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Buyer's Advice for Moto G 2015

Hi everyone,
It looks like after 3.5 years of service my S3 I9300 is about to kick the bucket. Seeing as this year's smarphones are a failure and last year (2014's) top dogs are still over 500usd I figured it would be a waste of money to buy either of them. After some googling I found the moto g 2015 to be a good option.
It meets the requirements I wanted: FM radio, good xda support, removable sd card, ??doable?? battery replacement. It's just too bad there's no blackberry style led notification like the s3. From the antutu benchmarks it looks like it has ~80% the power of my S3?
My question is, how good is the new moto g? Any nasty surprises, gotchas or buyer's remorse. I plan to put CM12.1 first day out of the box. Is the performance decent? I'd mostly use it for web browsing, youtube, google maps, and reading pdf comics. No intense 3D games as it looks like all mobile games are going towards the "pay to play 2mins" model or the "ads galore for 2 mins" model.
Is the new moto g a good choice? Of course I'd get the 2gb ram version.

Hello,
I really have no regrets with mine. I was pretty much looking for the same requirements that you mention. I find that it performs quite well, I actually do use mine for gaming. It handles some of the more graphically demanding games without issue (Dead Trigger 2, Modern Combat 5, etc). I know this is not what you plan to use it for, but just throwing it out there.
What did your i9300 score in the current version of Antutu? The MotoG3 scores around 24550 for me. I can provide screenshots of the score breakdown if it would be helpful for you to see how the different tests scored.
The only thing Motorola left out is a gyroscope and NFC support.

Is quite nice actually, however here in mexico motorola released a turbo version that is even nicer.
I must confess that i regret buying this after the one plus x announcement, but that's just my personal preference and i've yet to see reviews of how does it perform
The phone is really good for it's price, and finding decent phones under 5 inches these days is just a nightmare.
If you don't mind spending some extra money, i'll recomend you a z3 compact.
But it all comes down to personal needs and preferences. Moto gestures in this phone are something really awesome that i can't live without, some things that i find missing are the stereo speakers, the notificacion led and an amoled screen for better battery management.
Oh and battery life is actually really good.

Thank you for your suggestions.
I've never used the nfc once so I'm not going to miss it. I've uploaded my s3 antutu score just for curiosity. I'm overclocking it to 1.7GHz with a small undervolt. I know benchmark scores are only a rough guide for real world expectations and should be taken with a grain of salt.
The turbo edition looks great but Mexico is way too far for me to go and with it being a region special device, will it really have much xda support? I'll definetely miss the amoled display but at least it's ips lcd. Isn't that the best kind of lcd? I love the S3's vibrant colors. The z3 compact is 400usd which is almost double the 220usd. Considering I'm paying in cad that's gonna hurt.
Just not sure how good the z3 compact xda support is. It's not like I'm looking for a small phone. Actually I would prefer a big phone for reading comics on the go but I don't want to unload a lot of money for a phone right now for reasons in the first post.

AAccount said:
Hi everyone,
It looks like after 3.5 years of service my S3 I9300 is about to kick the bucket. Seeing as this year's smarphones are a failure and last year (2014's) top dogs are still over 500usd I figured it would be a waste of money to buy either of them. After some googling I found the moto g 2015 to be a good option.
It meets the requirements I wanted: FM radio, good xda support, removable sd card, ??doable?? battery replacement. It's just too bad there's no blackberry style led notification like the s3. From the antutu benchmarks it looks like it has ~80% the power of my S3?
My question is, how good is the new moto g? Any nasty surprises, gotchas or buyer's remorse. I plan to put CM12.1 first day out of the box. Is the performance decent? I'd mostly use it for web browsing, youtube, google maps, and reading pdf comics. No intense 3D games as it looks like all mobile games are going towards the "pay to play 2mins" model or the "ads galore for 2 mins" model.
Is the new moto g a good choice? Of course I'd get the 2gb ram version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All in all I like mine, I have no regrets for the investment... I have had several higher end smart phones like the LG G2 and Nexus 5, and really don't see any real-world difference in use even when gaming so I don't know how much I trust the Antutu scores, and the battery life is very good. The notification LED missing is annoying, at first, but like everything else you get used to it and the Moto Display is an acceptable replacement for it.
As far as a doable battery replacement, you might to watch a tear down video before you say that, replacing the battery in this years Moto G is a bit tougher than the older models. "doable" would vary on your technical expertise.
I was a flash-a-holic with my Nexus devices and my LG G2, but to be honest the G3 us the first phone I haven't even really had the urge to flash a custom ROM on, or even root, the stock ROM is very good... Pure Android with (literally) a few Moto apps that are actually usable and functional without getting in the way, and the stock ROM is very optimized to the hardware, CM and other ROM devs haven't been able to get near the same battery life as stock. If you are set on CM, I would suggest waiting a minimum of a week before even unlocking it, there are a handful of rare issues which could potentially pop up (yellow screen, low volume, ghost touches, etc) and sometimes don't show up for a few days. No point in ruining your warranty day one, especially when the stock ROM is so well done.
The screen on the G3 is better than most people give it credit for, it isn't as good as the LG G2, but it is easily better than the Nexus 5, which is weird, sort of.... I am actually quite impressed with the screen and how vibrant and bright it is with minimal battery draw.
My 2 cents are go for it, you won't be disappointed.

I did lookup a teardown. Didn't the battery replacement involve
hair dryer to the screen
unscrew the motherboard
hair dryer to the battery
While I've never attempted doing the hair dryer treatment it doesn't look that bad. Compared to some of the other teardowns I've seen on ifixit, this one didn't involve: gotcha placed cables that are guaranteed to break without the magic touch, insane amounts of glue, or a screen that's so delicate that getting it out is near impossible. Overly optimistic??
Honestly, I figured that when that time comes, after the old battery is removed, I can cut a hole where the battery fits in and just hold it in place with duct tape. That way next time I can just remove the duct tape and disconnect. That's assuming the phone lives that long. My 2011 tablet and my 2012 era phones are both dieing in the span of a few months. :crying: The tablet is retired because of that. I'd rather my devices not actually die so when I want to use them again for whatever reason they'll still turn on and work ok.
Thanks for the tip of waiting a week for issues to pop up. I guess I'll carry 2 phones for that week. The moto g will get its initiation as a comic book reader and fm radio. I like the little features of CM like circle battery, network speed indicator, quick settings rearranging. Root is also a must for me for adblocking, xposed xprivacy, xposed youtube adblock. Can't live without either of those 3.

Stock 1.4 GHz (1363 MHz)

What next? - Moving on

My edge is serving my for almost 2 years now - time for every geek to start looking for a new piece of technology!
So i ask for your opinion for an successor of our nice little phone.
What will / did U buy next: S7(edge), Sony, HTC, Honor .. ?
A screen rather big, a living developer community, maybe water resistance - this is my desire..
a pen, edge screen? - i didn´t use them to often..

S7 Edge, if you wait longer s8
Sent from my tblte using XDA Labs

S7 or S7 Edge is a great choice since you don't need the pen
I wouldn't go to other companies since most of them are not water proof like the S7
Or wait for the S8 like @Aimara said

I don't see a real reason to move from this phone.. I have not seen any relevant update in the latest smartphones.
Yes, you get a slightly faster processor -in real life usage, insignificant improvement- and a barely upgraded camera.. So unless you are just bored of the phone there isn't something really interesting out there.. The s7 edge? is basically this phone with a smaller form factor and edges that doesn't have any sort of special functionality.
For me, smartphones have been basically the same since the iphone 5s- galaxy s4- lg G2 -note 3 generation .. all the new stuff are just gimmicks and performance in real life barely improves at all, because the things that you can do with a phone are limited by the form factor and the small screen and companies have not been creative enough to deliver software that actually can take advantage of the increase in processing power and ram memory.
This phone had the potential to do a lot more stuff than it actually does.. for example: when you open windows in the browser the tabs should be located in the curved panel so you can switch between them easily (like in a desktop).. sadly companies don't give a sh*t about exploiting the potential of their phones a few months after you bought it.. you will get 1 or two updates that change a little bit the look of the notification bar and icons and that's it.. People should stop buying new phones that doesn't do anything new or better than their current phone. We are basically telling companies that we will buy any crap they release even if it barely have any advantage over a 3 years old phone.
Ridiculous high resolution? you have it (1080p was already crisp enough!)
Good camera? you have it
some curve? you have it
Marshmallow? you have it
Nougat? most note edge have an unlocked bootloader now, so eventually you'll have it
A note 7 edge is like us600 you can get a note edge on ebay for us200! it is ridiculous.

rodmc123 said:
I don't see a real reason to move from this phone.. I have not seen any relevant update in the latest smartphones.
Yes, you get a slightly faster processor -in real life usage, insignificant improvement- and a barely upgraded camera.. So unless you are just bored of the phone there isn't something really interesting out there.. The s7 edge? is basically this phone with a smaller form factor and edges that doesn't have any sort of special functionality.
For me, smartphones have been basically the same since the iphone 5s- galaxy s4- lg G2 -note 3 generation .. all the new stuff are just gimmicks and performance in real life barely improves at all, because the things that you can do with a phone are limited by the form factor and the small screen and companies have not been creative enough to deliver software that actually can take advantage of the increase in processing power and ram memory.
This phone had the potential to do a lot more stuff than it actually does.. for example: when you open windows in the browser the tabs should be located in the curved panel so you can switch between them easily (like in a desktop).. sadly companies don't give a sh*t about exploiting the potential of their phones a few months after you bought it.. you will get 1 or two updates that change a little bit the look of the notification bar and icons and that's it.. People should stop buying new phones that doesn't do anything new or better than their current phone. We are basically telling companies that we will buy any crap they release even if it barely have any advantage over a 3 years old phone.
Ridiculous high resolution? you have it (1080p was already crisp enough!)
Good camera? you have it
some curve? you have it
Marshmallow? you have it
Nougat? most note edge have an unlocked bootloader now, so eventually you'll have it
A note 7 edge is like us600 you can get a note edge on ebay for us200! it is ridiculous.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with all your points. The only thing bad about this phone is the battery. It's cancer. It barely lasts for more than 4 hrs wih max sot of 1.5 hrs. Has to be on a ventilator(readowerbank) for most of the day. And the worst part? Samsung India seems to have branded this device as "obsolete" as Im not able to get an OEM battery from the various Service Centers that i have tried.
This device had the potential to be much much more. Poor dev support(no offence to the few lovely devs we have) , sub par battery is what limited its future prospects:crying::crying::crying:

Root the sucker and get a proper O/S.
Ebay for a battery and don't look back.
From what I've seen,most hardware upgrades are accompanied by more bloated "operating systems".
Why?
So they can sell you a new phone that's already out of date when it's released.
That's the way the computer business works.
Sent from my SM-N915W8 using XDA-Developers mobile app

well, these thoughs crossed my mind as well.
it has been the same since my last smartphones: is there anything really better than my device? Anything i can really crave for / at least look forward to?
Our edge is performing fine (even battery) so there is no real need. But hey, i want a new toy! (I deserve a new toy?!)
Please dont tell my to be happy with my edge and better invest the money in a holyday

Try an new operating system .... it'll feel like a new phone.

any good link for battery ?thinking of getting anker brand since oem sucks ?

zuz242 said:
well, these thoughs crossed my mind as well.
it has been the same since my last smartphones: is there anything really better than my device? Anything i can really crave for / at least look forward to?
Our edge is performing fine (even battery) so there is no real need. But hey, i want a new toy! (I deserve a new toy?!)
Please dont tell my to be happy with my edge and better invest the money in a holyday
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, in that case just get a nexus or a one plus whatever.. atleast with those you can try a bunch of different roms and mods to keep you entertained. Everyone is talking about the Google Pixel now.. but it looks ugly and boring as hell, for me it looks like a cheap Chinese phone with really cheap paint or an HTC from like 6 years ago.. if it wasn't a "google phone" nobody would even look at that thing.
If you get another phone be careful, it seems those days only T-MO is not blocking the bootloader.. get a phone that is confirmed to receive the new OS soon.. the last thing you want is to get a phone and be stuck in the same OS as your current phone for 6 months.

Within the last 10 days i have purchased a Axon 7 and got a LG V20 today. Gonna sell my Note Edge to a friend. I am currently leaning towards the V20 but the Axon 7 is putting up a dam good fight. Either phone would be a worthy upgrade for different reasons, sans the S-pen imo.

Don't see any reason to upgrade. .. maybe I will root. ..but i use skygo frequently...

rodmc123 said:
Well, in that case just get a nexus or a one plus whatever.. atleast with those you can try a bunch of different roms and mods to keep you entertained. Everyone is talking about the Google Pixel now.. but it looks ugly and boring as hell, for me it looks like a cheap Chinese phone with really cheap paint or an HTC from like 6 years ago.. if it wasn't a "google phone" nobody would even look at that thing.
If you get another phone be careful, it seems those days only T-MO is not blocking the bootloader.. get a phone that is confirmed to receive the new OS soon.. the last thing you want is to get a phone and be stuck in the same OS as your current phone for 6 months.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
T-Mobile still has NEW Note Edge phones at some stores around Atlanta. I am waiting on a warranty replacement for my Note 4, then I might jump to a Note Edge. I just don't feel like keeping a refurbished unit unless it's as good as what I had before. The one that died was in beautiful shape, I kept it in a bumper with a tempered glass screen protector.

I'd keep the Note Edge
*Omnipresent* said:
Within the last 10 days i have purchased a Axon 7 and got a LG V20 today. Gonna sell my Note Edge to a friend. I am currently leaning towards the V20 but the Axon 7 is putting up a dam good fight. Either phone would be a worthy upgrade for different reasons, sans the S-pen imo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It could be worth something one day, not many made and the curiosity of it could be a collectors item in the future.

I'm thinking of waiting for the Note 8 Edge, it's gunna have QualComm Quick Charge 4.0 and so just 5 minutes of charging will get ya 5 hours of battery life, along with much better battery safety and protection.

Anybody know where I can get a good battery?
n1nj4Lo said:
I'm thinking of waiting for the Note 8 Edge, it's gunna have QualComm Quick Charge 4.0 and so just 5 minutes of charging will get ya 5 hours of battery life, along with much better battery safety and protection.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you ever figure out how to put the Camera button back on the edge screen?

rodmc123 said:
I don't see a real reason to move from this phone.. I have not seen any relevant update in the latest smartphones.
Yes, you get a slightly faster processor -in real life usage, insignificant improvement- and a barely upgraded camera.. So unless you are just bored of the phone there isn't something really interesting out there.. The s7 edge? is basically this phone with a smaller form factor and edges that doesn't have any sort of special functionality.
For me, smartphones have been basically the same since the iphone 5s- galaxy s4- lg G2 -note 3 generation .. all the new stuff are just gimmicks and performance in real life barely improves at all, because the things that you can do with a phone are limited by the form factor and the small screen and companies have not been creative enough to deliver software that actually can take advantage of the increase in processing power and ram memory.
This phone had the potential to do a lot more stuff than it actually does.. for example: when you open windows in the browser the tabs should be located in the curved panel so you can switch between them easily (like in a desktop).. sadly companies don't give a sh*t about exploiting the potential of their phones a few months after you bought it.. you will get 1 or two updates that change a little bit the look of the notification bar and icons and that's it.. People should stop buying new phones that doesn't do anything new or better than their current phone. We are basically telling companies that we will buy any crap they release even if it barely have any advantage over a 3 years old phone.
Ridiculous high resolution? you have it (1080p was already crisp enough!)
Good camera? you have it
some curve? you have it
Marshmallow? you have it
Nougat? most note edge have an unlocked bootloader now, so eventually you'll have it
A note 7 edge is like us600 you can get a note edge on ebay for us200! it is ridiculous.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well said !.

edo101 said:
Did you ever figure out how to put the Camera button back on the edge screen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope not yet and IDK what's happening with EHZ Studio who said they were working on making one.
You can message them from their facebook page and ask too to see whats up with it
https://www.facebook.com/EHZStudio/ and https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=EHZ+Studios
Sent from my SM-N915T using Tapatalk

edo101 said:
Anybody know where I can get a good battery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ZeroLemon-G...669122?hash=item1a064a1942:g:4XMAAOSwVL1V-wmO ZeroLemon 9000mah but around xda users have reported problems with some batteries only lasting a few months and then it dying and rapidly discharging after so, it's a real gamble I guess. $59.95
http://www.ebay.com/itm/7200mAh-Ext...221215?hash=item4b0ba9bf9f:g:2eIAAOSwHMJYHaks TOTHL 7200mah, have one myself but can't fairly judge, as I've been using my ZeroLemon all the time, nice two layer case 1 hard plastic back and 1 rubber overlay back, definitely worth the bang for it's buck though. $23.30
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Extende...363235?hash=item280e491863:g:CpMAAOSwZ1lWekYX Black Label Brand 8550mah, don't have one, can't judge, but at the price it'd be worth the gamble, if it really is only 50mah's less than the ZeroLemon's size at half the price. $24.58
http://www.ebay.com/itm/7350mAh-Ext...245439?hash=item2a7045bebf:g:1UQAAOSwOdpXznjt Best4Power 7350mah, unknown again, can't fairly judge. $24.58
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Note-Edge-B...660894?hash=item3f70d0a25e:g:fa4AAOSwj85YRfhm YISHDA 6500mah, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, at this sounding like the more/most realistic reasonable battery capacity for it's size, nice two layer case 1 hard plastic back and 1 rubber overlay back. $44.75
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mugen-Power...hash=item54400a1fe0:m:mTl97i6XR1J83fcek8GleJA Mugen 6000mah, only down side I saw on xda user reviews is the metal kickstand gets hot and it covers up the speaker, hell though a kickstand and who can't go wrong with Mugen??? $89.95
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PowerBear-S...900748?hash=item46594c90cc:g:iT4AAOSwx2dYDAKR PowerBear 6800mah up and coming new battery star company, I just recently heard of them a month ago or so when I searched for extended Note Edge batteries and they had solid good reviews, nice two layer case 1 hard plastic back and 1 rubber overlay back. $35.99 These same guys also make Note Edge Slim batteries, I'd trust them over anyone if getting a slim battery and never fall for that doubly extended slim size battery capacity, it's a proven lie if not alone by physics, if ya want double or triple the capacity you'll need double or triple the size.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...+note+.TRS0&_nkw=powerbear+note+edge&_sacat=0 All PowerBear Note Edge Batteries and Cases, Slim, Extended, PowerBank Case
_
Review Results: ZeroLemon and Mugen tied in 1st place, I'd put ZeroLemon at 2nd for their mess up on the rapid discharge but it's the biggest if ya get lucky on one that ain't defective, then I'd also give Mugen a 2nd place rating cause of their being the highest priced so this ranking it's a fair placement and I'd place PowerBear at a firm, solid and steady 3rd, newcomers always get it the hardest... LoL! The same size as Mugen for the price of Zerolemon(Or less) though! But watch this review super detailed on the Note 4 7500mah PowerBear battery

n1nj4Lo said:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ZeroLemon-G...669122?hash=item1a064a1942:g:4XMAAOSwVL1V-wmO ZeroLemon
Review Results: ZeroLemon and Mugen tied in 1st place, I'd put ZeroLemon at 2nd for their mess up on the rapid discharge but then I'd also give Mugen a 2nd place rating cause of their high price so this ranking is fair and I'd place PowerBear at a firm and steady 3rd, newcomers always get it the hardest... LoL! The same size as Mugen for the price of Zerolemon(Or less) though! But watch this review super detailed on the Note 4 7500mah PowerBear battery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the exhaustive list. I'll look into it

Moto X 4th Generation

This is what I would like to see in a Moto X 4th Generation:
Keep the dual speakers
Dimple with finger scanning
USB-C
More RAM for course
Expandable storage still available
Better battery Life
Wireless Charging
AMOLED (If the price is right)
Stock Android (No bloatware)
This wouldn't stop me from getting the phone if it had all the features above: REGULAR UPDATES!!!!!!!
In all honestly not all of us want the Moto Mods and love the Moto X. You would definitely keep my loyalty in buying your brand, as long as you listen to what your customers want. THIS IS WHAT WE WANT!

I'm afraid there wont be instant any updates like the Google Devices or even after them. More like after Samsung even because Lenovo owns it and they aren't very keen on updates. I experienced it on a Lenovo tablet and obviously on this phone.

its this lcd screen that kills batter life so just having the amoled would kill 2 birds with one stone for me
i would upgrade if looked exactly the same but with later model cpu/chipset, amoled screen and a 3500/4000 mah battery, i love all motos additions and the stock look.

I could live without wireless charging and fingerprint scanner, though both would be nice. AMOLED just makes sense for Moto display so this would be a requirement for me.

No Led! Just LCD!
aybarrap1 said:
I could live without wireless charging and fingerprint scanner, though both would be nice. AMOLED just makes sense for Moto display so this would be a requirement for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got this phone specifically to get away from Led screens and was not disappointed. I have vowed to never own a phone with Led again, at least for the foreseeable future (until the technology finally comes of age).

Bill720 said:
I got this phone specifically to get away from Led screens and was not disappointed. I have vowed to never own a phone with Led again, at least for the foreseeable future (until the technology finally comes of age).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not personally a huge fan, but I can see the benefits paired with Moto display and a true black wallpaper. I'm a minimalist, so this works for me.

No AMOLED for me. I got horrible burns with my Moto X 2014, so that's a big no-no for me.

If there is to be a 4th generation Moto X Pure Edition - would it come in 2017/2018 ?
Hope it'll be nothing like the Z . . . (add-on's)
BUT to using modern beefy guts inside the X Pure 4th GEN, allowing removable batteries with longer/better run times and so what if it's at a cost of loosing the spill/waterproof factor, that's a trade-off most can welcome to this phone model, else your packing a charger and need to be close to AC/DC support.
The X pure 3rd generation XT1575, I do like the radios bi-networks technology GSM/CDMA used and the switching of SIM's it allows for a greater feature of the most part in ones freedom to go with the best bang for the buck in a MVNO offering -Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, U.S. Cellular, and have set that as one of the 1-5 spots in my top list of requirements to a phone now.
Givens to keep or improve on:
GSM/CDMA Radios
OCTA-CORE Snapdragon
Larger and Removable Battery
Same 5.7" screen size, improving bezel to screen size ratio with more than 520ppi.
Dual Stereo Speakers.
Add more RAM and ROM size 4GB/128GB - accept larger SD size 200GB up.
Rear shooter 21MP - up front shooter to at least 8MP
Frequent Updates.
Stock Android 7.0 Nougat Experience.
Not Needed if price hike or security reasons:
Amoled Screen - up's the base price over $400.00 - $450.00 range.
Wireless Charging - up's the base price over $400.00 - $450.00 range.
Fingerprint Scanner security (reasons - Wiki-Leaks of NSA News of lately). *
USB-C - up's the base price and the additional expense to extra cables/chargers. *
Dual rear shooter cameras - up's the base price over $400.00 - $450.00 range. *
[* So many brands are moving to rear dual cameras, Moto X Pure 4th GEN needs to stay with the 21MP single camera.]
* = I personally don't want to see these added to Moto X Pure Edition 4th Generation.
Living up to Motorola's past brand loyalty and to spurring future growth in Lenovo - so bring on a 4th generation Moto X Pure Edition in the 4GB Ram/128GB Rom at a Base Pricing $400.00 - $450.00 range.
Added 03-15-2017
I would add one option I'd like to see offered in the Moto X Pure 4th Generation.
For people like me with fat fingertips a holstered Stylus to use.
Typing can be a strain having to backup and retype and then to hitting small menu/ect. areas of the screen just right. My S. G. Note 3 offered this and was a fantastic aid to use - not talking about the other features it included as I never used that part - just the pin point accuracy it gave the user.

ResistanceIsFutile said:
Hope it'll be nothing like the Z . . . (add-on's)
BUT to using modern beefy guts inside the X Pure 4th GEN, allowing removable batteries with longer/better run times and so what if it's at a cost of loosing the spill/waterproof factor, that's a trade-off most can welcome to this phone model, else your packing a charger and need to be close to AC/DC support.
The X pure 3rd generation XT1575, I do like the radios bi-networks technology GSM/CDMA used and the switching of SIM's it allows for a greater feature of the most part in ones freedom to go with the best bang for the buck in a MVNO offering -Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, U.S. Cellular, and have set that as one of the 1-5 spots in my top list of requirements to a phone now.
Givens to keep or improve on:
GSM/CDMA Radios
OCTA-CORE Snapdragon
Larger and Removable Battery
Same 5.7" screen size, improving bezel to screen size ratio with more than 520ppi.
Dual Stereo Speakers.
Add more RAM and ROM size 4GB/128GB - accept larger SD size 200GB up.
Rear shooter 21MP - up front shooter to at least 8MP
Frequent Updates.
Stock Android 7.0 Nougat Experience.
Not Needed if price hike or security reasons:
Amoled Screen - up's the base price over $400.00 - $450.00 range.
Wireless Charging - up's the base price over $400.00 - $450.00 range.
Fingerprint Scanner security (reasons - Wiki-Leaks of NSA News of lately). *
USB-C - up's the base price and the additional expense to extra cables/chargers. *
Dual rear shooter cameras - up's the base price over $400.00 - $450.00 range. *
[* So many brands are moving to rear dual cameras, Moto X Pure 4th GEN needs to stay with the 21MP single camera.]
* = I personally don't want to see these added to Moto X Pure Edition 4th Generation.
Living up to Motorola's past brand loyalty and to spurring future growth in Lenovo - so bring on a 4th generation Moto X Pure Edition in the 4GB Ram/128GB Rom at a Base Pricing $400.00 - $450.00 range.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can see your points. Instead ​of dual cameras, I think more focus needs to be put towards a better sensor and post processing software (and the ability for stock to do RAW of course). This would net gains in photo quality.

The AMOLED technology is rapidly growing and getting better so I don't think you'll see the same problems as you did in 2014. I agree with not having the dual camera. I still think we should have an option to get a phone with wireless charging, if you want to spend extra for it. I think it's idiotic the a way phone battery holds a charge, to go back to a phone with a removable battery. All you gotta do is come up with a way to make a phone last 18- 24 hours with a heavy usage. They havr have to go with USB-C, customers want new technology but still want to feel similarities from phones that they love. Keep this but upgrade that. That's the way to build a successful phone.

arwarburg said:
The AMOLED technology is rapidly growing and getting better so I don't think you'll see the same problems as you did in 2014. I agree with not having the dual camera. I still think we should have an option to get a phone with wireless charging, if you want to spend extra for it. I think it's idiotic the a way phone battery holds a charge, to go back to a phone with a removable battery. All you gotta do is come up with a way to make a phone last 18- 24 hours with a heavy usage. They havr have to go with USB-C, customers want new technology but still want to feel similarities from phones that they love. Keep this but upgrade that. That's the way to build a successful phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While AMOLED technology is improving, it is still prone to burn in. I've seen Galaxy S7s with burn in. I disagree with your statement about removable batteries though. Some individuals will use their phones more than 2 years or give it to family/friends. For a heavy users, there are a lot more charging cycles used. If they play CPU/GPU intensive games, there is also hear generated. This was a battery down much faster so having the ability to easily replace the battery can be a big deal. As far as a phone lasting 18-24 hours on heavy usage, this is a win/lose situation. It can be done but that means either getting a smaller screen and/or making the device thicker to accommodate a larger capacity battery. On that note, there is another good reason for removable batteries. On some phone models, companies like Anker have made larger capacity batteries with backplates to accommodate for those willing to sacrifice slim for long life. Even some OEMs did this. You can't do this with non removable batteries.

Honestly? I'd take a pure edition with an AMOLED display. I've never thought to myself, "damn, if only this phone had x".
About the updates though, seriously, can I get a phone for once that doesn't require a custom rom after a year to get the newest update? Moto phones are just about one step away from a nexus device, surely, it isn't hard for an entire company to push updates a bit faster.

thoughts on the Pure Edition
aybarrap1 said:
While AMOLED technology is improving, it is still prone to burn in. I've seen Galaxy S7s with burn in. I disagree with your statement about removable batteries though. Some individuals will use their phones more than 2 years or give it to family/friends. For a heavy users, there are a lot more charging cycles used. If they play CPU/GPU intensive games, there is also hear generated. This was a battery down much faster so having the ability to easily replace the battery can be a big deal. As far as a phone lasting 18-24 hours on heavy usage, this is a win/lose situation. It can be done but that means either getting a smaller screen and/or making the device thicker to accommodate a larger capacity battery. On that note, there is another good reason for removable batteries. On some phone models, companies like Anker have made larger capacity batteries with backplates to accommodate for those willing to sacrifice slim for long life. Even some OEMs did this. You can't do this with non removable batteries.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. My last couple Samsungs burned in really bad in multiple places, and that's in addition to the green tint. Technology that is so susceptible to burn-in has no place on something that's going to be displaying static graphics. It's an absolute dealbreaker for me now for any device.
daemon111 said:
About the updates though, seriously, can I get a phone for once that doesn't require a custom rom after a year to get the newest update? Moto phones are just about one step away from a nexus device, surely, it isn't hard for an entire company to push updates a bit faster.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is one of the few devices I've ever used that doesn't require a custom Rom. I could personally care less about "latest and greatest" though. Stability and functionality is the biggest concern for me. I know they've fallen a bit behind in the practice of rushing out updates, but the stock Rom is packed with a lot features not found in other devices, and we all remember how much of a disappointment the original Android M release turned out to be on this phone.

daemon111 said:
Honestly? I'd take a pure edition with an AMOLED display. I've never thought to myself, "damn, if only this phone had x".
About the updates though, seriously, can I get a phone for once that doesn't require a custom rom after a year to get the newest update? Moto phones are just about one step away from a nexus device, surely, it isn't hard for an entire company to push updates a bit faster.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Considering the phone is the 2015 flagship device, Lenovo is pretty much doing what other OEMs are doing. Best devices first (Z series, g4 series) then filter backwards. My wife has the Galaxy S6 and Samsung is just now starting to push updates. The S7 was first. While I understand the phone is nearly vanilla, it is not a Google device.

daemon111 said:
Honestly? I'd take a pure edition with an AMOLED display. I've never thought to myself, "damn, if only this phone had x".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's usually never a thought just after a phone is released for retail, as one has narrowed the field in making an educated choice amongst all marketed competitors at it's release. Then as this -Thread is more a WISH LIST- for continuing on the Moto X Pure / Style line, leads way to "if only this phone had x,y,z" offered in a newer Moto X versions features wished by the users now and of that the manufacture would accommodate.
Bill720 said:
Same here. My last couple Samsungs burned in really bad in multiple places, and that's in addition to the green tint. Technology that is so susceptible to burn-in has no place on something that's going to be displaying static graphics. It's an absolute dealbreaker for me now for any device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
aybarrap1 said:
While AMOLED technology is improving, it is still prone to burn in. I've seen Galaxy S7s with burn in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would it not be a wise choice to be implemented in the Android OS if possible by a device manufacture or offer an App for that - to use the screensaver feature as was done with older computer monitors.
That in turn now being applied to the related AMOLED screens in mobiles with that action of a screensaver taking over the phones display - if there is no keystrokes or screen registered movements for a specified duration of time.
It's more of a question of "Why Not" than a statement or an answer.
I'm wondering at what time frame and/or at what point (Screen Resolution) does a burn-in or ghosting happen?
Is it more or less all the same reference points between all manufactures using AMOLED screens?
Why hasn't someone made an Screensaver App to help this from happening?
Then one last thought, do you leave the screen in an "always on state" or what's the main cause to getting this effect on an AMOLED screens?
ADDED 03-15-2017
Seen this on the XDA front page today (PC/Browser)
[APP][7.0+]Screen off timeout quick setting
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-screen-off-timeout-quick-setting-t3452152
Might help for ROM's with Nougat for Moto X Pure's.

I'd honestly love to see a small device like the 2013 Moto X. Still my favorite phone to date.

I think we need to set up a surveymonkey poll with these options, give it a month for people to answer, submit the link to Motorola so they can see which features are most important. If enough people vote on it, they'll see whether or not there's a demand for the X to come back and what features it should have!

arwarburg said:
I think we need to set up a surveymonkey poll with these options, give it a month for people to answer, submit the link to Motorola so they can see which features are most important. If enough people vote on it, they'll see whether or not there's a demand for the X to come back and what features it should have!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll Vote !
Might be good to include the Moto X Pure / Style Community over at Lenovo on the Poll or least give a link to it over there.
https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Moto-X-Phones/ct-p/MotoX
or
https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/MOTO-X-DEVELOPER-EDITION/bd-p/273

Survey is up! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YVWZ6RQ

Moto X 4th Generation Survey
Tell me what features you would want to see!
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YVWZ6RQ

Is it still worth buying a S6 in 2017 ?

So I want to get a new phone, and I was thinking of getting the S6 by the way my budget looks like at the moment since I am thinking a new phone in the price range I have in mine won't offer anything up to that. I want to mention that I am not a heavy user, but I do want a phone with a good camera, audio and display quality.
Also I won't look at buying a new one, but a second hand one.

Hi !
What's your price range ?
The S6 is really a good device and have indeed a good camera, audio and display quality but the bad point is battery life.
With 2550mah I can get only 1 full day with 3hours of screen on. I have changed my battery since a few month now.
Getting a second hand S6 will expose you to the risk of getting even worst battery life.

Only problem is battery...
Imho phone without 3k+ mah battery isnt enough no matter heavy user or not...
All the rest s6 is more the enough
Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

Now that's some good advice above!
Like mentioned above, you'll probably have to replace the battery if it's a second hand though

It is still a very, very good phone but you may have to invest in a external battery if you are away from a mains power source for quite a while
Sent from my SM-G920F using XDA-Developers mobile app

Darktitor said:
Hi !
What's your price range ?
The S6 is really a good device and have indeed a good camera, audio and display quality but the bad point is battery life.
With 2550mah I can get only 1 full day with 3hours of screen on. I have changed my battery since a few month now.
Getting a second hand S6 will expose you to the risk of getting even worst battery life.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My price range is up to 300 euros/dollars.

If you like to put AOSP custom roms on your phone, stay away from the S6. It is on it's way, but from from being completely stable.

XxNicxX11 said:
If you like to put AOSP custom roms on your phone, stay away from the S6. It is on it's way, but from from being completely stable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not really into meddling with my phone with different ROMs, usually I am comfortable with the phones I buy and their ROMs

Raulz0r said:
I am not really into meddling with my phone with different ROMs, usually I am comfortable with the phones I buy and their ROMs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If that is the case, it's a great phone! The Exynos 7420 is plenty fast, as it was truly ahead of its time. Battery life is decent. Screen is great.

for the given price and the amount of roms available not at all(and battery is like ****)... i made a foolish decision by buying this phone in 2016 when one plus 3 was available at a cheaper price... don't but this phone now.

I think if you can pick up an s6 for between 200-250 pounds, that's a good deal. It has a decent soc, screen and camera, yes battery could be better but that comes down to your usage and at some point depending on how old the handset is you might want to have the battery replaced. If you really value battery life then there are probably better devices but you will give up screen/cpu/ camera quality.

this year a lot middle range phones comes wit sd625 chip, which has +- performance like s6 Exynos. new sd 625 brand phones (if not Chinese brands) are expensive or same price like s6, but without super camera or screen like s6, wireless charger and etc. One bad thing with s6 - battery. I better buy 2 year old new s6 than mid class than mid class this year phone.

Raulz0r said:
I am not really into meddling with my phone with different ROMs, usually I am comfortable with the phones I buy and their ROMs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can go for the S6 then !
You may have to replace the battery or buy a powerbank which is QC 2.0 compatible for best charging speed.
Like it has been said above, mid range phones will fail in the camera part and in the material used to build the device.
The only good point would be that mid range 2017 will get longer support than the S6 which is almost 2 years old now.
Anyway, Samsung updated the S6 to Nougat which is a really good news and the experience is even better than it was before.
You can also enjoy pretty neat features that you won't find on other mid range phones like the wireless charging, the led notification (not present in mid range samsung) or again the amazing camera

S6 is still a very good device. The camera is still one of the bests, the processor is fast enough, the display is magnificent. The battery is the only big disadvantage.

my s6 is 2years old and im still using it now,very good camera,very good display,still fast and smooth only downsidr is battery so i have a powerkbank when im outside
in my opinion it is worth to buy s6 until now

Just make sure the device has had the battery replaced as the original one will have degraded quite a bit in the last two years.

you better buy oneplus because even if you buy s8 its not worht it because you dont get support so wait for the one plus 5 with 8 gb ram, dual camera, fingerprint on the back, 5.5 inch amoled qhd display, oneplus logo with backlight you can use it as home button, and snapdragon 835 clocked at 2.45.
and its gonna kick the s8 of its thrones

Hey Raulz0r!
I own a Galaxy S6, and I have to say, it's an amazing phone camera/performance/display wise. The downside is the battery, but in my daily use, that only happens when I'm on 3G/4G data as it really drains the battery out so that's why I bought a 10000mah portable charger/power bank and now my phone's battery life doesn't bother me that much anymore. But if you're not into the habit of carrying a portable charger around, well, that will be a problem.
Cheers

If I had the opportunity I would definitely buy S8 or S8+. It is great if you are coming from old model phone also.

I bought S6 in january 2017 and I will pay for it around 240eur in total. Its on contract for 2years and costs Me 9,94eur a month. This purchase was spontan as My old phone (LG G3) contract was almost over and I kinda wanted a new phone. LG G3 still works ok and I willing to sell it. My toughts about tgis phone right now - somewhere in middle. Biggest issue I have is whit touchscreen. I don't know it is Me or what but response can be sometimes too sensitive and not responding compleately outside in winter. This is a major issue for Me as G3 was working as expected. I must use correction on S6 all the time. Screen - I haven't bin a fan of super amoleds and I'm still not. Colors are too saturated and from some angles it looks ****ty and cheep. On highest brigtness it looks also bad. Vibration - on hard surface it makes a lit of sound, and again - it makes phone look like entry-level. Battery - small, but I use phone onky up to 3h sot and I charge evety night. It isn't an issue for Me. Phone look and feel in hands - it is slippery, but I like alunium bezzels and thickness. Sound is good on speaker and headphones. Processing power is ok for Me. I'm not a heavy user as I mentioned. FB usage only in web broweser, so is Instagram. Camera is ok for phone, but don't expect dsrl quality for now on any phone. Heartrate sensor is a toy to play whit, but can be quite inaccurate, but I like Samsung Health app and GPS performance. GPS was a very noticable improvements over G3.
Overall for 240eur I'm not complaining, but if I would pay 300, 400 eur I would take it back. Biggest complain would be about touchscreen performance. If You spotted typo mistakes it because of that.

LG V30: what are your thoughts

Well the previews looks to be a massive disappointment:
- non removable battery
- glass body (so sick of this I don't give a crap about slow wireless charging I cannot believe people can't be bothered to use a freaking cable) slow wireless charging isn't worth the fragile glass design.
- the second screen looks to be absent (unless it's cleverly blended into the primary screen)
I knew that the success of the g6 would ruin the v series uniqueness. What is everyone's thoughts of the leaks that have been released so far?
The only reason I've been with LG is because they have features other phones don't have and LG wasn't afraid to experiment. Now they've decided to be like every other phone so there isn't much reason to stick with LG anymore.
My next upgrade may very well be a mid range phone (after I feel like I am done with my v20 which won't be for years) in order to get a removable battery.
They've effectively killed any unique feature over the g series and they mind as well get rid of it if they're just going to carbon copy the features from the g6. With the g6+ featuring the quad DAC is there really even a reason for the v series to be around?
Sent from my LG-H918 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

Yes there is a reason. V20 was the first shipping with Android N and most likely they use the V30 to be firstest, again, with Android O. And I think it's the first LG phone shipping with the Snapdragon 835. And the first flagship with OLED screen. (There was an experiment phone , the Flex 2 which had P-OLED ) So the V30 will have a AMOLED most likely?
So yeah, many reasons.
Still not sure if the V30 can take such heavy drops as my V20, durability is one of its main advantages.
Gesendet von meinem LG-H990 mit Tapatalk

I was excited for a possible long-term replacement for my V20 with a slide-out second screen. Call it gimmicky or unessacary, I thought the Joan was promising, if only for it's ability to have the keyboard on the secondary display. Now the release has confirmed there won't be a removable battery (which I would have traded for, at a pinch, the slide-out display and some degree of ease of repair) - a nonsensical glass body and not even the ticker display the V20 has? Why would I buy this? It's basically a S8. Bad show LG. The G6 looks like it was trying to one-up the S8 before it's release, and it failed to do so. Looks like LG's trying the same thing with the V30 and the Note 8. Well they've lost my interest.

I am a huge fan of the V series from LG. If the V30 implements the full capabilities of the ESS DAC (native DSD playback rather then down converting it), I will make the T-Jump. The removal battery is very nice but QC 4.0 does offer some attractive benefits. https://www.qualcomm.com/news/onq/2...five-minutes-charging-five-hours-battery-life

Rooted v20 or stock v30. The future cloudy.

meh. the v30 doesn't look good. I'm gonna look at the next pixel probably.
Sent from my LG-US996 using Tapatalk

jayochs said:
meh. the v30 doesn't look good. I'm gonna look at the next pixel probably.
Sent from my LG-US996 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
since xda and my v20 just ****ed up a long post I'll just say, "the v30 is probably the base for the pixel XL 2".

evo4g63t said:
Well the previews looks to be a massive disappointment:
- non removable battery
- glass body (so sick of this I don't give a crap about slow wireless charging I cannot believe people can't be bothered to use a freaking cable) slow wireless charging isn't worth the fragile glass design.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree 100%, a completely glass phone is a joke. Nothing more than another cash grab from the phone manufacturer's for you to break your phone easier. I always throw a thick OtterBox on my phone so I couldn't care less how "sexy" the phone looks.
Sent from my VS995 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

dartinbout said:
I am a huge fan of the V series from LG. If the V30 implements the full capabilities of the ESS DAC (native DSD playback rather then down converting it), I will make the T-Jump. The removal battery is very nice but QC 4.0 does offer some attractive benefits. https://www.qualcomm.com/news/onq/2...five-minutes-charging-five-hours-battery-life
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The issue for me is smart phones are peaking the advancements are slowing down so the appeal of keeping a phone longer is more desireable.
The first component to fail assuming there isn't a defect in your hardware is the battery. The capacity is all but guaranteed to be reduced after two years. Allowing battery replacements allows for the phone to last longer without breaking the bank.
If you're lucky you can send your phone in and get a battery replacement from the company but it's inconvenient and companies love to charge 80 to 100 to get it replaced and even then there are no guarantees that your data or phone won't get lost plus not having a phone for a week or longer isn't acceptable when you need your phone for business and emergencies.
Second reason, most important to me, is the ability to use extended batteries. I currently use an extended battery that no matter what I do on my phone I don't have to charge it during the day I usually end up at 40 to 50 percent at the end of the day, no factory phone can compete.
QC4 sounds good but the nature of the beast is heat kills batteries; qc4 flows even more juice at a time the heat will be higher and thus will have a negative effect on battery longevity.
Further I feel with the ridiculous price hikes Samsung and Apple plan/are on doing (LG thankfully has remained competitive in this field thus far) this behavior is even more unacceptable, I will not pay over 1000 for a phone where battery life deteriorates after 2 years.
Only way I'll go non removable is if the capacity is high enough to not require 2 charges per day (mid day and night), so probably around 4200 to 4600 mah.
I am keeping my v20 for another year so I'll see what's offered then but sadly removable batteries are a dying breed thanks to greed. Midrange phones generally have removable batteries still and I may just have to do that to keep this vital feature.
The only phones that have interested me were the v series and Note series; note 8 looks to be the most expensive phone for no reason at all and the v30 looks to rid the two of the three best features of the phone (2nd screen, removable battery)
Sent from my LG-H918 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

I think I'd keep V20 as long as possible, and V20 can be the last LG phone for me.

I loved the Note line, so what got me to leave it for the V20 was the removable battery and second display. I've really enjoyed everything about the v20, and I planned to buy the V30 and stick with LG. But, since LG decided to strip those desirable features from the V30, I see a Note 8 in my future
Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk

Not buying it

dartinbout said:
I am a huge fan of the V series from LG. If the V30 implements the full capabilities of the ESS DAC (native DSD playback rather then down converting it), I will make the T-Jump. The removal battery is very nice but QC 4.0 does offer some attractive benefits. https://www.qualcomm.com/news/onq/2...five-minutes-charging-five-hours-battery-life
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's awesome, love every upgrade of QC adds something mind blowing.

Whike reason I bought this was for the removable battery, if not for that then I'd get note 8.

There's a reason I bought the V20. And that reason is the removable battery and SD Micro slot. Take those away and there's no reason for me to limit myself to LG.
OK, technically that's two reasons...

The V20 was a wake up call and the last phone I'll spend serious money on. The phone market is flooded with cheap gimmicks and even when a phone aims itself towards a real purpose (the best phone DAC on the market in this example) the shoddy plastic everything (not literally don't tell me it's made out of aluminum. I know I own one) quality makes it far more worth it to just get a DAP. I've had to replace the headphone jack twice and the micro mount is already starting to show symptoms of failure. Four months to fall apart. My Fiio E18 took a year of near daily use, plugged-in in jeans pockets, thrown into my car, etc etc, that microUSB port has taken a ****in beating... A YEAR before I had to replace any ports.
A stagnant technology competing for the money of a population that doesn't care about quality. I'm almost at the point of going back to landline because I don't get eat trash just because it's the only thing around.

Hope LG make the V series as it is, not going with G series direction. We'll see what V30 bring.

Without the removable battery I'd have to go with the (next) Pixel, Mi Max 2 (5300 non removable battery), Note 8 or the OnePlus 5- But... I just bought my V20 last week with 3 more batteries. I just upgraded my V10 to Nougat/rooted and my son is still rocking my old Note 3 (just ordered 3 new batteries). They all work great. With much of the evolution in flagships not necessary to get enormous improvements in enjoyment from these devices, as long as I can get and easily insert new batteries, we'll keep rockin'-on with these. We will wait for a new, removable battery phone. It will come. It will come...

V30? Boooooooo!

I think LG V30 will be a huge success. What I have observed so far is LG gives everything possible to V series. G series is mostly for experiment purpose. This time around we got even huge upgrade as compare to previous year. Snapdragon 835 processor, bigger screen and the best of all oled display. Eagerly waiting for V30 ??
Sent from my LG V20 using XDA Labs