Looking for cheap android phone for dashcam but... - General Questions and Answers

Needs to be able to take 64gb (128gb would be better but not necessary) micro SD card that can handle class 10 or at least 10MB/s write. This isn't a what to buy market thread, it is a suggestion thread in case anybody makes offers. Please note that mods.
Preferably at least 5mp camera but 8mp would be preferred. Capable of taking solid 1080p video, but solid recording @ 720p is fine. OIS would be real nice, but I don't think there are very many low/mid range phones that have that. I've looked at moto E and moto G but from my research they'll take 64gb but only work stable at class 4 or lower with fat32 format. And I would prefer exfat be compatible, very much so, but i will do fat32 if I have to if all other mandatory prerequisites are met.
Also would like it to be jelly bean or higher for stability purposes. I am currently using a Motorola atrix MB860 but it randomly reboots every once in awhile even though I undid my aggressive undervolts. I DO NOT want that worry in case something happens and the incident is not recorded. It is still working awesome, but at well over 3 years old the USB port is showing it's wear enough that I am using a right angle micro USB adapter because the angled pull helps keep the plug in. A straight micro USB falls out every once in awhile.
And I also would prefer a swappable battery or one that is easy user replaceable if it is sealed. The atrix is on it's second battery, though the first one is still serviceable and good enough for backup just in case. And would prefer a phone that has minimum 8gb internal storage, preferably 16gb, but I'll settle for 4gb if all the other prerequisites are met. A decent sensitive microphone would be handy for those situations I might need to record audio with witnesses or police but is not high priority.
To reiterate, I've researched the moto G and E but too many possible compromises without fully testing one personally. I've also checked out my mom's LG e90 or whatever it is called that T-Mobile has discounted to $100 from $250. It takes terrible pictures, the video is questionable and it not being a flagship I don't trust it all that much. Plus adding nova launcher over LG's terrible skin majorly affects widgets that can be added or worse, not added.
I am looking for something in $150 price range or cheaper, but will pay up to $200 if there are no compromises. Used is fine if USB port isn't worn out and camera lens isnt scratched. A led flash, or any kind of flash is not necessary at all, but handy for a quick flashlight.
Sorry for long post but figure this might be handy for other people that might be interested. Daily roads voyager is an awesome app to utilize as dash cam. It has come in handy for criminal/civil incidents twice already and several times to report litterers when I got home and got their license plate. Don't mess with Texas. Lol. I've considered a glaxy s or another atrix but they have gingerbread and I don't wanna deal with that.
So anybody has some good suggestions that I don't know about or come across? Oh, and preferably 4.5" screen or smallest 4". I tried a galaxy note2 and it was awesome in every way, but just too damn big, and the weight made it vibrate way too much and makes it harder to see minute details when it moves around too much. Hope y'all have some goo d suggestions. Thanks for reading this far and if you have thanks for a suggestion if you have one. I will be sure to update whatever I settle on so other people can get in on the dash cam bandwagon.

Related

Free Charge

not sure if this is good news or not, but our beloved Charge is now listed as "Free" on VZW's website (was $100 as of yesterday) with a new 2-year subscription. Also, the phone is listed as "out-of-stock".
I'm sure they are gearing up for back-to-school specials and new devices come black friday.
Good news - I think that when you call and complain at your phone, they'll send you another one "if in stock". since this is no longer in stock, they might send another device.
Good news2 - since the device is free (if available), then perhaps that will create more users (and maybe more developers to see if they can crack that ICS/JB code).
Bad news - I believe that VZW typically actively supports their devices for about 2 years before they strongly encourage you to buy a new one, so the likelihood that this phone will receive any more updates is keeps getting slimmer.
but in any event, I'm very content with the tweaked development and themers and community. I still got another year (got mine Sept 1, 2011).
But why bother when the Galaxy Nexus has been free for awhile on a Verizon 2 year contract? It has over twice the CPU power and almost twice the RAM, as well as the one magical thing the Charge never received, true software support from its OEM.
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Veri...is-now-absolutely-free-on-contract_id32803#1-
Chocoburger said:
But why bother when the Galaxy Nexus has been free for awhile on a Verizon 2 year contract? It has over twice the CPU power and almost twice the RAM, as well as the one magical thing the Charge never received, true software support from its OEM.
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Veri...is-now-absolutely-free-on-contract_id32803#1-
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seems to me that the only reason to go with the GN is to for the software support. otherwise, not sure that I want a phone that gets poorer battery life, no removal SDcard, bigger/heavier, and has many of the same problems that charge did.
i'm not saying the charge is as good or better, but it's interesting how for a brief period of time, the GN was free while the charge was still $100 (and the Charge has been around for a lot longer too).
jco23 said:
seems to me that the only reason to go with the GN is to for the software support. otherwise, not sure that I want a phone that gets poorer battery life, no removal SDcard, bigger/heavier, and has many of the same problems that charge did.
i'm not saying the charge is as good or better, but it's interesting how for a brief period of time, the GN was free while the charge was still $100 (and the Charge has been around for a lot longer too).
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My charge was plagued with problems. I don't need to list them Cuz I'm sure you guys know. If you think the only reason to get a GNex is software support, you haven't played with one. There is just no way that the charge can be compared. No offense but the charge was the worst phone I've ever had. Even rooted and with tweaked you can only do so much.
As far as poor battery, I get about the same as the charge with heavy use. I thought I would be upset with no expandable memory but I haven't even noticed there is no sd card slot, and how can you say it's bigger or heavier? I'm convinced you've never seen a GNex... The ONLY advantage the charge has it its awesome super amoled+ display. That's it.
AmericanCon said:
My charge was plagued with problems. I don't need to list them Cuz I'm sure you guys know. If you think the only reason to get a GNex is software support, you haven't played with one. There is just no way that the charge can be compared. No offense but the charge was the worst phone I've ever had. Even rooted and with tweaked you can only do so much.
As far as poor battery, I get about the same as the charge with heavy use. I thought I would be upset with no expandable memory but I haven't even noticed there is no sd card slot, and how can you say it's bigger or heavier? I'm convinced you've never seen a GNex... The ONLY advantage the charge has it its awesome super amoled+ display. That's it.
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looking at VZW website, the Charge weighs 4.16oz compared to 5.1oz of the GN; Charge is 5.11H x 2.66W while the GN is 5.33H x 2.67W
I think the key advantage the GN has over the Charge is that it has 1GB of RAM (charge has about half of that). also, Charge has a better camera (8MP compared to 5MP)
don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the Charge is better, just that the GN would not be my first choice right now if I had to decide on a new device right now (or even when it first came out).
When is the world going to stop comparing megapixels? My brother has a vintage pentax that has maybe 1 megapixel and takes better pictures than most cameras I've seen. 1gb of ram and a better processor is definitely an advantage but isn't that the main advantage any phone should have? Plus with jb its just not even close. I know jb is software but software designed on and for the gnex/7. Theres no point in trying to convince anyone that the gnex is better than the charge lol, i think it's a given. I also still think the gnex is the best phone available still. Not in terms of hardware but as a whole package.
My bottom line is that I'm not owning another Samsung phone for a very long time, and that goes for the GS3 as well. I had too many issues with the Charge, and too many stories from other phones in the Galaxy S series. There are just too many radio problems with Samsung phones. And honestly, I don't like the screens either. They look nice, but I was already having pixel fade issues after a year on the Charge. They weren't apparent on normal images, but solid colors or repeating patterns made them stand out like a sore thumb. I'm just not sold on OLED as a long term viable technology at the current levels of development.
And yes, megapixels aren't everything. They matter, but not nearly as much as a good lens, and the lens on the Charge sucks. I never got good pics out of my Charge. No matter what I did, there was always grain. If the lens can't resolve enough angular resolution to clearly resolve each pixel, adding more megapixel doesn't do anything. HDR composites were the only way to clear it up at all, and they aren't practical for every photo. My old 3GS only had a 3MP cam and it beat the crap out of the Charge on picture quality, and its pictures sucked in comparison to my old 3MP point-and-shoot. My Rezound, also with a 8MP sensor, beats the crap out of any phone camera I've ever had, but it still doesn't hit the quality of my 7MP point-and-shoot.
GNex also has a bigger screen, I think Charge is 4.3 while GNex is 4.5 and it's an HD resolution too? With 32 GB internal storage, I wouldn't need an SD card.
shrike1978 said:
My bottom line is that I'm not owning another Samsung phone for a very long time, and that goes for the GS3 as well. I had too many issues with the Charge, and too many stories from other phones in the Galaxy S series. There are just too many radio problems with Samsung phones. And honestly, I don't like the screens either. They look nice, but I was already having pixel fade issues after a year on the Charge. They weren't apparent on normal images, but solid colors or repeating patterns made them stand out like a sore thumb. I'm just not sold on OLED as a long term viable technology at the current levels of development.
And yes, megapixels aren't everything. They matter, but not nearly as much as a good lens, and the lens on the Charge sucks. I never got good pics out of my Charge. No matter what I did, there was always grain. If the lens can't resolve enough angular resolution to clearly resolve each pixel, adding more megapixel doesn't do anything. HDR composites were the only way to clear it up at all, and they aren't practical for every photo. My old 3GS only had a 3MP cam and it beat the crap out of the Charge on picture quality, and its pictures sucked in comparison to my old 3MP point-and-shoot. My Rezound, also with a 8MP sensor, beats the crap out of any phone camera I've ever had, but it still doesn't hit the quality of my 7MP point-and-shoot.
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+1.
The charge is a POS!!! In my experience Samsung phones are horrible. I would go with just about anything over the Charge
Sent from my ReZound using xda app-developers app

Thoughts about the Moto X Pure/Style after extended usage

The point of this post is just to share my thoughts about the direction Motorola has taken with flagships. After using this phone for more than a year I can conclude:
Besides near stock Android and Turbo charging, the phone is mediocre at best. I have never felt as good as what i felt with my previous flagships (a Oneplus One).
The Battery life is way below average. After using the phone for a year the battery has really started to show its age and its not lasting as long as it should.
Another annoying issue I noticed is the fact that Motorola implements almost the same design language for their lower end G series and X series. Apart from the size, someone who isn't a tech geek can easily mistake my Pure for a lower end Motorola phone. The new Z series has fixed this, but again it would be difficult for the uninitiated to tell the difference between a Moto Z Play and the more premium Moto Z. Samsung, LG, HTC, Xiaomi go to great lengths to ensure that their flagships stand out and look very different from the budget phones.
I dont think i need to mention the fact that ever since Lenovo has taken over, the update wait time has increased a great deal, new reports suggest that the Pure will only get Noughat in May 2017
The developers that choose to work on the Pure deserve a lot of credit, but the fact is that a lot of developers chose to develop for other devices rather than the Pure.
A lot of accessory manufacturers decided that the moto X Pure didn't deserve any attention. To find a decent case was not very easy, (I especially missed using a Spigen case) and the fact that there is not a single working tempered Screen glass protector proves this. (I know the Pleson works almost 100% but its not available freely in all countries neither is it perfect.)
In conclusion I'm pretty sure this will be my last Motorola phone simply because it would be smarter to spend a little more and get a Galaxy, and with phones like the Oneplus 3T it makes little sense to buy a phone like the Moto Z which is priced considerably higher.
Would love to hear from other people what they think and if they are going to stay loyal to Motorola.
Heavy weight
Easy to get heated
The point about sharing design with mid range Moto phones is dope. People often ask if it's a Moto X Play or a Moto G 3rd Gen and then we need to tell them it's X Style ??
Well ... I understand your point of view, but what I think is that you chose badly the device, since you found him "mediocre at best"
The points listed:
Comparing the most powerful AND STABLE 32-bit processor to the second in line of Qualcomm's 64-bit generation SOC's with new architecture and everything else, I believe to be extremely wrong, since after the SD810 fiasco the creation of the SD808 was the fix the company used (and i think it was a good one, but this is something mostly disagree with me '^^)
About the OnePlus One, it is really a beast phone with the SD801 (the 32bits GOD) and i understand that you had a remarkable experience with it, since i had (now it is with my girlfriend) an Xperia Z3 with the same SD801 as the OnePlus One i understand when you say it was a more fluid usage, since i think the same, but... I don't think you can compare something that is pretty stable with some new technology.
I never had any problems with the battery because i use as a normal phone and i play games only at home and waiting in lines (bank/medic/...), it gives me something next to 18 hours (stock ROM/kernel) of use with 3 hour SOT or 7 to 8 hours SOT when i use it to watch movies/series/animes in my bed, mostly at weekends. Through the week i unplug it from charger at 6:30, go to work, and at 18:00 i go back home (40 ~ 35% left), the weekend is always a mess for battery stats,
As for the design I don’t have much to say, because I find it very beautiful, and being same design language is a plus for me, i like to have a “invisible phone” in the croud, only people that asks me what is my phone should know the answer.
Now the two really bad points ...
As for Lenovo acquiring Motorola, I fully agree that it was dumb, at least it should keep Motorola working as it always did.
And the lack of smartphone accessories really is laughable
We can keep talking about it, but i really think is a good phone and the testing Nougat ROM's are amazing, i can't wait for the official Nougat update.
btw all samsungs look the same too, comapre new A series with S: very simmilar glass on glass design.
other than that, you're right there are some dissapoitments but it's not real flagship phone, it's more like very good mid-end device, It was never priced like a flagship so don't expect it to be real flagship - that's my opinion. OPO is a differen't story, they managed to get price down with other ways like it's distribution, services ect.
It is a flagship phone. Why would you think otherwise? SD 8xx, 5.7" 2K screen, 21 MP back camera, etc. Upon release the starting price for 16gb was $399, while most mid range phones hit at $250-$300. At this point, nearly 2 years later, it could be considered a mid range but that is because hardware moves forward.
As to my thoughts: I think this is a great phone, even now. I run unrooted stock and pretty much it is a Nexus device with a few extras for customization thrown via Moto apps. These apps are few and I appreciate that they add actual additional features and not just replicate what Android and Google actually does already. The phone runs smooth, has a good camera for good lighting, and handles everything I throw at it. I will admit that battery life could be better, but it is acceptable and at least the turbo charge makes up for this shortcoming. I don't regret this purchase, even if the update process is dismal.
Update: I have hit the end of my warranty period, so I unlocked the bootloader and rooted. I have applied my favorite rooted apps and settings (Xposed, amplify, Greenify, TiBu to disable/uninstall certain apps and services, BBS to track wakelocks, and AdAway) so hopefully I will see improved battery life.
I bought the phone 6 months ago and I love it. I always used to be a android tinkerer. But recently most of the features that I used to root for have become stock. All I really need in a phone is stock android (although I wish we would get updates sooner) and the front facing speakers (because anything else is stupid). While I will probably be buying whatever google has out when I decide that it is time to upgrade in a year or two. It isn't due to anything motorola did wrong in particular. I also tend to keep phones a long time and upgrade to a tried and tested phone (which 6 months ago was the moto x pure, getting great reviews.) I upgraded from the Galaxy Note 2, and this was a wonderful step up.
I bought mine used last summer, upgrading from a Galaxy Note II. I'm a little disappointed in the battery life, but it gets me through most days. I agree about the lack of accessories and the slowing speed of updates. I'm also amazed at how well my Note II still stands up while running a custom MM Rom. I hope the X Pure works that well when it is that old.
But there are things that I really love about this phone too. I am amazed at how good the front speakers sound. I never thought I would care this much, but they are really good. I'm happy with the camera, since most of my photography is in good lighting conditions. This is my first phone with a camera that was good enough to not bother with a point and shoot. I'll move to a custom ROM if the updates stop altogether, but they haven't stopped yet. I'm happy that it still has a headphone jack, I use it all the time. Speed is fast enough to never annoy me, where my Note 2 was fast enough to rarely annoy me.
I choose this phone as an aging flagship instead of a midrange (Honor 5X, Asus Zenfone Laser 2, Moto G 3rd Gen) and I'm glad that I did.
Note2 versus Moto X Pure Edition
Znomon said:
I bought the phone 6 months ago and I love it. I always used to be a android tinkerer. But recently most of the features that I used to root for have become stock. All I really need in a phone is stock android (although I wish we would get updates sooner) and the front facing speakers (because anything else is stupid). While I will probably be buying whatever google has out when I decide that it is time to upgrade in a year or two. It isn't due to anything motorola did wrong in particular. I also tend to keep phones a long time and upgrade to a tried and tested phone (which 6 months ago was the moto x pure, getting great reviews.) I upgraded from the Galaxy Note 2, and this was a wonderful step up.
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smallmj said:
I bought mine used last summer, upgrading from a Galaxy Note II. I'm a little disappointed in the battery life, but it gets me through most days. I agree about the lack of accessories and the slowing speed of updates. I'm also amazed at how well my Note II still stands up while running a custom MM Rom. I hope the X Pure works that well when it is that old.
But there are things that I really love about this phone too. I am amazed at how good the front speakers sound. I never thought I would care this much, but they are really good. I'm happy with the camera, since most of my photography is in good lighting conditions. This is my first phone with a camera that was good enough to not bother with a point and shoot. I'll move to a custom ROM if the updates stop altogether, but they haven't stopped yet. I'm happy that it still has a headphone jack, I use it all the time. Speed is fast enough to never annoy me, where my Note 2 was fast enough to rarely annoy me.
I choose this phone as an aging flagship instead of a midrange (Honor 5X, Asus Zenfone Laser 2, Moto G 3rd Gen) and I'm glad that I did.
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Note 2 holdout here too . I'm just finishing up my first week since the upgrade and am quite pleased so far. I have the feeling that the MXPE is going to be a good low maintenance, long haul phone that I can get a few good years of service out of without too much hand-holding, just like with the Note. And with a nice, bright LCD screen instead of Led, I won't ever have to worry about burn-in or custom kernels to help correct green tint; pretty much everything just works. In fact, there's a ton of features that used to require a special app or a custom rom on the Note 2 that are built right in to the X, so there was a lot less effort required out-of-the-box to get everything to work, and on the stock Rom, no less! Even tethering works on the stock rom, which is something that I've never seen on any smartphone in my life.
Comparing the battery life of the two devices, I have yet to conclude any formal tests, but so far, the Pure Edition looks like it's going to be delivering 3-4 hours of screen-on time at best, while the Note 2 delivered as much as 4-5 hours on a good day. That said, I used that phone much more conservatively, so that could have something to do with it, but overall, the runtime of the Pure Edition isn't looking all that great. I think it's just got too much power for its own good, and when you combine that with a ludicrously-high screen resolution, (which demands more effort to render those high-resolution fonts and animations) it strains the CPU and GPU more. Time will tell if things improve after I settle in with it.
Overall I am happy with my X pure, though I share some of the others gripes.
Pros
-Screen
-Above average camera
-Good front camera with flash
-Good CPU, 3GB RAM
-front speakers
-no complaint on call quality
-Sd card slot - I have a 64GB card split as 20GB adopted and 40GB external
-moto ROM is near stock
-Moto features are well done (lock screen notifications)
-Simple unlock/root process
-GSM & CDMA = yes on VZ
-Quich charge 2
-understated design (I like it, others not as much)
- PRICE for these features unmatched
Cons
-Gets hot under load
-Battery life could be better - depends on how much I use it. GPS OFF helps. QC is a necessity with this phone
- lack of choice for accessories
- curved back - one handed is a chore and can't use on the table face up. It does feel nice to hold for a call though.
Other
- upgrade cycle has been slower than some would like. However it still exists at least. Other phones would be dead by now, this one is still alive.
Overall, Pros outweigh the cons and there is a lot for me to love about this phone.
I think I have been spoiled, because I'm finding it hard to find a device to upgrade to without sacrifices. The only phones I would consider are the Pixel and Moto G4 and one is expensive and the other underpowered.
well, i did the poll but i did it as a yes i would buy another, with condition of course.
i came from the original disappointed motorola fans, the Photon 4G fan. back then... it was the photon of the era. It had the ability to work as a PC, GSM capabilities, 4G wimax and at the time was the best performance with dual core 1 gigahertz and qHD. really a prime of a phone at that time compared to the S2 and the evo. cyanogenmod came out and did wonders on that phone because moto blur was so trashy. Then... the worst happened. Sprint ordered motorola to lock down the bootloader to 2.3.6 which is severely locked and no modifications were allowed to be done anymore. those who were lucky to not have 2.3.6 were able to mod to ICS but those who had 2.3.6 had to bootstrap the phone to work with cyanogenmod and that even was a piss poor attempt at making it work.
now i buy the moto x pure with alot of resentment from the photon but after hearing the reviews is when i bought it. after plagues of hardware problems with hte nexus 5 i simply needed a way to go back and the best device was the moto x. i was so sure i wanted this phone i custom ordered it (after reading rave reviews), i ordered the black leather with red accent 64 gig with 2 years protection. with over a year on this phone... i will admit i still love it.
there were a few hardware problems but i do have the 2 year protection and they did repair it for me... replaced the screen and the battery and wireless modules. i since then have not had problems with it (and believe they remedied the issues that i had with the older devices). i own an HTC M9, and my sister has the s7 edge. the only thing i like about the m9 is the dolby atmos and the carrier aggregation (hoping for a wireless update for the X). other than that... my phone is still superior despite older technology.
why?
i love my moto x because of the moto display. my absolute favorite! i also love the flash light and camera gestures.
the camera works great, signal is still better than most other phones, it barely crashes, the speakers still work very well, still speedy, turbo charge is still an amazing product and i bought the car charger for it. battery had 90 mins on screen time and still has 41% battery and i like the fact its unlocked gsm. i tried freedom pop a few weeks ago and i put that sim in. switched over quickly and it worked great then when i was done... i put my sprint sim back in and it worked just as great too.
the reason i dont see much to switch to however is because samsung, LG, and HTC hasnt really enticed me yet as to why their phone is better. samsung i have to see what will make them different... but LG really hasnt enticed me and im curious on what HTC does, though im not a metal phone fan (feel the feraday cage idea disintegrates the signal, IMO). Pixel is nice... but i simply dont have the money.
what would make me switch to another phone...
1) 4 gig of ram (preferably 6 gigs)
2) HPUE has to be baked in for Sprint LTE at a minimum but 5 channel aggregation would be amazing, AND GSM UNLOCKED
3) best camera software
4) minimum 5.5 inch screen
5) battery that will last for full 24 hours without need of charge or quick charge 4.0 with dual pol
6) shatter resistance and waterproof
for now... the moto x meets my demands without incremental improvements until i see whats next. hopefully a moto z successor that actually works on sprint
In the 2 years it has been out the update cycle has been slower than Samsung's Motorola did not deliver on the support side the main selling point they had with this device was it was going to be similar to the Nexus upgrade cycle well my warranty was up before the first update came out... In addition to the fiasco that is accessories for this phone I am really regretting not going with the LG v10
I don't know why everyone still complains about the accessories. This was never a mainstream device since it was completely carrier independent and sold unlocked. The previous Moto X (and Moto G) line was sold as both branded and unlocked so they were actually seen at pretty much any company that sold cellular service. For those looking for contract or payment plan pricing, they could get it from the carrier. With limited visibility, and the lack of payment plans through carriers the Pure was just not that popular. Companies that make accessories are going to focus on popular selling phones first as that is where they will make the most money... At least we have some options.
I sold my Moto X Pure to buy a Google Pixel XL.
If I were to sell the Pixel XL, then the Moto X Pure is the only phone I'd consider buying.
It was the best all-around phone I've ever had.
I'd even go with it over the new OnePlus 3 second edition or Galaxy S7 variants.
Regardless of price.
Moto Z. lmao what a stinker that phone is compared to Moto X Pure.
Unless you want pretty. Then you shouldn't even be on XDA if that's all you care about.
Interesting comments. I've been a Nexus owner for years, with the 6P being my prior phone. It became my prior phone due to the all too common Boot Loop of Death (BLOD) that seems to be impacting more and more owners. While Huawei did replace it with a refurb'ed model, not in mint shape like the one I sent, but it did come back with 128g instead of the 32g I sent. The battery is terrible as compared with the MXPE, I've been through most of the custom roms/kernels and nothing has really helped and I don't do social media nor play games on it. The built in features of the Moto really impressed me, they are actually functional and add value. The Moto Display is excellent as is the voice recognition of the Moto voice. The bluetooth stack seems to have issues (with me at least), my cell signal is a bit worse and the lack of updates is sad.
I've considered the Pixel, but the price is insane and after having the Pixel features on the 6P I'm happy with the Moto.
When I got my 6P back, it took about a week to change my sim back to it from the Moto, I put it back in the Moto the next day and don't plan on taking it out.
I've had several issues with my Moto X Pure:
1. Frequent static emanating from the headphone jack, which puts a real damper on quiet classical music. I've read on discussion boards that this is a known problem with jacks on the Moto X.
2. Failure to recognize SD cards. I'm now on my third card, and the phone is less than a year old.
3. The camera now fails to operate because of a "lack of disk space" -- although I have more than 24GB available.
Like you, I will never buy another Motorola phone.
Gourdman said:
I've had several issues with my Moto X Pure:
1. Frequent static emanating from the headphone jack, which puts a real damper on quiet classical music. I've read on discussion boards that this is a known problem with jacks on the Moto X.
2. Failure to recognize SD cards. I'm now on my third card, and the phone is less than a year old.
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1. This is interesting and must be sample-specific. I'm a pretty avid music listener and haven't had any problems with the headphone output on either of my MXPEs (had to RMA my first toward the end of the warranty period). I'd definitely notice and complain if there were any perceptible noise.
2. This one I do have experience with. I bought a brand new Samsung EVO 64 GB mSD card at the same time as the phone, and it gave me fits, but seems to work in other devices. Tried an older SanDisk I had laying around and it's worked fine.
ominousnimbus said:
1. This is interesting and must be sample-specific. I'm a pretty avid music listener and haven't had any problems with the headphone output on either of my MXPEs (had to RMA my first toward the end of the warranty period). I'd definitely notice and complain if there were any perceptible noise.
2. This one I do have experience with. I bought a brand new Samsung EVO 64 GB mSD card at the same time as the phone, and it gave me fits, but seems to work in other devices. Tried an older SanDisk I had laying around and it's worked fine.
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I've had issues with static, but only on some select 3.5mm plugs. I just figure it was that specific plug itself.
Have had no issues with my SanDisk plus. I use it as removable storage and not as adopted storage. But going back to your statement, I have owned a multiple phones and have noticed some don't play well with certain brands of cards but do well with others. I'm not sure why this is but it does happen.
I really hope I don't get SD slot troubles. My Note 2 did that and it drove me crazy. Maybe next time I should just shell out for a 64+ GB phone.
Times have changed
smallmj said:
I really hope I don't get SD slot troubles. My Note 2 did that and it drove me crazy. Maybe next time I should just shell out for a 64+ GB phone.
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Newer versions of Android (and their apps, along with the stock Rom apparently) are not nearly as frugal with the 16GB of storage as the Note2 was. I'm already at 7.8/9.6GB used with just a basic load of apps and data (music is on the card and camera photos are also directed to be stored there) on the MXPE.
For comparison, my Note2 has a massive load of software & data, plus a ton of camera photos, all on the main storage volume, and only 6.26GB out of the total 10.95GB available are used.
All that to say that 16GB used to be plenty, but "modern" software is just too bloated for that. If I do upgrade phones anytime in the next ~2 years, it'll probably be to a larger Moto X Pure Edition, but for now, that 64GB MicroSD card should be plenty adequate.

Question Who's getting one?

Not sure if there's any definitive info out yet except for the Hassleblad partnership but anyone showing any interest for this phone. I've become a huge fan since the release of the OnePlus 8 Pro (my favorite phone of all time, lol) so I have high hopes for the next iteration. I'm hoping for better cameras and maybe an sd card slot?
Looking good!
OnePlus 9, OnePlus 9 Pro, and OnePlus 9R buyer's guide: What you need to know
This definitive OnePlus 9 series buyer's guide contains all the info you need, including specs, price details, release dates, and more.
www.androidauthority.com
The cam and its software may be good or a bomb.
However...
No SD card and limited internal storage means I never would touch it. At this point a SD card is mandatory for me.
While 128gb be more than enough storage for me for the OS/apps* it's not even half of my data requirement.
Meh, get up to speed or get out of my way... a pretty cam with no storage isn't a good trade off.
*currently using about 30 of 512gb internal.
341 gb on the SD card data drive.
blackhawk said:
The cam and its software may be good or a bomb.
However...
No SD card and limited internal storage means I never would touch it. At this point a SD card is mandatory for me.
While 128gb be more than enough storage for me for the OS/apps* it's not even half of my data requirement.
Meh, get up to speed or get out of my way... a pretty cam with no storage isn't a good trade off.
*currently using about 30 of 512gb internal.
341 gb on the SD card data drive.
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Yep, I know what you mean. It's not mandatory for me but it makes things so convenient. Especially with google photos eliminating unlimited storage. I have a 1 terabyte card with almost half the thing full of my lossless music, videos, and photos.
chetly968 said:
Yep, I know what you mean. It's notandatoey for me but it makes things so convenient. Especially with google photos eliminating unlimited storage. I have a 1 terabyte card with almost half the thing full of my lossless music, videos, and photos.
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The dream of a dual drive 1.5 tb computer in your hand has come true. Simply outstanding.
My XPx64 tower uses more power to boot up than takes my 10+ to run for the whole day.
Without a data drive life is much harder, at least if you make full use of the data drive.
Being able to do a full reload with no laptop, anywhere, anytime makes the phone completely self sufficient barring a hardware failure.
I'm interested in this phone.. always liked the oneplus but never got round to buying it as user reviews were mixed for the phone and customer service. I'm saying this as I am looking to upgrade from my much beloved Google Pixel 2. However it seems there are lots of announcement and releases this month...Asus Rog phone 5 today, Oppo Find X3 pro tomorrow Xiaomi Mi 11 next week and OnePlus 9 soon after,was also hoping for the Sony Xperia 1 III to be announced.... decisions decisions decisions!
I'm an 8t owner , and I'm pretty satisfied with my purchase they have been good with updates and yes there have been bugs but mostly all phones on R11 have some bugs , but the updates have fixed most , and let's see what they come with here one the 1+9 and the pro
After the slightly disappointing launch of the Oppo X3 keeping my fingers crossed for the OnePlus launch tomorrow... Or maybe hold out for the Sony Xperia 1 III
MoMayat said:
After the slightly disappointing launch of the Oppo X3 keeping my fingers crossed for the OnePlus launch tomorrow... Or maybe hold out for the Sony Xperia 1 III
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Click to collapse
Yup let's see what they got for tomorrow
8Pro was a reference flagship, perfect in many microscopic details, so i did preorder cases for both newer models. Despite having another flagship on way, i expect to buy this one too. My hope is I can buy the base model for better WEIGHT, and hoping it won't be crippled in Samsung way (who made e.g. Note20 and any other non-Ultra totally avoidable). The great news is the base model has got wireless charging, and superfast charging and superfast-not-so-crippled compatible charging (45W PD). However last year they made model 8 redundant by having almost no improvements and trashy camera, so it's hard to say.
I'm expecting camera under display in model 10, so i'm buying cases as soon as possible I kind of hope they will run out of innovations and come back to geekness (bring back sd card, notif light) in model 10.
So what do people think....under the hood it is identical to the Oppo Find X3 pro...just cheaper and with free wireless charger and ear buds...this might be the one...
I currently have a OP8T and after watching the launch & the early reviews, I can safely say that I'm going to skip the OP9Pro... The generation jump is not noticeable and the new cameras didn't really live up to the hype. Xiaomi's Mi 11 Pro/Ultra looking more solid with no Hasselblad gimmick whatsoever.
watched the intro, and then review was added to gsmarena and phone was published in our top seller website in an coordinated way. battery rating is funny for 1+, but i believe phone will be holding charge for at least twice the time as Samsung despite. Just look at the huge 3G standby time - industry best. In my use case, that will mean it will make it to 3rd day easily and some more. For the video, they might fix it later, but i do not watch videos all day and do not run background script to prop display frequency either... not real use case. Camera great in wide and night, and not so great for the main sensor. Let's see more reviews. Base model defly with Qi and ultrafast 65T charging, however the weight is still 192g, which is disappointing. That actually makes the "compact" model obsolete if price insensitive. So there are some mild disappointments, and the best thing we can do is to buy it and moan later
I'm considering it. Currently I (still) have OP3 and I think it's time to upgrade. Looking at 256G version (absolutely no need for SD card here). I wouldn't mind, if it was somewhat smaller though...
Any idea how long we will have for root? as this is kinda essential (and I know OP was always kinda very good for modding community)
I just placed an order for the OP9 and it said free z buds but when I checked out, it didn't show on order confirmation.
Thought maybe you had to add them to the cart as well and the discount will be at check out but did that and it wasn't showing either. Talked to customer service and they said free gifts are not available and in stock?
dy2592 said:
I just placed an order for the OP9 and it said free z buds but when I checked out, it didn't show on order confirmation.
Thought maybe you had to add them to the cart as well and the discount will be at check out but did that and it wasn't showing either. Talked to customer service and they said free gifts are not available and in stock?
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I just checked their online store and you need to select the free gift in the cart before checkout. On that screen, it shows "out of stock". That is pretty lame!
Have 2 OP9 coming. I am upgrading from 6T and she from 7. I am perpetually disappointed by Google Pixel series and the 5 is the worst. I keep hoping they remember what made Nexus phones great. Oneplus continues to be the closest to what Nexus experience was.
We both did get the OP buds free. And we got 110-140 for our old phones. I got education discount. Not bad deal for me to get the OP9
I may be in minority but I never liked phone camera pics. They always look fake to me because of colors. I always was dissapointed by green of vegetation and how bright red people's skin are. Call Hasselblad color calibration boring but its a huge relief to me pics won't make everthing look plastic.
Do think its weird they added a monochrome sensor when any software can do that just as well. Why they didn't use a telefoto instead on the 9 is baffling. I would bet at least 80% of users will never use it after testing it.
I am disappointed they didn't go with the rear hardware fingerprint like the Nord. I have problems with 6T fingerprint reader. I really hope OP9 will be vastly imoroved.
.wojtek said:
I'm considering it. Currently I (still) have OP3 and I think it's time to upgrade. Looking at 256G version (absolutely no need for SD card here). I wouldn't mind, if it was somewhat smaller though...
Any idea how long we will have for root? as this is kinda essential (and I know OP was always kinda very good for modding community)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting with Magisk now is instant availability. You install the Magisk APK. Extract the boot image. Modify the boot image with Magisk. Use the modified image to flash via adb. Done. You don't need to wait TWRP etc.
bluishdaven said:
I currently have a OP8T and after watching the launch & the early reviews, I can safely say that I'm going to skip the OP9Pro... The generation jump is not noticeable and the new cameras didn't really live up to the hype. Xiaomi's Mi 11 Pro/Ultra looking more solid with no Hasselblad gimmick whatsoever.
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Click to collapse
I don't understand people who upgrade from one series to the next or why anyone would expect it to have enough tech advancements to make it worth it.
Instead considering how late the 8T release was, I would have waited for OP9.
But to each their own, but amazed you are even looking at phones considering my guess you have had the 8T less than 6 months.
But I agree Oneplus should have spent more time on the hardware, and software than with the gimmick collaboration with Hassleblad that didn't really happen.
- Would have been nice is Hassleblad actually had something to do with the hardware, cameras etc.
- Would have been nice if Hassleblad influence was consistent with all cameras including front but seems we will have color shifts among all the cameras. Kinda defeats the whole collab for Hassleblad natural color tech.
zymphad said:
I don't understand people who upgrade from one series to the next or why anyone would expect it to have enough tech advancements to make it worth it.
Instead considering how late the 8T release was, I would have waited for OP9.
But to each their own, but amazed you are even looking at phones considering my guess you have had the 8T less than 6 months.
But I agree Oneplus should have spent more time on the hardware, and software than with the gimmick collaboration with Hassleblad that didn't really happen.
- Would have been nice is Hassleblad actually had something to do with the hardware, cameras etc.
- Would have been nice if Hassleblad influence was consistent with all cameras including front but seems we will have color shifts among all the cameras. Kinda defeats the whole collab for Hassleblad natural color tech.
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But the 2 new lenses are nice , especially the wide with no more distortion on that wide angle lens

General Muy suave review of the A52.

So this is a quick, very soft review of the A52.
I have had the new A52 for a little over a week now and I must say it is a very nice phone.
This is my third phone in 6 years. 6 years ago I purchased an open box LG G5. I liked how the battery could be swapped out and the camera setup was excellent. It really took nice pictures and the phone had expandable storage. 3 years later and I upgraded to a brand new Essential PH-1 phone. Really nice build but the camera sucked and no expandable storage. But with G-Cam mod I was able to take pretty good photos with it. The LG G5 I gave to my wife and she is still using it to this day. The aging PH-1 was starting to show signs of not wanting to hold a charge so I did the whole WWW search thing for my replacement. Reviews of the A52 looked pretty good and it checked all the boxes I had which were a good size battery, expandable storage and a great camera setup. I managed to find an open box one with 8GB Ram and 256GB and storage for under $310 on FleaBay so I snatched it up since nothing with the ram and storage configuration online came close to that price. After a Hardware Factory reset and setting the phone up from scratch and using it for a week I must say it is a great midrange phone. I am getting a FULL 24 hours of use out of it even with 90hz refresh always on, it takes GREAT pictures, and I am going to slap a 200GB Micro SD card in it as soon as I get back to Colombia where I live. The phone is slippery in the hand but I always put a skin on my phones, and mine came with a nice clear silicone case and with that on I have no more issues with it feeling slippery. I also put a Glasss Pro+ screen protector on it as I did read this phones screen scratches rather easy, so with that on and the IP67 waterproof rating of the phone, I hope I can get a good 3 years of use out of this one. Performance wise I haven't noticed any lag on the many apps I have installed, but note that I am not a gamer and only use it for Home automation, like URC Total Control, Lutron Lighting Control, Wyze camera app, Plex, etc, and of course surfing the web and taking photos. The dual stereo speakers are pretty decent for watching YouTube music videos and video chats with my wife back in Colombia work fine when internet allows. Under screen fingerprint reader works fast and even face unlock seems to work just about every time as long as the lighting is good. I like the underscreen fp reader better than on back as I like to be able to unlock without having to pick up the phone with my grubby little paws when I am working on a projects which seems to be about everyday. Oh and the screen!, this is my first AMOLED display on a phone and I must say I like it a lot! I worried about eye strain as I read a lot of folks suffer from it with AMOLED displays but I must not be one of them as I have used it for hours on end with no issues at all. I set everything to dark mode and love the inky blacks you get on this display.
Well that's it for my very short review! Hope you enjoyed it!
Adiós amigos!
SDK

replace screen and frame

has anyone replaced both the screen and frame? Any tips?
Can't find a video for both, only screen.
That's a lot of damage. Do you know if the mobo is still good? Don't go throwing much money at it otherwise especially if it hit on the mobo side.
I recommend observing ESD protocols when working on it. Out circuit the mobo and display are suspectable to ESD damage. A earth grounded ESD mat and wrist strap are best. At least raise the humidity of the room to 50% and wear cotton clothing.
it's a phone I've been using since I dropped it, but the touchscreen is intermittently intermittent.
I need to change the USB charge port and batt. I have a back phone, jic.
I have a wrist strap but no mat.
metropical said:
it's a phone I've been using since I dropped it, but the touchscreen is intermittently intermittent.
I need to change the USB charge port and batt. I have a back phone, jic.
I have a wrist strap but no mat.
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Click to collapse
Sounds like major surgery doctor.
Good, earth ground the strape and use a bare wood surface.
Get some...
it'll either suck or work. Time will tell.
metropical said:
it'll either suck or work. Time will tell.
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Click to collapse
If it doesn't break the bank, go for it.
At the worst you'll have a parts queen, which is fine if your intentions are to keep using this model.
The smartphone releases this year have been nothing but disappointment. Android 11 and 12 are DOA. Next year looks bad for both as well.
I can see why you want to stick with a model/OS version you like. I'm doing the same myself.
I'll buy a Pixel 4a if the patient doesn't survive. HTC, unfortunately, has bit the dust for phones .
In US Android, there seems to be only Samsmug and Pixel left. At least the Pixel have some lineage to HTC.
One plus has not been around long enough to trust.
But I'm not buying another glass backed phone.
metropical said:
I'll buy a Pixel 4a if the patient doesn't survive. HTC, unfortunately, has bit the dust for phones .
In US Android, there seems to be only Samsmug and Pixel left. At least the Pixel have some lineage to HTC.
One plus has not been around long enough to trust.
But I'm not buying another glass backed phone.
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Click to collapse
I'm using the Note 10+'s Snapdragon variant. However no 3.5 mm jack which you likely hate not having. I use the Buds+ which sound pretty good using the proprietary SSC bt codec.
The 10+ was the last great flagship release from Samsung. Fast, stable, a drop dead gorgeous display, reliable, a solid workhorse if running on Android 9 or 10... 11 not so much so.
My oldest 10+ is 2 years old, one battery replacement, it looks and runs like new after heavy usage. The glass back has been no issue and is cheap to replace. Use care though when replacing the battery removing the rear panel.
The other nice thing is the Samsung UI and its customization. Its fast, friendly and extremely customizable with hundreds of free themes, icon packs and UI apps like the Good Lock family from the Galaxy store. It doesn't look or act like a Pixel... thank god.
Always use a good case. I use the Zizo Bolt case. Without it my 10+ be a wreck. Over half a dozen 2-4 foot drops onto concrete, zero damage. However after a couplre hard corner hits I replace the case out of concerns of material fatigue. The only visible case damage is a shiny appearance at the hit corner indicating fatigue.
No headphone jack doesn't bother me. Have a Shure BT w/535. Sounds quite good.
Funny thing, never dropped a phone til the 1st month I had this. Bummer. Case too late.
But it's 3 yrs on now. Which is why I'm willing to chance the repair or replace.
What do you not like about the Pixel? To me Android is Android. The UI doesn't change much that I've seen, except for the awful LG interface that I had for a couple years before I gave up on it. This is my 3rd HTC in 10 years. They've all been good, but HTC had missed the boat a long while back when they released the 10. Many issues. The U11 has been very good even through the damaging drop.
Prior to the N10 I'd never have even thought about the Sam
I'm watching Pixel and not impressed.
No SD card slot. Android 11 and 12 are dogs.
Scoped storage isn't needed and makes it a pain to use.
Samsung has always been hit or miss. But when they're hot, they're hot. So far in my estimation the 10+/Snapdragon is their best Note overall.
I rejected the N20U because of display, 5G, battery and Android 11 issues. The 10+ isn't the best stat wise now, but it's a solid dependable workhorse that's a snappy fast, stable platform. It does everything well. A 1.25 to 1.5tb dual drive handheld PC is no joke.
At this point it be hard to give up the Samsung IU. It's nothing like a "pure" Android such as Pixel, thank god. Samsung has dozens of little system apks to take the edge off of Android 10 and make it more usable. You can mold the IU to fit your needs rather than the other way around.
My Q version Note can be made to look and behave like my Pie version. Even retaining the screen button navigation rather than being force to swipe navigate. I already use swipe control anyway with One Handed Operation + as well as Samsung Edge.
The native spen's Smart Select and bt remote shutter release are great when you need them.
My stock 10+'s are heavily optimized though. I use a package disabler and Karma Firewall. That was a steep learning curve and one of the reasons they run so well. The tools are available for anyone who wants to use them to modify the device without rooting.
It's just a fun device to use and play with... after 2 years it's still fun.
For $800 you can still get a new one and much less for a used one however as with all internet vendors you need to be careful. A lot of scamming going on right now.
I bought this U11 used off Swappa. Been very good. Don't think I'd go anywhere else. I think they have their rules in place.
After all the crappy mSD cards I've had from both Samsung and SanDisk, I think I'd rather just built in storage next time.
I just use it for music. If I seldom want to watch something, I stream from my Emby at home.
Not a gamer. Almost entirely email, text, calls, and some interwebbing.
This one is rooted as have the last couple. But the OS has become efficient enough that I don't think I'd bother.
The ads are more annoying than any other issue.
Never heard of package disabler or Karma. I'll have to look into that. Toying is fun now and then.
Package Disabler is more a Samsung targeted thing but there's a version for other devices. No clue if/how that variant works.
Karma Firewall is a freeware VPN based one with logging features if running on Pie or under. Very low battery consumption.
No issues with my latest Lexar .5tb card. It's important to format it in the phone and best to leave it there. I have over 200gb of wav and hdcd files alone so... yeah I use it.
One of the benefits of using a SD card is for backups. All critical data goes here, only the loaded apps, DCIM and download folders go on internal memory. I keep installable copies of all my apps. I can do a complete reload from the data drive. I redundantly backup the SD card to hdds as well. A may lose a little data but never all. Every PC I set up is as a dual drive even laptops. It saves pain and suffering
I already have protonVPN, not free, but available to me on all my electronic contraptions.
Package disable would be redundant .
metropical said:
I already have protonVPN, not free, but available to me on all my electronic contraptions.
Package disable would be redundant .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're already rooted, it be a downgrade from what's available for a rooted phone.
If you wanted to run a stock Samsung though, it applies.
When buying a SD card review its full specs.
Some are rated to work at -13F others only 32F, wtf? Likewise view rated storage temps.
I'll probably go with a Sandisk Extreme even though it's $25 more. It has wider temperature operating parameters indicating better design and production standards.
Get a V30 rated card as well. Always stick to major name brands and avoid buying on ebay, etc.
If it doesn't format in the phone, return it as it will likely never perform properly even if you zero fill it and get it to format. I use Lexar and Sandisk flash memory, zero failures thus far in over 15 years of using them in different form factors.
I around a dozen or so.
just bought a Pixel 5 off Swappa and will retire the U11 as a back up.
So far, very nice phone.
Though the difference from AOS 9 to 13 are lots.

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