Related
So I'm sitting at home patiently waiting for the UPS man to come with my new Vibrant. In my pocket is my beloved Nexus One.
I had a chance to play with a vibrant in a Tmo store and really liked it. Seemed speedier than my N1 in almost every aspect and that screen is just gorgeous!
I'd like to hear from any Nexus One users that jumped ship to the Vibrant. Are you happy with your decision? Any issues?
I'll be side by siding these two beasts for the next 14 days (return period). And only one will stay with me. I'd just like to hear some other peoples experiences.
I find the Vibrant better in every regard. The one thing I miss is how speedy development came to the N1 (for obvious reasons). I (and the developers) are more accustom to HTC phones...
BUT, speed, screen, sound, keyboard, I really like everything better.
Some people complain about a GPS issue, that a lot of us do not have.....
You wont have froyo immediately....
I like how solid the N1 feels in my hand....
those are about the only things I can think of.
I sold my rooted nexus one for this.
The good:
Better screen (WOW) you'll see
Better Speaker
Faster Data Pulling (you'll be surprised how good edge is even )
Better widgets (touchwiz is lovely)
The bad:
doesn't open apps as fast as Nexus
Switching from 3g to Edge takes way longer than the nexus
Battery a tiny bit worse than nexus
Feels horrible compared to the nexus build (the vibrant is cheaply built) PLASTIC
going from screen to screen, you will get a slight jerk... not smooth like launcherpro/ADW or 2.2 Froyo default home
Other than that, this phone is lovely and its a keeper. I'm waiting for a replacement battery. maybe the 3500Mah they had for the nexus one.That will also put some weight on it. it's like a feather now.
I too sold my N1. I did for all the aforementioned reasons plus I really like being able to take the phone instore for warranty issues instead of waiting a week or two for htc to get my phone fix it and ship it back.....
The battery specs on the Vibrant seem WAY better than the N1, but I've been seeing some complaints on battery life. Whats the deal with that? Was Samsung overexerting the standby time?
I'll miss froyo, But once it hits the vibrant I assume it will be BLAZING fast with JIT on the hummingbird. Besides the speed, Flash in the browser kinda sucks anyways on N1 (slow!). So going back to 2.1 wont be a huge loss.
I love my nexus, but its had its issues. I'm currently on my 3rd swap out from HTC due to the screen not working and dust under the digitizer. Hoping I have good luck with the vibrant and its GPS issues.
I guess I'll have to wait and see which wins... I plan on keeping both for a couple of weeks before I decide.
thanks for your opinions!
stepinmyworld said:
Feels horrible compared to the nexus build (the vibrant is cheaply built) PLASTIC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I beg to differ.. its user preference, I prefer it being lightweight its a lot different than the G1 whereas it feels like a brick. I don't think its a con whatsoever, doesn't feel cheap at all.. check out the videos where they try and "scratch" and damage it. The phone could take a hit.
Just got the Vibrant today, bought the Nexus on the day it was announced. I'm likely sending the Vibrant back and keeping the Nexus. Here are my first impressions:
1: Unbelievably light and, unfortunately, cheap feeling, particularly the buttons (Vol. and on/off). The build quality of the Nexus One feels like it's in an entirely different league here.
2: Nice screen size though my phone will not display a true white or grey. Instead, everything has a cyan/blue tinge. This actually is my biggest issue with the phone right now. The Nexus gives true whites and greys and, even with the brightness all the way up, no true white or gray on the vibrant. Menus, text, market and web pages show this every time I open them - it's driving me nuts.
3: The music app contains a real to life Equalizer and a number of other sound settings. This is one feature I really love and will miss if I send the phone back. Sound quality is very good, though not through the crap headphones Samsung provides. Here again, the quality of the Nexus headphones are noticeably better.
4: Neither the Compass or the GPS work correctly on my phone making the phone useless until a fix is released for what I actually use it most for - Google Places and voice navigation.
5: The image quality of photo's taken with the camera are very good for a phone. Auto weight balance works perfectly under various light sources. Much better than Nexus in this department, though I do miss the flash - which I used mostly as a flashlight!
6: The size feels a little uncomfortable in the hand compared to the Nexus but that's likely just something I have gotten used to.
7: Battery life seems like it will be much better than Nexus.
Anyway, I know the GPS and Compass will be fixed and perhaps I could get used to the flimsy build quality but the screen is a deal breaker as I expected it to be superior to the Nexus One. It's not. If I had to guess, I suspect Samsung has used some sort of Polarizing film to reduce glare outside in bright light which is resulting in the blue/cyan tinge.
Sold my Nexus and both docks, got a nice chunk if change and got the Vibrant. Its the best phone out right now IMO.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App
tariqgibran said:
Just got the Vibrant today, bought the Nexus on the day it was announced. I'm likely sending the Vibrant back and keeping the Nexus. Here are my first impressions:
1: Unbelievably light and, unfortunately, cheap feeling, particularly the buttons (Vol. and on/off). The build quality of the Nexus One feels like it's in an entirely different league here.
PERSONALLY I don't equate light-weight with cheap...it's very VERY light weight, but it doesn't feel cheaply made to me. The biggest complaint I have about the build quality personally is the "metal" bezel(of course it's plastic). I feel like that will scratch if it's looked at incorrectly. lol. But IMO it doesn't feel cheaply made at all
2: Nice screen size though my phone will not display a true white or grey. Instead, everything has a cyan/blue tinge. This actually is my biggest issue with the phone right now. The Nexus gives true whites and greys and, even with the brightness all the way up, no true white or gray on the vibrant. Menus, text, market and web pages show this every time I open them - it's driving me nuts.
Direct Quote about OLED's that explains the blue tint:
"...since the OLED material used to produce blue light degrades significantly more rapidly than the materials that produce other colors, blue light output will decrease relative to the other colors of light...In order to delay the problem, manufacturers bias the colour balance towards blue so that the display initially has an artificially blue tint, leading to complaints of artificial-looking, over-saturated colors..."
4: Neither the Compass or the GPS work correctly on my phone making the phone useless until a fix is released for what I actually use it most for - Google Places and voice navigation.
This is a problem only SOME units have, and additionally, even if yours DOES have the problem, there's a fix for it here in the forums
6: The size feels a little uncomfortable in the hand compared to the Nexus but that's likely just something I have gotten used to.
I think this depends on the size of your hands. Going from a Touch Pro2 with a 3.6" screen to a 4.3" on the HD2 I didn't like it. It was hard to text on when trying to reach across the screen...but this 4" screen fit perfectly into my hands. It also makes it feel more like a "phone" and not a "pda". I know the Nexus has a 3.7" screen, but like he said, I think you'd get used to it.
7: Battery life seems like it will be much better than Nexus.
Trust me....depends on what you have running and when you have it running lol. This thing will randomly start apps that you never tell it to start(telenav for example) and they'll run in the background for no reason at all lol. I've had situations where with ZERO use....it just sitting idle....after 8 hrs it used up almost 50% of the battery. Darker(blacker) backgrounds help on battery life too. I tested a live wall paper at 100% brightness for 30 mins and a completely black wallpaper at 100% brightness and there was a 100% increase of battery life drain. 4% after 1 half hour vs 2% after 1 half hour(i actually think the same would apply to the nexus one since it's an amoled screen)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As he stated at the end though, the GPS will soon be fixed(officially that is) by Samsung, and you'll probably have to get used to the feel of it vs the Nexus 1...but I had an opportunity to buy either, and I used both for 1 day, and couldn't put the Vibrant down so I went with it.
Edit: and though not as good as an LED light, because the Vibrant uses SAMOLED the white screens at full brightness are ridiculously bright lol. So if you use one of the screen flash light apps, it'd probably be the brightest...but again, it's not as bright as an LED flash light. But Trust me...it definitely works lol
lp894 said:
As he stated at the end though, the GPS will soon be fixed(officially that is) by Samsung, and you'll probably have to get used to the feel of it vs the Nexus 1...but I had an opportunity to buy either, and I used both for 1 day, and couldn't put the Vibrant down so I went with it.
Edit: and though not as good as an LED light, because the Vibrant uses SAMOLED the white screens at full brightness are ridiculously bright lol. So if you use one of the screen flash light apps, it'd probably be the brightest...but again, it's not as bright as an LED flash light. But Trust me...it definitely works lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The screen on the specific Vibrant I received is nowhere near as bright as the Nexus screen, even at full brightness and the cyan/blue tinge is not so subtle. Many are stating that the blue look is normal with OLED's yet neither my Nexus nor my wife's have this problem at all. There is also growing evidence that the Vibrant display is not consistant from phone to phone, with some reporting the blue issue more than others, even when examining four vibrants simultaneously (so this is not just subjective). Thus, don't buy the whole explanation that Samsung added mor blue to counteract future blue degradation over time. I think what those of us with extremely tinged blue screens are experiencing is a quality control issue, plain and simple - perhaps it has something to do with an inconsistency in the SOLED manufacturing process, I don't know. I do know that all OLED's do not have this issue and, apparently, not even all Samsung SOLED Vibrants!
Regarding the "cheap" feel, my volume button rattles when I handle the phone and has no definite "detent" feel. Perhaps mine is unique, but this definitely lends a flimsy feel to the phone, particularly compared to the firm feel of the Nexus buttons. Think I wil return this vibrant and see what a replacement offers as I must have received a dud. To be fair, the Nexus my wife received initially had to be returned due to a quality control issue. I think most of these devices today are at the bleeding edge of manufacturing technology.
I got rid of my 3 week old N1 for the Vibrant, and I have no regrets at all. I'm very much in love with this phone. I think the only major issue with the phone for most is the GPS problems, but Samsung already said they're working on a fix.
Yeah, the phone is very light weight, but as soon as I bought the thick gel case from T-Mo it really did add a great weight to the phone.
I'm a phone whore that switches phones pretty much every time a new phone hits the market, and I've gotta say the Vibrant just might be the best I've ever owned.
I sort of gave up my Nexus One for a Vibrant. My wife wanted my Nexus One because T-Mobile still doesn't have a good phone for photographs (Vibrant included).
I had just gotten her a MT3G Slide, so I trade it back to them for the Vibrant.
So far, the only thing I have to complain about is the lack of a Camera flash, it completely hinders the camera in most lighting situations after 6PM EST, haha.
Also, the body does feel cheaply constructed. The Nexus One had the most solid design of any phone I have ever owned or held in my hand.
I miss my N1, but the Vibrant is a GREAT alternative. I can say I love this phone, and most of that love is coming from the BEAUTIFUL screen.
I had a Nexus, and my wife had a MyTouch. She was wanting to upgrade, so we decided that I would get a Vibrant, and she would get my Nexus. We have since given away the MyTouch.
I have to say, at first, I was LOVING my Vibrant! it was incredible! The screen, and benchmarks spoke for themselves! Heck, I was even able to ditch a couple of mediocre apps for the pre-installed apps!
I've had my Vibrant for...17 days now. I've NEVER had any luck with the GPS, although it is handy for a game called "The Great Land Grab", since I can now buy land in states and countries I've never even been to before! (I bought a piece of land in CHINA!!! WOOT!) I've tried ALL of the fixes posted here at XDA and elsewhere. All of them seemed to help, but then I realized it was mostly a placebo effect. "742 people said this fix worked perfectly! It's gotta fix my GPS! Hey, it only took 17 minutes this time! YAY! It's all better!" Coming from a long line of HTC phones (G1, MyTouch, Nexus), I've come to expect good GPS performance, and I use maps and nav a LOT. (Well, I used to) I'm extremely disappointed in this, to the point that I will never buy another Samsung phone again.
The screen is AMAZING! The picture quality is intense, and it displays video so fluidly! I can't say enough good things about how beautiful it is! The screen difference is .4 inches, but it looks and feels like it's HUGE in comparison. I've never seen a screen on a cell phone that can show as deep black as this. If you set your phone up poroperly, you can have it on, but not be able to tell (ADW.Launcher/black wallpaper/no status bar/no icons/empty dock/dock open - Looks amazing!) It's such a nice display!
The phone SHOULD be WAY faster. the specs make the Nexus look old and dated. Of course, when you're used to touching an app shortcut, and it just HAPPENS, a 2-10 second lag seems like FOREVER! There are some MAJOR design flaws in the Vibrant, such as the 16 gig internal storage. It's a class 6, yes, but it's got VERY serious i/o issues, so almost everything that calls on the resources on it stalls and lags. (You'll see TONS of people who say there's no lag, but most of those people came from a dated phone, like a G1 or MyTouch. It's WAY faster than any of the older generation 1 or generation 2 phones, but it's painfully slow when you're used to the powerhouse known as Nexus. (2 seconds doesn't sound long, until you're trying to show off your phone, and you feel the need to explain that "it takes a second or two to load up, but when it does..." and you have TIME to explain that to someone while you wait. It's not nearly as snappy or responsive as it should be, considering this is a flagship device with specs to make most phones look like crap. SUPPOSEDLY, this phone is more powerful than a PSP, but the design flaws make it perform more like an NES. Once it gets going, it's GREAT, but it's the getting it up and running that sucks.
The phone does feel lighter, and cheaper, but it depends on your point of view if this is a good thing or a bad thing. I personally prefer the feel of the Nexus, because it feels more solid.
The loudspeaker on the Vibrant is WAY better than the speaker on the Nexus, although I have to think it something to do with the "hollow-ish" phone back echoing the sound, and therefore amplifying it somewhat, but I haven't tried a direct comparison with the phone backs off.
The Vibrant out-performs most phones on the market in terms of benchmark scores (linpak not included) however, if you were to perform a side-by side comparison of getting those benchmarks loaded up, you would likely have no doubt that the Vibrant is considerably slower. (I'm talking of the latest generation of 1ghz phones, like Nexus, DroidX, and EVO)
If the GPS (and compass, which is HOPELESSLY broken) and lag issues could be resolved, I think the Vibrant could be a contender as possibly the best phone on the planet, but in it's current form, it feels a lot like that funky cousin you try to avoid at family reunions. "Well, he came from a great family, and he's really smart, but he's just a bit off...I mean, look at him, he's pouring his soda into his shoes!"
Overall, I think in it's current state, the Vibrant can't hold a candle to the Nexus, and depending on the I/O issues, it may NEVER compare, but if they can get it running better, and make everything WORK, it will make the Nexus feel like a G1.
My choice for best phone: Nexus
(Subject to change)
lp894 said:
4: Neither the Compass or the GPS work correctly on my phone making the phone useless until a fix is released for what I actually use it most for - Google Places and voice navigation.
This is a problem only SOME units have, and additionally, even if yours DOES have the problem, there's a fix for it here in the forums
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You sound like a PR rep for samsung, not an actual end user. It's comments and sentiments like these that make forums useless for researching products. Too many people bitterly rationalizing bad purchases.
As an owner of a Vibrant I'm probably returning mine, after waiting the full 14 days to see if Samsung would at least indicate that they're working on any sort of fix. They finally started talking about the GPS, but there is no mention of the compass problem yet and I suspect it will remain broken.
The sick part is there are so many people new to android that they don't even realize how broken the compass is. Try using Layar, wikitude, anything related to augmented reality or positional awareness and you'll realize how useless it is.
If you don't care about fancy augmented reality/positional awareness applications or GPS working properly then the vibrant is a great phone.
bryon13 said:
"Well, he came from a great family, and he's really smart, but he's just a bit off...I mean, look at him, he's pouring his soda into his shoes!"
Overall, I think in it's current state, the Vibrant can't hold a candle to the Nexus, and depending on the I/O issues, it may NEVER compare, but if they can get it running better, and make everything WORK, it will make the Nexus feel like a G1.
My choice for best phone: Nexus
(Subject to change)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, you made gave me a good laugh today.
+1 on everything you said.
hollabax said:
You sound like a PR rep for samsung, not an actual end user. It's comments and sentiments like these that make forums useless for researching products. Too many people bitterly rationalizing bad purchases.
As an owner of a Vibrant I'm probably returning mine, after waiting the full 14 days to see if Samsung would at least indicate that they're working on any sort of fix. They finally started talking about the GPS, but there is no mention of the compass problem yet and I suspect it will remain broken.
The sick part is there are so many people new to android that they don't even realize how broken the compass is. Try using Layar, wikitude, anything related to augmented reality or positional awareness and you'll realize how useless it is.
If you don't care about fancy augmented reality/positional awareness applications or GPS working properly then the vibrant is a great phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just out of curiosity, are the GPS and Compass interrelated somehow such that a GPS fix would fix the compass? OR, is there distinct hardware functions that control the two independently?
tariqgibran said:
Just out of curiosity, are the GPS and Compass interrelated somehow such that a GPS fix would fix the compass? OR, is there distinct hardware functions that control the two independently?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Last I heard, they think the compass is what breaks the gps, according to Tmo and Samsung. Which worries me, because a compass is just a floating magnet. If it's hardware broken, and that's what breaks gps, there may be NO way to fix it. ):
I really hope I'm wrong.
I'd like to thank Swype for all of my typos.
my GPS works fine.....I dont use compass and never did. Gave my Nexus to GF and using Vibrant. While there are many improvement to be made, its MUCH better then Nexus when it was released (I had 3 replacements, all 3 had: 3g issues, light sensor issues, pink camera, and crappy touchscreen....phone was almost useless, but after 3rd party ROMs, Nexus became a good phone with many flaws fixed)
yeah, compass seems to be ****ed, just checked. will compare to Nexus today. ps. navigation-wise I checked both and they seemed to perform the same.
read that compass is software issue and should be fixed. i think its fair to say that we ALL need to give Samsung a chance to fix issues. so far there was no update to Vibrant and it WILL come end of September....maybe October....
and its gonna be a pretty damn big update, not only we get fixes for bugs and possibly more add-ons (features) to Touchwiz, we are also getting a Froyo !
bryon13 said:
I had a Nexus, and my wife had a MyTouch. She was wanting to upgrade, so we decided that I would get a Vibrant, and she would get my Nexus. We have since given away the MyTouch.
I have to say, at first, I was LOVING my Vibrant! it was incredible! The screen, and benchmarks spoke for themselves! Heck, I was even able to ditch a couple of mediocre apps for the pre-installed apps!
I've had my Vibrant for...17 days now. I've NEVER had any luck with the GPS, although it is handy for a game called "The Great Land Grab", since I can now buy land in states and countries I've never even been to before! (I bought a piece of land in CHINA!!! WOOT!) I've tried ALL of the fixes posted here at XDA and elsewhere. All of them seemed to help, but then I realized it was mostly a placebo effect. "742 people said this fix worked perfectly! It's gotta fix my GPS! Hey, it only took 17 minutes this time! YAY! It's all better!" Coming from a long line of HTC phones (G1, MyTouch, Nexus), I've come to expect good GPS performance, and I use maps and nav a LOT. (Well, I used to) I'm extremely disappointed in this, to the point that I will never buy another Samsung phone again.
The screen is AMAZING! The picture quality is intense, and it displays video so fluidly! I can't say enough good things about how beautiful it is! The screen difference is .4 inches, but it looks and feels like it's HUGE in comparison. I've never seen a screen on a cell phone that can show as deep black as this. If you set your phone up poroperly, you can have it on, but not be able to tell (ADW.Launcher/black wallpaper/no status bar/no icons/empty dock/dock open - Looks amazing!) It's such a nice display!
The phone SHOULD be WAY faster. the specs make the Nexus look old and dated. Of course, when you're used to touching an app shortcut, and it just HAPPENS, a 2-10 second lag seems like FOREVER! There are some MAJOR design flaws in the Vibrant, such as the 16 gig internal storage. It's a class 6, yes, but it's got VERY serious i/o issues, so almost everything that calls on the resources on it stalls and lags. (You'll see TONS of people who say there's no lag, but most of those people came from a dated phone, like a G1 or MyTouch. It's WAY faster than any of the older generation 1 or generation 2 phones, but it's painfully slow when you're used to the powerhouse known as Nexus. (2 seconds doesn't sound long, until you're trying to show off your phone, and you feel the need to explain that "it takes a second or two to load up, but when it does..." and you have TIME to explain that to someone while you wait. It's not nearly as snappy or responsive as it should be, considering this is a flagship device with specs to make most phones look like crap. SUPPOSEDLY, this phone is more powerful than a PSP, but the design flaws make it perform more like an NES. Once it gets going, it's GREAT, but it's the getting it up and running that sucks.
The phone does feel lighter, and cheaper, but it depends on your point of view if this is a good thing or a bad thing. I personally prefer the feel of the Nexus, because it feels more solid.
The loudspeaker on the Vibrant is WAY better than the speaker on the Nexus, although I have to think it something to do with the "hollow-ish" phone back echoing the sound, and therefore amplifying it somewhat, but I haven't tried a direct comparison with the phone backs off.
The Vibrant out-performs most phones on the market in terms of benchmark scores (linpak not included) however, if you were to perform a side-by side comparison of getting those benchmarks loaded up, you would likely have no doubt that the Vibrant is considerably slower. (I'm talking of the latest generation of 1ghz phones, like Nexus, DroidX, and EVO)
If the GPS (and compass, which is HOPELESSLY broken) and lag issues could be resolved, I think the Vibrant could be a contender as possibly the best phone on the planet, but in it's current form, it feels a lot like that funky cousin you try to avoid at family reunions. "Well, he came from a great family, and he's really smart, but he's just a bit off...I mean, look at him, he's pouring his soda into his shoes!"
Overall, I think in it's current state, the Vibrant can't hold a candle to the Nexus, and depending on the I/O issues, it may NEVER compare, but if they can get it running better, and make everything WORK, it will make the Nexus feel like a G1.
My choice for best phone: Nexus
(Subject to change)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the nexus, and already I've had more problems with the nexus than I did the Vibrant, it's by far faster and more usable. I LOVED my Nexus, but still..seeing all the things wrong with it I definitely like the Vibrant better. True multitouch, super crisp clear screen where even Avatar looks like you're watching it in stereoscopic 3D. Everything has been superb. The GPS problem is a given and I read up before I bought. Still more satisfied, an yes battery life is better as I could never get a "full" days use out of my Nexus even with everything turned off.
This isn't so much for the people who have the phone, but I know a lot of people looking to buy the phone will read the reviews and visit general forum, so here it is:
What I love about it:
Touchless Control -- definitely put those iPhone 5s users in their place when they show off their fingerprint unlock. "Hey Google Now" gets recognized instantly, anywhere, and at almost any volume. I was explain it to someone about this feature in a noisy hallway with him holding my phone, and I was not even loud, and my phone woke up and started listening. Now I whisper it just to see it can hear me, and get super giddy and freaked out at the same time when it does...
Active Notification -- yeah yeah, I know you can download an app for it, but moto X's implementation is by far the best. It knows what you are doing. In the pocket? No problem. Out of the pocket, wake up right away. I don't even bother using the power button anymore. I just nudge the phone a bit when it's sitting on my desk, and the screen comes on. It's a beautiful thing, especially after switching from HTC One, and the One Mini, when the power button was so damn awkward to reach. Or you know, you can just wake it up by talking to it... Just say: open Gmail! and BOOM. It's there.
Assist -- again, Motorola got it right. This is how to make a rom. Assist has completely made my tasker useless... I was using tasker to silence my phone during appointments, at night, and play music and reply messages when I'm driving, now Moto X does all this, with minimal setup. I just let it do its thing, and it has gotten it right almost all the time. It also read your text messages when you are driving, which is pretty awesome.
What I dislike:
My biggest gripe... What is up with the vibration? It feels so mechanical and clunky, as if there is a robot squirrel in the phone grinding two titanium nuts together in its mouth to make the vibration. The long duration vibration is almost unbearable. C'mon Motorola, why would you skimp on something so important and basic?
The screen -- it's a decent screen, but after using the One, I would have to say it is nowhere near top notch. If a beautiful screen is a MUST for you, skip this phone. It's usable, but hardly from beautiful. When it's dim, I could almost see a hue of purple on everything. Pentile displays, I'm telling yah. The screen looks like my old GNex. I eventually liked my GNex because of the custom kernal could make the screen almost really really good, but on the Moto X, which leads to my last gripe...
The bootloader -- all you TMo and Rogers people are damn lucky. I really don't mind the bootloader so much, but I just want to root my phone. I know another root method will eventually come along, but man, Verizon and AT&T are making it difficult. Why do I want to root my phone? Well I happen to enjoy the Xposed framework and have been using it on almost all my other phones. It has completely replaced Rom flashing for me. I want my screen rotation in the quick setting menu damn it, is that too much to ask?
Well that's it. If you don't like to mess around your phone and can live with a robot squirrel and mediocre screen, this phone is for you...
For the owners of Moto X.. How are you feeling about the vibration and the screen? Any cool app or anything that doesn't require root to make the moto X experience better?
personally I like the vibration because it's easy for me to feel it on vibrate while I'm at work. And the screen looks just the same as the S4 I had to me, but some notice screens more than me. I agree with active notifications and all, and I love the twist motion to launch the camera. Only thing I don't like is how locked down it is. (Verizon). And the camera isn't great, so far I don't find the update to have helped too much
I feel like I either have absolutely no high expectations for vibration, or I have the only Moto X that vibrates normally. I haven't noticed any rattling on mine, and it's a really strong vibration. I like it.
holyevilcow said:
This isn't so much for the people who have the phone, but I know a lot of people looking to buy the phone will read the reviews and visit general forum, so here it is:
What I love about it:
Touchless Control -- definitely put those iPhone 5s users in their place when they show off their fingerprint unlock. "Hey Google Now" gets recognized instantly, anywhere, and at almost any volume. I was explain it to someone about this feature in a noisy hallway with him holding my phone, and I was not even loud, and my phone woke up and started listening. Now I whisper it just to see it can hear me, and get super giddy and freaked out at the same time when it does...
Active Notification -- yeah yeah, I know you can download an app for it, but moto X's implementation is by far the best. It knows what you are doing. In the pocket? No problem. Out of the pocket, wake up right away. I don't even bother using the power button anymore. I just nudge the phone a bit when it's sitting on my desk, and the screen comes on. It's a beautiful thing, especially after switching from HTC One, and the One Mini, when the power button was so damn awkward to reach. Or you know, you can just wake it up by talking to it... Just say: open Gmail! and BOOM. It's there.
Assist -- again, Motorola got it right. This is how to make a rom. Assist has completely made my tasker useless... I was using tasker to silence my phone during appointments, at night, and play music and reply messages when I'm driving, now Moto X does all this, with minimal setup. I just let it do its thing, and it has gotten it right almost all the time. It also read your text messages when you are driving, which is pretty awesome.
What I dislike:
My biggest gripe... What is up with the vibration? It feels so mechanical and clunky, as if there is a robot squirrel in the phone grinding two titanium nuts together in its mouth to make the vibration. The long duration vibration is almost unbearable. C'mon Motorola, why would you skimp on something so important and basic?
The screen -- it's a decent screen, but after using the One, I would have to say it is nowhere near top notch. If a beautiful screen is a MUST for you, skip this phone. It's usable, but hardly from beautiful. When it's dim, I could almost see a hue of purple on everything. Pentile displays, I'm telling yah. The screen looks like my old GNex. I eventually liked my GNex because of the custom kernal could make the screen almost really really good, but on the Moto X, which leads to my last gripe...
The bootloader -- all you TMo and Rogers people are damn lucky. I really don't mind the bootloader so much, but I just want to root my phone. I know another root method will eventually come along, but man, Verizon and AT&T are making it difficult. Why do I want to root my phone? Well I happen to enjoy the Xposed framework and have been using it on almost all my other phones. It has completely replaced Rom flashing for me. I want my screen rotation in the quick setting menu damn it, is that too much to ask?
Well that's it. If you don't like to mess around your phone and can live with a robot squirrel and mediocre screen, this phone is for you...
For the owners of Moto X.. How are you feeling about the vibration and the screen? Any cool app or anything that doesn't require root to make the moto X experience better?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just so we remain accurate, the screen on the Moto X is not PenTile, but uses the same array as the Galaxy Note 2 from Samsung. Infact, Samsung is the one that makes the screen on the Moto X.
http://anandtech.com/show/7235/moto-x-review/5
samarth1 said:
Just so we remain accurate, the screen on the Moto X is not PenTile, but uses the same array as the Galaxy Note 2 from Samsung. Infact, Samsung is the one that makes the screen on the Moto X.
http://anandtech.com/show/7235/moto-x-review/5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nice one .
freak4dell said:
I feel like I either have absolutely no high expectations for vibration, or I have the only Moto X that vibrates normally. I haven't noticed any rattling on mine, and it's a really strong vibration. I like it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had three different xs and they all vibrate slightly different
Sent from my XT1058 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
eallan said:
I've had three different xs and they all vibrate slightly different
Sent from my XT1058 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah i'm on my third, too. the first two had minor issues besides the vibration. the vibration was different on all 3, and seemed to get worse as i went along. looking back, i should have not nitpicked and just kept the first because it was nice and tight--none of this loud and rattley/loose nonsense that i have on the latest one, but hindsight is 20/20 i guess. 2 gsm dev editions and then an at&t that i have now, in case anyone's wondering. i saved over $300 getting a used at&t on this latest one.. at least that's how i'm justifying the imperfections this go-around.
So surprised you dont like the screen in comparison with the HTC One. I have both (got a Moto X after the One - which I was besotted with), the Moto X has darker blacks and deeper colours, I easily prefer it over the One. The one looks washed out in comparison - which I was really surprised about as I love the One screen.
Irky things
I have the VZW DEV edition. For the most part everything works great. I have issues where Music from Google Play over my blue tooth head set gets choppy when I'm active (walking, or moving about). My dialer quit suggest contact names when I'm dialing a number and telling me who's calling on incoming calls from contacts. It doesn't recognize my Motorola docks and if I have daydreamer mode set to run when connected to a charger or dock, it doesn't. I'm pretty disappointed with my $650 phone since my Bionic worked great in all these areas.
ranlil said:
I have the VZW DEV edition. For the most part everything works great. I have issues where Music from Google Play over my blue tooth head set gets choppy when I'm active (walking, or moving about). My dialer quit suggest contact names when I'm dialing a number and telling me who's calling on incoming calls from contacts. It doesn't recognize my Motorola docks and if I have daydreamer mode set to run when connected to a charger or dock, it doesn't. I'm pretty disappointed with my $650 phone since my Bionic worked great in all these areas.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it doesn't sound like it, but if you think these are manufacturing issues with your particular phone, i've found that motorola customer service has no problem issuing a RMA for you.. i think you could do this anyway as long as it's within the window. their customer service people are a joke with trying to evaluate and fix the issue but they did refund my two GSM dev editions (one with bootloader unlocked). you could always try another one, and even return that and get back on the bionic until something else pops up. why they won't do straight up exchanges i have no idea. they lost my money when i bought a used AT&T the third time around.
however, for all its issues, this is probably my favorite phone ever.
To me the MotoX would be my only option if I went Android.
Main reasons:
- I really appreciate one-handed operation : The MotoX is just a little bit bigger than an iPhone 5 while having a much bigger screen. That makes it easy to reach both the top and bottom of the screen without having to shift my hand around every time to do so.
- The MotoX brought about a new, long-term, game changing feature (Always On Assistant) : It's not easy to bring about a Star Trek like feature which is actually really useful without killing the battery life. Motorola was the only phone to be able to accomplish this. Before the MotoX everyone thought that an always listening voice assistant would kill the battery life. This feature (along with TouchID on the 5s) are not given enough credit for their long term impact on the smartphone realm.
- Motorola was finally the first Android manufacturer to stop being whores to the spec war games : So many times I see android manufacturers cram in whatever specs they can to cater to the stat geeks, without any real thought as to what is actually needed. Motorola was finally the first to stop and ask "Hey, is a 1080p screen really needed over a 720p screen when the non-ocd consumer can't tell the difference anyways? All it really does is kill battery life!"
- I love the fact that the MotoX is assembled in the U.S. : The fact that Motorola took the profit hit to bring assembling jobs to America is a huge plus in my opinion. They could have simply lined their pockets further by having it assembled in China or wherever but they didn't. By doing this they also ensured that American customers would get a quick delivery when ordering online. A company that is willing to forgo extra profits in order to help the U.S. economy gets an A+ in my book.
- Near stock version of android : The skins that LG, HTC, and Samsung throw on their phones are cluttered and disgusting IMO. Not only that but having a manufacturers skin cluttered all over your handset makes it that much harder for them to put it on newer versions of android that come in the future. With the MotoX having a near stock version of android you know that the phone you are getting is clean but will also get future updates much quicker than other skinned handsets would.
- Active notifications look awesome : Instead of a random blinking LED (which is not always present on other handsets anyways) you get active notifications which only come up when the phone senses you are looking at it. Why doesn't everyone have this?
Other, more minor reasons:
- I like that Motorola gives the consumer choices : Even though I would get an all black version (with the back being woven), I still appreciate that Motorola would be the first android manufacturer to give the customer a real choice on colors.
- I really like Moto Skip : Being able to skip past my lock screen is a really convenient time saving feature when you have a long, secure password which I also really appreciate on the 5s with touch ID.
Sounds like a decent chunk of you guys had an HTC one before the x.... Why did you make the jump? Im contemplating that very move (currently have a one)
Moto X only looks like pure android. I'm willing to bet that they have made tons of changes under the hood. This is why this phone may never get advice development. Good thing it's heavily optimized. Makes me wonder if it will be a 2 year phone.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
eallan said:
I've had three different xs and they all vibrate slightly different
Sent from my XT1058 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
indeed. whatever happened to 'building the x in the usa means fixing production issues much quicker.'
I only miss root for two things:
1) center clock
2) greenify
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk
DertyDOH said:
personally I like the vibration because it's easy for me to feel it on vibrate while I'm at work. And the screen looks just the same as the S4 I had to me, but some notice screens more than me. I agree with active notifications and all, and I love the twist motion to launch the camera. Only thing I don't like is how locked down it is. (Verizon). And the camera isn't great, so far I don't find the update to have helped too much
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you actually use the twist-motion for the camera often? Or do you find it too clunky, like what people were saying in comments when the feature was announced?
meant2live218 said:
Do you actually use the twist-motion for the camera often? Or do you find it too clunky, like what people were saying in comments when the feature was announced?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually use it every time I launch the camera. Also I take a lot of pics while driving (bad habit yes), but I go past a classic car lot frequently and take pics sometimes of a new 60's muscle car they might have. I would hate going back to anything else
meant2live218 said:
Do you actually use the twist-motion for the camera often? Or do you find it too clunky, like what people were saying in comments when the feature was announced?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I only use it to show it off. Every time I have had to snap a pic I forget it's there.....
Sent from my Moto X
droe411 said:
I only use it to show it off. Every time I have had to snap a pic I forget it's there.....
Sent from my Moto X
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm the complete opposite. I even use the twist gesture as a quick way to get into my camera gallery.
I've had a problem that's made me lose some great pics of my daughter. Sometimes when I activate using the twist motion, snap a pic, then go to look at it later, it's not in gallery. I've replicated it a few times. Stock and newest update. Not sure what the deal is there.
All in all: amazing phone. Love it.
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk
Just want to share with anybody thinking on making the swap. I was getting tired of the 'lack' of development on the AT&T Note 3 due to the locked bootloader, so I decide to give the M8 a 14 days ride (AT&T time to return a device). After 14 days, I had to return the device and have to say that the Note 3 still much better than the M8 and developing is not enough to make you ditch the Note 3 for the M8.
Things I could not tolerate on the M8 :
* On screen buttons, with the on screen buttons the display basically becomes a 4.7' display, and that empty space where the htc logo is was just driving me crazy. I tried using different apps and mods to hide the buttons or reduce the size but still it was not natural.
* The camera... wow it does sucks, you have to tinker too much with the settings and exposure/focus to get a decent picture every time, and don't even dare to watch you photos in a big computer screen, you will be more disappointed.
*The notification led is to small that it defeats its purpose.
*The aluminum body scratches way to easy.
I thought about it. Thanks for this post.
odd
you should have tried GPE (Google Playstore Edition) M8.
I mean. At least HTC has that option. Unlike GN3.
eortizr said:
Just want to share with anybody thinking on making the swap. I was getting tired of the 'lack' of development on the AT&T Note 3 due to the locked bootloader, so I decide to give the M8 a 14 days ride (AT&T time to return a device). After 14 days, I had to return the device and have to say that the Note 3 still much better than the M8 and developing is not enough to make you ditch the Note 3 for the M8.
Things I could not tolerate on the M8 :
* On screen buttons, with the on screen buttons the display basically becomes a 4.7' display, and that empty space where the htc logo is was just driving me crazy. I tried using different apps and mods to hide the buttons or reduce the size but still it was not natural.
* The camera... wow it does sucks, you have to tinker too much with the settings and exposure/focus to get a decent picture every time, and don't even dare to watch you photos in a big computer screen, you will be more disappointed.
*The notification led is to small that it defeats its purpose.
*The aluminum body scratches way to easy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all, you're listing opinions as a reason why not to get the M8. You didn't NEED to return your device, you WANTED to. BECAUSE YOU don't think the increased development is worth it [to you]. On-screen buttons: all preference like you stated. Not everybody has an issue with that and it certainly isn't a reason to tell someone not to get the phone. The camera is great in certain conditions, just like the Note 3. Neither of them are top-shelf to make one better than the other. Both have their ups and downs and balance themselves almost equally. Notification LED is another opinion. Aluminum body is another opinion.
All-in-all, BOTH phones are great and have their ups and downs. It comes down to preference. For me, the on-screen buttons is the main reason I haven't even tried it out. That waste-of-space HTC logo is simply obnoxious and unnecessary. I don't think it was a smart idea building the phone that way.
Camera... in low-light conditions and other scenarios you can produce/capture amazing pictures. Same goes for the Note 3. It's all about the conditions and what hardware/software you have in place for those conditions. Calling one better than the other would be silly. We can get into why Apple is better than Microsoft if you want to go that route (I hate them both, personally).
Anyway, you can't tell people what they're going to like and dislike. Well, you can, but you're going to get messages like this. To build a legitimate statement, comparison, etc... you'd have to do a lot more research than you're going to be willing to do.
Maybe keep this in mind: You're not going to like something just because I like it. I'm not going to dislike something just because you dislike it.
If anything, I think you should've at least compared the two.
As stated, opinions on all counts. Bearing that in mind, I see this no differently than a "Best ROM" thread that leaves you open to heckling and trolling. As such this thread is closed.
A decent, detailed comparison of specs vs usability would have been the way to go.
CONGRATS on your purchase,
I know a lot of us have already received our devices, and some haven't. If you have received your new phone, post your first impressions. After using the device some, also post what little tricks you may have found, what you have fell in love with and what you dislike or absolutely hate. Also, what was your previous phone and are you enjoying your upgrade? I'll start by saying first impression is I love the size and screen. Real quick thing I do absolutely hate is Bixby. Tried it out a few times from the button, sucked. And the image recognition got me a little excited, but disappointed. I must also add, the face recognition is amazingly fast.
I use only FACE RECOGNITION - it is very fast, works 99% and I don't think one will steal, shoot a photo, print it... and so on.
It is the fastest and easy way to unlock the phone, I was wearing a hoodie and it worked very very well.
I am not the NSA, so face recognition is enough for me and I am happy that it is as fast as it is...
lienot
My Initial Thoughts
I received my Orchid Gray 64GB T-Mobile device yesterday around 5 PM EST. I have had a few hours to mess around with the device as a result. Here are my first impressions:
1. The screen is absolutely gorgeous. Samsung really hit it out of the park with this one. The images are clear, crisp, vibrant, and with absolutely zero pixels to the naked eye. This holds true even when the device is held close to the face. With that being said.... there are definitely some app and media content compatibility issues. Samsung tries to alleviate this with some built in cropping and optimization from the software side of things, but it just can't hide the fact that the content has quite caught up with the hardware. That is on the development community, though, and not Samsung.
2. Biometrics are the way to go when it comes to logging into and working your way through this device. The iris scanner isn't perfect, but, it is absolutely light years ahead of the tech that we had a taste of in the Note 7. The iris scanner ALMOST feels like a feature at this point, rather than a gimmick. With that being said. The fingerprint scanner is total weak sauce. This doesn't so much have anything to do with the actual location as it does the accuracy ratio of the scanner itself. I have long and thin fingers which make the placement of the fingerprint scanner a nonissue for me. To each their own. I would say that the accuracy is more a constant miss than a hit. I find myself using a combination of smart lock and the iris scanner with a pin to keep me going and it works well for me. I have not tried the facial recognition yet.
3. The device is blisteringly fast. There isn't any argument to be had here. Everything flies from web page scrolling to scrolling through the Playstore to loading apps from memory. No management issues yet that I have been able to spot. The only limitations are those of your data connection. The Snapdragon 835 is a thing of beauty.
4. The actual hardware absolutely oozes quality from the orchid color to the excess of gorilla glass and metal. The device is thin but not flimsy and big but not too heavy. Home run as per usual.
5. I am still working through battery life. I know it takes a few days for your software to settle so i'll report back at a later point with an update. Thus far, though, it is AT LEAST no worse than my Pixel XL. It might be a bit better but it is too early to tell. With that being said. The Pixel XL has faster fast charging. This sucker takes a bit to charge up. Not as long as it could take, but there is faster on the market.
6. My final point and my biggest issue with the device is primarily software. Whereas I felt that Samsung had finally reached a place of beauty with the final Marshmallow builds on the S7 Edge. The Nougat Touchwiz, or Grace, or whatever it is called these days feels like a bit of a step back. The software hasn't reached that point of optimization that the Pixel XL has nor even the level that the S7 Edge had. It feels more like the early Grace UX on the Note 7. There are scaling issues. The menus aren't always arranged in the best way. There is some scrolling jank in terms of the actual Android menus and whatnot. I feel that it probably has to do with an experience that wasn't quite optimized for such a unique screen, yet. I am hoping this will improve over time. I won't really hold it against Samsung. I mean, perhaps I am just spoiled after having been a Pixel XL user from the beginning but I won't say it necessarily works in their benefit yet, either. The S7 Edge felt polished. This experience still feels like a work in progress. Of course.....as of 420/17 we haven't even had a day one patch yet since day one is tomorrow...so......to be continued.
Feel free to ask me any questions if there is something I have missed. I feel like there is a lot I have left unstated.
EDIT: One additional thought. S7 Edge era standing wireless charging cradles are not completely compatible with the 8+ I have one and have tried it. The wireless charging cycles between connect and disconnect because the device is too tall for the cradle. The hardware inside as a result sits just at the edge of the top of the cradle and provides an inconsistent connection. This can be alleviated by sitting the device on the cradle sideways...but who wants to do that? Lol!
First impression...I no like it so much.
After playing with it all night tho, I like it. I got the 64gb s8+ and it's a lil tall but I think I'll grow into it. The fingerprint scanner that everyone is making such a huge deal about is in a great spot for me. When I go to pull it out of my pocket my finger falls right there and it's unlocked B4 I even look at the screen. The audio out of the akg headphones is great and it's even better in my car. Battery life, well, it's at 71% now and it's been on since about 7pm yesterday (10:49am now) and that's with heavy use. My only real gripe with it so far is I want to remap the bixby button to launch the camera. I think that would be perfect...Hope you guys are having fun with your new toys like I am
I've found it to be pretty snappy! I love the iris scanning, it works even with my glasses on. It is actually really easy to use one handed, with a rare supporting off hand assist.
The screen is of course impressive.
I've had 3 occasions where I needed to reboot the device because either an app refused to load. Play Store once, setting TW as my launcher (I was using Nova on my S7E so after smart switch when I pressed the home key it asked which launcher to set as default) and then trying to enable "Ok Google" where it didn't hear me. As an early adopter, I expect that there may be possible hiccups.
Not crazy about lock screen music player...Wish there were other options for that... Seems like I have to make sure I'm hitting exactly in the right spot to skip songs.
Becomes a bit of a annoyance when having to hit the button repeatedly to switch a song...
I'm currently at work and I have 4 bar signal while in the basement. My Note 7, S7, LG V20 got 2-3 or no bars. I'm extremely happy due to this. More to follow and im glad i got it.
took forever for Iris scanner to register my iris properly
Its a great phone overeall.
Fast and great looking screen. Feels really good in the hand.
I got the s8 plus and im able to access everything on the phone.
The fingerprint sensor works. I can have the phone in my right hand and press the power with my thumb and finger on the sensor.
The home key took a bit to get use to. I wasnt pushing on it like i should.
Gui/OS has some nice changes, that makes things faster or easier to do.
Bixiy isnt useful at all. Maybe once its update it will work better. But on a sids note i havent Accidentally hit the button. So thats good.
The obly complain i would have a bout the phone that some apps dont fit full screen. You can force them but then the sides get cut off.
I know its an Aspect rataio that should be fix in updates of those apps.
And ill have to test but i think the speaker is lower volume then the s7e. But not sure yet.
buttsak said:
First impression...I no like it so much.
After playing with it all night tho, I like it. I got the 64gb s8+ and it's a lil tall but I think I'll grow into it. The fingerprint scanner that everyone is making such a huge deal about is in a great spot for me. When I go to pull it out of my pocket my finger falls right there and it's unlocked B4 I even look at the screen. The audio out of the akg headphones is great and it's even better in my car. Battery life, well, it's at 71% now and it's been on since about 7pm yesterday (10:49am now) and that's with heavy use. My only real gripe with it so far is I want to remap the bixby button to launch the camera. I think that would be perfect...Hope you guys are having fun with your new toys like I am
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't updated it yet, so I was stil able to use the "All in one Gesture" app that was discussed on XDA before official release.
My second day impressions are pretty much spot on with @TheAnarchist1. This is hands-down the snappiest phone I have ever used. The screen is brilliant, and this version of Touchwiz is (finally) excellent. I've seen lot of features that the other launchers have had for years. I usually install Nova immediately, but this time I'm rolling with stock. I also was able to remap the Bixby button to Google Assistant with no problem.
My only issue (so far) is with the always-on screen. I've had two pocket dials and responded to a text with gibberish while the device was in my front pocket. Clearly, that's not going to work. I'll probably have to turn it off.
Just got mine going.
Design is pretty good, however, I think personally I would have preferred they stick with the sharper corners from the Note 7 and less rounded screen like the Note 7. Basically make the Note 7 but with smaller top and bottom bezels and this screen size. This is fine though, here's to hoping for the Note 8.
Obviously the fingerprint sensor on the back. Would have been exceptional for the fingerprint sensor to be built into the screen as rumored, but I don't particularly think this placement is much worse than any other fingerprint sensor that is on the back of the phone. I've mapped fingers from both hands, and when two handed, I find my left pointer rests on the sensor so it is kinda nice in some regard. I use smart location and bluetooth device unlocks a lot, so I avoid unlocking for the most part, at home, in vehicle, running with headphones, etc... Iris scanner is very useful, most of the time, but it can be awkward. Haven't tried facial recognition.
I see SIGNIFICANT improvement to Touchwiz and now they finally get at least some customization options. I'm trying to make it work, but a couple hours in, I'm already itching to switch back to Nova launcher. Small little peeves, but overall, it finally looks good, and has enough customization that I don't think the Samsung launcher is too bad. I really wish they would stop loading messengers for Verizon and Samsung, to which Samsung's is un-disable-able. Samsung makes special customization and actions for theirs, but I still don't want to use a manufactures messenger. Google brand for me.
1. So far, I'm amazed how well the iris scanner works and it is totally a fingerprint substitution. The battery life is simply amazing imo, I'm using it to the phone quite frequently in fact I have been browsing the web and using all sorts of social media the past hour. I should say I've only dropped about 8%, I'm genuinely pleased.
2. Performance is snappy, I haven't come across "real" lag (arbitrary statement). Coming from a note 4, TouchWiz has greatly been optimized and made much smoother.
3. 4gs of ram sounds like a little in 2017 but it's holding up like a champ!
4. So far I'm just in awe how great this phone is just to hold. I was scared the s8+ would be too big, but it fits perfect in the hand and is comfortable to use.
I can update this post as time goes by, but so far I only have a few gripes and some are not of the phone itself but the software:
1. I was upset when I was forced to go from the Note 7 back to the S7 edge due to the battery issues ( Twice! ) and was upset again when the s7 did not have the option of showing your calendar events listed on the Always On screen and instead just had the full month calendar. Eventually it was updated and gained that capability, but now, the S8 is the same way! I am an attorney and always have somewhere to be or someone coming by so it was nice just to look at my phone and know what was coming up without having to unlock it to check my calendar. Not a biggie, just annoying that a new phone is without that option.
2. The screen ration thing does look annoying sometimes. You can just tell that you have this big beautiful screen but almost everytime you turn it landscape there are black bars and your apps look the exact same as on the previous phone. Like I said, this is just the software thing and hopefully apps will catch up and start utilizing the larger screen more.
Otherwise, love the screen, love the speed. Wanted to stick with TouchWiz but I have a thing about the bottom of the screen not being available and the limitations of the 5x5 setup so I went back to Solo Launcher where I can hide the notification panel and dock at the bottom which makes this big screen look even bigger! More native customization of the home screen closer to home replacements such as that is what Touchwiz has been missing for a long time.
My initial impressions on my S8+:
1. It's incredibly fast. Snappier than any Samsung phone I've ever had or would ever expect them to produce. Loading time doesn't even exist for most apps, and the various animations seem much better than their older phones - the phone's performance reminds me more of the One plus 3T than an S7.
2. Battery life is really impressive. It looks like it might have the best battery life of any phone I've ever owned, which is particularly impressive considering it's a bigger screen and a smaller battery than the S7E.
3. The fingerprint scanner placement isn't quite as bad as people would lead you to believe. I haven't accidentally touched my camera lens once. However, it is a not too high up on the phone, which leads me to only touching it with half my finger, leading to it not unlocking. If they had located the entire set up a little lower on the device, it would've been fine.
4. The S8+ is a little too tall for my liking. It's practically impossible to reach the top opposite corner when using it with one hand. Obviously, activating one handed mode is one solution, but I really hope with flagships switching to 18:9 ratios, developers start moving any and all buttons to the lower half of their apps.
First impression, absolutely fabulous phone. Why ist the small cores maximum freq disabled?
Other than AT&T sent me the wrong color (You had one job...) I LOVE the phone. Coming from a Nexus 6P this thing is INSANE.
TheAnarchist1 said:
This can be alleviated by sitting the device on the cradle sideways...but who wants to do that? Lol!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got a chuckle from that because someone asked me in another thread if the charger would work with the phone in landscape position. BTW, nice review.
Just set it up. My only gripe is so far is I wish Samsung used Google version of restore data. I connected it to my Pixel and it copied everything but data. I guess the app wasn't able to do it. So having to manually download all my apps sucked.
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 V60 ThinQ, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the LG V60 ThinQ is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
Count me in as very happy
I just moved over from the s20 ultra. I'm a big fan of larger phones. That phone though had all kinds of issues..the camera couldn't focus. It was aggravating.
My last LG phone was my beloved LG G2. I used that phone for many years.
I jumped in on T-Mobile BOGO offer. So glad I did.... I love this phone.
Works great, it's fast, battery lasts all day. I particularly like how it integrates the IoT devices in my house. Samsung devices is actually extremely clunky. You have to into repetitive menus to get to a device. This is very intuitative.
I use the dual screen as more of an occasional thing at home. Don't like the adapter to charge it but oh well...mainly use the V60 as a stand alone device.
Count me as a headphone jack promoter. I have Bluetooth headphones but sometimes I'm at a place and I don't have them. Being able to plug in any old pair of headphones was vital to me. I went without for the newer Samsung and it really bugged me. The cost for manufacturers is really low to keep it.
Camera is great for everyday life needs. Samsung has a documented issue that's been around since my s9+ days where it would only text a shorter video clip. Why? I don't know. It was nice to be able to send video clips of my son to family and the video length stays the same.
Very happy with the device and hoping to be using it for many years ahead before the next upgrade.
I've posted a variation of this in a few different topics already, but here goes.
I've upgraded from a rooted open-market LG V30+ (attached to AT&T) to the AT&T variant of the LG V60 5G ThinQ (and got the dual-screen attachment separately as a "freebie").
Other than the lower screen resolution and DPI, I find the phone to be an upgrade in pretty much all categories, ranging from moderate to significant depending on category.
And I don't even mind the screen so much. It means that we get BEASTLY battery levels. Perhaps even overkill (but can you really have too much battery life, though)?
I never liked LG software, so even without root, I was able to use ADB commands to re-establish my preferred V30+ software/desktop home environment without too much hassle.
Namely, I use Nova Launcher Prime as my preferred launcher, Whicons as my icon pack, Fluid Simulation - Trippy Stress Reliever for a pure black OLED-friendly home screen and lock screen background (plus brief, lovely splashes of bright fluid-like colors upon screen wake-up or with screen touches and taps), Fluid Navigation Gestures to replace mostly replace Nova's gestures and totally replace stock Android 10's navigation gestures, and Energy Bar to provide a line with variable heights across my status bar informing me of battery levels (can use color gradations for every 25% block, or in my case, a pure white line across the top of the screen). FNG required setting a special permission via ADB to be able to hide the navigation bar. First time doing that (since all of my prior phones were rooted), but it wasn't too tough to learn and implement. Yes, I wind up with mostly pure black and white home screen and lock screen, but Fluid Simulation provides beautiful splashes of color at just the right times. Energy Bar is a little imperfect thanks to this phone's front-camera notch bisecting the bar. Not much I can do about that, though.
I like the screen well enough. I love the expandable storage. I love the Quad DAC. Even the stereo speakers when not using headphones are better than what you'd get on most other phones, high-end or not. And screen specs-aside, this is a premium flagship phone all the way. AT&T even bumped us from the February 2020 security patch the phone launched with to the April 2020 security patch around a week or so ago, a surprisingly timely update for an LG phone. I almost couldn't be happier with this device. And even if root never happens and this becomes my first ever Android phone to not get rooted, I don't think I'd be terribly disappointed. Not when you consider how happy I already am with the phone.
The only thing that wound up being a total bust is the dual-screen accessory. Not being able to span Nova Launcher, Fluid Navigation Gestures, and my Fluid Simulation background to the second screen is a total deal-breaker. That one is stuck with LG's crap-ass default software, and I don't see any way to change that. And even if I could mirror my device's software environment over to the second screen, the ergonomics of the dual-screen's case makes typing on the primary device in portrait mode almost physically impossible unless you set it down on a table or something and use your pointer fingers to type. Neat idea. Heavily flawed execution. I'm happy, at least, that the attachment didn't come with a second out-of-pocket cost.
TLDR: Love the phone. Happy enough with the screen. Colors pop. Viewing angles feel infinite. Audio continues to be a stand-out. And it meets and exceeds my two deal-breaker smartphone requirements, a 3.5MM headphone jack (Quad DAC is just extra gravy) and expandable storage.
I've had the phone for about 3 or 4 days and I'm enjoying the dual screens (I'm an Uber driver) and the remarkably good sound. Not a fan of the fingerprint sensor as I've noticed that sometimes it doesn't always work. I don't mind the Nova Launcher issue at the moment as the built in Whale Homescreen is still better than Quickstep (hear that Google) in dual screen mode. I love the fact it does have a headphone jack, good bluetooth capability and 4G/5G coverage in areas where the old PH-1 would give me the middle finger of connections. I did NOT choose this phone for the screen refresh rate, as I'm a user who doesn't game much with the phone and don't need the higher refresh rates. I chose it for the dual screen aspect which is clear and good quality on both screens, which is most satisfactory and the best thing since the rather revolutionary G2 Flex that LG has come up with short of a foldable full screen phone.
I have yet to try the camera out, (will miss the Essential's 360 camera), so the jury's still out on quality.
The audio is crisp, clear and very good with the speakers. I've not tried the vocal bokeh yet, but I suspect it will work well.
Overall I'm impressed with this lower end Flagship phone and the case, it does everything I want it to. Oh and the bloatware level with T-mobile and LG is astoundingly low, a shocker indeed. I'll follow up as I use the phone, but over all, LG made a phone that is both a step forward and back on smartphone evolution.
This is Xiaomi-like type of phone... It can be superb, but not straight out the box...
I have had the phone for 3 days now. I really like it. It's snappy. For a 1080p screen. I'm impressed. The speakers are great. Camera is really good. I really recommend getting the wide screen for g8x app. Really adds usefulness for the dual screen. All and all. Really good phone. Hope LG keeps software update come out more frequently.
WildGee said:
This is Xiaomi-like type of phone... It can be superb, but not straight out the box...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What recommendations do you have to make this phone "superb?" I'm happy with it so far (just got it yesterday) but any ideas to make it even better I'm all ears.
lendawg said:
What recommendations do you have to make this phone "superb?" I'm happy with it so far (just got it yesterday) but any ideas to make it even better I'm all ears.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all, WideMode app is must have to use full potential of Dual Screen. Secondly, file manager from Google does the job, especially there is no proper manager in default - it have powerful cleaning features and what is more - I'ts from Google - no ads and more safety than 3rd party solutions. I'm testing varius Gcam distros, due to terrible software post processing, even in raw photos (UltraCVM is best so far - made for Mi 9T with 64mpx matrix). Then i've changed everything to darkest theme / dark wallpapers, and turned off AoD to protect OLED from burn (V30 case...).
I've had this phone for about a month now and have mixed opinions on it. My favorite phone to date is the V20. I knew I was giving up a lot that I wanted when moving to the V60, but had hoped the other improvements would offset it. When I first set the phone up, I hated it. SOOOOO many features I lost from the V20 that I missed more than expected, and general design changes I dislike.
The phone has grown on me and I'm keeping it. Some things I adapted to, others I can't (this thing is way too tall for one handed use), but I guess it's the least bad phone on the market today. The V20 really spoiled me, so it's a love/hate relationship with the V60.
Mr_Mooncatt said:
I've had this phone for about a month now and have mixed opinions on it. My favorite phone to date is the V20. I knew I was giving up a lot that I wanted when moving to the V60, but had hoped the other improvements would offset it. When I first set the phone up, I hated it. SOOOOO many features I lost from the V20 that I missed more than expected, and general design changes I dislike.
The phone has grown on me and I'm keeping it. Some things I adapted to, others I can't (this thing is way too tall for one handed use), but I guess it's the least bad phone on the market today. The V20 really spoiled me, so it's a love/hate relationship with the V60.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Besides the 2nd screen, what did you lose? I had a V20 but it's been so long I don't remember what I'm missing ?
Ryano89 said:
Besides the 2nd screen, what did you lose? I had a V20 but it's been so long I don't remember what I'm missing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's my initial reaction list that I posted over on Android Central:
1. It's tall. Really tall. As in I can't reach the top 25% of the screen with one handed use. I'd much rather it have a bezel to house the camera, sensors, and a killer speaker, if not just be shorter all together.
2. Speaking of bezels, it needs one on the bottom too. I have to strain to reach the navigation buttons with one hand use, and constantly typing a row above where I intended on the keyboard. I know i can use gesture navigation, but that has its own drawbacks. A bezel would allow for better one hand use, plus give room to turn that bottom firing speaker up to front firing and better sound. The bottom bezel on the V20 was perfect.
3. It's not the slickest phone I've held, but still slippery. The back glass also feels more like plastic than glass, which I actually like.
4. The flashlight is rather dim compared to other phones.
5. The stock gallery doesn't seem to allow you to sort albums by name, only by date modified. If anyone knows if that's fixable, I'd love to know. Otherwise I'm switching to a third party gallery that is almost a direct clone of the V20's gallery.
6. Could they have cut the side protective film into any more pieces???
7. Anyone that thinks you need above 1080p on a phone display is just blowing smoke. It's the sweet spot on a phone, but the option for 90Hz refresh would've been nice to have (120Hz is not noticably better than 90Hz).
8. I thought i would like what looked like fine tuning of the display color calibration, but I barely saw any differences when making changes.
9. Tons of junk to disable/delete.
10. I can already tell battery life is good, even with all the extra setup going on. Just sucks that it's sealed.
Not on that list is that the screen is not LCD (so now worried about burn in), and removal of proprietary LG apps. I loved Q-slide with the floating applets, their own dialer app, and their files app. Google's dialer doesn't allow blocking phone numbers by area code. Mine is based in a location I no longer live in or have contact with, yet all my spam calls use that area code. Blocking by that was more effective than any filter app. The files app is just too "busy" for me.
Mr_Mooncatt said:
Here's my initial reaction list that I posted over on Android Central:
1. It's tall. Really tall. As in I can't reach the top 25% of the screen with one handed use. I'd much rather it have a bezel to house the camera, sensors, and a killer speaker, if not just be shorter all together.
2. Speaking of bezels, it needs one on the bottom too. I have to strain to reach the navigation buttons with one hand use, and constantly typing a row above where I intended on the keyboard. I know i can use gesture navigation, but that has its own drawbacks. A bezel would allow for better one hand use, plus give room to turn that bottom firing speaker up to front firing and better sound. The bottom bezel on the V20 was perfect.
3. It's not the slickest phone I've held, but still slippery. The back glass also feels more like plastic than glass, which I actually like.
4. The flashlight is rather dim compared to other phones.
5. The stock gallery doesn't seem to allow you to sort albums by name, only by date modified. If anyone knows if that's fixable, I'd love to know. Otherwise I'm switching to a third party gallery that is almost a direct clone of the V20's gallery.
6. Could they have cut the side protective film into any more pieces???
7. Anyone that thinks you need above 1080p on a phone display is just blowing smoke. It's the sweet spot on a phone, but the option for 90Hz refresh would've been nice to have (120Hz is not noticably better than 90Hz).
8. I thought i would like what looked like fine tuning of the display color calibration, but I barely saw any differences when making changes.
9. Tons of junk to disable/delete.
10. I can already tell battery life is good, even with all the extra setup going on. Just sucks that it's sealed.
Not on that list is that the screen is not LCD (so now worried about burn in), and removal of proprietary LG apps. I loved Q-slide with the floating applets, their own dialer app, and their files app. Google's dialer doesn't allow blocking phone numbers by area code. Mine is based in a location I no longer live in or have contact with, yet all my spam calls use that area code. Blocking by that was more effective than any filter app. The files app is just too "busy" for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as being slick.. welcome to 2020 everyone has apparently decided that a slippery glass phone is the law now. Lol
5. Gallery app.. I can create an album and name it whatever I want. Is that what you mean?
7. Agree about 90hz
9. Agree about all the preloaded crap
10. Battery life is stellar. A sealed battery is only going to be an issue after 3-4 years so I'm not worried about that one
Other... My LG V60 does NOT have the Google dialer, it's most definitely LG's, at least on the T-Mobile variant
QSlide... I hear ya.. I got the floating bar from apk mirror, but I miss QSlide
LCD screen.. I don't miss it, it was the worst thing about the V20.. the only area that might have to worry about burn in is the navigation keys, bit I don't use them. The amoled screens are significantly better IMO
Dam you Mooncatt I had forgotten about QSlide!! ??
Ryano89 said:
As far as being slick.. welcome to 2020 everyone has apparently decided that a slippery glass phone is the law now. Lol
5. Gallery app.. I can create an album and name it whatever I want. Is that what you mean?
7. Agree about 90hz
9. Agree about all the preloaded crap
10. Battery life is stellar. A sealed battery is only going to be an issue after 3-4 years so I'm not worried about that one
Other... My LG V60 does NOT have the Google dialer, it's most definitely LG's, at least on the T-Mobile variant
QSlide... I hear ya.. I got the floating bar from apk mirror, but I miss QSlide
LCD screen.. I don't miss it, it was the worst thing about the V20.. the only area that might have to worry about burn in is the navigation keys, bit I don't use them. The amoled screens are significantly better IMO
Dam you Mooncatt I had forgotten about QSlide!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I go to the dialer app info, then click on app details, it links right to "Phone" from Google in the Play store. My first taste of it was on the Razer Phone 2 I used briefly, which is where I found the lack of area code blocking. While I know the V20 had the image retention issue, that was specific to that model phone. LCD's in general are fine, and preferable when it comes to something like a phone with a lot of static displays. If having pitch perfect blacks is really that much of an issue, I guess they could do like tv's and have an LED array for localized back lighting. Something else I forgot to mention about the V60 is there's a fair bit of color shift when viewing at an angle.
I've uploaded a screenshot of the stock gallery app on mine showing the option to sort only by date and not alphabetically.
Fyi, I'm on Verizon, which may explain the differences between ours.
Mr_Mooncatt said:
When I go to the dialer app info, then click on app details, it links right to "Phone" from Google in the Play store. My first taste of it was on the Razer Phone 2 I used briefly, which is where I found the lack of area code blocking. While I know the V20 had the image retention issue, that was specific to that model phone. LCD's in general are fine, and preferable when it comes to something like a phone with a lot of static displays. If having pitch perfect blacks is really that much of an issue, I guess they could do like tv's and have an LED array for localized back lighting. Something else I forgot to mention about the V60 is there's a fair bit of color shift when viewing at an angle.
I've uploaded a screenshot of the stock gallery app on mine showing the option to sort only by date and not alphabetically.
Fyi, I'm on Verizon, which may explain the differences between ours.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My dialer info.. is this different than yours? I know I don't have the Google dialer because that's the one I have in my 6t, and this is definitely not it. I'm curious if Verizon changed that
Ryano89 said:
My dialer info.. is this different than yours? I know I don't have the Google dialer because that's the one I have in my 6t, and this is definitely not it. I'm curious if Verizon changed that
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oops forgot the screenshot
Ryano89 said:
My dialer info.. is this different than yours? I know I don't have the Google dialer because that's the one I have in my 6t, and this is definitely not it. I'm curious if Verizon changed that
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is what I get for mine.
Mr_Mooncatt said:
This is what I get for mine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep.. that's the Google dialer alright.. I used to have Verizon and they were always making weird changes. I don't mind that dialer... But it's weird that we don't have the same one
Ok, I'm a dunce. I checked and found the contacts app hidden from my app drawer in Nova. I thought it and the dialer icon both went to the same app but to different tabs within it. I didn't realize it was LG's dialer and had hidden it thinking it was an extra/redundant app icon. I try to keep my app drawer to 2-3 pages and hide a lot of stuff like that.
I'm exactly the opposite. I swore off lg after I had the v20. For me the camera was terrible and battery life was crap and the phone was slow af. When I saw the reviews for this phone I was almost certain this was the phone for me so I asked some questions on here and played with one in store and that sealed the deal. I've had it since yesterday with almost 21 hours off charger I have 2hr 23min screen time and I'm still at 78 percent battery! That is world's apart from my last phone the 7t pro McLaren. The camera is excellent too and the software is actually much better then it used to be. I'm enjoying the ux. If lg keeps up this good work I will stay with them in the future. Oh and did I mention how damn good the phone speakers sound? Like woah! I'm actually excited already to see what they have in store for the v70!
---------- Post added at 11:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:50 PM ----------
Oh and one more thing....I really don't notice the refresh rate is only 60hz and for 1080p this screen is colorful and crisp. Lg hit this one out of the park man this phone is bad ass!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/3ScXXTWfHneSqyUv7
Another reason I love the phone.