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Thinking of buying the Razr HD, have some questions

I've been debating between this device and the upcoming LG Optimus G, so I'm hoping to get some of my questions answered so I can make a better decision.
#01. Speed and Performance
Generally, is the phone fast?
Do you ever notice any lag when scrolling between home screens, or launching applications?
While browsing the internet, do you ever get checker boarding while pages are loading?
How is the browsing experience? Is it fluid or laggy? A web browser's performance is a deal breaker for me.
Do games run smoothly? I know when I tried playing Scramble on some Android devices it was really laggy.
#02. Display Quality
Do you notice any pixelation due to the pentile display?
I know that on a lot of AMOLED displays, the phone tends to turn the brightness down on large areas of white. Does the Razr HD do this when there's a lot of white on a page? (makes the white look grey)
Following the previous question, do whites look bright or dull? I know AMOLED makes blacks look deep, but the white brightness is my main concern. When I had the Galaxy Nexus, the phone made whites look really grainny and grey.
#03. Music and Sound Quality
Do you notice any static or noise coming from the headphone jack when you have headphones plugged in?
How's the sound quality when using headphones?
How's the sound quality when using the speaker?
I know I'm asking a lot of questions, so any responses are greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

Try reading some reviews. most of your answers can be found here: http://www.droid-life.com/2012/10/22/droid-razr-hd-and-razr-maxx-hd-review/

unity04 said:
I've been debating between this device and the upcoming LG Optimus G, so I'm hoping to get some of my questions answered so I can make a better decision.
#01. Speed and Performance
Generally, is the phone fast?
Do you ever notice any lag when scrolling between home screens, or launching applications?
While browsing the internet, do you ever get checker boarding while pages are loading?
How is the browsing experience? Is it fluid or laggy? A web browser's performance is a deal breaker for me.
Do games run smoothly? I know when I tried playing Scramble on some Android devices it was really laggy.
#02. Display Quality
Do you notice any pixelation due to the pentile display?
I know that on a lot of AMOLED displays, the phone tends to turn the brightness down on large areas of white. Does the Razr HD do this when there's a lot of white on a page? (makes the white look grey)
Following the previous question, do whites look bright or dull? I know AMOLED makes blacks look deep, but the white brightness is my main concern. When I had the Galaxy Nexus, the phone made whites look really grainny and grey.
#03. Music and Sound Quality
Do you notice any static or noise coming from the headphone jack when you have headphones plugged in?
How's the sound quality when using headphones?
How's the sound quality when using the speaker?
I know I'm asking a lot of questions, so any responses are greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) yes
2) I used to, but after rooting the phone and changing kernel governor from 'ondemand' to 'interactive' it went away.
3) no
4) I have not played any games yet
1) display seems great to me
2) I have not noticed that
3) the whites look good to me... A tad nicer than my old galaxy nexus
1) no static, but I noticed some distortion which was fixed by disabling the audio effects
2) the sound quality is awesome, although I'm using good quality sennheiser headphones and music is in FLAC format
3) the speaker is decent, but you can't expect much from such a tiny speaker.
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

shock2sys said:
1) yes
2) I used to, but after rooting the phone and changing kernel governor from 'ondemand' to 'interactive' it went away.
3) no
4) I have not played any games yet
1) display seems great to me
2) I have not noticed that
3) the whites look good to me... A tad nicer than my old galaxy nexus
1) no static, but I noticed some distortion which was fixed by disabling the audio effects
2) the sound quality is awesome, although I'm using good quality sennheiser headphones and music is in FLAC format
3) the speaker is decent, but you can't expect much from such a tiny speaker.
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thx for the info, was truly helpful to me. Question for you. How have you liked \ disliked the transition from the Nexus? Verizon gave me a loaner Nexus to use until they can get me an alternate replacement for my inop Galaxy S3s... so I am just waiting for a RAZR HD to get sent out. After a few days of use, I am finding I really enjoy jellybean, but the Nexus seems a bit small. I also don't like the fact that I have to put all of my files on the internal memory. Is there anything you miss from the Nexus?
Thx, in advance.

hmmmm, Im waiting on a white droid razr hd as well from verizon to replace my gs3....Im still on the fence with the different opinions on the cell signal..some say its better some say its not....I average -112dbm on my Gs3

1. yes, aosp fast
2. first time I scroll left to the quick settings page it stutters, not lags, thats it though
3. no
4. smooth
5. words with friends and angry birds are smooth, that's all I've played
1. white text has a very very slight pixelation if you hold it about an inch from your face and really look for it
2. very sharp display, very bright and vibrant
3. Much better than the nexus
1. no
2. excellent, I have 4700 songs on my sd card, I use it heavily for music, plug in my Beats and it sounds awesome
3. as good as a phone speaker will be, much lounder than the s3 and nexus

unity04 said:
I've been debating between this device and the upcoming LG Optimus G, so I'm hoping to get some of my questions answered so I can make a better decision.
#01. Speed and Performance
Generally, is the phone fast?
Do you ever notice any lag when scrolling between home screens, or launching applications?
While browsing the internet, do you ever get checker boarding while pages are loading?
How is the browsing experience? Is it fluid or laggy? A web browser's performance is a deal breaker for me.
Do games run smoothly? I know when I tried playing Scramble on some Android devices it was really laggy.
#02. Display Quality
Do you notice any pixelation due to the pentile display?
I know that on a lot of AMOLED displays, the phone tends to turn the brightness down on large areas of white. Does the Razr HD do this when there's a lot of white on a page? (makes the white look grey)
Following the previous question, do whites look bright or dull? I know AMOLED makes blacks look deep, but the white brightness is my main concern. When I had the Galaxy Nexus, the phone made whites look really grainny and grey.
#03. Music and Sound Quality
Do you notice any static or noise coming from the headphone jack when you have headphones plugged in?
How's the sound quality when using headphones?
How's the sound quality when using the speaker?
I know I'm asking a lot of questions, so any responses are greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Yes. So fast.
2) as mentioned, swiping to the leftmost (settings) screen stutters, but doesn't slow down. Other screen transitions are fine.
3/4) No checker effect. Chrome loads the pages very quickly and smoothly, and navigating the pages is just plain sexy.
5) the pre-loaded game (MC3) runs great, and it seems demanding.
1) In order to see pixels, I have to bring the phone so close that my eyes are crossed.
2/3) whites are beautiful and bright.
1/2) my headphones are crap so I couldn't say
3) The speaker quality is decent, but it gets so loud I have to turn it down near halfway most of the time while on speakerphone or watching something on netflix.
Only complaint with the phone thus far is camera quality, and really it isn't THAT bad...

Do you like the One S display?

I just want to know if you satisfied with the One S pentile matrix screen. I have a Sam S2 and recently bought a One S (S3 chipset) and i noticed the lcd is very pixelated (if its a real word, sry for my English) compared with the S2's screen. Its not too bad but noticeable and a bit disappointing. How you live with this?

gszabi said:
I just want to know if you satisfied with the One S pentile matrix screen. I have a Sam S2 and recently bought a One S (S3 chipset) and i noticed the lcd is very pixelated (if its a real word, sry for my English) compared with the S2's screen. Its not too bad but noticeable and a bit disappointing. How you live with this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By not being incredibly picky. The phone wasn't cheap, so before I signed a contract, I made sure I was happy with every aspect of the phone. While I do agree it's pixelated, and that my Sensation had slightly better quality, I am incredibly happy with the screen. I'm rarely centimeters away from the screen so I can live with it especially because the color reproduction is amazing.

gszabi said:
I just want to know if you satisfied with the One S pentile matrix screen. I have a Sam S2 and recently bought a One S (S3 chipset) and i noticed the lcd is very pixelated (if its a real word, sry for my English) compared with the S2's screen. Its not too bad but noticeable and a bit disappointing. How you live with this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you just get used to it after a while. I couldn't stand the screen when I first got the phone, It stopped me using it regularly because I just used to get annoyed at the screen! (sad I know) But now I don't even think about the screen because I'm so used to it. I came from the Desire S which had a S-LCD display and a 480x800 display so that was a very good screen considering it was only 3.7 inches! I found the amoled colours of the one s to be extremely saturated. I didn't like the yellowish/blueish whites and the fact that every time you slightly changed the angle of the screen the colours would turn slightly blue. Text looked pixelated especially on a white background, that doesn't help considering a key part of sense 4 settings is all white background. It took me a good month to get used to the screen and 3 months in, I'm used to it Possibly getting the Nexus 4 soon so doubt I'll have much longer with this phone anyway.

Sorry for the little off topic might pickup a one s didn't want to start a new thread...
I saw the one s at my local fido store and damn its so snappy even whit sense !! But i tried the one x and it was somewhat slower is this normal ? Flicking through homescreens just werent the same..
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

I did notice it some when I first got it, but I really don't anymore at all, and like was said above, I'm never close enough to my display to really notice it. I think the screen is incredible, as is every other aspect of the phone. I LOVE my One S.

I thought it would annoy me, but the phone was free so I decided to bite the bullet. I've had the phone 6 months now, and I really don't notice it at this point.

I love the one S display, sure the screen isn't as sharp as the GN, GS 3 and one X etc. and you don't get as much screen real estate but everything else is just as good, if not better:
- one of the best screens in sun light, don't even have to put my screen above 70% brightness in direct sun light in order to be able to make stuff out easily and this is on a darkish background too, MUCH better than the GN and GS 2 in this area
- colour reproduction is superb, my screen is pretty much perfect, whites are super white, brighter white than my dell u2311h, iirc a review site stated that the screen is better calibrated than the GS 3 SAMOLED screen
- no tinting at all on mine, usually with AMOLED screens you get a blue or yellow tint, which is noticeable at angles on whites but not on mine (this varies with every single screen though)
- of course blacks are black and the viewing angles are superb
- high contrast ratio etc. so games and videos look great
I only notice the pentile when looking at white text on black backgrounds and a few icons, but only when I really look for it and have my face pretty close to the screen. I find the one S screen to be sharper overall compared to the GS 2 screen.
I have had the one S beside the GS 2, GN and GS 3 and personally I didn't like the GS 2 screen at all, res. is too low so things are huge (felt like an old man using a phone designed for people with poor eye sight ), colours are far too saturated/warm. The GN screen is nice and sharp but the colours aren't saturated enough, rather dull over all and plus both phones are poor in comparison to the S for view ability in the sunshine. The GS 3 screen is great, better than the GN, however, I think the one S screen looks better for colours.
Anandtech more or less summed up my thoughts:
What’s different, however, is how well HTC has controlled the color temperature and gamma compared to Motorola in the RAZR. As shown in the HCFR galleries below, gamma is pretty close to 2.2 until you get to the high end, and color temperature is pretty close to 6500K, except at the two darkest grey points. This is so much better than any other OEM calibration of an AMOLED panel I’ve taken a look at, which is rather humorous because the panel is undoubtably Samsung’s. HTC is also letting the panel go pretty bright, up past 350 nits, instead of clamping it way down around 200 (I’m looking at you, Galaxy Nexus) to save power. I also haven’t noticed blacks not being totally off on the One S like I have with some others. Of course, colors are still massively oversaturated if your source color space is sRGB.
I’ve griped about PenTile RGBG before on this panel and other SAMOLED displays, but I find the One S to be completely enjoyable in spite of having it thanks to two things. First, how well HTC has controlled the panel (no awful hues, weird white points, or dramatic shifts as you change brightness) - this is basically the best I’ve seen this particular panel, and until SGS3, the best I’ve seen AMOLED in general. Second, because HTC doesn’t appear to be applying any processing that applies sharpening (like Samsung’s mDNIe) to text.
How you feel about PenTile really is the final factor: it’s there, but I’ve slowly become accustomed to it after staring at it for so long. If you go back to the Nexus S days, I was one of the most outspoken critics because of how large those subpixels were. With small enough subpixels (below visual acuity), PenTile starts to make sense. In other news, HTC moving back to Samsung AMOLED for phones is an interesting move after supply issues forced HTC to SLCD with some earlier phones, here on the HTC One S however, it looks great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5868/htc-one-s-review-international-and-tmobile/6

My solution: Get old. You probably can't see all the minute issues you guys think matter, and you don't really care if you do. Every phone I've ever had has had a better screen than the previous and I think that's pretty nice.

I hate the screen, drives me nuts. I found that using a theme that mostly uses blacks and whites makes it more bearable though.

mbh87 said:
I hate the screen, drives me nuts. I found that using a theme that mostly uses blacks and whites makes it more bearable though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have to agree. Thing is apart from the screen it's a fantastic phone. It's so fast, battery life is great and the camera is great. I don't even think the screen would be that bad if it wasn't pentile it's just the fact that it's a pentile display it makes the phone look way more pixelated than it should be

I think I need to go to specsavers, I've never noticed a problem with the screen.

The screen on this is amazing. Don't notice any pixellation whilst on it . It's quite an improvement over my old Wildfires QVGA 3.5 inch 240x320 TFT display.
Sent from my HTC One S using Tapatalk 2

If you switched from Wildfire you cant see this but if you had any phone in the alike pixel density and resolution you can see the difference. According to others opinion its not bad, the perfect color saturation, contrast etc will eliminate the bad feeling about those subpixels.

HTC does calibrate their screens nicely

I suppose it depends on what you're used to. When you come from an iPhone or high-end LCD-screen you probably will get annoyed with this display. However, when this is your first touchscreen smartphone or when you had a smartphone with a low-end display before this one, you will probably be able to cope with the slight pixilation.
Personally, even with this being my first touchscreen smartphone and coming from an E72 with a PPI of about 170, the display of this device would be the only reason for me to buy a One X or Nexus 4. That being said; you don't buy a smartphone solely for its display, you buy it for the complete package (price, battery, design, display, size, cpu/gpu, storage, support, OS, cloud integration etc.). And for me, the package the One S offers is more compelling than that of most other smartphones one the market.

I compared the One S screen to that of my Galaxy Nexus and honestly, when it comes to clarity, there isn't much of a difference. If you are in your twenties with near perfect eyesight and able to hold the phone less than a foot from your face then you will probably see pixelation but at normal distances it isn't an issue. For me it seems that anything above 250ppi is fine - my original Galaxy S was less (I think 233ppi) and that display was pixelated to me, but then again it was an earlier generation screen, I'm sure there have been other refinements besides resolution since then.

One S 256 PPI
Sam Galaxy S2 217 PPI but looks sharper.
Its all about the pixel placement, pentile matrix is a pattern. This matrix gives us better colors because more subpixels. Google for it there are many info i cant explain it in english

I come from an LG Optimus 2x, 4'' ips display, 800x480, and I feel this display better IMHO.
Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app

gszabi said:
One S 256 PPI
Sam Galaxy S2 217 PPI but looks sharper.
Its all about the pixel placement, pentile matrix is a pattern. This matrix gives us better colors because more subpixels. Google for it there are many info i cant explain it in english
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I said Galaxy S, not S2.
Yes the S2 was/is superior despite the lower resolution thanks to the RGB arrangement (not pentile). The original Galaxy S was pentile, and not that great by today's standards.

It's okay, but I'm actually kind of unsatisfied with the blacks. I thought it would be completely black, but when I have a black picture shown on the phone in a completely dark room, the screen still lights up
Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app

First thoughts and camera samples

So I'm coming from S6 to this budget device due to the terrible battery life on S6. So first Impressions of play are this. Screen is sharp and looks great even when only 1080p. The experience is snappy and fluid no issues so far even when playing more intensive games. The camera has me blown away as previous Moto cameras suck but this is great. Overall I'm satisfied as hell

I'm in exactly the same position. S6 currently on ebay and now enjoying outstanding battery life
Sent from my XT1562 using Tapatalk

Look at those images! Day light image so far so stunning. I think it's a tad on a warmer side I just opened image in photoshop and moved kelvin (temperature) slider towards cooler so it looks probably the way it should look. Lizard is rich detail with some nice colour reproduction (natural and vibrant) complimented with bokeh effect to it naturally wrapping around. WoW
Low light is little weak but overall ok. How did you focus in low light? How do you find focus working? This phone impresses me!
White balance correct.

I just used the circle focus put it on subject and snapped. Light needed adjusted using slider but overall pretty easy and quick snaps.

Why I get impression you have the same background? Same guy? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCrUL7uZ1F4

Can you confirm whether it has gyroscope or not? Thank you!
Inviato dal mio LG-D802 utilizzando Tapatalk

Is there anyone with kids who can report on camera speed? I'm currently really frustrated with my Note 3 as it is almost impossible to get a sharp picture of my 3 year old son.

zaph83 said:
Is there anyone with kids who can report on camera speed? I'm currently really frustrated with my Note 3 as it is almost impossible to get a sharp picture of my 3 year old son.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take 1 cookie and 1 tube of superglue. Glue cookie to floor, then call son into room. You'll have plenty of time to get some snaps whilst he tries to get the cookie!

I am Legend said:
Can you confirm whether it has gyroscope or not? Thank you!
Inviato dal mio LG-D802 utilizzando Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
You can't take Photospheres nor Panoramas with the Google Camera app, if that's what you're wondering... Just tested on my brand new X Play that I'll probably return in the next few days...
(You can take panoramas in the Motorola Camera app though!)

And in other apps like A Better Camera or Ucamera? Can those make panoramic photos?
Sent from my GT-I9295 using Tapatalk

nice samples thanx you

alenym said:
You can't take Photospheres nor Panoramas with the Google Camera app, if that's what you're wondering... Just tested on my brand new X Play that I'll probably return in the next few days...
(You can take panoramas in the Motorola Camera app though!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At least we still have the Motorola Camera app.
Why are you returning it?
I am expecting it to arrive in the next few days.

rafaelwall said:
At least we still have the Motorola Camera app.
Why are you returning it?
I am expecting it to arrive in the next few days.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, thinking about returning it, that is, to be honest.
I'm kinda mad at the lack of gyroscope and gestures. Waving my hand to wake up the Moto Display was very convenient for me. The Moto X 2014 is better than the Moto X Play in all areas except battery life and camera (which I don't care that much about). Plus, it's really bigger than what I expected, coming a Moto X 2013. I had tried the 2014 and it was still cool, but the Play is even larger.
I've been thinking a lot about it, considering I only have 10 days to return it. It's great for everything I'm doing with a cellphone (except the photospheres that I do just for the lulz and show off tbh), I shouldn't miss the chop chop action too much since it wasn't even on the Moto X 2013, same for the IR sensors since the Lollipop update.
The question is: could I get better buck for money?
And I think I can, if I shop enough on ebay; I'm thinking about buying the Droid Turbo instead. Bigger battery, better specs, smaller, better software (with Moto gestures), same price. I heard it was unlocked on GSM frequencies and I'm in Canada (can someone correct me?), so I wouldn't even have to unlock it. More futureproof imo.
I'll probably get used to the physical buttons. The IPS screen is so ugly with blacks. I don't want to "see" the black bar! It's really bluer than the 2013 screen (which was yellow-ish), and it kinda feels cheap to me. But maybe it's only me. However it's much much brighter (minimum brightness on the Play is around half brightness on the 2013), so that's a good point!

I also received my Moto X Play today and am very pleased with it so far!
The only weird thing i have encountered is that i usually use procapture for my main camera but it seems stuck with 13mp. Anyone else have this app and problem?

alenym said:
Well, thinking about returning it, that is, to be honest.
I'm kinda mad at the lack of gyroscope and gestures. Waving my hand to wake up the Moto Display was very convenient for me. The Moto X 2014 is better than the Moto X Play in all areas except battery life and camera (which I don't care that much about). Plus, it's really bigger than what I expected, coming a Moto X 2013. I had tried the 2014 and it was still cool, but the Play is even larger.
I've been thinking a lot about it, considering I only have 10 days to return it. It's great for everything I'm doing with a cellphone (except the photospheres that I do just for the lulz and show off tbh), I shouldn't miss the chop chop action too much since it wasn't even on the Moto X 2013, same for the IR sensors since the Lollipop update.
The question is: could I get better buck for money?
And I think I can, if I shop enough on ebay; I'm thinking about buying the Droid Turbo instead. Bigger battery, better specs, smaller, better software (with Moto gestures), same price. I heard it was unlocked on GSM frequencies and I'm in Canada (can someone correct me?), so I wouldn't even have to unlock it. More futureproof imo.
I'll probably get used to the physical buttons. The IPS screen is so ugly with blacks. I don't want to "see" the black bar! It's really bluer than the 2013 screen (which was yellow-ish), and it kinda feels cheap to me. But maybe it's only me. However it's much much brighter (minimum brightness on the Play is around half brightness on the 2013), so that's a good point!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i am also on the hunt for a droid turbo. and also i am rocking the moto x 2013 (skipped x 2014 because of the battery). really hate motorola this year. i mean i do hate everything apple but they have some sense releasing a small device and a larger one. however motorola released a larger device and an even larger one. also, they put the larger battery on the smaller device and the smaller battery on the larger device !!!.

sherif2015 said:
i am also on the hunt for a droid turbo. and also i am rocking the moto x 2013 (skipped x 2014 because of the battery). really hate motorola this year. i mean i do hate everything apple but they have some sense releasing a small device and a larger one. however motorola released a larger device and an even larger one. also, they put the larger battery on the smaller device and the smaller battery on the larger device !!!.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah. I really don't like the "branding"/marketing part of Apple, but another part I really liked of them was that they weren't trying to win the specs race (à la Samsung), but instead focused on user experience and software optimization. Motorola did that when it got acquired by Google, giving birth to things like the Moto G being faster than the Galaxy S5 for everyday tasks like opening apps and stuff.
After 5.1 on the Moto X 2013 though, it became buggy, doing a full software optimization everytime I soft reset, sometimes shutdowning because of hotness (I guess?), after I plugged it into the Moto X Play charger for instance... Also the "Read SMS aloud" seemed to be activated everywhere, every place, even when I was at work where I had set silent mode and was in a meeting on my calendar (?!?!).
So yeah. I really hope it was because it's a 2 yo device and the Moto X Play will handle these features better. I'm quite happy they brought back FM Radio on a "not entry model", it has become something that most flagships lack but every entry level phones have! (Except Samsung because Samsung & Gadgets, y'know.)
ANYWAY
Back to the subject: I took many photos and some videos today (college hazings! ), and I'm quite happy with the results. Indoor quality still isn't perfect (seems nice on screen, but as soon as you zoom in you see motion blur if the subjects weren't totally still). Outdoor quality is really nice though. However, when taking videos, there seems to be a noticeable lag on screen, around half a sec. It's weird and gives the impression there's OIS. On the total opposite, one thing I'm really impressed with is the photo taking speed. The 2013 would take forever to focus, wait and snap. The X Play basically just, well, takes a live screenshot of what is on screen with no waiting at all.
The X 2013 was actually my first smartphone, so I dunno if the average is "instant photo snap" à la X Play or the "wait one sec then snaps it" à la 2013. I know the X 2013 didn't have the best camera (and it's an euphemism), but I don't care much about it tbh.
Also, as expected, panoramas suck. I dunno if you're supposed to scroll it or rotate (à la Photosphere), but rotating seems totally not working, although it was working with the Moto X 2013 and the Moto Camera app...

I'm very pleased with the camera on this device. It's the best camera I've ever had on any phone. Here's a picture of my cousin's cat that I took this weekend on my last CyanogenMod build with the stock CM camera.
The detail and overall quality are outstanding. The compression used by imgur detracts from the quality a bit at 100%, the original is even better. I give the camera two thumbs up.

This one with [email protected], I assume, since HDR is on auto, the sun low at 7 pm, shining from the side onto the Cologne Cathedral, giving its gothic structures a very graphical appearance. Just the highlights are somewaht too bright. The image says it was taken with 1/120 sec, so not the top sharpness due to hand motion.

Here are some photos I took indoor, in bright artificial light however. Just did a quick snap and moved on. I used the manual exposure and focus in the stock Moto camera app (which is really annoying, no tap to focus, no shutter button).
Mostly macro shots. Getting closer than 4 cm doesn't focus.
http://imgur.com/a/ianiz

How do you like this coming from a Nexus 6p?

I'm curious what you folks who came from the Nexus 6p think about this smaller phone. Are you regretting going with the smaller option? Loving it? I've ordered a Pixel for me and the missus (thanks to the TMo promo) and am fully expecting to have a love/hate relationship with the smaller phone. I mean, I totally miss having a reasonable size phone (my N6p is HUGE!!) but boy is it nice to have a large screen when I don't care about my phone being small.
I'm still a week or two away from getting our Pixels but trying to decide whether I should change my order to an XL or not.

I'm loving my Pixel. So much easier to handle. Battery life has been great. Camera is amazing. The only thing I miss are the front facing speakers. However, the Pixel speaker is plenty loud and sounds really good despite it being one speaker on the bottom of the device.

daewond3r said:
I'm loving my Pixel. So much easier to handle. Battery life has been great. Camera is amazing. The only thing I miss are the front facing speakers. However, the Pixel speaker is plenty loud and sounds really good despite it being one speaker on the bottom of the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the feedback! Oddly enough, I don't think I'll care much at all about the speaker. The N6p has great speakers but I never use them - almost always have better audio options available (7 Chromecast audios at home, B&O Bluetooth speakerphones that also sound great for music, car integrated Bluetooth, & a Bluetooth stereo headset). I think the last phone I has that wasn't too large was the OG Moto X. That was a long time and many phones ago!

The smaller phone is hugely liberating. Finally feels normal and just right. Heck, I wish it were smaller. I guess I never did adjust to the phablet madness. Now it fits in my pocket, cup holders, anywhere I can think of. I tend to worry less about it. It's less of a thin flat large slab that may bend. One handed use is so underrated. 4.5" would have been perfect though.
Okay, so the things I don't like are the price, it is definitely not hundreds of pounds better than the 6P, which was IMO 2015's best smartphone and the 6P held its own right up to now.
Then there's no 64gb option.
Then the design itself is also rather ugly at the back. Face looks awesome.
It hasn't added much to the 6P. It took a few things away from the 6P. The small size and the marginal speed performance differences made my mind up really.
It's not better than last year's. It's just a different phone. Because it HAS no last year model to compete with.
I have compared the camera on both and the camera is over hyped. It produces the same stills as the 6P does. However, focussing is better in video and stabilisation is finally here. Not forgetting to mention that it can do macros closer up. That's it really.
Sent from my Pixel using XDA-Developers mobile app

subhani said:
I have compared the camera on both and the camera is over hyped. It produces the same stills as the 6P does. However, focussing is better in video and stabilisation is finally here. Not forgetting to mention that it can do macros closer up. That's it really.
Sent from my Pixel using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to admit the quality is not leaps and bounds better than the 6P. However, another important factor with the Pixel camera is speed. I had to settle for subpar pics with my 6P many times because the first snap wasn't great then I had to wait for HDR+ to process before I could snap another one. The Pixel allows me to snap pictures much quicker giving me more opportunities to get the shot I want.

Thanks all! You're helping me feel better with my choice of the smaller version. I'm not worried about the aesthetics since it'll be in a case most it's life. I'm really excited for this phone even if it's not a huge upgrade from the N6P. Definitely looking for that faster camera most of all!

i have both and ive come from the 6p..i love the smaller phone..fast photos..compact..i loved the 6p..but love my pixel more
Sent from my sailfish using XDA Labs

Jaxidian said:
I'm curious what you folks who came from the Nexus 6p think about this smaller phone. Are you regretting going with the smaller option? Loving it? I've ordered a Pixel for me and the missus (thanks to the TMo promo) and am fully expecting to have a love/hate relationship with the smaller phone. I mean, I totally miss having a reasonable size phone (my N6p is HUGE!!) but boy is it nice to have a large screen when I don't care about my phone being small.
I'm still a week or two away from getting our Pixels but trying to decide whether I should change my order to an XL or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My suggestion if you have a Best Buy or Verizon store near, is go and play with both for a couple hours. It's kind of daunting to come from a 6-inch screen to a 5-inch screen. You might find it that mrs. Prefers the 5.5 inch where you find yourself happy with the 5-inch or vice versa.

subhani said:
The smaller phone is hugely liberating. Finally feels normal and just right. Heck, I wish it were smaller. I guess I never did adjust to the phablet madness. Now it fits in my pocket, cup holders, anywhere I can think of. I tend to worry less about it. It's less of a thin flat large slab that may bend. One handed use is so underrated. 4.5" would have been perfect though.
Okay, so the things I don't like are the price, it is definitely not hundreds of pounds better than the 6P, which was IMO 2015's best smartphone and the 6P held its own right up to now.
Then there's no 64gb option.
Then the design itself is also rather ugly at the back. Face looks awesome.
It hasn't added much to the 6P. It took a few things away from the 6P. The small size and the marginal speed performance differences made my mind up really.
It's not better than last year's. It's just a different phone. Because it HAS no last year model to compete with.
I have compared the camera on both and the camera is over hyped. It produces the same stills as the 6P does. However, focussing is better in video and stabilisation is finally here. Not forgetting to mention that it can do macros closer up. That's it really.
Sent from my Pixel using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the camera side of things - from the reviews I have looked at online the low light performance is superior on the Pixel when compared to the 6p, or any other phone camera for that matter.

I have the same situation too. I find 6P is too bulky..I kind of miss the Nexus 5 feeling. My biggest concern is the battery life because how significantly smaller the battery is compared to 6P.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

I've found the move fine, pixel easier to handle, battery life not an issue. Camera is much faster and definitely better in low light, screen colours are better too making things look crisper. Excellent piece of kit.
Sent from my Pixel using XDA-Developers mobile app

Jazd71 said:
I've found the move fine, pixel easier to handle, battery life not an issue. Camera is much faster and definitely better in low light, screen colours are better too making things look crisper. Excellent piece of kit.
Sent from my Pixel using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please see here. I compare the Pixel and the 6p
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=69434548
Sent from my Pixel using XDA-Developers mobile app
---------- Post added at 07:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:14 PM ----------
digitheatre said:
I have the same situation too. I find 6P is too bulky..I kind of miss the Nexus 5 feeling. My biggest concern is the battery life because how significantly smaller the battery is compared to 6P.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found the Pixel to hold its charge better than the Nexus. Still early days so may degrade over time.
Sent from my Pixel using XDA-Developers mobile app

Loving it!
So I'm a bit of a junkie. I switch phones every 6-12 months, going back as far as the HTC Desire HD.
I've been bouncing between Nexus and HTC Flagships for the last couple years, having had every HTC One and both the Nexus 6 and 6p.
While I AM still a huge fan of the large form factor of the 6p (I still haven't sold it yet, so I have been doing a lot of direct comparisons), I decided on the Pixel instead of the XL and I don't regret it. It's so comfortable, so fast, the battery is AMAZING, the camera is AMAZING, it's just so good. What I was most surprised with is actually the speaker quality! It is very clear and full sounding, especially for a single bottom firing speaker.
I don't know what else to say, I thought this would be more structured but it turned into a bit of a rant.

RyanTX said:
On the camera side of things - from the reviews I have looked at online the low light performance is superior on the Pixel when compared to the 6p, or any other phone camera for that matter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's good I sub low-light but when it's really low light ois or manual is needed. Great camera otherwise,so much faster then stock 6P (there is now a hacked one in the 6P forum). I Have a pixel, this iPhone and a Huawei P9 and can't decide witch one to stay with but the pixel is really really good.
Skickat från min iPhone med Tapatalk

WinterApocalypse said:
So I'm a bit of a junkie. I switch phones every 6-12 months, going back as far as the HTC Desire HD.
I've been bouncing between Nexus and HTC Flagships for the last couple years, having had every HTC One and both the Nexus 6 and 6p.
While I AM still a huge fan of the large form factor of the 6p (I still haven't sold it yet, so I have been doing a lot of direct comparisons), I decided on the Pixel instead of the XL and I don't regret it. It's so comfortable, so fast, the battery is AMAZING, the camera is AMAZING, it's just so good. What I was most surprised with is actually the speaker quality! It is very clear and full sounding, especially for a single bottom firing speaker.
I don't know what else to say, I thought this would be more structured but it turned into a bit of a rant.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This ia precisely how I feel. The small form factor, the power and speed. The camera and battery life sold me. The price was high. I think no phone should ever cost this price. It's a phone and a social media toy. A camera even. That's it.
But as the market rate goes, this is the best phone for the money. RIP phablets. If more top end hardware was available for smaller handsets, I would wager phablets would be dead in quick succession.
One plus 3 really is the wild card of smartphones... It throws a spanner in my perfect Pixel world.
Sent from my Pixel using XDA-Developers mobile app

The one thing making my decision difficult is reduced resolution. I'm ready for smaller form factor but I've had qhd for such a long time that I'm not sure I'm ready for the compromises when going down to HD.
Can anyone please elaborate on their experience (gaming and multimedia) coming from higher resolution display?
I'm mostly concerned with Vainglory.

Bruce lee roy said:
The one thing making my decision difficult is reduced resolution. I'm ready for smaller form factor but I've had qhd for such a long time that I'm not sure I'm ready for the compromises when going down to HD.
Can anyone please elaborate on their experience (gaming and multimedia) coming from higher resolution display?
I'm mostly concerned with Vainglory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never game on any of my mobile devices (I have a gaming PC 980ti, i74790k, 1440p display with Gsync). However, I do have the 6P and the Pixel side by side. I can't say I can tell the difference at all. I think you really have to go looking for the difference and squint to pick any minute details.

I've now had my Pixel 5" for 24 hours and I'm loving the size!

Bruce lee roy said:
The one thing making my decision difficult is reduced resolution. I'm ready for smaller form factor but I've had qhd for such a long time that I'm not sure I'm ready for the compromises when going down to HD.
Can anyone please elaborate on their experience (gaming and multimedia) coming from higher resolution display?
I'm mostly concerned with Vainglory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm the OP of this thread so I obviously came from a N6P, which is 1440p @ ~5.8". With that background, I can say that I love this screen even more than I loved the N6P screen. The drop in resolution isn't noticeable to me at all (my main monitor on my computer is 4k, so I get it and demand resolution).
The only situation I can imagine where the Pixel 5" resolution would be a problem would be with Cardboard/Daydream where the pixels are magnified. That's VERY secondary for me and I'd never change my phone decision because of that. Simply put, 1080p on this phone is pretty amazing! Don't forget that this is much sense of a DPI than any Apple phone.

Went from the 6p rooted and heavy use of xposed to a 2 week test of a stock 5x to see how the smaller phone felt...Definitely liked the smaller device, but that phone is under powered .. Got the 5 inch pixel last week and it is fantastic.
Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

Moto X Pure VS Pixel 2 XL

So I finally switched, after more than 2 years with the Moto X Pure. I had the Pixel 2 XL for about a week, here is my comparison.
Speed: No doubt the Pixel is far quicker, snappier, but anyone would have expected that.
Screen: I prefer the display of the Moto. Now you would think the size difference 6 vs 5.7 is huge, but when you play videos it seems like the width of the Moto gives you a bit more of the viewing experience. Theres is not a lot of difference with the quality of the display, the Pixel seemed to have a bit deeper blacks.
Camera: Pixels camera is just great, it almost consistently takes great pix. Love the night shots and the portrait mode. No comparison...
Speakers: I expected the Pixel speakers to be better, but after putting them side by side I found out that the Moto X Pure has speakers that are just a bit louder, just a tiny bit. Theres no audio quality difference
Build: Both phones are built well. Both feel heavy. The Moto X is thicker and the Pixel is lenghtier.
Forgot to mention the battery. The Pixel battery is amazing. I never had a phone last this long.
I think its a perfect upgrade.
Few things that would make the Pixel even better:
1. Additional wide angle lens like on the V30.
2. Minimize the height a bit
3. IP68
4. Chop chop for light

Don't forget about us here in the forums!
As long as you're happy with it, that's what matters. Personally, going from a reasonably attractive phone (like the Pure Edition) to a comparatively ugly phone with an Oled display (like the Pixel 2 XL) would be a bit of a letdown for me. However, if the advancements made in terms of camera and hardware performance are worth it to you, don't let that stand in the way of personal progress.

Since you mentioned the speakers. They were actually a big surprise for me, when I got the X-Style.. The main reason I bought the X-style, was that it was oddly cheap here, when considering some very decent stats.. The fact that it had stereo speakers was just a bonus.. But they are really good.
I was basically shocked the first time I put on the teaser trailer for Agony, and got a good blast of, surprisingly non-tinny, music in my face =)
Overall, with the P2-XL being about 4 times the price of the X-style, I would expect the P2-XL to be better.. But so far I have been very happy with my X-style.. The only thing I can think of, that would improve the X-style, would be an Amoled display.. Like the X-Force has.. But the X-force is an ugly block, with no developer community, So here I am on the X-style board

LCD makes the phone
timmtn said:
The only thing I can think of, that would improve the X-style, would be an Amoled display..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Be careful what you wish for. The Moto X Pure Edition has one of the best displays in the business. A dingy old oled panel would've been a dealbreaker for me. If you want a Pure Edition-like phone with Oled, the Droid Turbo (or possibly the Nexus 6) is it. All of this phone's successors (the Moto Z series) have Oled panels, as do most of its predecessors.

Not a Pixel XL 2 only XL
AmelFl said:
So I finally switched, after more than 2 years with the Moto X Pure. I had the Pixel 2 XL for about a week, here is my comparison.
Speed: No doubt the Pixel is far quicker, snappier, but anyone would have expected that.
Screen: I prefer the display of the Moto. Now you would think the size difference 6 vs 5.7 is huge, but when you play videos it seems like the width of the Moto gives you a bit more of the viewing experience. Theres is not a lot of difference with the quality of the display, the Pixel seemed to have a bit deeper blacks.
Camera: Pixels camera is just great, it almost consistently takes great pix. Love the night shots and the portrait mode. No comparison...
Speakers: I expected the Pixel speakers to be better, but after putting them side by side I found out that the Moto X Pure has speakers that are just a bit louder, just a tiny bit. Theres no audio quality difference
Build: Both phones are built well. Both feel heavy. The Moto X is thicker and the Pixel is lenghtier.
Forgot to mention the battery. The Pixel battery is amazing. I never had a phone last this long.
I think its a perfect upgrade.
Few things that would make the Pixel even better:
1. Additional wide angle lens like on the V30.
2. Minimize the height a bit
3. IP68
4. Chop chop for light
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found that like you that the sound wasnt as good but what i really noticed was the call and cell quality and strength were subpar to the MXPE. My XL is on its way back to google. I just couldnt justify the cost. Meanwhile my MXPE is still fine..

I just got my Pixel 2 XL a few days ago and I'm absolutely loving the Pixel. My Moto X Pure will still likely go down as my favorite device of all time due to it's specs, price, and performance. When it comes to the Pixel 2 XL, don't believe the hype on the screen issues. The screen is fantastic on the XL, the blue shift that people are complaining about is there, but it's waay over exaggerated. All oled screens have some sort of color shift. My buddy has the Samsung S8+ which is supposed to be one of the top rated screens on any phone and it has worse blue shift than the Pixel 2 XL along with an overall red tone to the screen. The curved glass is sooo cool and really makes using the phone a pleasure. I didn't realize how much I would enjoy the curved glass until owning the device. The big thing I was concerned about with going with the Pixel was the lack of an external SD slot, but I'm not really all that concerned about it now. I bought a really nice usb C adapter that holds a micro sd card in it and also has a usb A connection to hook up to a PC. When I do my Titanium/TWRP backups, I just click that in and do my backups. Nice and easy. The speakers on the XL sound pretty good, I notice little to no difference. They are phone speakers after all, but they are stereo, front firing and do their job. The signal strength on the Pixel is unmatched. I'm amazed at how strong the wifi and cell signals are compared to my MXP. The build of the phone is great, and feels like the dollar amount invested. The immediate updates are one of the biggest things I like along with firmware being posted almost immediately from Google. No more hunting down/capturing OTA's or full firmware zips. As much as I enjoyed Moto Display, the Pixels ambient display on 8.1 is top notch, has double tap to wake, and we get a notification light back (which I really missed while using the MXP).
Overall, I'm very happy with the Pixel 2 XL. Lenavo really ruined the MXP and it's unlikely I'll ever go back to them unless they go back to the way Motorola originally set up their phone's update schedules. Right now as I type this I'm wiping my MXP and setting it up as a dedicated music media player for my car to replace my current old LG-G3. My battery is still strong on the MXP and I expect to get several more years of service out of it.