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[Q] DROIDX Owner on the fence about getting Charge

I now can upgrade my DROID X to a newer phone.
Is the Verizon Droid Charge worthy as a replacement to Droid X? I keep reading about some of the growing pain on rooting the VDC, which I can understand. Beyond that, despite a better screen, is VDC's hardware close enough in term of its performance specifically on these three major criteria, i.e. GPS antenna, battery life and responsiveness, when you compare it with DX? Or, will I suffer from it due to the noticeable difference in poorer performance of those things? Discuss.
Note that my only reason to even pick VDC is for the 4G speed as I'm quite happy with DX hardware.

You and I are in the same boat. Although I don't have a Charge in my possession, I have decided to get it as an upgrade to my X, and here is why.
I initially got the Xperia Play as an upgrade, and had it for a day, and got rid of it because I didn't like many aspects of it.
That got me looking at an alternative upgrade, so I looked at all the 4g phones. Knowing data tiering is right around the corner, I feel this was a good move on my part. Anyway, after playing with the thunderbolt, Charge, and Revolution, I felt none of the phones were perfect for me, but the Charge was the best. I also feel it is an upgrade over my DX running team black hats Gingerbread.
The camera isn't quite as good as the Thunderbolt. The colors are... off, but resolution is better than the X by a little.
Game speed is faster. While I was at the vzw store looking at the phones, I downloaded Dungeon Defenders and played Deeper Well on insane. Faster than the Droid X by far, and what a wonderful screen!!! Not to freaking mention I was able to download the entire game over 4G faster than I could at home with Comcast/wifi. (20min) That's a freaking bonus right there buddy!
I think it will be a nice upgrade, but I wont know for a week, so ask me again then.
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

Its alot better. The possessor is an a new hummingbird so it handles battery better. The screen is super amoled plus. Once you install the lagfix its fast. And finally 4g is 4g
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA Premium App

Ted A said:
Note that my only reason to even pick VDC is for the 4G speed as I'm quite happy with DX hardware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can go without an upgrade, then I say stick it out for the next best phone. If you need an upgrade but don't necessarily need 4G LTE, go Droid X2, imo. Beast of a phone. I just don't like how it's sans 4G LTE.

Ted A said:
I now can upgrade my DROID X to a newer phone.
Is the Verizon Droid Charge worthy as a replacement to Droid X? I keep reading about some of the growing pain on rooting the VDC, which I can understand. Beyond that, despite a better screen, is VDC's hardware close enough in term of its performance specifically on these three major criteria, i.e. GPS antenna, battery life and responsiveness, when you compare it with DX? Or, will I suffer from it due to the noticeable difference in poorer performance of those things? Discuss.
Note that my only reason to even pick VDC is for the 4G speed as I'm quite happy with DX hardware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I upgraded from the DX to the DC primarily because I wanted to be grandfathered in to unlimited 4G when they make the change. I chose the DC over the Tbolt because of the battery life and the battery life to me does seem better than my DX.
from a performance stand point, I would not have upgraded just for the hardware originally. I might have waited it out for the Bionic BUT that being said, there is a noticeable difference in the performance of the 2 phones and I for one like the feel of the charge as opposed to the feel of the X.
Though the dev community is just now starting out, I find ROM flashing and such to be so much easier on the Charge, primarily because you don't have to deal with the bootstrapper and all that mess.
Overall, i'd say your decision has to come down to priorities, my priority was 4G unlimited (assuming that VZW will grandfather people in). If you want straight up hardware and performance, possibly hold out to the Bionic or go with the DX2 (I would've have gone with it except I couldn't see the point in getting a new phone that couldn't do 4G). Better battery life IMO go with the DC.
I am extremely happy with with all aspects of the DC over my X.

How's The RAZR?

I'm really contemplating on whether or not I should switch from my S3. I want to see some reviews on how it's been also!

I had the s3 for a days before switching to the razr maxx.I found the s3 too wide for my hand and too plasticy for my tastes. The razr is a great device and a solid phone in terms of hardware and build. No hiccups in usage and blur is really minimal compared to touch wiz. I don't play anything graphically intensive so haven't noticed the difference in ram. The camera on the s3 is better, but I haven't missed it. Unless a nexus device comes top vzw, I'll be keeping the maxx.
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

i have had the S3 since pre-order and just got the hd maxx this weekend. my wife got my s3 and i used her upgrade. i have to say i really like the phone so far! it is far closer to a stock android experience. the ONLY thing that i can say is that the on screen buttons (back, home, multitask) make your actual viewing area smaller. so you will lose some of your screen compared to the s3. other than that, its a sweet phone!!!!
Edit: now that i've had time to mess with the camera. i have to say i am very disappointed. indoor pics are terrible and outdoor pics are just ok. i thought this is the HD? the camera is still in the analog category. I am debating whether to try another one to see if its just mine, go back to my s3 or wait for an upcoming phone.

The RAZR HD is what apple owners wish the iphone5 was!!
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using xda app-developers app

how is the battery life? how long is the screen on time for? can anyone post some typical usage specs? :good:

The battery is amazing, I love it

ppau0822 said:
how is the battery life? how long is the screen on time for? can anyone post some typical usage specs? :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Above moderate usage 4g Lte always on. Games, youtube, Pandora, web browsing ect.

Maurice216 said:
Above moderate usage 4g Lte always on. Games, youtube, Pandora, web browsing ect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats pretty good!! can you tell how long the screen on time was? thanks

Razr Maxx HD compared to Thunderbolt

I've been shopping for a new phone after having my Thunderbolt for 1.75 years. I decided to get the Razr Maxx HD and here are my impressions comparing the two phones. Now, I start by saying I had the extended battery for the Thunderbolt. Battery life on the Thunderbolt was quite good with that extended battery. Everyone raves about the Razr Maxx HD battery life, however, the Thunderbolt holds up pretty well in this regard. With out a doubt, the Thunderbolts screen colors are much better, in a way. Whites on the Thunderbolt are white. Whites on the Razr phones are yellowish. Yes, the Razr Maxx HD dazzles in a way the Thunderbolt doesn't, primarily because it runs a newer operating system, however, the Thunderbolt screen is more pleasing because the whites are not yellow! Wireless reception in my home is better on the Thunderbolt. Jelly Bean 4.1 is nice with Google Now and the Siri killer search that Google has created. Faster and better than Siri. Calling, messaging and texting from voice command is really good on Jelly Bean.
In conclusion, you don't really recognize how amazing the Thunderbolt is until you check out these other phones. Thunderbolt with extended battery holds up very well to the new entrants. If Thunderbolt wasn't being hampered by its dated operating system, it would really be close. Respect the old Thunderbolt. He deserves it!

My niece got the razer max hd for Christmas and it locked up like two dogs and since it has no removable battery she wasn't able to reboot and had to let it sit while the battery died. I hate the Motorola screens too. It annoys the crap out of me that the digitizer is just barely visible and leaves that hashing on the screen. To each their own though. I noticed that the sgs3 that her boyfriend has has visible hashing on the screen too. It's weird because I've never seen this on htc phones. Plus the moto bootloader is so incredibly locked down it is ridiculous. I don't know if you ever used safestrap or bootstrap recoveries before but they suck.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

The Razr and SGS3 both have AMOLED displays with a PENTILE arrangement. These are known for innaccurate color and the PENTILE ones look really bad up close. The main upside of AMOLED is brightness.
The Thunderbolt has an LCD display, which are also often found in LG, Apple, Sony, and other HTC phones. The LG Optimus G/Nexus 4 and iPhone have IPS displays, which are the next step up.

I have tons of respect for my TB..able to upgrade , but there is nothing out there that is equal to what I have..oh yes, I'm running ICS leak and its great.. until something comes along that WOWS me..I'm sticking with TB
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

disconnecktie said:
My niece got the razer max hd for Christmas and it locked up like two dogs and since it has no removable battery she wasn't able to reboot and had to let it sit while the battery died. I hate the Motorola screens too. It annoys the crap out of me that the digitizer is just barely visible and leaves that hashing on the screen. To each their own though. I noticed that the sgs3 that her boyfriend has has visible hashing on the screen too. It's weird because I've never seen this on htc phones. Plus the moto bootloader is so incredibly locked down it is ridiculous. I don't know if you ever used safestrap or bootstrap recoveries before but they suck.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried Safestrap 3.* it's based on TWRP and you can have up to 5 roms installed at once that you swap between.
Much nicer than Safestrap 2.*

drewski_1 said:
Have you tried Safestrap 3.* it's based on TWRP and you can have up to 5 roms installed at once that you swap between.
Much nicer than Safestrap 2.*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea even that isn't enough to make me want a moto device lol. I like the concept of having several different roms at once though.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

I jumped to the Maxx HD and I'm really happy with it. I've finally been freed from chargers and backup batteries!
I only charge in my car dock to and from work!
I'm running rooted stock and wWidow by andlaw.
Doug B.

Dumped my bolt for a maxx HD and couldn't be happier . Its just a great felling to just have everything work and NEVER have to worry about the battery!!! Sure the boot loader is locked but safestrap is fine for me.
"no removable battery she wasn't able to reboot and had to let it sit while the battery died." lol maybe read the manual and hit the proper key combination to simulate a battery pull. Only had to do that once on my daughters maxx. I have had mine for 2 months and have never had it lock up once. My MAxx screen is definitely better then my bolt was and the radio is stronger. So over all I am 100% happy with the maxx and glad to get rid of my bolt and its sorry ass battery!!

I had the TBolt and went to the Maxx HD (by way of a couple other phones lol). Maxx HD is a great device. Recently had the opportunity to get the Note 2 and I must say it is probably the best device that I have used. I would recommend it over the Maxx HD ... but IMHO the Maxx HD is no slouch either. It's currently my wife's daily driver.
Makin' my Notes ...

Prospective Droid Razr Owner....Frustrated...Please help

I have posted this around a bit because I am a bit frustrated so much over a phone that is not even mine.
My mother broker her OG Droid Razr maxx last week from dropping it so since I am the tech guy at home she wanted my help to get a new phone...
Friday she added a line to her account....and got a GS3....She loved the phone and the colors(eye roll) but the phone had horrible reception which Samsung is known for. Call Quality was awful and she was willing to settle for it. Of course she'll settle now but i refuse to deal with her calling me for the next 2 years complaining about her phone....so i convinced her to take it back.
Monday We got a Droid DNA by HTC.....again she loved the way it looks and the colors and the sense animations(eye roll again)....Except once again she had crappy service.....it is better than the GS3 in the sense it doesn't drop calls but the call quality is crap...People can't hear her and she can't hear them.
We've already exchanged the phone once...so I am praying Best buy will let us exchange it one last time...I know they are sick of my face and I am sick of being there in best buy.
My mother is not a power user...this is partially my fault. Her droid razr maxx seem to perform well and i rarely heard her complain about it...But i wanted my mom to have a good phone that is going to be supported hence me choosing the GS3 and DNA since they were newer...but both were crap.
So it is obvious that Motorola is our best bet since where she lives it is extremely rural...trees surround the back of the house....
I have a Nokia Lumia 920 on ATT and i only get 1 bar of service but I never drop calls.....
So here are my choices...
Get my 100 bucks back for the DNA and get one of these phones
1. Just get her a new OG Droid Razr Maxx
But from doing research on the web, I hear the Razr maxx has a screen that is so fragile it literally spontaneously cracks...which makes me wonder was it really her that did it when she dropped it or what.
2. Moto Droid Razr M
It's free at best buy and i get my cash back.....but i hear it has that stupid antennagate thing the iphone has when you hold it at the bottom and you lose signal.
and lastly
3. Moto Droid Razr Maxx HD
I want to get her this.....It is a nice looking phone except i hear the screen randomly turns purple for no apparent reason.
Also, apparently the Maxx HD has some kind of hissing sound that is noticeable when talking on the phone....
So i need help....what phone should I get?
What issues are there with the Maxx HD? Or have the issues been fixed?

Micah Luca said:
I have posted this around a bit because I am a bit frustrated so much over a phone that is not even mine.
My mother broker her OG Droid Razr maxx last week from dropping it so since I am the tech guy at home she wanted my help to get a new phone...
Friday she added a line to her account....and got a GS3....She loved the phone and the colors(eye roll) but the phone had horrible reception which Samsung is known for. Call Quality was awful and she was willing to settle for it. Of course she'll settle now but i refuse to deal with her calling me for the next 2 years complaining about her phone....so i convinced her to take it back.
Monday We got a Droid DNA by HTC.....again she loved the way it looks and the colors and the sense animations(eye roll again)....Except once again she had crappy service.....it is better than the GS3 in the sense it doesn't drop calls but the call quality is crap...People can't hear her and she can't hear them.
We've already exchanged the phone once...so I am praying Best buy will let us exchange it one last time...I know they are sick of my face and I am sick of being there in best buy.
My mother is not a power user...this is partially my fault. Her droid razr maxx seem to perform well and i rarely heard her complain about it...But i wanted my mom to have a good phone that is going to be supported hence me choosing the GS3 and DNA since they were newer...but both were crap.
So it is obvious that Motorola is our best bet since where she lives it is extremely rural...trees surround the back of the house....
I have a Nokia Lumia 920 on ATT and i only get 1 bar of service but I never drop calls.....
So here are my choices...
Get my 100 bucks back for the DNA and get one of these phones
1. Just get her a new OG Droid Razr Maxx
But from doing research on the web, I hear the Razr maxx has a screen that is so fragile it literally spontaneously cracks...which makes me wonder was it really her that did it when she dropped it or what.
2. Moto Droid Razr M
It's free at best buy and i get my cash back.....but i hear it has that stupid antennagate thing the iphone has when you hold it at the bottom and you lose signal.
and lastly
3. Moto Droid Razr Maxx HD
I want to get her this.....It is a nice looking phone except i hear the screen randomly turns purple for no apparent reason.
Also, apparently the Maxx HD has some kind of hissing sound that is noticeable when talking on the phone....
So i need help....what phone should I get?
What issues are there with the Maxx HD? Or have the issues been fixed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the RAZR HD (not maxx) XT925 which is very similar to the RAZR M. This isn't presumably the same RAZR HD that's available where you are which would be possibly the XT926. In any case, thought you might want to know that like the M, I have a very slight antennagate effect on mine and the hardware is very much the same, just a differant sized phone. Sound quality isn't excellent in calls but it isn't what I had read about before buying it (and as you described) either. Its is good quality, but just not crystal clear as you might want given the amount of research and presumble frustration you've put into the search. I usually wouldn't reply to a thread that wasn't asking about my handset but it seems like you've done a lot of background work and felt I should give some input given the lack of response. Overall, the antenagate thing and the sound quality aren't issues for me, and I'm very picky as well. My biggest gripe is that the crash handler sucks on my phone. It rarely gives me the option to close an app but instead freezes and then I either shut it down after a while or it actually does a simulated battery pull all by itself. It's not that often but it is frustrating that it happens at all. It seems to be an issue when RAM is scarce. Admitadly, though, I may have frozen one app to many and this could be the cause.

thanks for your reply

I have the Maxx HD and notice none of the things you mention. I'm overall very happy with the phone and like the size and battery life. It also seems to be able to withstand some abuse; I've dropped it a couple times with no sign of damage. I haven't dropped ti flat onto concrete or anything, just fumbles while getting it out of the case or back in. If there is a color cast to the screen it don't notice it but I'm also not looking for it. Calls, data and coverage serve me well. I do think the camera is sub-par. Different software seems to help but if using the phone as a full blown camera is your thing you may be disappointed with that. It seems fine for snap shots and quick postings online. I'm currently having an issue with the hotspot function not working, which is included in my plan, but other than that the phone has worked well for me for the past 3 months or so.

I have a regular Razr HD and don't have any issues.
I had an OG Razr Maxx with no issues.
I would not get the OG Maxx, because it is close to end of life.. It's been out (Razr anyway) for more than a year.
If buying a Motorola phone, you should get Razr M or Razr HD family.
I think the regular Razr HD outperforms the OG Razr Maxx, in terms of battery life. At least the way I use the phone. YMMV

Get the Razr Maxx HD. Motorolla is well known for making phones that have great reception. I've had an iphone 4 for personal use and Blackberry for work, bothwere used in my home office. The Iphone would not work at alland the Blackberry has poor reception. The Razr Maxx Hd does not have all bars but works way better than the Iphone and Blackberry.
Battery life is awesome.
I've had no issues with the phone at all. The most recent update downloaded and installed without a hitch.
Now I just need a root method for the latest update
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using xda premium

M8 Terrible Signal vs DNA

I gotta vent. It's driving me nuts! My girl has my Droid DNA - and just like me when I had it, she gets at least 3 bars of LTE at home. I'm lucky to get ONE BAR of 1X on my M8!!! It's ridiculous! I can barely send text messages from home. They sit there for several minutes with the 'sending' icon. It's so choppy, people are even receiving double or triple text messages. How can one HTC phone have such incredible signal and a newer one have such terrible signal!?
When I get a chance, I'll take a look at the actual signal dB numbers. Regardless of the numbers, though, this phone's service sucks. Other than that, I absolutely love this phone.

aol8mydog said:
I gotta vent. It's driving me nuts! My girl has my Droid DNA - and just like me when I had it, she gets at least 3 bars of LTE at home. I'm lucky to get ONE BAR of 1X on my M8!!! It's ridiculous! I can barely send text messages from home. They sit there for several minutes with the 'sending' icon. It's so choppy, people are even receiving double or triple text messages. How can one HTC phone have such incredible signal and a newer one have such terrible signal!?
When I get a chance, I'll take a look at the actual signal dB numbers. Regardless of the numbers, though, this phone's service sucks. Other than that, I absolutely love this phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's much better than my GNex, but that's not saying much (it had notoriously bad reception). I've only noticed going down to 3G once, which is great for me.

aol8mydog said:
I gotta vent. It's driving me nuts! My girl has my Droid DNA - and just like me when I had it, she gets at least 3 bars of LTE at home. I'm lucky to get ONE BAR of 1X on my M8!!! It's ridiculous! I can barely send text messages from home. They sit there for several minutes with the 'sending' icon. It's so choppy, people are even receiving double or triple text messages. How can one HTC phone have such incredible signal and a newer one have such terrible signal!?
When I get a chance, I'll take a look at the actual signal dB numbers. Regardless of the numbers, though, this phone's service sucks. Other than that, I absolutely love this phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the signal on M8 is much worse than on the DNA (I have access to both), but only at certain angles of the M8.
M8 has a complete solid metal back, which is completely opaque to microwave and radio waves. When you turn the M8 correctly, it gets a better signal. Not by very much but better.

I get the same service I've always had. Full LTE and AWS. Something is wrong with either something that you may have flashed or your phone is defective. Send it back.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using xda app-developers app

You may want to exchange your device, my reception is on par or even better than the Note 3 that I just sold.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Coming from a sgs3... The reception is awesome.
Sent from my HTCM8

My service seems the same if not slightly better in some areas as my old razr HD and razr that my girlfriend has.

sfreemanoh said:
It's much better than my GNex, but that's not saying much (it had notoriously bad reception). I've only noticed going down to 3G once, which is great for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im with you man. I also came from a GNex, and it seems like a lot of other have too.
Its crazy how much better the reception has been with the M8. I had trouble getting any 3G or 4G in my new house with my GNex, even outside. With my m8, I get an average of 3 bars of 4G. And the difference is like that everywhere I go including work. I don't know how I lasted that long on the GNex. I guess I just got used to the crazy bad reception.
That being said, I have always heard that most Motorola phones have some of the best reception. And this was always the case with my older motorola flip phones (E815) also. But I stopped buying motorola phones after the original Droid X bootloader was locked down like Fort Knox, and they said all their newer phones were gonna be like that.
EDIT:
To the person that just sold the NOTE 3. That phone is just like the GNex was. Awful reception. My dad had the phone for two days and returned it. We looked up reviews and saw tons of people complaining about the reception. Which is funny because the Note 2 had a solid reception. My brother uses it and gets great service, as well as all the reviews. Samsung must have dropped the ball on the Note 3 antenna.

I agree with the OP. This handset has noticeably lower signal strength than my old HTC Rezound, and the one my wife currently uses as her personal phone. My M8 is only slightly better than the GNEX she has as a company-provided work phone. Disappointing, actually, as the M8 is a phenomenal device in most other regards.
To be honest though, I've not experienced a single dropped call, as of yet. But, I see data switching to 3G quite regularly. I'm still on the stock ROM, only S-OFF and rooted.

Just to add that coming from the DNA to the M8, I have been extremely happy with reception.
My DNA would consistently drop out at certain points in the city (minneapolis) but my M8 has been solid.
To be honest, I really don't pay a lot of attention to bars, so I couldn't say if I have the same, more or less bars with the M8, but I haven't had any issues with connectivity.

Freedom First said:
I agree with the OP. This handset has noticeably lower signal strength than my old HTC Rezound, and the one my wife currently uses as her personal phone. My M8 is only slightly better than the GNEX she has as a company-provided work phone. Disappointing, actually, as the M8 is a phenomenal device in most other regards.
To be honest though, I've not experienced a single dropped call, as of yet. But, I see data switching to 3G quite regularly. I'm still on the stock ROM, only S-OFF and rooted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your M8 is only slightly better than a gnex, you have a defective M8. G-nex has the worst reception of any phone I've ever owned, by FAR.

For me in New Jersey, where LTE practically covers the entire state, the M8 gets good reception but my DNA definitely got better reception.
At work in Newark..And I work in a glass building...DNA would be between 96-98 dBm and my M8 is between 102-105.
I'm assuming that's the aluminum casing. Don't get me wrong, reception is great but in marginal signal areas like at home in my basement, dna would hold LTE where M8 will drop to 3g and sometimes 1x

hxdrummerxc said:
Im with you man. I also came from a GNex, and it seems like a lot of other have too.
Its crazy how much better the reception has been with the M8. I had trouble getting any 3G or 4G in my new house with my GNex, even outside. With my m8, I get an average of 3 bars of 4G. And the difference is like that everywhere I go including work. I don't know how I lasted that long on the GNex. I guess I just got used to the crazy bad reception.
That being said, I have always heard that most Motorola phones have some of the best reception. And this was always the case with my older motorola flip phones (E815) also. But I stopped buying motorola phones after the original Droid X bootloader was locked down like Fort Knox, and they said all their newer phones were gonna be like that.
EDIT:
To the person that just sold the NOTE 3. That phone is just like the GNex was. Awful reception. My dad had the phone for two days and returned it. We looked up reviews and saw tons of people complaining about the reception. Which is funny because the Note 2 had a solid reception. My brother uses it and gets great service, as well as all the reviews. Samsung must have dropped the ball on the Note 3 antenna.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, my mom's GS3 had similarly crappy reception to my GNex, and Samsung's radios have never had the best reputation, but I heard they've gotten somewhat better. But I guess maybe they reverted back to their old ways with the Note 3...
Don't forget though, while the DX had a locked bootloader (I had a DX as well, it was actually my Android gateway device), it also had a great development community. So with some awesome dev's, even a locked bootloader doesn't mean the device won't be awesome.

Coming from multiple devices such as the Gnex, DNA, Note 3 and now the M8, I think there's more to it than just moving from one phone to another. Yes, HTC is known for better radios than Samsung and having the Note 3 before the M8 I personally witnessed the M8 produce better reception. But I think the issue also stems from the added LTE frequencies that have been added to newer handsets. For example my Note 3 before the AWS roll out performed very good, but once the roll out hit NYC and I started to check if I was connected to band 4 in my handset I began to notice my service between LTE, 3G and 1X fluctuate a lot. At work where I was constantly connected to LTE band 13 before and don't ever remember having 3G, the phone began to connect only to 3G.
Purchasing a new phone such as the M8 that has support for AWS but is weaker may be the result. The Droid DNA only supported Verizon LTE Band 13.

When I'm at work where my DNA had great LTE reception, my M8 seems to be OK - only slightly less signal. I think the problem is worse when the LTE signal is marginal like at my home. It seems that's when the difference is very noticeable. At home, I'd be lucky to get LTE on my older phones (Thunderbolt and Rezound) but the DNA was awesome. LTE all the time at home. I think I was spoiled.

You probably got a defective device, because mine gets signal everywhere I couldn't before.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

Signal
I went from a GNex to an X, and noticed a great signal reception different. I thought the X had great reception, and held with Motorola's reputation for good radios. My M8 has a lot better reception than the X did, far none. Spots where I would have ~1 to 2 bars of 3G, I now have at least 3 at all times. The 4G radio boundary seems to be a lot better than the X had as well. I would agree with what was previously stated, and say you have a defective unit.

Coming from a g2 I consistantly see -5 db better with this device in the same locations.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

The M8 appears to have similar signal reception to the S4. My son loves the M8, so no chance of an objective view there. The new device pixie dust is too strong
I find the following based on comparing:
DNA > i5s > M8/S4 Both the DNA and iPhone 4s have better reception than than the equal M8 & S4. Still not tested the S5 and will not unless they get a 32gb model. That would be my phone.
The worst phone recpetion device I ever owned was the Nokie N600. It was AWFUL and made the GNEX seem like a DNA on steroids. I grew to really "hate" Nokia after that device. Their Windows Phone love solidifies the "hate".

Something quite a few people here are not taking into account is that the M8 is utilizing Verizon's AWS band, whereas the Rezound/DNA are not. Your M8's signal bars are more than likely displaying AWS signal(assuming your area has AWS this will be the case). On a Rezound, your signal bars reflect your 1X signal...which will always be extremely high in most areas. On a DNA you will be seeing the normal LTE band.
If you're trying to compare to older devices like the Rezound, you need to launch a voice call on your M8 before even giving a second thought to the signal bars. To address the DNA...you won't really be able to compare the two devices since the DNA doesn't support the AWS band at all...unless you live in a non-AWS area.
If you do the appropriate comparisons, the M8's signal is great. I hope this helps clear up a lot of the misunderstanding going on in this thread. :good: