if you want a Dell (even if it is an Alienware) running the latest Intel, go ahead. I'll build my own AMD machine that rocks its socks off.
Come down to long term experience for me.
Pixel phones have been great to use and continue to feel great after a couple of years. Samsung phones haven't faired so well. Lots of slow down, lots of duplicate apps, lots of clutter.
It's personal preference of course, some love Samsung apps over Google apps. For these people, pixel comes full of bloatware!
mrkhigh said:
I'm in the same debate as you... Pretty sure p5 wins due to unlocked bootloader. My p2 stands up still to processing power, I suspect I'll get 3 years out of the p5 since I've always found more ram is more important than more processing power and the 765g does hold up next to the p4 865.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlocked bootloader is sadly, becoming less and less useful as the time goes. TBH, i am sick and tired to try & look for yet another way to hide root from apps, while i find myself actually customizing the system less and less using that root. Add Widevine dropping to L3 and all the streaming apps that use it going below HD, and you get yourself one more reason not to unlock.
Is slightly more RAM more important than slightly more CPU/GPU? Yea, i think it is. Is it massive, either way? Nope, probably not.
Again, one big thing that turns me away from P5 is the SD slot. From the other side, 2 pretty big things that pull me toward it are cleaner Android and eSIM.
dudeman1st said:
...It's not the specs; it's the real world performance...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The specs are the very first thing that affects real world performance. Yes, you can bog it down to a crawl with junk, but is it so? If you look at the Samsung side of XDA, i don't see that many complains about it, so realistically, in the real word words, i honestly don't know.
I've used an OG Pixel XL, and Pixel 3 XL as well as a OP 6T.
T-mobile had a "too good to pass up" trade in deal for the S20 FG and I received it on Friday. It is an awesome phone. The telephoto lens is neat, but the wide angle is awesome. Samsung's awful OS and lack of BL unlocking are really the only faults of it lol. Pixels got me over the need for an sd slot, although the lack of free unlimited storage since the Pixel 3 has me concerned. With that said, I'll be buying a Pixel 5 assuming there's some kind of a deal on black friday.
InfX said:
The specs are the very first thing that affects real world performance. Yes, you can bog it down to a crawl with junk, but is it so? If you look at the Samsung side of XDA, i don't see that many complains about it, so realistically, in the real word words, i honestly don't know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair enough, if specs are your measuring stick, sounds like you want the Samsung with the 8-series ARM. Go for it. I wouldn't shame you at all.
If you want to really understand what I am saying, try running a 3 or 4 year old Samsung (an S7 or S8) on Sam's version of Android 11 (if that's even possible) and then run Google's Android 11 on a Pixel or Pixel 2. I haven't tried it, but I know my old Samsungs ran like crap after just one or two updates, including severely reduced battery life. I am guessing that the Sams will run horribly for one reason or another. I know that Pixels run great on 11.
I run a Pixel (2 XL) stock, don't have to root it, don't have to monkey with flashing unless I want to try, don't have to constantly be looking for updated modems/ROMs/recoveries/kernels . Sure, most phones can be rescued with a good custom ROM, but you run the risk of bricking and voiding warranty. I used to love that hobby, and I loved my experience flashing with other phone hobbyists. But, I don't want to monkey with my daily driver anymore. I only flash my old phones.
jsbeagle said:
I've used an OG Pixel XL, and Pixel 3 XL as well as a OP 6T.
T-mobile had a "too good to pass up" trade in deal for the S20 FG and I received it on Friday. It is an awesome phone. The telephoto lens is neat, but the wide angle is awesome. Samsung's awful OS and lack of BL unlocking are really the only faults of it lol. Pixels got me over the need for an sd slot, although the lack of free unlimited storage since the Pixel 3 has me concerned. With that said, I'll be buying a Pixel 5 assuming there's some kind of a deal on black friday.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those are definitely not the only faults of it .Less RAM isn't exactly a good thing. If you look at the he S20 FE forum here, you'll immediately notice a "touch issues" thread, which is worrying. The eSIM being disabled on US CSCs, while Pixels, iPhones and even their own Fold got it is one heck of a turn off, too.
InfX said:
Those are definitely not the only faults of it .Less RAM isn't exactly a good thing. If you look at the he S20 FE forum here, you'll immediately notice a "touch issues" thread, which is worrying. The eSIM being disabled on US CSCs, while Pixels, iPhones and even their own Fold got it is one heck of a turn off, too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What are you doing that you actually need eSim?
Considering T-mobile and Samsung are essentially giving me the S20 FE, plus $60, plus $70 Samsung store credit for my Pixel 3XL, I'll take it and let my kids use it as a hotspot. T-mobile also gave me another completely free line a couple weeks ago in an unrelated deal.
jsbeagle said:
What are you doing that you actually need eSim?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't "need" eSIM, but its a useful feature assuming the dreaded COVID19 is eventually going to end, so one could travel again. It allows you to get and install a local plan in a different country without having to physically get the SIM card, a feature i'd actually like to have on my next phone. Not a must. But definitely a bonus. And most definitely a turn-off to get a device with the actual hardware being there, but having it disabled because Sammy and the carriers told so.
InfX said:
Unlocked bootloader is sadly, becoming less and less useful as the time goes. TBH, i am sick and tired to try & look for yet another way to hide root from apps, while i find myself actually customizing the system less and less using that root. Add Widevine dropping to L3 and all the streaming apps that use it going below HD, and you get yourself one more reason not to unlock.
Is slightly more RAM more important than slightly more CPU/GPU? Yea, i think it is. Is it massive, either way? Nope, probably not.
Again, one big thing that turns me away from P5 is the SD slot. From the other side, 2 pretty big things that pull me toward it are cleaner Android and eSIM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree on root becoming less and less important.
However the ability to update the device after it's eol is handy, and installing a custom rom is often nice as well.
Pure Android is where it is at for me, plain and smple. I might go for another non google device now and then if the bootloader is unlockable so I can end up flashing a pure android rom but I always end up back on a pixel. It is a shame that samsung has not allowed bootloader unlocking lately, especially on a so called "fan edition". What a joke!
Physical size of the device. Sure the size of the screen on my current phone is bigger and show more but it's also physically a larger phone.
That one of the main selling points for me. I also look forward to having the FP reader on the back again, current phone is under display and I'm not a fan!
---edit---
Another selling point is vanilla android vs having to find a reliable custom rom for my Mi 9T (pixel experience is good though).
InfX said:
I don't "need" eSIM, but its a useful feature assuming the dreaded COVID19 is eventually going to end, so one could travel again. It allows you to get and install a local plan in a different country without having to physically get the SIM card, a feature i'd actually like to have on my next phone. Not a must. But definitely a bonus. And most definitely a turn-off to get a device with the actual hardware being there, but having it disabled because Sammy and the carriers told so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just get Fi, homie. Pay for the data you use, capped at 6 GB cost (60 bucks + 20 for the line), no international charges for phone or data, and it works almost everywhere. If it's a small country, Fi might even pick up neighboring service. I have been from Barcelona to Bratislava, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Columbia on Fi, and I had no problems whatsoever. Fi even sends you a nice little welcome text to let you know that you are in a different service area. And, no, I don't work for Google, lol. I changed because I love to travel and hate other carriers' intl fees or messing around with local SIMs.
dudeman1st said:
Just get Fi, homie...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks but no thanks, been there, done that. Yes, the international data on the Fi is definitely a plus. But:
Its expensive
I am currently on Cricket (AT&T MVNO), their lowest plan is $30 for 2gb, but before the COVID times i'd usually pay $35 for 5..10gb, slowed down afterwards, with similar plans also available directly from AT&T. My actual consumption now is close to 0, but has been somewhere in range of 2..3gb per month pre-COVID on average, so i've ended up paying $40..50, plus tax, as far as i recall, while most prepaid plans have tax included. Way too expensive just to have the same expensive data abroad, which is usually much cheaper there than it is in US.
It's coverage in US is pretty bad
In US its basically a T-Mobile MVNO. It got some contracts with US Cellular as well, i think, but its mostly just T-Mobile. I've been to many places i;ve just got NO reception whatsoever, where Cricket (read - AT&T) works perfectly fine, notably, on the ski sites in VT near #100, but this is just one example, the T-Mobile reception is generally just BAD.
Pay per use data is more annoying than i though it would be
You are basically paying $10/gb until you hit 6gb, which makes me think twice about everything i do online. Play Spotify? Nah, i don't remember if i have it downloaded, it will eat data, i'll pay for that. Watch that video on YouTube on the go? Nah, screw that, its probably 100mb in HD or so, that's $1 for a stupid video. And i absolutely hate this line of thinking. I want unlimited data which doesn't punish you financially if you go over the limit. And i don't want to pay $80+tax for that.
Sorry bro, but you DO sound like a Google sales person, lol
If you just want to text, make calls, twatter, and freakbook. Get the Samsung.
If need more independents, get the Pixel 5.
Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using Tapatalk

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