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A little background first. VZW is my only option due to my line being a corporate line. Roughly a year and a half ago, I got fed up with the crappy phone choices (only blackberry at the time), so I just started buying my own and calling the 3rd party service that runs our wireless operations and telling them "I just got a new phone, could you please do an ESN swap?". That has always worked. Recently, the phone choices have gotten much better and include a variety of BB, Android and iOS devices now. Over the last few years I've gone from DINC (personal device I had since it first came out) to blackberry to DINC2 to iPhone4 to currently the Razr M. Now with SIM cards it's super easy for me to use whatever device I prefer.
Here's my current "dilemma". I have a retail Razr M (which I picked up shortly after release). Definitely loving this phone and couldn't be more happy to be back on Android after a brief hiatus to iOS. Had to give it try. Big believer in "you can't bash something without trying it". But damn iOS gets boring fast. Ha! I was excited about the M due to it's smaller footprint AND high end internals. The only thing I don't like is the locked bootloader. I was quite the crack flasher with my DINC and DINC2. The locked bootloader has led me to have interest in the S3. But I've always had an aversion to large screen phones. I like to be able operate my phone one handed. So now I have a brand new S3 sitting on my desk and I'm unsure what to do with it. I'm really enjoying my M and Jelly Bean is (almost officially) here. But I'm very interested in some CM10 or AOKP. I definitely prefer the AOSP stuff.
So the question is, do I continue my "don't bash it without trying it" theory and move over to the S3 for some AOSP love??? Or stick with the M and live with whatever fate that lies ahead?? I can only keep one. Will sell the other.
(sorry for the novel)
hokieputter said:
A little background first. VZW is my only option due to my line being a corporate line. Roughly a year and a half ago, I got fed up with the crappy phone choices (only blackberry at the time), so I just started buying my own and calling the 3rd party service that runs our wireless operations and telling them "I just got a new phone, could you please do an ESN swap?". That has always worked. Recently, the phone choices have gotten much better and include a variety of BB, Android and iOS devices now. Over the last few years I've gone from DINC (personal device I had since it first came out) to blackberry to DINC2 to iPhone4 to currently the Razr M. Now with SIM cards it's super easy for me to use whatever device I prefer.
Here's my current "dilemma". I have a retail Razr M (which I picked up shortly after release). Definitely loving this phone and couldn't be more happy to be back on Android after a brief hiatus to iOS. Had to give it try. Big believer in "you can't bash something without trying it". But damn iOS gets boring fast. Ha! I was excited about the M due to it's smaller footprint AND high end internals. The only thing I don't like is the locked bootloader. I was quite the crack flasher with my DINC and DINC2. The locked bootloader has led me to have interest in the S3. But I've always had an aversion to large screen phones. I like to be able operate my phone one handed. So now I have a brand new S3 sitting on my desk and I'm unsure what to do with it. I'm really enjoying my M and Jelly Bean is (almost officially) here. But I'm very interested in some CM10 or AOKP. I definitely prefer the AOSP stuff.
So the question is, do I continue my "don't bash it without trying it" theory and move over to the S3 for some AOSP love??? Or stick with the M and live with whatever fate that lies ahead?? I can only keep one. Will sell the other.
(sorry for the novel)
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I'd say stick with the phone you like better. Yesterday I was analyzing what I'm missing without root (I'm on team EOS 3.0 on my Xoom) and I couldn't really come up with much. One of the biggest pluses: WiFi tethering, now can be done with any app on verizon because of that lawsuit. Other than that, TiBu is a loss, and maybe some OCing and performance but I mean I loaded up the phone and its still buttery smooth with good battery. Definitely the interface modding and some fun bells and whistles are missing without custom rom but it doesn't really add up to much.
The s3 is gigantic and more expensive. I'm happy with my choice.
Sent from my Xoom using xda app-developers app
Unfortunately, the two phones you've chosen represent opposite ends of the "experience spectrum" - so personal preference is going to play a big part. The only real thing the S3 has over the M that's not subjective is a better camera, and 2gb of ram vs. 1. The rest will depend on your preferences. Yes, the S3 will have more dev support. But the M won't be without it, either - root should be closer, though not guaranteed, based on a comment by P3 last night - but obviously rooting and romming are not always correlated.
Dyelon said:
I'd say stick with the phone you like better. Yesterday I was analyzing what I'm missing without root (I'm on team EOS 3.0 on my Xoom) and I couldn't really come up with much. One of the biggest pluses: WiFi tethering, now can be done with any app on verizon because of that lawsuit. Other than that, TiBu is a loss, and maybe some OCing and performance but I mean I loaded up the phone and its still buttery smooth with good battery. Definitely the interface modding and some fun bells and whistles are missing without custom rom but it doesn't really add up to much.
The s3 is gigantic and more expensive. I'm happy with my choice.
Sent from my Xoom using xda app-developers app
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I agree the S3 is gigantic. I also was trying to come up with things I miss by not having root and couldn't really come up with much that seemed overly important. All were smaller bells and whistles type things. Blur on this phone is very minimal, which I like and is a big plus (for me). I'm really enjoying the M. And love the size. I too am having a smooth experience with pretty solid battery life. No issues whatsoever thus far. Best bet is to probably stick with the M. I got a good deal on the S3 and should have no trouble getting back what I paid, maybe more.
Plus, I've been wanting a Nexus 7...
jntdroid said:
Unfortunately, the two phones you've chosen represent opposite ends of the "experience spectrum" - so personal preference is going to play a big part. The only real thing the S3 has over the M that's not subjective is a better camera, and 2gb of ram vs. 1. The rest will depend on your preferences. Yes, the S3 will have more dev support. But the M won't be without it, either - root should be closer, though not guaranteed, based on a comment by P3 last night - but obviously rooting and romming are not always correlated.
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Click to collapse
Yes, they are definitely very different experiences. My preference has always been for smaller, easily pocketable phones. Which exactly describes the M. I don't need/want a tablet in my pocket.
I agree about the camera, but overall the M hasn't really let me down. Sure it would be nice to have a better camera, but it's not a deal breaker for me. You just have to know the limitations that you're working with. And the extra ram would be nice too. But not sure either are worth giving up the form factor that I prefer.
And I have been following the dev support of the M closely as well. I saw the comments by P3 and his team. They are very promising. And definitely helping to influence my ultimate decision. Honestly, I don't really need (or want) to be able to flash billions of roms. Just looking for a (close to) stock experience that is snappy, fully functional and bug free. Which is what I've got right now with the M. Still running the stock ICS, have not updated to the JB leak.
(I think I'm confirming my gut feelings / answering my own questions as this thread moves along... Thanks for the dialogue)
The simplest choice would seem to be ordering a Developer Edition RAZR M. If you really like the M but want the ability to fiddle, that's your route. There are already recovery and root images available for it and I think the devs will be supporting it for a while especially since the RAZR HD and HD MAXX are also running the same internals.
As for the SGSIII - Verizon is the only carrier that doesn't sell it with an unlocked bootloader so technically you'd need to buy the developer edition of that to get what you want anyway.
Neither the RAZR M nor the SGSIII Dev Editions are available via Verizon subsidized contracts.
Personally I think Sammy missed the boat. If the SGSIII Mini did what the RAZR did (same internals with smaller screen) they might have won me over, but they really skimped on the thing. What a shame.
Just my $.02.
I'm a runner and a cyclist, so the smaller the better which is why I loved my Atrix 4G (which is now running JB). The RAZR M is a narrower phone with a bigger screen. It's great to simply stow and go.
Well, now that the M has root, I think your decision is a lot easier. I would say that seeing CM9 and/or 10 is a likely bet. However, the problem now is that anything after that may not run optimally, since the bootloader is still locked and we won't be able to run a kernel optimized for the newest version. That's the problem with my Pro. Somebody ported CM9 and an AOKP ICS ROM for it, and while it does run, it's not as good as it could be. We're still stuck on the Gingerbread kernel.
freak4dell said:
Well, now that the M has root, I think your decision is a lot easier. I would say that seeing CM9 and/or 10 is a likely bet. However, the problem now is that anything after that may not run optimally, since the bootloader is still locked and we won't be able to run a kernel optimized for the newest version. That's the problem with my Pro. Somebody ported CM9 and an AOKP ICS ROM for it, and while it does run, it's not as good as it could be. We're still stuck on the Gingerbread kernel.
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I'm really hoping we can bust the M open over the next year or so =/
Sent from my XT907 using xda app-developers app
mk1151 said:
The simplest choice would seem to be ordering a Developer Edition RAZR M. If you really like the M but want the ability to fiddle, that's your route. There are already recovery and root images available for it and I think the devs will be supporting it for a while especially since the RAZR HD and HD MAXX are also running the same internals.
As for the SGSIII - Verizon is the only carrier that doesn't sell it with an unlocked bootloader so technically you'd need to buy the developer edition of that to get what you want anyway.
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Verizon's bootloader can be unlocked with a single app from the play store. Super easy. The development on the S3 phone has been amazing thus far - currently on Liquid Smooth. I'm also considering switching to a smaller phone however and the M seems to be the only phone that's small with power. Following rooting and modding very closely on this phone before making the switch as I have gotten used to all the aokp+CM10 mods in the many S3 roms I've flashed.
You make an excellent point about the Razr HD and HD Maxx, I hope that helps this phone in the mod scene.
aznguyen316 said:
Verizon's bootloader can be unlocked with a single app from the play store. Super easy.
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That's why I said "technically"
But I do agree it is easier on the SGSIII. Part of that is that HTC and Samsung have not taken the time to build system safeguards into their products the way Motorola has.
Browser vendors take pride in the headaches they cause to hackers trying to find vulnerabilities. Handset manufacturers, IMO, should be thinking the same way. With all the personal data on your phone, do you really want to be able to unlock it and obtain root from an app in the Play Store?
This is one of the reasons I like Motorola devices, despite the very limited flexibility.
mk1151 said:
The simplest choice would seem to be ordering a Developer Edition RAZR M. If you really like the M but want the ability to fiddle, that's your route. There are already recovery and root images available for it and I think the devs will be supporting it for a while especially since the RAZR HD and HD MAXX are also running the same internals.
As for the SGSIII - Verizon is the only carrier that doesn't sell it with an unlocked bootloader so technically you'd need to buy the developer edition of that to get what you want anyway.
Neither the RAZR M nor the SGSIII Dev Editions are available via Verizon subsidized contracts.
Personally I think Sammy missed the boat. If the SGSIII Mini did what the RAZR did (same internals with smaller screen) they might have won me over, but they really skimped on the thing. What a shame.
Just my $.02.
I'm a runner and a cyclist, so the smaller the better which is why I loved my Atrix 4G (which is now running JB). The RAZR M is a narrower phone with a bigger screen. It's great to simply stow and go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The M is my first ever Motorola device. It's also my first device running ICS or JB (there were a few of us on here that had issues running ICS on our DINC2s). Spent a little time messing around installing the JB leak and flashing back to stock just to get used to using the stock recovery, fastboot etc. With wifi tether now working on the stock ROM and the ability to disable bloatware in ICS/JB, combined with the very minimal Blur skin, I don't really see the need to root this device right away. Plus, you really can't do everything you'd want to do without an unlockable bootloader. So I agree, the Developer Edition is the way to go if you want to ultimately fiddle with things at some point down the road. May have to pick one up at some point.
Couldn't agree more on Sammy missing the boat. The SG3 Mini would have won me over too if they hadn't watered it down. Maybe we'll see a slightly improved device ending up on VZW? I presume it will eventually come to VZW. Does that SoC they're using even support LTE? Who knows. Maybe wishful thinking. I love the M anyway. But it's always nice to have more options to consider.
mk1151 said:
With all the personal data on your phone, do you really want to be able to unlock it and obtain root from an app in the Play Store?
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Click to collapse
Good point. I don't..
I've definitely made my decision (which was realistically already made, just need to confirm). Let me know if you know anyone looking for a brand new blue SG3.
hokieputter said:
Good point. I don't..
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Well plenty of people have done it. Check the forums over there. There are other applications that can do it for u on your own pc if u wanted too. Just saying it's available now. Plus doesn't rooting your phone technically make it a little less secure anyway? That's what blizzards authenticator has lead me to believe Haha. But the point was a locked bootloader isn't end of the line.
VZW-S3 on CM10 via tapatalk
Currently I have an iPhone 3GS. It's served me well for the last year and 3/4 but its starting to show its age. Really I just want to know if I show go and buy a nexus 4 now or should I wait for something like the note 2 to come down in price? Any help in answer this question would be good.
Noobven said:
Currently I have an iPhone 3GS. It's served me well for the last year and 3/4 but its starting to show its age. Really I just want to know if I show go and buy a nexus 4 now or should I wait for something like the note 2 to come down in price? Any help in answer this question would be good.
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Click to collapse
I'd get the Nexus 4 now, it just depends how long you are willing to wait.
It depends on your budget. If you waited this long I don't see why you can't wait to see what phones are released later in the summer.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Well I've only really been looking this month. My main concern is the longevity of the nexus 4 as I read that is slowly being outdated without being a year old( but seeing as my phone is 3 it shouldn't really concern me). And as for my budget I'm looking for the best that is around $400-$500
If you're budget conscious and think you would enjoy the stock Android experience, I say go for it. If you take excellent care of your phone you can always sell it for a good amount on eBay or Craigslist and use that money to buy an upcoming phone should it appeal to you more.
daewond3r said:
If you're budget conscious and think you would enjoy the stock Android experience, I say go for it. If you take excellent care of your phone you can always sell it for a good amount on eBay or Craigslist and use that money to buy an upcoming phone should it appeal to you more.
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I'm kinda new to the android market. I've got a transformer pad tf300. Could you explain what's the difference between that and the stock android experience. Is one better than the other. Or could you link me to somewhere I could find this information.
Noobven said:
Well I've only really been looking this month. My main concern is the longevity of the nexus 4 as I read that is slowly being outdated without being a year old( but seeing as my phone is 3 it shouldn't really concern me). And as for my budget I'm looking for the best that is around $400-$500
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Click to collapse
Idk where you read that but the Nexus 4 is about to receive 4.3 and will more than likely receive 5.0 later this year. The Nexus 4 has a lot of life left in it. Even after Google stops official support I'm sure the dev community will keep it going a while longer.
---------- Post added at 01:43 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:35 AM ----------
Noobven said:
I'm kinda new to the android market. I've got a transformer pad tf300. Could you explain what's the difference between that and the stock android experience. Is one better than the other. Or could you link me to somewhere I could find this information.
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Click to collapse
I've never used Transformer before but I believe it runs a slightly skinned version of Android? In any case you can look up YouTube videos of the Nexus 4 and the Nexus 7 to see what stock Android is like.
It's debated (of course) but most of the Android devotees enjoy "stock/vanilla" Android, which basically means it's Android as it comes from Google. OEMs like Samsung, HTC, Motorola, and others all put their own custom skins on it. They often add features that stock Android doesn't have (some useful, some gimmicky) but the general consensus is that the skins bog down the phone and that loss in performance outweighs the extra bells and whistles you get.
Being that you're an iOS user, think of it in these terms--a Nexus device is the closest thing to an iPhone for Android. I mean this in the sense that when Google releases a new version of Android, you get it quickly after it's release. Just like you do when Apple pushes an iOS update. If you had say a Samsung Galaxy S4 and were anxious for Android 5.0, you'd have to wait at least a few months for Samsung to rework their Touchwiz UI over the new Android 5.0 and send out an update.
Given your budget, I would totally recommend the Nexus 4. You'll even have some extra cash to spend on some great accessories to keep it nice and safe--in case you do decide to sell it for something coming in the next year.
Hope this helps.
The only reasons to wait would be the release of the x phone or the next nexus. As we don't know if the x phone will be worth it, and the nexus 5 isn't even announced yet (don't forget the time it took to get the phone on stock..2 or 3 month after release), I'd say get the Nexus 4 and be happy.
I bought my N4 last week and I advice you to buy it
I am normally a buy now type of guy.
But I would wait to the moto x announcement. And at least see if the tumours are true.
One of the biggest things about a nexus device is that is unlocked and off contract.
If the moto x is going to be available for 299 of contract and their is a device for your carrier of choice, that would also be a tempting deal. Decent specs and lte and a good price. I don't really believe that rumor but I would at least wait til find out. It's only a week away.
ccab said:
The only reasons to wait would be the release of the x phone or the next nexus. As we don't know if the x phone will be worth it, and the nexus 5 isn't even announced yet (don't forget the time it took to get the phone on stock..2 or 3 month after release), I'd say get the Nexus 4 and be happy.
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Click to collapse
Moto x not worth it. It's a dual core phone and not even 1080p. The only thing better for the Moto x over the n4 is probably the camera. Spec wise, n4 is a lot faster. Plus it's a Nexus phone so therefore, it will have the latest updates. Moto x will still require carrier approval most likely.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Buy it.
a
zephiK said:
Moto x not worth it. It's a dual core phone and not even 1080p. The only thing better for the Moto x over the n4 is probably the camera. Spec wise, n4 is a lot faster. Plus it's a Nexus phone so therefore, it will have the latest updates. Moto x will still require carrier approval most likely.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
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Not worth it? You don't even know the price. Nor do you know the network the user is on. I assume if he is from the states he is on att. That alone could easily push somebody to a moto x phone on that network for lte over their crap 3g.
Specs don't mean crap. Benchmarks don't mean crap. In no usage case with the nexus 4 be a lot faster. In fact it the moto x should be faster in day to day use. It won't be slower.
The op didn't mention a thing about getting updates and doesn't even know what the stock experience is and so on.
If he wants to spend up to 500 on a phone he could also consider dropping that for a oppo. And that phone is old and still worth that price.
zephiK said:
Moto x not worth it. It's a dual core phone and not even 1080p. The only thing better for the Moto x over the n4 is probably the camera. Spec wise, n4 is a lot faster
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The problem with some android users is that they measure everything according to hardware, i call this the samsung mentality, "pump in the latest and greatest hardware, it will look good on paper, who cares about user experience" . No wonder the S4 has a lot of problems and as they call it over there (on their xda forums) "unoptimized software yet". Doesn't sound nice for a >650$ device.
I'm not a fan of Apple or any of it's products, but comparing the hardware/performance of the iphone5 vs galaxy S4 , as sad as it sounds, the my-little-pony-phone destroys that S4 in all fields even with inferior hardware.
So don't put the Moto X on ignore list just yet, i'm sure those 2 cores are going to be more than enough for one of the best android user experiences, and the lack of 1080p display is there for a reason. And finally don't forget that rumors say it's going to be an affordable phone targeting a wider crowd than, let's say, the nexus line.
An average non tech savvy individual doesn't care about which hardware the device rocks, they only care about the overall user experience, and the Moto X might provide just that.
I don't think the N4 will be outdated anytime soon for me at least, but I guess it depends on your needs. The biggest downside to N4 (for me) is the lack of external SD and LTE. If you feel these features are important to you in the near future, I would wait. If not, I would buy.
I bought one last wed. The Dev community is huge for the device and will be for along time. Pricing and hardware is awesome, not to mention I think its still one of the best looking phones. I say go for it.
Cheers, J.
I bought the N4 recently and I'd say wait for the moto x. It's just a week more and I think it's better looking than the nexus. Hardware specs are not that important. If you don't like it you can still get the nexus later.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Facing a problem here, and it's expectedly another Nexus 5 vs Moto X debate.
I'm really tempted to get the N5. I originally had my mind set on getting the G2 but seeing the prohibitive price and quality control problems I decided against it. The N5 is definitely very, very appealing with its $399 price tag and the fact that it isn't out of stock for 5 months like the N4 was (please, 32GB only please, I cannot live with 16GB, no if ands or buts).
However, the Moto X came along and threw a wrench into my plans. It just looks so awesome and sexy and it's got so many things that the N5 is missing. It's got a white front (+1 for Moto X), AMOLED screen (+1, at least for me), Active display or whatever its called (+1), Dual Krait with an Adreno 320 (big +1 for performance/efficiency balance). As for performance, I must say that I'm making a judgment based on the present, because the future is the whole point of this post.
Here's where it comes down to: how futureproof is this device? As it costs more than the N5, I would expect for it to last as long as the N5 but with the MSM8960T vs MSM8974 debate the Moto X doesn't fare well against the Nexus. I fear this because I had a Motorola Defy; the OMAP 3630 was good until the release of ICS, until CM9 came out. That was when the single Cortex-A8 core began showing its age and things really became less pleasant. That was also when all my buddies here took off and got new phones except for people from India who got the phone because it was cheap. They don't seem to mind, given that every ROM regardless of how laggy it is (most of them are) gets a "Wow, this ROM is really smooth!" from all the users.
What do you guys think? How futureproof do you think the Moto X is? Do you think that the S4 Pro here will yield a good smooth experience for 2 years or do you think that I would be better off with the Nexus 5? Of course, software is where it differs from the Defy; official updates stopped at 2.3 for the Defy but Motorola seems to be supporting the Moto X well.
Considering Google is making the future versions of Android to run better on lower end phones. I have no doubt future updates will be silky smooth!! I myself am not worrying to much about the future as this probably will be with me for under a year.
Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk
Dumped my nexus 5. Abysmal battery life & speakers (good luck ever hearing a phone call coming through). I like the Moto X screen better, not to mention the features.
Plus who are we kidding, us techies get a new phone very year.
I could be wrong but I feel like the next big improvements in Smartphone tech will be battery efficiency, camera quality and new faster internet/radio speeds.
I honestly don't think we will see major improvements like we did in the last couple years as far as CPU/GPU power goes. Google also seems to be pushing efficiency (support for 512mb ram etc) with its most recent Android build. So really any currently "fast" phone will be just as fast a couple years from now. Just the camera/battery performance will be lackluster compared to its future competition. If you game a lot at max details on your phone I could see the N5 coming ahead a bit just because the S800/330 is a very powerful combo.
With that in mind if we look at the moto X vs N5 what do we see... well the Moto X definitely seems to have stronger battery performance and the cameras seem to be about the same overall (though excelling/failing in different areas). I pretty much faced the same question you do right now and decided to try out the Moto X first.
For me it was a little easier too because I snapped up a republic wireless model for $300, so the unlocked price is similar to the N5. Plus sprint has strong LTE in my area.
I look at it like this: phones like Nexus 5 that has to power a 1080 screen will need bigger hardware to deliver a smooth experience. Notice that all the phones equipped with Snapdragon 600, carries the Adreno 320 yet is reported to have a good browsing experience. My unprofessional opinion is that the reason Moto X feels as good as it does is because it uses the same GPU as the S4/HO but has a smaller resolution to power. As we've witnessed as far back as the Galaxy Nexus, you don't need a quad-core to have a snappy experience and that the experience is more GPU-dependent. A lot of N4 users disable 2 of their cores to save on battery power and still have a snappy experience.
Keep it for a year or little bit over that, sell the moto x and buy a new one. Just buy the device now and enjoy. If you think about future proof you can never buy anything. I mean with wearables, flexible screens and so many things going on who knows how the smartphone market will turn out in the near future. Nothing is future proof, Moto X will hold fine at least for a year or 15 months, sure there will be much faster devices than moto x, nexus 5 but that's the case for any phone.
Sent from my XT1053 using Tapatalk
Not sure what carrier your on but if you can switch to Verizon, you can get the moto x for $50 I believe.
I agree with alpha's statement. We are due for a new battery technology and if that doesn't come soon then I believe the OS makers with be working on optimization of their OS's to increase battery life. Google's direction of lower spec requirements for devices on future of android builds shows this.
Sent from my Moto X
dsimages said:
Not sure what carrier your on but if you can switch to Verizon, you can get the moto x for $50 I believe.
I agree with alpha's statement. We are due for a new battery technology and if that doesn't come soon then I believe the OS makers with be working on optimization of their OS's to increase battery life. Google's direction of lower spec requirements for devices on future of android builds shows this.
Sent from my Moto X
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Verizon really? Most of their phones have that ugly Verizon logo branding, full of bloat, last in updates, last or sometimes will not get flagship phones. To top it off useless CDMA.
Sure their network is great but I would any day choose a gsm carrier where at least I can use any phone I want. Why support such a carrier who wants so much control and basically screw customers.
Sent from my XT1053 using Tapatalk
dsimages said:
Not sure what carrier your on but if you can switch to Verizon, you can get the moto x for $50 I believe.
I agree with alpha's statement. We are due for a new battery technology and if that doesn't come soon then I believe the OS makers with be working on optimization of their OS's to increase battery life. Google's direction of lower spec requirements for devices on future of android builds shows this.
Sent from my Moto X
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Click to collapse
I'll see with the Nexus 5 first. I'm not a data user and I'm not one of those people who feel compelled to check their Facebook every 2 minutes, so I think I'm good. I'll just UC and run at 50% brightness and that should be good.
kirdroid said:
Verizon really? Most of their phones have that ugly Verizon logo branding, full of bloat, last in updates, last or sometimes will not get flagship phones. To top it off useless CDMA.
Sure their network is great but I would any day choose a gsm carrier where at least I can use any phone I want. Why support such a carrier who wants so much control and basically screw customers.
Sent from my XT1053 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Sorry guys, I'm not American.
That means I'm stuck with TELUS at least they give you a 10% discount on your monthly bill if you bring an unlocked phone.
Don't forget the fact that Google owns Motorola since last year. They can have Motorola build the phone awesome like they have done for decades and focus their android team better on development for the Motorola phone. To me Google didn't buy one of the all time leading phone manufactures just to keep having asus or lg build their nexus line. The moto x has brought some industry firsts that make a big impact for the user. Something that has not really happened for awhile. Also how future proof are you wanting? This phone will last you 10 years I bet if you wanted it to. It's the mobile computer world, every month a better device and better software comes out to use the hardware, you can't really future proof a mobile phone, just learn to accept that and learn to be happy with whatever device you choose. A good way to decide is do this. Write down on paper the pros and con's that talky matter to you in the phone then add them up on a point system and choose that way.
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dobbs3x said:
Don't forget the fact that Google owns Motorola since last year.
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Since 2k11
I buy nexus phones thinking I'll keep them for two years, but no matter how well the current one is working, I end up going nuts for the new model. Totally fine though as you can recoup a good deal after a year with a nexus phone. I usually end up spending less than $150 upgrading after selling the old one.
Regardless of what a new moto costs me, if they make an x sequel in this same form factor with better battery and a faster processor, I will buy it!
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They announced they were going to purchase Motorola in 2011, but didn't finalize the acquisition until May 2012.
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Cannot understate how much the constant GNex development kept the phone going for 2+years.
Moto X isn't going to benefit in this way. However, having had my phone usage/habits changed by Active Notifications and Voice controls, it will be extremely difficult to move "back" to a phone that doesn't have them; future-proofed or not.
chaoslimits said:
Cannot understate how much the constant GNex development kept the phone going for 2+years.
Moto X isn't going to benefit in this way.
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I agree, but frankly, the model has changed. Google is pushing out many of their updates either through the Play Store, or through updates to the Google Play Services. For instance, with they announced 4.3, many of the improvements highlighted were actually to the Play Services and they were pushed out to all phones running 4.1+.
Back when the GNex was introduced, most updates still had to get pushed through an actual OS upgrade. 2.x/3.x -> 4.x -> 4.1 were all major improvements that affected the core of the OS. 4.1 -> 4.2 -> 4.2.x -> 4.3 -> 4.4 have all been incremental changes, with many of the core features being available through Play Services. I'd go as far as saying the last serious change to the core OS, that really affected the whole user experience, was Project Butter in 4.1.
As much as I like new Android versions, people running on 4.1 are having a very similar user experience to people running on 4.4. They're running many of the same updates through Services or Play Store apps, the UI is consistent, and the performance is still excellent.
Turned into quite a long post, but I had a lot of the same thoughts when I decided to stick with a Moto X instead of getting another Nexus phone. The GNex was really excellent and its lifespan was substantially increased by devs and Project Butter. But I'm getting to a point where a stable phone with an official OS really hits all the notes I need, and with the new upgrade model, not to mention Moto's proactive 4.4 upgrade, I think this phone is going to have a good, long lifespan.
binary visions said:
Turned into quite a long post, but I had a lot of the same thoughts when I decided to stick with a Moto X instead of getting another Nexus phone. The GNex was really excellent and its lifespan was substantially increased by devs and Project Butter. But I'm getting to a point where a stable phone with an official OS really hits all the notes I need, and with the new upgrade model, not to mention Moto's proactive 4.4 upgrade, I think this phone is going to have a good, long lifespan.
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Absolutely! I would have been more than happy to stay on 4.2.2 for a while (although I love the 4.4 battery life increase :good: )
Really disappointed with my LG G4.
It took months to get root, there are 10 variants each with different software and only 1 has an officially unlocked boot-loader. There are virtually no custom ROMs for my phone.
What do you guys predict this phone will be like within the modding community? Hardware wise this would be a step down for me, but if that means a decent trade-off software wise I think it would be worth it. And maybe what do you guys think about posing my question towards the 2015 Nexus 5?
Hardware wise the g4 and the style are almost identical. What's a step down? If root and romming are high priorities for you, I'd look for the nexuses
Sent from my Nexus 10
Well the camera on the G4 is a bit nicer, the removable battery is nicer, larger expandable storage, barometer, ect. Compare on phonearena. Theres no debating the G4 is a better phone, but software wise it's not the phone for me. I think I can stick it out till October. Sucks waiting while my G4 drops in value.
I'll give you the camera ? Being that the X pure will be sim unlocked I think most of us are assuming the bootloaders will be easily unlockable. On the other hand, the dev community is always the best for nexus phones.
Sent from my Nexus 10
I think the main reason that the dev community sucks on the LG G4 (I almost got it earlier in the year until I was following the root debacle) is that only one model (the international 815 variant) had an unlockable bootloader and root took forever to achieve. With the Moto -- being a "pure" or "dev-like" non-carrier chained model, there is a large assumption that the bootloader will be easily unlocked and if this is the case, root should be no harder than flashing the latest SuperSU.
The recently released Moto G has an unlockable bootloader, as do previous non-carrier linked Moto X's -- so there is no reason to believe ours won't be as well: https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/87215
And if/when the bootloader if opened, you should start to see a healthy dose of deving -- although many people have raved how "pure" Moto's implementation of Android is, so you may find you may not need to flash a new ROM, but instead maybe just root and a few key utilities like Xposed to get what you want. I flashed custom ROMs on almost every phone I've had, with the exception of the Nexus 5 -- because there really wasn't a need to. But it's nice to have choices
It seems to me that there is less available for the Moto X 2014 in terms of ROMs, kernels and such than I'd have expected. That's good reason for a lot of us to pin our hopes on the Huawei Nexus. I was figuring that there would be heavy development for the Pure. But now, I'm not quite so sure. Will Motorola release the source code?
I agree that Xposed can cover a bunch of things that ROMs would. I don't always use them, either. But as pinoymutt says, it's nice to have choices.
Guys remember we cannot predict the dev community for this device yet. I think this will attract a lot of attention because it is a uncarrier version and cheap. If you compare to the moto x 2014 it isn't exactly the same situation because they had carrier versions and what not. The price for this device is also attractive so I think the dev community will explode. From day one we can all have our bootloaders unlocked and as soon as someone converts TWRP we will be off to the races. One thing is certain, this will have a lot more support over the G4. I'm excited to see what will happen
I would lay decent odds that this device will see more than adequate support. No carrier limitation, unlocked and cheap with great specs is going to draw people in.
Guys, any idea if there will be a way to remove the greetings in the future if we decide to chose one with Moto maker?
Jkteam said:
Guys, any idea if there will be a way to remove the greetings in the future if we decide to chose one with Moto maker?
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It's probably a boot animation that can be adjusted. I've never had a moto device but I bet there are tools out there
Jkteam said:
Guys, any idea if there will be a way to remove the greetings in the future if we decide to chose one with Moto maker?
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On the previous Xs there was an option to delete it when you did a factory reset.
I think this phone will have an excellent community following here. There are a lot of posts here considering nobody has the phone yet. The critics will always do their thing but I'm thinking we have a winner here. I'm looking forward to it.
dmb219 said:
I think this phone will have an excellent community following here. There are a lot of posts here considering nobody has the phone yet. The critics will always do their thing but I'm thinking we have a winner here. I'm looking forward to it.
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+1 oh how I hope so.
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I hope so. I am coming from nexus 5 and expect this to have a large development community
I really want to get this Moto X because I loved the 1st gen so much, but I feel like we will get screwed over when it's time for Android N and Android O. I'm not sure if I should go Moto X for the next two years or Nexus 6p. I'm coming from a Nexus 5 as my daily driver and I love the Nexus advantage man. Opinions?
Prestige_DOPE said:
I really want to get this Moto X because I loved the 1st gen so much, but I feel like we will get screwed over when it's time for Android N and Android O. I'm not sure if I should go Moto X for the next two years or Nexus 6p. I'm coming from a Nexus 5 as my daily driver and I love the Nexus advantage man. Opinions?
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Nexus guaranteed. Any other phone its up in the air. If you really care about immediate updates and bug fixes then its nexus. If updated are secondary or you can wait then moto. Plus anything can happen.
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monkeypaws said:
Nexus guaranteed. Any other phone its up in the air. If you really care about immediate updates and bug fixes then its nexus. If updated are secondary or you can wait then moto. Plus anything can happen.
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I don't see how anyone could not have the latest update right away. I get so excited for new features I can't sit back and watch. Motorola claimed to be able to send get updates out faster due to no carriers but that doesn't guarantee support for the coming years its depressing this just hit me.
Really your preference, they are both solid devices. The better performer is the 6p, the moto x is a pretty close second. There's really no evidence comparing the two devices just yet, if that matters to you then wait a few more days until YouTubers post some comparison videos so you can get a closer look. Motorola is usually a month behind nexus devices for updates, but remember they are two to three months faster than your typical Samsung, lg etc..
playerone_ said:
Really your preference, they are both solid devices. The better performer is the 6p, the moto x is a pretty close second. There's really no evidence comparing the two devices just yet, if that matters to you then wait a few more days until YouTubers post some comparison videos so you can get a closer look. Motorola is usually a month behind nexus devices for updates, but remember they are two to three months faster than your typical Samsung, lg etc..
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This is exactly the reason I went with moto instead of nexus. I also use my sd card (64gb) which I can't use in a nexus. They both run stock Android and are the best contenders right now for quick updates. Anyone else is going to be lagging behind or left behind.
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I really want marshmallow right now because of the memory merge feature sdcard will become internal memory no need to separate things anymore.
george241312 said:
I really want marshmallow right now because of the memory merge feature sdcard will become internal memory no need to separate things anymore.
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Soon.
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Think we're forgetting the benefit of being able to unlock the bootloader and easily load ROMS with the MXPE. This will allow the unit to endure long past other limited phones that were not unlockable or rootable. Before the MXPE I owned a Note 3. And in the last month I installed a lollipop ROM that was side loadable and that really boosted its lifespan and useability. I owned that phone for two years which could easily have lengthened that useability to another year or better. I came pretty close to not even purchasing the MXPE due to this fact but I figured a unlocked BL phone along with the improved camera on the MXPE made it wise to upgrade at this time. Not too many phones anymore can be unlocked and that, to me, is a huge factor-allowing for future upgrades regardless what the carrier or Moto does.
Our bootloader is unlocked. Motorola has been good about releasing sources so far. We already have one or two ROMs for our device. I'm waiting for CM official to be released, personally. I think the chances of us getting these updates are decent, at least from the community development standpoint. Officially, I'm a little concerned beyond M, but I won't be staying on stock that much longer.
But how do you guys feel on staying on a older version of Android when the new one gets released? Does it bother you any?
Prestige_DOPE said:
But how do you guys feel on staying on a older version of Android when the new one gets released? Does it bother you any?
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Well...not all new versions of operating systems are better than their predecessors... ie. Windows 8.
Now I am one who usually is a bleeding-edge technology user but with that comes the whole bugs issue. There are those who are a bit more conservative. These guys do not mind waiting for a more perfected solution. You sound like you are a bleeding-edge kind of guy and that is a very frustrating position to be in when there is something new and you can not have it due to your choice of phone/manufacturer. In that case I feel your pain. But for me the MXPE seems to be the the best balance in the regard.
Prestige_DOPE said:
But how do you guys feel on staying on a older version of Android when the new one gets released? Does it bother you any?
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I bought this phone rather than a Nexus because of its SD. That's more important to me than waiting a month or two for M. Now, if a new Android version drops in a year and Moto denies MXPE owners the upgrade, I'll grit my teeth and think about moving back to Samsung. I'll admit, it would shock me though...
<rant>Headslap for Googler who nixed SD for the Nexus. Stupid.</rant>
george241312 said:
I really want marshmallow right now because of the memory merge feature sdcard will become internal memory no need to separate things anymore.
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Prepare ur UHS-II card.
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In my honest opinion I don't think Motorola will abandon this device, they have put a lot of emphasis on their definition of the word "pure" and what it entails. Also, like a few people have stated, you can significantly increase the lifespan by easily unlocking the bootloader and installing custom roms. Once cyanogenmod rolls out a stable release they are usually followed by nightly updates, literally almost every night for a long, long time. My LG G2 has been getting nightly updates since 2013.
playerone_ said:
In my honest opinion I don't think Motorola will abandon this device, they have put a lot of emphasis on their definition of the word "pure" and what it entails. Also, like a few people have stated, you can significantly increase the lifespan by easily unlocking the bootloader and installing custom roms. Once cyanogenmod rolls out a stable release they are usually followed by nightly updates, literally almost every night for a long, long time. My LG G2 has been getting nightly updates since 2013.
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It's all fun cool until their new flagship comes out. We'll see how they treat the 2014 Pure edition.
Prestige_DOPE said:
It's all fun cool until their new flagship comes out. We'll see how they treat the 2014 Pure edition.
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This was the driving point for me leaving Samsung after the s3. Samsung would not even push any otas of the newest version of Android until their newest flagship with that update was released and had enough time in the light. They also hardly updated it to the newest version of touchwiz that the new flagship had, almost forcing those users to upgrade to get those features.
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monkeypaws said:
This was the driving point for me leaving Samsung after the s3. Samsung would not even push any otas of the newest version of Android until their newest flagship with that update was released and had enough time in the light. They also hardly updated it to the newest version of touchwiz that the new flagship had, almost forcing those users to upgrade to get those features.
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EXACTLY and to think... Carriers expected us to keep a phone for 2 years at that time.
Prestige_DOPE said:
But how do you guys feel on staying on a older version of Android when the new one gets released? Does it bother you any?
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This depends on the version I am left with. My G2 was left on a very buggy version Lollipop. I elected to stay on KitKat due to better battery life and overall better performance of the phone. I like to be on the latest version if it is better but am satisfied staying on an older version if it does everything I need. Granted, I am not a gamer and use my phone mostly for voice calls, emails, Tapatalk, web surfing as needed, and text messages.
None of the Android phones are getting updates on a schedule sufficient to come anywhere close to mitigating security vulnerabilities. Not even Nexus. Most phones are likely infected with malware, even Nexus. All it takes is one of hundreds of infected apps, still up for download from the Google Play Store.
This aspect of the Android ecosystem is shameful. Evidently, there is not enough money in the business model to do a good job at this. Google made a big PR release promising better updates for all including cheap Android One devices, and ratcheted the promises up further after the first Stagefright exploit hit the news, and what really came of all the promises? Not much. A little better update performance for the few big names already known for better (but still pathetic) update performance.
So since security is already nonexistent, and updates will never resolve that, the only remaining reason to care is fault corrections (aka bug fixes) and features/support. The XT1575 is not perfect but it does OK in those two categories for me at 5.1.1, no worse than other phones I've had. I'll take an OTA to get LTE Band 12 /VoLTE when it comes, but otherwise don't see a compelling reason to care much about updates since the security vulns are going to be there anyway, and updates always introduce at least as many faults as they fix.
As for long-term support: This whole thing converges on a 2 year life cycle. You run into rapidly diminishing returns after that, it's not worth it to keep the phone going after 2 years. (Spent a lot of time and money keeping phones going past 2 years, believe me it's not worth it, chunk it and get a new one after 2 years.) So who cares if updates stop somewhere after a year?
Prestige_DOPE said:
I don't see how anyone could not have the latest update right away. I get so excited for new features I can't sit back and watch. Motorola claimed to be able to send get updates out faster due to no carriers but that doesn't guarantee support for the coming years its depressing this just hit me.
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I don't jump on the newest Android versions immediately, for two reasons.
1). Compatibility issues.
For example, you have a new major version of Android out that changes the way some UI elements are displayed. Not every app you have installed will be updated to support that on day 1. A fully-functional-but-slightly-older phone beats a bleeding-edge-mostly-functional phone.
2). You lose root.
This isn't an issue on an unlocked bootloader phone like the MXPE. But to date, most Android phones have locked bootloaders, and only got root through discovering some exploit. A new version of Android means potentially losing root, and potentially requiring the dev community to find another exploit to gain root. A rooted-but-slightly-older phone beats an unrooted-and-carrier-bloatware-loaded phone.
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