Thoughts on Z3 after a couple months of use - Xperia Z3 General

This is the most expensive phone I ever bought and I'm pretty satisfied with it, and also the one I have the least amount of gripes with, but it's not perfect unfortunately. My previous phone was the Galaxy S4 which I absolutely loathed from day one (made me wish I never exchanged my Xperia S for it), and the Z3 was a huge jump in quality compared to it.
Things I like a lot about the phone:
Stereo speakers sound pretty good (and by that I mean you can actually listen to it without wanting to tear your ears off), I actually like to listen to stuff using them, on the S4 and XperiaS the sound quality from speakers was unbearable.
Screen is nice, compared to S4 it's a bit less saturated but it seems much more neutral and accurate, white is actually white and not yellowish like on the S4, but black depth is obviously not absolute, but still pretty good. I think I prefer this screen to the AMOLED on S4 and AMOLEDs in general.
The phone is extremely fast and smooth, I'm a smoothness freak and I couldn't stand how laggy the S4 was.
The waterproofing is nice to have, makes you worry a little less about rain and water spills when using the phone near the shower or stuff like that.
Battery life is great, it lasts 3x what my S4 used to last. I still can't get a full day when I do extra heavy usage with hours of google maps.
Camera is pretty good, I don't know why everyone complains about it, it's not the best on the market but it's still in the top 3 best phone cameras available from waht I can tell. I'm more interested in videos on a phone since I have a decent compact camera, and I think the Z3 makes the best videos.
The phone does not overheat, the S4 was often worryingly hot and it also suffered from CPU throttling that basically cut performance in half.
Things I don't like about the phone:
I had a dead pixel on the first one I bought, brought it back and got it replaced, I examined the replacement for dead pixels and couldn't find any, too bad 2 weeks later I noticed a dead green subpixel but it was too late to exchange it (as it isn't covered by the store's warranty, previous one was replaced under customer satisfaction program). I absolutely hate dead pixels but this one is near the bottom and harder to notice.
The device seems extremely fragile and I am getting paranoid after reading a ton of reports from people who had bent phones, cracked glass, failed waterproofing, and all sorts of other breakage. Right now I have one micro scratch on the front glass that I have no idea how it happened, but it's extremely faint and only viewable in a certain angle, at which the touch grid also becomes visible so it's not really a big deal. Other than that I also found a minor scratch on the power button that is noticeable if you look at it closely.
I don't like the new Lollipop firmware, the colors are especially crappy and there doesn't seem to be any way to customize them properly. I'd like to have dark blue accents but there's no way to do so, and even if I select the blue theme, many accents are orange and I don't like it. I still think the Sony interface was at its best on the XperiaS and the original Z.
The SCR24 cover is absolutely worthless. I really can't find any positive qualities in it other than the fact that it saves the back glass from scratches. A cheap ass cover with cheap glitchy software. Except it costs 40€.
Stock keyboard is very nice and fast but I keep running into a glitch while typing in chrome where the stuff I delete using the backspace key keeps coming back. Another glitch that ruins my workflow is the email app which no longer autocompletes addresses in Lollipop and drives me nuts. Hopefully they'll fix these issues.
It happened twice already, out of nowhere I found my phone pretty much unusable as apps kept crashing all over the place (mostly com.android.phone, "enterprise service" and google play service) and I had to reboot. It happened once on Kitkat and once on Lollipop. On Lollipop I also had a random reboot. Did a factory reset and everything seems fine, but I wonder why these android phones keep having issues after OS updates until you factory reset. I had similar issues with the S4, except much worse (something like 3 reboots per day).
Lollipop multiuser mode is worthless, since gues users can also mess up your phone and access the SD card. There should be a way to limit usage only to certain apps, disable installing of apps, and stuff like that. I miss the baby mode from the S4, which came in handy when I wanted to let my little sis or someone try out my phone without having to worry about them accessing stuff I don't want them to.
Another thing I miss from the S4 is dual app multitasking, it was very limited and slowed the already laggy phone to a crawl, but it was great to play youtube in the background or use WhatsApp while doing something else at the same time. SmallApps are nowhere near as useful.
Soft Keys are awful and they make the screen feel smaller than the one on S4. This is noticeable only in some apps, for example Chrome or certain games that are not optimized to hide soft keys.
Overall I'm satisfied with it but I have major worries the phone will break and sometimes I dust off my S4 when I do something risky such as rollerblading, I can already imagine my Z3 shattering as soon as I fall once (which happens very rarely but is obviously still a risk). Not sure it was worth 565€ but so far it has worked better than any other phone I ever had. The dead pixel is also a cause of minor buyer's remorse every time I notice it.

I'd agree with most of that.
I bought a Ringke Fusion case from Amazon for mine, as the phone is obviously made of the worlds slippiest material! I got a clear one, as I like showing off the copper colour of my Z3. I think the phone may be tougher that it looks. I've dropped mine on a tiled floor, and had it slip off a bathroom shelf into an empty porcelain sink without any damage whatsoever.
I also bought a 9H tempered glass screen protector. Best buy ever. I always thought they were an unnecessary luxury, but it makes the screen a pleasure to touch when compared to a "normal" screen protector. Cuts down on fingerprints too.
I'd invest in a magnetic dock too. Saves wear and tear on the flap for the micro USB, which if it's anything like my original Z, will work loose after a few months.
The couple of things I'd add would be that the camera shutter is too close to the end of the phone, and that the lens itself is too far into the top corner. I keep putting my finger over the lens when I hold it landscape!

warface said:
I'd agree with most of that.
<snip>
I'd invest in a magnetic dock too. Saves wear and tear on the flap for the micro USB, which if it's anything like my original Z, will work loose after a few months.
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Click to collapse
Regards the mentioned flaps, XZ and X3, what are your thoughts on it after some time on them compared with the XZ? Are they designed better and more robust? I've replaced an XZ one before, but it failed already unbeknown to me and it got wet and is dead now. So I'm in the market for a phone...

Related

adhesive loosening on HD2?

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thats how mine is but in the bottom. not a big deal but i did feel it
several people reported the same thing before. screen not flush all the way around. there's no adhesive, the screen slides out of the outer sleeve if you remove the screws in back.
Oh...
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mine does it on the bottom.
it feels like there is a slight gap in between the bottom bezel and the screen.
It's not a problem at all, but it sure is annoying at times.
On the left side of my HD2 the screen is easier to push in at the top and bottom, but it takes a lot of pressure to make it "squeak".
If I had a cosmetic issue, you can bet I would be on a waiting list to get a replacement. The looks on these phones are nearly as important as the performance, IMHO.
oh i deff agree, @op, if you only just got it id be trying to take it back.
Same on mine at the bottom - just barely - if you slightly press between the usb and headphone jack you hear a slight (guess it sounds like) a click and you feel it slightly move. When the usb jack is plugged in it stops Some play and I don't think its worth returning - also don't think it will get worse. Case materials should have been a little more rigid. Think if you get a hard shell case or aluminum skin - when they become available you won't notice it. Talking to other guys with the HTC branded Euro version their build quality is a bit better. Think its pretty much the same with all HTC stuff - their branded models (TYTN TYTN II etc.) were build better than the AT&T versions - they also cost a lot more because they aren't subsidized.
Personally feel the HD2 of all the MS phones with the exception of the HTC TYTN I is the most solid. The Fuze which I just got rid of was probably the worst. The case was ok but the front keypad was pure junk - out of the box the thing felt like it was going to break and it never sat "square" in its opening. The USB ports on all of them were really weak and were super loose out of the box. The slide out keyboards always loosened up and had too much play.
stim141 said:
Personally feel the HD2 of all the MS phones with the exception of the HTC TYTN I is the most solid. The Fuze which I just got rid of was probably the worst. The case was ok but the front keypad was pure junk - out of the box the thing felt like it was going to break and it never sat "square" in its opening. The USB ports on all of them were really weak and were super loose out of the box. The slide out keyboards always loosened up and had too much play.
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Click to collapse
For me, the Touch Pro 2 has top honors when it comes to "feeling" solid. My sister dropped it the other day and cracked the bevel, with a large triangle missing near the volume rocker and three other cracks on the bottom, top and opposite side.
I am encouraging her to return it and claim the insurance, but since there is no change in the quality of the phone's operation, she wants to keep it.
Again, for me, the TP2 seems more solid than the HD2, but the HD2 is very well-built compared to other phones. I am so paranoid about even putting my phone down on a hard surface, due to the sharp edges of the camera mount and the light metal case.
I will be installing my new invisibleSHEILD as soon as sirphunkee and I can make the time to meet somewhere clean (I have a 2yo at home ). I imagine my paranoia will drop a bit then...
I dropped my phone while working out at the gym.
I was on the treadmill, and dropped the phone from my hand to the treadmill belt, then it flew out (i was running pretty fast at speed 7) and ended up hitting the wall behind me. Well, I freaked out and ran over to check on the phone.
Even though I had NO protection, the phone was perfectly fine. Only a tiny scratch that's barely visible on the top left bezel, and everything was fine.
I really was surprised at the sturdiness of the phone.
Snarksneeze said:
For me, the Touch Pro 2 has top honors when it comes to "feeling" solid. My sister dropped it the other day and cracked the bevel, with a large triangle missing near the volume rocker and three other cracks on the bottom, top and opposite side.
I am encouraging her to return it and claim the insurance, but since there is no change in the quality of the phone's operation, she wants to keep it.
Again, for me, the TP2 seems more solid than the HD2, but the HD2 is very well-built compared to other phones. I am so paranoid about even putting my phone down on a hard surface, due to the sharp edges of the camera mount and the light metal case.
I will be installing my new invisibleSHEILD as soon as sirphunkee and I can make the time to meet somewhere clean (I have a 2yo at home ). I imagine my paranoia will drop a bit then...
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Click to collapse
My TP2 fell out of my hand in a parking lot, the thing didn't hit hard, but it left a small scratch on the screen (it was visible, but wasn't too obvious) and then some nicks at the corners of the device. It did look used. I returned it to T-Mo (I was still within 14-day remorse period) and used the money I got back to get an HD2 instead (for some reason I didn't qualify for either the full or the 11 month upgrade price, only 50 bucks discount... now that I think about it, I should have gotten it at full price, also, the day after it arrived (ordered online) T-Mo came out with the 2 for 1 smartphone, but alas, a new line was needed and I had no use for it).
I've dropped my HD2 at least 4 times since and there's not a nick on it. I figure the glass screen helps (as opposed to the TP2's plastic), even if it's a finger print magnet. I also have no problems with the screen or bezel being uneven, even after dropping it, nor have I had any single of the problems people complain about, so, go figure, I got the perfect production HD2.
Whew.... OK. Soooo glad to hear this isnt only my device. Mines is on the bottom. I also dont see it getting any worst and its so minor right now its probably not worth the hassle of returning. I tend to keep the gel case on it anyway..
thrashingdeth said:
thats how mine is but in the bottom. not a big deal but i did feel it
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Click to collapse
x2 same as mines.
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I had an issue with mine creaking, on the bottom. Mainly when I was pressing the start key, or back. Got a replacement and it seems better. For a phone seriously delayed I don't get how the quality is so terrible.
my first hd2 the camera lens started to rattle tmobile replaced it
Tm5078 said:
my first hd2 the camera lens started to rattle tmobile replaced it
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Click to collapse
Was it the camera lens or the casing around the camera?
After watching the tear-down video I could see how the camera casing could be improperly installed and loosen after a bit of handling, but I thought the lens was pretty solid...
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JWang158 said:
Seriously, this phone is turning out to be pretty half baked.
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Click to collapse
I disagree. Not sure if I got lucky or not, but my phone is in perfect condition despite being a month old and spending most of that time in my back pocket.
I've sat on it countless times, dropped it from my hand to the floor twice and dropped it from the car holder to the console in my vehicle so many times I can't count.
The only problem I have is with the SMS freeze, and I've solved 90% of that by keeping my inbox clean. If I have the money for a class 6 microSD card, I'd bet on having solved the other 10% of my problems.
Since upgrading my radio, I don't have any problems with dropped calls, missing texts, loss of 3G or any of the other popular issues that seem to be plaguing the new owners.
Since bad news always travels faster and wider than good news, one simply can't infer from the issues being discussed here that they are the norm. I would suspect a very small percentage of the HD2 owners frequent the forums here, and of those another small percentage are having hardware issues.
I've been through a few of these new phone releases here in the past and from my experience I would say that this is pretty normal for the first few months of a phone's release. In another month or so there will be a firmware upgrade to fix the freezing and icon switching, then a lot of the issues will switch from hardware to software. Soon after that, I expect everyone will be clamoring for the release of a Windows Phone 7 ROM, followed a few months later by a newer, faster phone that everyone will be switching to. A cycle, vicious but almost predictable.

I used to love the X1, but now I have re-accessed my opinion. Here is my new review.

Two out of Five stars. (Amazon Review)
"This phone was a nightmare! I hate it with a passion", May 31, 2010
Here is a review of the Xperia X1. I have owned the X1, HTC Touch Pro2, HTC HD2, Nokia E90, Nokia E72, Nokia N95 and Apple iPhone. Other than the iPhone, I really hate this phone.
1) Build Quality - the plastic on this phone peeled off everywhere! The finishing on this phone is very susceptible to friction. The plastic chrome will peel off. The paint on the metal battery cover will scratch or peel off. The internal housing will crack. It's like the device had an earthquake and cracked itself. I didn't even sit on the device or drop it on anything. There is no way to prevent the plastic from cracking and peeling. All of this happened within 6 months.
The keyboard will also loose sensitivity. Over time, you will have to press on the keys harder and harder when you want to type something. The keyboard will only satisfy you for a year. And on top of that, the keyboard sucks. Don't even think about speed typing on this bad boy.
2) Efficiency - the phone is very inefficient. The terrible feedback on the keyboard forces me to use the virtual keyboard on the phone. On top of that, the screen is so small that using the virtual keyboard is a nightmare. This prevents me from being efficient with contact management and note taking. In deterred me from actually using the calendar and responding to text messages and emails. Unlike on the E72, I was not motivated to be organized with the software.
The phone is also very, very slow. Even with the latest firmware, it is very slow. This made me abhor using this phone for any reason. Don't even think about installing software that runs in the background, because it will eat your battery and retard your phone. The only way to make the device run at decent speeds is to minimize the software and the ROM.
3) Battery - the battery life is terrible. It only lasts 12-15 hours on standby without 3G enabled.
4) Camera - the camera doesn't beat the N95, but it's alright. The camera software is sluggish and is very uncomfortable to use. The camera has bad auto focus and weak flash LED.
5) Multimedia - the speakers on the phone is very weak so don't even bother watching movies or listening to music. Since this is a touch screen device, the screen isn't big enough for me to enjoy videos or web-browsing.
The sluggishness of this device also applied to it's Wi-Fi. That's why I avoided web-browsing altogether. It was just plain terrible. In fact, I prefer the Nokia E90 or Nokia E72 for web-browsing (they are non touch screen phones).
6) Phone - the call quality and loudness was at least better than my Nokia E72. However, the X1 speakerphone can't even compare to the E72 speakerphone. Please recall that phones usually have two separate speakers: the speakerphone/loudspeaker and the normal speaker. Well, the X1 has a very bad speakerphone/loudspeaker.
8) Internet - the internet is slow, the screen is small, and the CPU needs an update. This should conclude everything.
9) Price - at 800 U.S. dollars, it was an expensive piece of junk. But now that it is sold for 400 dollars brand new, it's a little more forgiving.
10) Something to consider - regardless of all of the cons I have provided, I enjoyed using the phone because it was highly customizable. Unfortunately, it lacked everything I expected from what was advertised: an awesome keyboard, perfect build quality, fast processor. I tried to make the best of it by customizing it with software and 'tricks' and that alleviated some of the pain. Also, so many people complemented on the beauty of my X1.
11) History on X1: When the X1 first came out, all of the reviewers gave the phone high marks for it's amazing build quality. Within a year, everyone noticed that its cosmetic and physical condition deteriorated greatly. The phone reviewers returned the X1 to the 'lenders' before they got the chance to witness the true nature of this phone.
I recently bought a X1 to use instead of a HD2 I also own, for emails etc. because of the hardware keyboard. I bought the X1 on ebay for £150 mint boxed condition, the HD2 was about £450 new. So far I am really loving the X1 vs the HD2 and wish I'd not bought the HD2 really.
I probably wouldn't be so happy with the X1 if I'd paid full retail price for it though!
Something is wrong with your particluar X1 if it cant last more than 12 hours in standby - leave mine on standby over night not charging at say 50 percent, wake up and its usually about 49 percent so maybe a problem with your battery.
Obviously its not perfect and it has many many problems but i've had it since it came out in the UK and i'm still with it (different one obviously since its been sent back so many times) but it works for me, its does what i want and how i want so its great, and internet browsing is greate and easy! Have you tried Opera Mini Beta? download it from their website - can easily look stuff up on the go!
Hey if i wasn't so much in a rush, i'd post a solution for almost every problem your facing. iv'e had my x1i for a month now and although it took me quite some time searching and posting throughout this forum! iv'e maximized as best as i could,My phones super fast,super stable,not to mention the internet. made mine alot louder both in speakerphone and music without any distort or damage,and all while having a look so good that makes peoples mouth water! anyone else agree?
Zeyn Karim said:
Hey if i wasn't so much in a rush, i'd post a solution for almost every problem your facing. iv'e had my x1i for a month now and although it took me quite some time searching and posting throughout this forum! iv'e maximized as best as i could,My phones super fast,super stable,not to mention the internet. made mine alot louder both in speakerphone and music without any distort or damage,and all while having a look so good that makes peoples mouth water! anyone else agree?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with everything you said . I've had my phone for 8 months now and have never had to send it in to get repaired for anything?
I agree with the second poll option but i'm not supprised that this was XDA's #1 device, at the time this device was awesome and sleek.
poetryrocksalot said:
Two out of Five stars. (Amazon Review)
"This phone was a nightmare! I hate it with a passion", May 31, 2010
Here is a review of the Xperia X1. I have owned the X1, HTC Touch Pro2, HTC HD2, Nokia E90, Nokia E72, Nokia N95 and Apple iPhone. Other than the iPhone, I really hate this phone.
1) Build Quality - the plastic on this phone peeled off everywhere! The finishing on this phone is very susceptible to friction. The plastic chrome will peel off. The paint on the metal battery cover will scratch or peel off. The internal housing will crack. It's like the device had an earthquake and cracked itself. I didn't even sit on the device or drop it on anything. There is no way to prevent the plastic from cracking and peeling. All of this happened within 6 months.
The keyboard will also loose sensitivity. Over time, you will have to press on the keys harder and harder when you want to type something. The keyboard will only satisfy you for a year. And on top of that, the keyboard sucks. Don't even think about speed typing on this bad boy.
2) Efficiency - the phone is very inefficient. The terrible feedback on the keyboard forces me to use the virtual keyboard on the phone. On top of that, the screen is so small that using the virtual keyboard is a nightmare. This prevents me from being efficient with contact management and note taking. In deterred me from actually using the calendar and responding to text messages and emails. Unlike on the E72, I was not motivated to be organized with the software.
The phone is also very, very slow. Even with the latest firmware, it is very slow. This made me abhor using this phone for any reason. Don't even think about installing software that runs in the background, because it will eat your battery and retard your phone. The only way to make the device run at decent speeds is to minimize the software and the ROM.
3) Battery - the battery life is terrible. It only lasts 12-15 hours on standby without 3G enabled.
4) Camera - the camera doesn't beat the N95, but it's alright. The camera software is sluggish and is very uncomfortable to use. The camera has bad auto focus and weak flash LED.
5) Multimedia - the speakers on the phone is very weak so don't even bother watching movies or listening to music. Since this is a touch screen device, the screen isn't big enough for me to enjoy videos or web-browsing.
The sluggishness of this device also applied to it's Wi-Fi. That's why I avoided web-browsing altogether. It was just plain terrible. In fact, I prefer the Nokia E90 or Nokia E72 for web-browsing (they are non touch screen phones).
6) Phone - the call quality and loudness was at least better than my Nokia E72. However, the X1 speakerphone can't even compare to the E72 speakerphone. Please recall that phones usually have two separate speakers: the speakerphone/loudspeaker and the normal speaker. Well, the X1 has a very bad speakerphone/loudspeaker.
8) Internet - the internet is slow, the screen is small, and the CPU needs an update. This should conclude everything.
9) Price - at 800 U.S. dollars, it was an expensive piece of junk. But now that it is sold for 400 dollars brand new, it's a little more forgiving.
10) Something to consider - regardless of all of the cons I have provided, I enjoyed using the phone because it was highly customizable. Unfortunately, it lacked everything I expected from what was advertised: an awesome keyboard, perfect build quality, fast processor. I tried to make the best of it by customizing it with software and 'tricks' and that alleviated some of the pain. Also, so many people complemented on the beauty of my X1.
11) History on X1: When the X1 first came out, all of the reviewers gave the phone high marks for it's amazing build quality. Within a year, everyone noticed that its cosmetic and physical condition deteriorated greatly. The phone reviewers returned the X1 to the 'lenders' before they got the chance to witness the true nature of this phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have had my Xperia for over a year (since feb 2009) and I am still happy with it,
1 My Xperia is the silver version so no paint to scratch off. Usually I carry it around in a case so no real scratches. It does have a couple of the notorious cracks though, (Just under the volume control and above the camera) but they are not noticible unless you look for them and they do not affect the functionality of the device.
2. The keyboard is mostly good for me. It seems to have a few rare times when it is being tempramental but on the whole no issues. I use the onscreen keyboard occasionally and can type relitively well without using the stylus if I have to.
3. My batttery life with the R3A rom was over and around 3 days with light use. My current rom (Christians full rom) requires charging around once a day so I am going to change to a lighter rom.
4. The camera is a bit slow, and the LED flash isnt the best, but I find it does what I need it to do, I use it as my main camera since I cant be bothered carying around two devices and have no complaints. It takes scenery and people quite well, for dark scenes it may take a bit of playing around.
5 Yes the loudspeaker is bad, But I watch movies and play multimedia with the headphones, sound quality is great then. I only run into problems when I want loud speaker for phonecalls in noisy environments, which isnt often.
6 I manage web browsing fine, yes its true I would use a device with a larger screen if I bought one along, but I often dont because the xperia is extreemely portable and web browsing is no problem for me.
7. I haven't run into any problems with the wifi, the wifi seems to operate as well as anyone elses phone.
8. Yes I agree that when it was released it was overpriced, but arnt most devices? the age old lesson is that you should wait a bit before buying somthing, Dont get caught in the hype.
Their is a simple fix for the sound on the Xperia X1. It's called "optxperiabeta02". I've been using it for 7 month's now.
hungry81 said:
I have had my Xperia for over a year (since feb 2009) and I am still happy with it,
1 My Xperia is the silver version so no paint to scratch off. Usually I carry it around in a case so no real scratches. It does have a couple of the notorious cracks though, (Just under the volume control and above the camera) but they are not noticible unless you look for them and they do not affect the functionality of the device.
2. The keyboard is mostly good for me. It seems to have a few rare times when it is being tempramental but on the whole no issues. I use the onscreen keyboard occasionally and can type relitively well without using the stylus if I have to.
3. My batttery life with the R3A rom was over and around 3 days with light use. My current rom (Christians full rom) requires charging around once a day so I am going to change to a lighter rom.
4. The camera is a bit slow, and the LED flash isnt the best, but I find it does what I need it to do, I use it as my main camera since I cant be bothered carying around two devices and have no complaints. It takes scenery and people quite well, for dark scenes it may take a bit of playing around.
5 Yes the loudspeaker is bad, But I watch movies and play multimedia with the headphones, sound quality is great then. I only run into problems when I want loud speaker for phonecalls in noisy environments, which isnt often.
6 I manage web browsing fine, yes its true I would use a device with a larger screen if I bought one along, but I often dont because the xperia is extreemely portable and web browsing is no problem for me.
7. I haven't run into any problems with the wifi, the wifi seems to operate as well as anyone elses phone.
8. Yes I agree that when it was released it was overpriced, but arnt most devices? the age old lesson is that you should wait a bit before buying somthing, Dont get caught in the hype.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I owe and use every day my X1 as a main and only
pocket computer since December 2008.
Use is heavily.....
And I must say basically it still rocks.
Regarding the problems from the first post:
I agree that a keyboard gets a bit worse after that time. I didn't happen to SE P990 which I've also used for 1,5 years.
Now I owe also X2 and THIS IS THE KEYBOARD!!
The paint on the black back cover got scratched but
this is what happens to every device.
Plastic peeled off only on the 4 direction pad.
The rest is perfect.
The one crack I have is only be because it dropped badly and nothing else happened actually.
Battery is perfect. If not used heavily it's like 2 days.
The speed: that's interesting.
I don't know what did you do with your X1
@poetry
My X1 is still on R1 firmware (!!!!!)
and it is lightning fast!
I mean really fast....
I also saw lately Omnia I who somebody owned:
that was a crap man......
@poetryrocksalot: I do not agree with you. So far I have only made the best experiences with my Xperia X1.
Build quality: Like I stated on various occasions here at XDA the build quality of my Xperia X1 is absoluetely ok. Ok the paint of the baterry cover comes of but this is only a minor issue. In fact every phone has it's weak points and this one is really not serious. What's more my phone is completely free of cracks.
Battery: Are you kidding me? I have not seen many smartphones that have better endurance with one battery than the X1. I have got two batteries and if I mind how often I use the phone those two batteries easely last 4 days and there is still some power left after those 4 days. There are only a few smartphones out there that last more than a day with one charge.
Screen: What influence has the fact that the X1 is a touchscreen phone on it's performance when it comes to multimedia features (such as playing videos). Would the screen be big enough so you could enjoy your videos if the screen wasn't touchable? Where is the context in this statment? I consider the screen still among the best on the market as long as we talk about quality. It could be bigger that's true but SE never claimed to sell the phone with the biggest display. Show me all phones out there that are capable of playing 800 * 480 movies fluently. There aren't many and the X1 was launched in 2008.
Internet: What makes you think the X1 is bad for webbrowsing? I use Opera 10 and it's by far not sluggish. Normally the speed of webbrowsing depends on the connection whitch itself depends on your provider and the network coverage. Even the HD 2 is slow when using GPRS Once again my phone is not slow neiter on WLAN nor on HSDPA/ UMTS.
Price: It's true the initial price of 800 $ was too much. Thats why I did not get it when it came out. I bought my phone back in November 2009 and I paid 570 Swiss Francs. In $ that is approximately 450. And that was without a contract. It's an old story: Early adopters will always pay the price.
I could go on like this for several lines but I think I have already made clear my attitude. The X1 has its flaws like every product but it's by no means a bad product.
Some remarks from me below. I've had my X1 since september 2008.
Build Quality
Seems to differ a lot from batch to batch, and from color to color. I have a black X1. Noting have peeled off anywhere, but a letter in the SE logo. Almost no scratches on the battery cover. No cracks in the usual places although I've dropped it rather frequently.
However, I do have a crack in the metal surrounding... but the hit the phone took when that appeared made me surprised the phone is still alive at all.
Keyboard. No issues whatsoever. Might need a little cleaning soon.
Cooling of LED bad. Made my vibrator stop working... 'til I dropped the phone the next time. Plastic lens cover broken. Got squeezed into a table corner when I moved.
2) Efficiency
Software updates from SE... sucks.
3) Battery
Not as good as when it was new, but it's ok. Always on 3G.
4) Camera
Can live with it. Not good.
5) Multimedia
Speaker utterly rubbish. The lack of xvid support is crap.
6) Phone
Ok. Nothing more. Nothing less.
8) Internet
Always using Opera Mini 5, way better when Opera Mobile IMHO. Fast and stable.
9) Price
Eh... I don't know. The discounts here in Sweden are very, very, very, very good if you sign up for two years. I pay about the same price as seven Big Mac & Co a month for flat rate data and I can still use all those money to make calls with. Phone was free of charge.
Conclusion: Will probably go for a Desire in two months. Or Iphone 4G. Or something else. Not a Win Mob phone.
Build quality isnt soo good - i noticed the black paint comes off so i got some cheap carbon fiber looking tape and covered it, its protects it well.
i hate the silver parts on it - thought it was metal till one day i noticed there was a crack and i haven't dropped yet,so i attached a piece of string on the bottom to decrease the chances of cracking on its own.
the battery is good in my opinion lasts 3,4 days for me
camera sucks because you have to press down on the button to take a picture which may put the phone focusing out of place, but htc sense roms with touch focus to take a pic is alot better
speaker is weak when outside.
i still think its a great phone, but i dislike the O\s when it comes to efficiency
the processor and its hardware should be fine for a phone.
I acquired a second-hand semi-broken X1 very recently, after owning, testing, repairing or playing with most WM phones on the market. My own conclusion - not bad at all, most impressed by the screen.
Got Nuts ROM and sound optimizer loaded - like it even more, can't say I would ever be happy with the original ROM, but with TF3D ports I got everything I needed. Every device will have its own little quirks and bogies, none will ever be perfect, my only gripe with X1 is the keyboard, but only because I also keep my old trusty 128Mb HTC Universal as a second device and its QWERTY simply can't be beaten. Even Wizard has better keyboard!!!!
X1's keyboard is miserable and next to useless - button feedback is misleading, general inconsistency in pressure requirement and double-typing is common, buttons are fiddly, even for my small and adept fingers - all leading to slow and deliberate usage, which is counter-productive.
No issues whatsoever with anything else. From past experiences with X1s brought in for repairs, main issue is, of course, flex. But that is simply called 'all-slide desease' and should be expected regardless of the make and model.
I do believe the silver version is a much better option, silver metallic parts can be lightly polished and be as good as new, I have no peeling paint or other obvious cracks, apart from tiny, barely noticeable ones here and there. The battery door opening could be better thought out design-wise, even a simple spring lock would be preferable to peeling it off with your fingernails.
Optimizations, tweaks and various add-ons are out there - don't complain about lack of this or that - find the solution!
Almost forgot - those complaining of lack of playback support for this or that - find the solution and you will be surprised how well everything will play. As far as browsers are concerned - nothing beats Opera 10 for me (well, for now anyway), got Opera mini 5 running on my LG Arena - had gutsful, but had no choice, so glad I don't have to on Xperia

disappointed

The Razr HD series has been out for quite some time now. There was a lot of hype prior to launch of the phone. One of the biggest hypes was the phones construction, I have owned 3 smart phones before this and never used a case, and prior to owning the razr HD never cracked a screen. I have cracked 2 screens on this phone already. The first was 17 days after purchase the phone feel off my desk on to a shelf, it was a 1.5 foot drop, in the middle of the night the inside LCD cracked, had to go through insurance. The second time I place my phone on a flat surface and the inside LCD cracked again, The warranty was honored that time. There has to be something clearly wrong with the construction of the phone for the inside screen to crack so easily neither time was there any damage to the gorilla glass exterior. My second beef is the plastic around the bezel of the phone. The plastic sticks out higher than the screen and is a prime target for scratches and dents and is not by any means scratch or dent resistant. I'm not an engineer but when I looked at the phone before I bought it my gut told me that the plastic around the bezel was going to get messed up easily, motorola could have done a better job with that design and from a practical stand point the raised plastic is ergonomically uncomfortable. Aside from that the phone lacks accessories, I do not care for the cases offered and many of the companies I would be interested in getting a case from do not manufacture accessories for the razr hd series. Motorola themselves do not offer a dock for the phone and if they do I can not find it anywhere. Lastly the phone itself runs glitchy even with jellybeen and "butter" or whatever they call, rooting did not solve glitches nor should you be required to change a device from stock to get it to run at an acceptable level when it is sold for $700 plus. I have skipped frame rates hangs and freezes all the time. When using HDMI to my phone the screen gets cut off, why include if it doesn't work properly. The only thing on the phone that has lived up to expectations is the battery, however the battery takes FOREVER to charge, I never have the time to completely charge it and I do not like charging overnight.
I feel your pain man... well not tjat deep cause i havent cracked my phone but i am dissapointed at the HDMI resolution on YouTube and Vevo... plus the lack dock sucks 00===D - - MOTOROLA
Some unbelievable points raised here.... And please if you want people to respond learn proper grammar and paragraphing...
OK, first off, the cracked screen - you've made a fairly big assumption that because you've broken it twice, there must be something wrong with the construction of the phone. I'd be interested to see if others have any issues with it.
Your second issue, the raised plastic doesn't seem to be too big of an issue to me. I'm an electrician, and have my phone in my pocket all day (with no cover/case) and have no such issues around the raised plastic. I'm taking a real close look at it now, and there are no scratches on the edges, not too much dirt, no problems at all really. I think you're picking at straws looking for problems with your phone on the physical side of things...
I for one love the size of the phone, and how rigid it feels in my hand. Coming from an SGS2 (which back felt like soft plastic - because it was!) the solid feel of the phone is a godsend to me.
Motorola do offer a dock for the phone it's directly there on their website. (http://www.motorola.com.au/consumers/MOTOROLA-ESP-PEDESTAL-WITH-SMART-CHARGER/169654,en_AU,pd.html)
I did find the phone glitchy to begin with, but I also found my telstra SGS2 glitchy when it had bloatware on it. Remove the bloatware, remove the glitchiness. Rooting alone doesn't change any hardware/software characteristics of a phone...
I haven't used the HDMI out yet, but was interested in the ability to output video while also charging the phone.
Why wouldn't you want to charge a phone overnight? That sort of complaint is one of the more ridiculous ones I've ever read...
Working fine for me.
Just kidding. Just wanted to be the jerk who says that . I have gripes about it as well. Not many of them are the same as stated because of how I use the phone, and because I haven't had the internal or external glass crack, don't use the hdmi, and charge overnight, but it has been both nice to have and its had its dissapointments. The "project butter", which I think is just marketing BS to be honest, and the screen stutter is especially annoying. The camera was a huge let down as well. I wish I had researched the camera quality before buying, however that said I've made the best of it and have it syncing with the home server that cleans up the photos. When I first bought it, my biggest irritation was that there were no pull down toggles and as my first Motorola phone, its baffling that it wouldn't be included regardless of a dedicated screen on the default launcher. I didn't even know that there were toggle apps on the market and just assumed that they were part of Android so I was really happy to find them. As for the plastic being raised above the screen, and touching on accessories, I found it next to impossible to even find a case and screen cover and had to go online and of the local stores found 3 cases. One looked like crap and I bought the other two. One didn't fit properly and luckily the last one fit very well while offering good protection and improved grip and doesn't add much bulk to the phone. I haven't had the time to scratch the plastic up because I found cases. Selection did suck. I reckoned, though, when I saw it that a raised plastic around the glass might serve to help stop it from breaking if it falls as it wouldn't land directly on the glass. The phone is heavy and glass breaks regardless of how you make it (glass is glass at the end of the day).
I'm also dissapointed.
On the plus side, the stock build with a better launcher is, on my carrier which is Telstra, anyway, is somewhat bloat free in comparision to a lot of other manufactures and I find that once its set up to my liking, my only real gripe left is the camera, the lack of community and development, here on XDA, with the phone, and indeed the lack of accessories. If I had the cracing problem that you did I'd be pissed the hell off though.
I came to this phone from the galaxy s2 and if I had to make a recommendation between the two I'd tell people to get the galaxy s2 (older and probably now very affordable) along with the Samsung extendable battery and then to find a custom Samsung based ROM that suits them and is stripped down of bloatware. The only saving thing about the phone now is that I'm used to it; battery life is really good, and the galaxys2 display does look old now that I haven't used it in a while. The processor is noticably faster but it doesn't stop the wacky launcher jitters that turn up and I've been messing around with the values of a couple of governors recently because just knowing that the phone does crazy scaling when just sitting there looking at it drives me nuts.
One last thing I forgot is "No Goggle Wallet? What the FREAKING HELL is nfc even for then?"
Downgrade to ICS and solve all your lag and hdmi issues. The thing is, your phone might have come deffective but that doesn't mean ours are. Mine works great and I feel proud of Motorola.
Verizon's OTA this week solved most of the issues including hdmi and lag.
Cases like yours happen all the time to everyone with every phone. It's not the manufacturer's problem. It's a combination of bad luck and being in the wrong place at the wrong time. My recommendation is to charge the phone with a stock charger. It took hours for me with an old motorola charger and using the stock one solved this. Go to ICS if U want real hdmi and less lag.
mtvdeo said:
Downgrade to ICS and solve all your lag and hdmi issues. The thing is, your phone might have come deffective but that doesn't mean ours are. Mine works great and I feel proud of Motorola.
Verizon's OTA this week solved most of the issues including hdmi and lag.
Cases like yours happen all the time to everyone with every phone. It's not the manufacturer's problem. It's a combination of bad luck and being in the wrong place at the wrong time. My recommendation is to charge the phone with a stock charger. It took hours for me with an old motorola charger and using the stock one solved this. Go to ICS if U want real hdmi and less lag.
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Click to collapse
HDMI works perfect on ICS 4.0.4 but stay on ICS Really? Then i wont have any custom roms because everyone is going to work with JellyBean... im just going to pray that these heavenly devs figure out how to fix this in the future and the mean time im going to still use my OG Razr maxx which just got JB 4.1.2 also
razzrmaxx said:
HDMI works perfect on ICS 4.0.4 but stay on ICS Really? Then i wont have any custom roms because everyone is going to work with JellyBean... im just going to pray that these heavenly devs figure out how to fix this in the future and the mean time im going to still use my OG Razr maxx which just got JB 4.1.2 also
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Verizon fixed hdmi resolution on jelly bean 4.1.2
mtvdeo said:
Verizon fixed hdmi resolution on jelly bean 4.1.2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok thats aaaaall i needed to know thank you... updating!
My opinion ... don't buy the Nexus 4 !
:laugh:
Except for the glass, I have the same issues. Plastic bezel is really fragile. SIM tray seems to start to oxidize. I acidentally dropped a coin on the bezel and it dented. Both performance and battery were affected after jelly bean update. I have the phone for less than 4 months. At first I though the phone was incredible and strongly suggested my gf to buy it. Now I'm really disappointed. Motorola didn't managed to cover all the bases.
Apparently all phones are different cause I've had the phone a month or so with the Otter Box Defender and the phone is in mint condition after being in my destructive hands Still runs smooth as ever with lots of apps and music on it. Only complaint would be speaker volume.
Droid RAZR HD (current)
LG Optimus One P-504 (For Sale)
vctrrl said:
Except for the glass, I have the same issues. Plastic bezel is really fragile. SIM tray seems to start to oxidize. I acidentally dropped a coin on the bezel and it dented. Both performance and battery were affected after jelly bean update. I have the phone for less than 4 months. At first I though the phone was incredible and strongly suggested my gf to buy it. Now I'm really disappointed. Motorola didn't managed to cover all the bases.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
as i was reading this post i dropped my cell about 3 1/2 feet high and it landed on a custom made computer with a metal cover because my 1 1/2 yr old son tripped me... i it landed face 1st halfway on the edge then to the ground... no scratch
I dropped my phone from about five feet onto concrete (the one time I didn't have an Otterbox on it!), some scratches near the top by the battery - but the phone is in perfect working condition.
I am rough with phones and have had the razr HD for 4 months without a cracked screen or any scratches. The bevelled plastic lip on the out side of the screen is a great idea, it means you can lay the phone flat on its screen without getting any surface scratches.
The razr HD is a great phone, the best available handset on any plan in Australia at the moment. Amazing battery life, the o.s is smooth and lite, 4G is fast and the handset feels strong & it looks great. The only complaint I have is sometimes switching wireless on can be buggy, but my previous phone (htc desire) had this same issue so it maybe an android issue..
krucifix85 said:
Some unbelievable points raised here.... And please if you want people to respond learn proper grammar and paragraphing...
OK, first off, the cracked screen - you've made a fairly big assumption that because you've broken it twice, there must be something wrong with the construction of the phone. I'd be interested to see if others have any issues with it.
Your second issue, the raised plastic doesn't seem to be too big of an issue to me. I'm an electrician, and have my phone in my pocket all day (with no cover/case) and have no such issues around the raised plastic. I'm taking a real close look at it now, and there are no scratches on the edges, not too much dirt, no problems at all really. I think you're picking at straws looking for problems with your phone on the physical side of things...
I for one love the size of the phone, and how rigid it feels in my hand. Coming from an SGS2 (which back felt like soft plastic - because it was!) the solid feel of the phone is a godsend to me.
Motorola do offer a dock for the phone it's directly there on their website. (http://www.motorola.com.au/consumers/MOTOROLA-ESP-PEDESTAL-WITH-SMART-CHARGER/169654,en_AU,pd.html)
I did find the phone glitchy to begin with, but I also found my telstra SGS2 glitchy when it had bloatware on it. Remove the bloatware, remove the glitchiness. Rooting alone doesn't change any hardware/software characteristics of a phone...
I haven't used the HDMI out yet, but was interested in the ability to output video while also charging the phone.
Why wouldn't you want to charge a phone overnight? That sort of complaint is one of the more ridiculous ones I've ever read...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not looking for issues I am just simply calling them as I see them. I have thrown phones across the room, droid incredible, droid charge and have never broken my screen. I do not baby my phone. As for the plastic bezel my complaint stems from the replacement phone I have received. Less than 2 days after receiving it and not abusing or dropping it at all my phone has a nice mystery dent on the top. I'm glad that you love the phone and have not had any of the same issues as me. I went to link that you have provided and I didn't find a dock there. I did see a $40 plastic stand thats sold by motorola that will work with any phone or tablet. I am looking for a real dock that has male HDMI and charger plugs fitted for the RAZR HD series, Motorola seems to have docks for every phone they make with the exception of the Razr HD series. When I rooted my phone and froze all the bloatware with TI backup I didn't see much improvement over stock at all. If you think I am uneducated because of my grammar you are ignorent, there are topics other english in higher education, I choose to study math because I don't care for grammar. If you can read english I think you will understand me relatively well, I'm not Robert Frost but you can get my point. To the rest I apologize for my none use of paragraphs.
o2qc418 said:
My opinion ... don't buy the Nexus 4 !
:laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
amen
I have the SIII now and it's POS. Went back to my RAZR MAXX and fixing to buy the HD soon.
HDMI works
My girlfriends phone was 35 days old, never dropped, in a case from day 1. Screen cracked while it was just sitting there on the kitchen table. Brand new Razr HD.
SquireSCA said:
My girlfriends phone was 35 days old, never dropped, in a case from day 1. Screen cracked while it was just sitting there on the kitchen table. Brand new Razr HD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I only see this happening if one were to take the phone from one extremity to another... Ae: hot to cold or cold to hot. Other than that I would guess the case is too tight on the phone?
Droid RAZR HD (current)
LG Optimus One P-504 (For Sale)
Very dissapointed myself. At first I loved this phone...no more.
The raised bezel is dented and scratched. I don't care about scratches since I refuse to use cases and it comes with the territory but the straight up gouges and dents are disconcerting.
Lag lag lag...not sure what project butter is cuz I've never seen this! Constantly redraws when going to home screen, browsers are slow sometimes, graphics stutter.
On top of that it doesn't function properly in my car for Bluetooth.
There are things I love about it, but its phones like this that give android the perception of being laggy and glitchy.
Its also disconcerting that moto put out an update and it still stutters same as always.
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using xda app-developers app

Home button durability.. lets talk..

So, like many, i have jumped on the S6 bandwagon, and am rather enjoying it so far (so much so that i haven't even bothered with bootloader or root yet). And while over the few days so far the glass is great (i would hope so.. sheesh), i have noticed some scratches already on the home button. Now, being that no phone will ever stay perfect, i accept that wear and tear will happen, but i was surprised to see it this early.
Certainly, i am happy enough with the phone (non scratched glass, good battery life (with bloat disabled), etc), but am curious to see if i am alone in this, or others have the same issue.
And more to that - will the scratches become a problem for the fingerprint reader (something i do enjoy using, and would like to keep doing so)? Perhaps some voices of experience can bring some wizdom..
Divine_Madcat said:
So, like many, i have jumped on the S6 bandwagon, and am rather enjoying it so far (so much so that i haven't even bothered with bootloader or root yet). And while over the few days so far the glass is great (i would hope so.. sheesh), i have noticed some scratches already on the home button. Now, being that no phone will ever stay perfect, i accept that wear and tear will happen, but i was surprised to see it this early.
Certainly, i am happy enough with the phone (non scratched glass, good battery life (with bloat disabled), etc), but am curious to see if i am alone in this, or others have the same issue.
And more to that - will the scratches become a problem for the fingerprint reader (something i do enjoy using, and would like to keep doing so)? Perhaps some voices of experience can bring some wizdom..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine had scratches right out of the box and I scratched it further thinking there is a protective film over it since it looked like it had one. Its definitely a concern in the long run though I was able to get rid of the scratches by using toothpaste. My home button also wobbles a bit vertically and if I tap it gently in the left corner, it creates a clicky noise. The biggest concern for me right now is the pink tint on my s6's screen on the bottom half and left side. I can exchange but may end up getting the same/worse unit since most of the people who faced this issue ended up getting worse/similar units.
Will the finger print scanner stop working after many scratches is something we can only guess at the moment.
What's it made of?
The home button had the same vulnerability on the Note 4 and Note Edge, but it never affected the fingerprint reader. Micro scratches galore, but nothing too glaring and didn't affect the functionality.
Well, i certainly will agree right now, what i see is micro, and has had no impact on the scanning (4 fingers registered, no issue at all). I am a little disappointed that with the excellent build otherwise exhibited, something people will use most may be the most prone to scratches; but i also accept that that sensor may not work with more durable materials.
Still, a little more reassuring that the Note 4 is similar and should be ok..
I've noticed some minor scratches too on my home button. I'm not sure whether they were there out of the box as I didn't think to look closely at the time.
I imagine you could take a cheap plastic/PET type screen protector and cut out an oval shape and put it on the button. I'm not sure whether that would change the fingerprint recognition or not since I don't know how those scanners work. It would be easy to test though even before trying to cut the shape out.
Divine_Madcat said:
So, like many, i have jumped on the S6 bandwagon, and am rather enjoying it so far (so much so that i haven't even bothered with bootloader or root yet). And while over the few days so far the glass is great (i would hope so.. sheesh), i have noticed some scratches already on the home button. Now, being that no phone will ever stay perfect, i accept that wear and tear will happen, but i was surprised to see it this early.
Certainly, i am happy enough with the phone (non scratched glass, good battery life (with bloat disabled), etc), but am curious to see if i am alone in this, or others have the same issue.
And more to that - will the scratches become a problem for the fingerprint reader (something i do enjoy using, and would like to keep doing so)? Perhaps some voices of experience can bring some wizdom..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
any chance the micro scratches were there out of the box? i've had mine since April 1st and don't see any scratches...yet.
mrvirginia said:
any chance the micro scratches were there out of the box? i've had mine since April 1st and don't see any scratches...yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, yes, it is quite possible, as i noted them just about the second day i had it, and was shocked to see them. I may not have the smoothest thumbs, but the scratches went all the way across, which is also odd.
So far, no real issues, but it was surprising to see (part of me wrongly assumed the button was also glass).
Divine_Madcat said:
Actually, yes, it is quite possible, as i noted them just about the second day i had it, and was shocked to see them. I may not have the smoothest thumbs, but the scratches went all the way across, which is also odd.
So far, no real issues, but it was surprising to see (part of me wrongly assumed the button was also glass).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
honestly it should be glass. guess they're still working on premium quality 100%
it may be more likely that they were there out of box. i've tried scratching mine with my nail and no dice.
they have some assembly line and packing kinks to work out clearly. my device thankfully came unscathed but the plastic wrap that covered the phone looked like someone had pulled it back on with their finger/nail - there were 3 little indentions on it.
So, i hope its not related, but i have had my phone now fail to read my fingerprint a few times, and pop up a notice saying there was a failure, and if it keeps happening, reboot the phone. A reboot (or even manual unlock) seems to work, but i am hoping its not a sign of things to come...
No micro-scratches here yet....
I've confessions to make: I'm obsessed with physical buttons wearing off! The first app I installed is "pie control", which is something I really got accustomed to and find more practical than using home button and recent button, incidentally this saves a lot of click on the home button. I've been using for a while even an accessibility feature that let you wake up the phone by waving in front of it, to be honest I don't use much this one. Then again I use Nova Launcher and I set up a shortcut to lock the phone double tapping the display. I know I'm way overcaring about this, on the other hand I just dismissed my old S3 that was still practically perfect even after almost 3 years of usage.
Divine_Madcat said:
So, i hope its not related, but i have had my phone now fail to read my fingerprint a few times, and pop up a notice saying there was a failure, and if it keeps happening, reboot the phone. A reboot (or even manual unlock) seems to work, but i am hoping its not a sign of things to come...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me recommend you something what I personally did after finding micro scratches right out of the box. Use an ear bud (used to clean ear) and a very small amount of toothpaste. Apply a little paste on the bud and gently rub the home button for a min or so. Once done, wipe it from a damp cloth and also taking out bits an pieces of the paste that may have got around the gaps.
I was completely able to remove micro scratches doing the above and hope it helps you too. People have also used the above method to clean their camera lenses with great effect. Look out for a thread under the Xperia Z3 compact page where people complaint of having scratches on their camera lens after using the phone for a while.
Note - Dont rub too hard on the home button. It wont harm but will take away the gloss from the button leaving it looking matte.
CafeKampuchia said:
What's it made of?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The button is actually metal, but the substrate for the sensor (on top) is of a type of polymer film- like plastic? I'll post a source link when I get a chance. Thx
See link:
It's definitely not durable
https://techpolarity.wordpress.com
I'll give it a try tonight the toothpaste and the q-tips .... hope it works... i'll try to be as gentle as possible and go up from there ... thanks for the info man. Same problem here. Came, I believe scratched from the box, had a scratch on it from the first day and it went up from there. Dunno what is wrong with samsung they always have to screw up somehow.
Hawkeye1103 said:
I'll give it a try tonight the toothpaste and the q-tips .... hope it works... i'll try to be as gentle as possible and go up from there ... thanks for the info man. Same problem here. Came, I believe scratched from the box, had a scratch on it from the first day and it went up from there. Dunno what is wrong with samsung they always have to screw up somehow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah... I do believe they messed up this time.
https://techpolarity.wordpress.com
They decided to use a non-durable substrate. The above article explains why. Good luck!
Lucidd33 said:
Yeah... I do believe they messed up this time.
https://techpolarity.wordpress.com
They decided to use a non-durable substrate. The above article explains why. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is just conjecture. While it may very well be true, the author doesn't give any evidence or references to back this claim. For all we know, Samsung may have chosen plastic simply because it was cheaper.
when the iPhone 5S was launched, a few people expressed concerns that the sort of CMOS scanner they were using tends to deteriorate over time. This, thankfully, hasn't proven to be the case; however I think that this deterioration is mitigated by an exceptionally strong sapphire glass coating on the 5S's home button - and now on the 6 and 6 Plus.
I have concerns for the durability of the S6 home button too - not for the scratches (which mine also exhibited after only 6 days of careful use), but for the likelihood of the sensor itself wearing out over time, as they are supposedly prone to doing. If Samsung have indeed skimped on the protection this home button requires for long-term durability then people will be in for a nasty shock further down the line when they can no longer use the fingerprint recognition, or when it deteriorates to the point of being useless. For those who recommend using toothpaste to clean the scratches out, I would suggest that this is a terrible idea - clearly scratches are going to reappear anyway, and taking some of the already weedy protection away from the fingerprint scanner with a micro abrasive surely can't be a good idea.
I'm really happy with the S6 but the home button is a big concern for me. I simply don't think it's as high quality as the ones Apple use. My 6 day old S6 has been exchanged by the store for a new device as the home button not only rattled but didn't work at all on the left side unless it was pressed with a degree of weight. My replacement still jiggles a tiny but but is at least better.
To me this is a bigger issue than 'Sensorgate', which is just a load of rubbish as far as I'm concerned.
leoni1980 said:
when the iPhone 5S was launched, a few people expressed concerns that the sort of CMOS scanner they were using tends to deteriorate over time. This, thankfully, hasn't proven to be the case; however I think that this deterioration is mitigated by an exceptionally strong sapphire glass coating on the 5S's home button - and now on the 6 and 6 Plus.
I have concerns for the durability of the S6 home button too - not for the scratches (which mine also exhibited after only 6 days of careful use), but for the likelihood of the sensor itself wearing out over time, as they are supposedly prone to doing. If Samsung have indeed skimped on the protection this home button requires for long-term durability then people will be in for a nasty shock further down the line when they can no longer use the fingerprint recognition, or when it deteriorates to the point of being useless. For those who recommend using toothpaste to clean the scratches out, I would suggest that this is a terrible idea - clearly scratches are going to reappear anyway, and taking some of the already weedy protection away from the fingerprint scanner with a micro abrasive surely can't be a good idea.
I'm really happy with the S6 but the home button is a big concern for me. I simply don't think it's as high quality as the ones Apple use. My 6 day old S6 has been exchanged by the store for a new device as the home button not only rattled but didn't work at all on the left side unless it was pressed with a degree of weight. My replacement still jiggles a tiny but but is at least better.
To me this is a bigger issue than 'Sensorgate', which is just a load of rubbish as far as I'm concerned.
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You do make some really good points… When you returned your phone for exchange, was it a big pain in the ass? Did they hint that they do an exception for you?
I've just become very wary about returns, exchanges because I've been screwed before on exchanges and being stuck with a mediocre device.
Anyways, I am very surprised that not too many complaints about the sensor has come up on the web searches so far.
I could demonstrate that the home button wouldn't work on the left side unless I pressed it hard. They were able to replicate it themselves so it wasn't too much of an issue. I struggle to deal with high street stores in matters of poor quality control though as they tend to take the stance of 'I can't see anything...it's not really an issue to me'. One thing I miss when I move away from Apple products - not to sound like a fanboy - is that I feel I can trust that they will rectify any little annoyances I have.
One thing I feel confident in saying with absolute certainty is that the home button on the Galaxy S6 is not even close to the quality of Touch ID. It works, and it works well; but the feel it gives when you click it, the overall travel and the cheap plastic feel is a giveaway. Samsung are nearly up to iPhone standards with this device in terms of quality control but this button is its Achilles heel - they kind of cheaped out.

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 Moto G6, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the Moto G6 is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
Got it activated first on Project Fi 3 days ago, for some reasons - I was "expecting" it to be a little bigger but it's just 2 clicks larger than the Nexus 5X getting traded in with the "generous" upgrade. For an entry/mid-range smartphone in 2018, I voted a 4 out of 5 (not that the absence of NFC or inability to use G.Pay is a make or break deal, I hardly use it & most places still do not accept it as mobile payment here in the US)
Dolby sound is very good, screen is bright & audio played via the speaker is fine - giving it a good workout as we hit the road today for a trip, more on the G6 later ... bootloader still locked at the moment.
Net cost to get this brand new G6 to me is about $120 after the trade-in, not really spend much more than paying someone to replace the old, tired & not as good 2.5 years old battery on the Nexus 5X, so I'm a little biased on this Lenovo/Motorola piece.
Letitride said:
Got it activated first on Project Fi 3 days ago, for some reasons - I was "expecting" it to be a little bigger but it's just 2 clicks larger than the Nexus 5X getting traded in with the "generous" upgrade. For an entry/mid-range smartphone in 2018, I voted a 4 out of 5 (not that the absence of NFC or inability to use G.Pay is a make or break deal, I hardly use it & most places still do not accept it as mobile payment here in the US)
Dolby sound is very good, screen is bright & audio played via the speaker is fine - giving it a good workout as we hit the road today for a trip, more on the G6 later ... bootloader still locked at the moment.
Net cost to get this brand new G6 to me is about $120 after the trade-in, not really spend much more than paying someone to replace the old, tired & not as good 2.5 years old battery on the Nexus 5X, so I'm a little biased on this Lenovo/Motorola piece.
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Similar thoughts as you (also running the Project Fi version of the phone).
- Phone is smaller than I expected.
- Loving the thin bezels, looks much more premium than the actual cost to me ($200)
- I don't use NFC. Don't trust it, so the lack of NFC is not a big deal
- Battery life is good, front facing speaker loud, screen is bright and sharp
- Responsiveness is in line with what you would expect from a $300-400 phone IMO
- Nearly stock Android experience = CLUTCH
Agree with others. Coming from a 5X most everything is acceptable given the price. I was blown away by the speaker. BUT my biggest gripe is the cameras low light performance...its not good by any means, very grainy, colors are bad. Regular outdoor pics are good though. Also wouldve preferred for it to NOT have a glass back since im a klutz and guaranteed to break it.
Have had this phone a couple of weeks now. Got to say I like it a lot. Definitely a step up from my Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 that I had for 3 years. This is also the most expensive phone (about $250) I've had as I'm a cheap skate and no way I'm ever paying $400 plus for a phone. Just can't bring myself to do it. The price I paid for this phone is "high dollar" for me, lol. Still getting used to the new 18x9 screen. A part of me likes it and a part of me likes 16x9 better. Since pretty much all phones are going to this size, I guess I better get used to it. The new screen size almost feels like a "cheater" to me. Moved the menu icons inside screen and made the width smaller making keyboard in portrait view (which is the way I text) actually a little smaller than what I had. Taller view but most stuff you view in landscape has bars so I don't see the benefit to it yet. Most comments I read about it, people love it. Me not so much. Phone itself is very good. Performance is very good, screen resolution is very good, camera is very good, battery life is very good (especially compared to my Redmi Note 2 which was a battery sucker). I like Android 8 and Moto apps. Pretty much bloatware free, and is nice and snappy. Had to put a case on it (put a Spigen on it) cause the phone actually felt a little small in my hands. The case gave it a little more bulk and made it feel a lot better in my hand. Love the fingerprint scanner which to me is the coolest thing since sliced bread (yup I'm a dinosaur). To tell the truth I would probably still be using the Note 2 but it started acting up on me. Now since I got this one though, it pretty much blows away my old phone in every way possible which of course is a good thing since I spent the bucks for a new phone. All in all I'm pretty damned happy with this phone. About the only thing I could say I wished it was, was a bigger phone. I went from a 5.5" 16x9 screen to a 5.7" 18x9 screen and this feels smaller than the other one to me in my hands. In the 18x9 size, I wish a had like a 6" or 6.5" screen. That would give more width that I would like to have. The width on the 16x9 was actually about 1/4" wider than the18x9 one, which is actually a substantial difference when using a keyboard.
Deleted: Double post
MikeO89 said:
Have had this phone a couple of weeks now. Got to say I like it a lot. Definitely a step up from my Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 that I had for 3 years. This is also the most expensive phone (about $250) I've had as I'm a cheap skate and no way I'm ever paying $400 plus for a phone. Just can't bring myself to do it. The price I paid for this phone is "high dollar" for me, lol. Still getting used to the new 18x9 screen. A part of me likes it and a part of me likes 16x9 better. Since pretty much all phones are going to this size, I guess I better get used to it. The new screen size almost feels like a "cheater" to me. Moved the menu icons inside screen and made the width smaller making keyboard in portrait view (which is the way I text) actually a little smaller than what I had. Taller view but most stuff you view in landscape has bars so I don't see the benefit to it yet. Most comments I read about it, people love it. Me not so much. Phone itself is very good. Performance is very good, screen resolution is very good, camera is very good, battery life is very good (especially compared to my Redmi Note 2 which was a battery sucker). I like Android 8 and Moto apps. Pretty much bloatware free, and is nice and snappy. Had to put a case on it (put a Spigen on it) cause the phone actually felt a little small in my hands. The case gave it a little more bulk and made it feel a lot better in my hand. Love the fingerprint scanner which to me is the coolest thing since sliced bread (yup I'm a dinosaur). To tell the truth I would probably still be using the Note 2 but it started acting up on me. Now since I got this one though, it pretty much blows away my old phone in every way possible which of course is a good thing since I spent the bucks for a new phone. All in all I'm pretty damned happy with this phone. About the only thing I could say I wished it was, was a bigger phone. I went from a 5.5" 16x9 screen to a 5.7" 18x9 screen and this feels smaller than the other one to me in my hands. In the 18x9 size, I wish a had like a 6" or 6.5" screen. That would give more width that I would like to have. The width on the 16x9 was actually about 1/4" wider than the18x9 one, which is actually a substantial difference when using a keyboard.
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Great post, MikeO89...
Love your enthusiasm for the G6. It pretty much echoes mine.
I paid £220 here in the UK for mine, and like yourself, it's really about as much as I want to pay for a phone these days. There's been a considerable amount of coverage over the recent release of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, and certainly the specs do look pretty damn awesome, but at close to nearly a £1000, an eye-watering sum of money for me... well, I just couldn't envisage spending that amount, even if I had it. Maybe when I have the next winning Euromillions lottery ticket, I'll buy one or whatever flagship is out then, but until that auspicious and lucky day arrives, I'm more than happy with my Moto G6.
And which I bought to replace my ageing and battery-dying HTC One M8, which I paid £530 for back in 2014. I remember my Dad at the time saying in almost stunned and amazed disbelief "You want to spend how much on a phone??!!!" as though he'd not quite heard me correctly. Of course, I did try to explain that it was more of a personal pocket computer that just happens to have the ability to make phone calls. After I bought one and he saw it in action and began to understand the capabilities of it... well, he went out and bought one himself!
That was four years ago, and I'm a little bit more price conscious these days, so when my One M8's battery began to die earlier this year, I knew I needed a new phone.
Initially, I made the mistake of assuming that you needed to spend £600 or £700 on a phone to get a quality device. I'd been hearing about the Moto G series phones and the rave reviews they'd received around a year before, so when I heard about this years G6 release, I checked out all the reviews. My initial response was one of skepticism ~ how can a company like Lenovo release a phone with such great features at just a shade over £200 AND make a profit. Surely there's a catch, I mean there has to be, right? Wrong!
As it turns out, the Moto G6 is every bit as good as the reviews say it is. And you don't need to mortgage your soul to own one. I mean, where do I begin... fast turbo charging, really nice vibrant colourful screen, amazing battery life, Android 8 Oreo with next-to-no bloat, and fingerprint unlock. Yeah, I love fingerprint unlock. It's like your very own personal ON switch that nobody else can use, and no more playing join-the-dots and trying to remember which unlock pattern is correct for this device amongst the other devices (tablets) I own.
As for the size and aspect ratio, I love it. Coming from my old HTC One M8 which had an aspect of 16:9 and a resolution of 1080x1920...
...to the Moto G6 with an aspect of 18:9 (Rhetorical question: why isn't it just simply called 2:1) and resolution of 1080x2160, which my calculations reveal to be a 12.5% increase based on number of pixels alone. It is a sort of a cheat, but I feel in a good way. I now have a phone that doesn't feel significantly bigger than my One M8, because the width has stayed the same, but the height has increased, but not by that much when you 'add-on' the One M8's speakers at the top and bottom, but the actual screen size increase on the G6 is quite noticeable.
I use Nova Launcher, and I like tinkering around with Themes, Icon Packs, Wallpapers and Layouts and with the increase vertically, I now have more layout options for things like icons and widgets, because there's an extra couple of rows on the Nova desktop. And 5.7 inches feels about right to me. I'm not sure I would feel comfortable handling something like a 6 inch or larger device. If I can, I like to operate my phone one-handed and the bigger these things get, the more difficult one-handed operation becomes.
I do take your point about black bars in landscape mode though, particularly if you're watching video content, most of which tends to be shot in 16:9 aspect. This doesn't overly bother me really, because I generally don't watch a lot of stuff on my phone anyway. And when I do, I just sort of ignore the black bars. I watch a lot of old films and TV dramas on my TV back when things were shot in 4:3 aspect, and I just got used to seeing left and right black bars on my TV, so on my phone it's really not an issue for me.
I guess we can quibble about the shortcomings of the G6 ~ for example, the one thing I do miss is the left and right stereo HTC BoomSound front facing speakers that provided great quality audio on my old One M8. On the G6 there's only a single mono speaker - it sounds pretty good, but I miss the stereo - gotta dig out my headphones now if I want stereo. Great that there's an old fashioned 3.5mm audio socket on it for me to use my headphones. Won't get that an some £1000 flagships! I jest of course; I'm not having a pop at flagship devices, I'm just amused by the irony of it.
So, on the whole, minor quibbles aside, the Moto G6 is a pretty amazing phone for such a great price. It performs brilliantly and looks great. The Gorilla Glass back adds a touch of class to the device, although it can feel a little bit slippery at times. When I first got it, I had unpleasant visions of it sliding out of my hand and crashing to the concrete outside and cracking all that beautiful glass (the horror, the horror!), so I have now ensconced it in the protective embrace of a Spigen case, which actually looks quite good, and feels good in the hand too.
Well, that pretty much says it all really. A great phone at a great price. Can't really say much more than that... Well, I could, but then I'd be here all night typing superlatives and this post would just go on and on and on and on, etc., etc. and etc.
Ged.
its not the fastest device but for a budget device I really like it.
Overall probably the best bang for your buck if your looking at carrier specific devices. Came from a Galaxy S7 which I kinda went swimming with. I'm loving the 18:9 screen. I do notice the occasional hiccup when multitasking, but the battery life is on another level compared to my old S7.
Love my North American unlocked G6! Great value for the money. The battery life is fine, but I suggest using a browser for some of your social media, if you want to get plenty of power for a day of use.
I've already gotten direct looks at my phone from other people, and some folks can't believe I paid less than $300 for it. Glad I chose the oyster finish vs deep indigo. I do have a case on it, as the glass back is known to crack easily if the phone falls hard on the ground. My B&H order came with a free frosted silicone case, and tempered glass for the screen. Perfect!
Coming from U11 life, this phone seems better.
VoLTE and Wi-Fi Calling work out of the box with T-Mobile
Rather loud speaker
I think 2:1 screen is OK
It looks like plain Android
Cam looks OK under low light
Decent reception with B12
It's fast like 6xx processor.
Adjustable screen tint
I am satisfied with the phone for the price.
Cool looking..
I've manageg to buy mine G6 for 129EUR, for that price it's best device I could choose.
Great phone for ~$100 now on eBay that's still getting security updates.
Pros:
+ $100 now on eBay for like-new condition
+ Almost pure stock Android, very little bloat and what is there I actually use (chop twice for flashlight, etc). Very stable.
+ Great band support, unlocked XT1925-6 will work on any US carrier, only missing bands 14, 46, and 71.
+ 3gb RAM is plenty sufficient to keep about three resource-heavy apps active at once.
+ Camera is decent enough and about what you'd expect from a phone in this price range.
+ You can adjust DPI under developer options, which makes content on phone appear larger/smaller so you can fit more on-screen. Very handy.
Cons:
- SD450 is an obvious bottleneck in resource-heavy apps, expect sporadic lag if you're playing PUBGM or running a browser with ten tabs open.
- Battery life could be better, usually end the day around 20% with moderate use. Not bad, but not great either.
If this had a SD600 series and a slightly larger battery it'd easily be 5*. For $100 bucks though it's hard to be upset with it.
Well I found the first problem with this phone. I can't get it to recognize an external microphone to record with the camera. I plugged in an external mic I had (3.5mm with 4 pin plug) and at first thought it was working as I made a couple of videos. Then I noticed in the videos that the sound would go up and down through the video. As I later found out, the volume was going up and down each time I would walk away from the phone while recording being the external mic had a 6 ft cord on it. I then actually tested the external mic this time (like I should have from the beginning) and found out the whole time it was still recording with the onboard mic even with external mic plugged in. The G6 was just ignoring it as a microphone and treating it as a headphone. So now I'm stymied. The onboard mic works well enough but I really wanted to have an external mic if I wanted it. I can hardly find any info on this whole external mic vs onboard mic thing with cellphones. Still like this phone and plan on having it for quite some time but a little bummed about this latest development.
OK, doing a follow up post to the one above concerning the issue with G6 not recognizing external mic when making a video. I had about given up on this and I had been searching like crazy about it. With my lack on finding anyone having similar issues like this, I was starting to think I'm the only one who is trying to use an external mic with this phone to make videos. I thought maybe is was just a jack issue so I then tried same external mic with my voice recorder app. With that app the external mic was working. Now I knew it wasn't the jack. I then installed "Open Camera" from the Google Play Store. There was actually a setting in video settings to select an external mic for recording. I then went ahead and made another video using the external mic and what do you know it worked perfect! One other setting that I'm excited about so far in Open Camera is the video stabilization setting. I don't have the steadiest hands and always had to use a tripod or my videos would come out like being on a boat. Made one with that setting on and it kept the video still as I was shooting it. It made me look like my shake was gone (wish it really was). This Open Camera app just kicks the living **** out of the Moto G6 stock camera app! Sure glad I tried it.
Got one on Motorola promo for $100. Very nice inexpensive backup phone!

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