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Question for you MOTO guys. I have a Note 2 currently. I've been looking to trade it for a while now. I have a guy wanting to trade straight up for a 1 month old Droid Maxx (the new version). I was looking for some opinions... I have owned the Razr, Razr HD, Razr Maxx HD and all of those seemed to lag bad. Can someone give me some input on this? Thanks in advance...
Also, I'm a craigslist pro and know everything necessary for the trading part. I'm only looking for input on the devices...
I went from the Note 2 to the Maxx and couldn't be happier. I notice no performance difference at all. The Note has a bit nicer screen (color-wise) but otherwise i can think of nothing that gives it an edge.
Keep in mind though, you'll be going to a very locked down phone with almost no development community. If you're a flash addict, this isn't the device for you.
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erishasnobattery said:
I went from the Note 2 to the Maxx and couldn't be happier. I notice no performance difference at all. The Note has a bit nicer screen (color-wise) but otherwise i can think of nothing that gives it an edge.
Keep in mind though, you'll be going to a very locked down phone with almost no development community. If you're a flash addict, this isn't the device for you.
Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
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I had a feeling it was still like that. Without really researching it... I remember those days when I had the Droid X. Never could really truly change it all that much... I just want to be sure the lag that existed on the razr line isn't on this device. Hard to tell really by just looking at one at a store or I'd do that. The Maxx seems to be more "advanced", besides the screen. Wireless charging, the voice command features, etc. Is the camera a lot better than the previous models? They sucked bad.....
The maxx is just very stock android, which i prefer. I feel like the overlays like TW and Sense just haven't evolved much since the GB days. Yes, they're better than they were, but they aren't really leveraging everything android has to offer yet.
As far as the camera goes, i don't take a lot of pictures, as i have a camera for that. It does take decent pictures, but it doesn't have the features of the Samsung camera. It does ok for me, but a real picture-phile (i think i made that word up) will be disappointed.
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brandon2x said:
I had a feeling it was still like that. Without really researching it... I remember those days when I had the Droid X. Never could really truly change it all that much... I just want to be sure the lag that existed on the razr line isn't on this device. Hard to tell really by just looking at one at a store or I'd do that. The Maxx seems to be more "advanced", besides the screen. Wireless charging, the voice command features, etc. Is the camera a lot better than the previous models? They sucked bad.....
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The Maxx/Ultra run a very Vanillaish version of android which makes it really smooth and fast, not at all like the Razr HD. The camera is OK, not the best but they did just release a firmware update which improved the camera. Fwiw I have a Note II and a Maxx and the maxx is smoother and faster imho. While there isn't much development for the maxx you can get root and install recovery and used the xPosed framework which provides for some visual customization.
erishasnobattery said:
The maxx is just very stock android, which i prefer. I feel like the overlays like TW and Sense just haven't evolved much since the GB days. Yes, they're better than they were, but they aren't really leveraging everything android has to offer yet.
As far as the camera goes, i don't take a lot of pictures, as i have a camera for that. It does take decent pictures, but it doesn't have the features of the Samsung camera. It does ok for me, but a real picture-phile (i think i made that word up) will be disappointed.
Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
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Picture-phile... That's a good one.... I take A LOT of pictures with my phone. It's just more convenient and the pictures are as good or better than any digital camera I've personally ever owned... TW on the Note 2 seems pretty important to me. I am probably one of the only people who actually USE the s-pen quite often and the way its built in to TW just works... I think based off what you've told me, I'm going to stick with my Note. I appreciate your fast responses. Have a great day.
brandon2x said:
Question for you MOTO guys. I have a Note 2 currently. I've been looking to trade it for a while now. I have a guy wanting to trade straight up for a 1 month old Droid Maxx (the new version). I was looking for some opinions... I have owned the Razr, Razr HD, Razr Maxx HD and all of those seemed to lag bad. Can someone give me some input on this? Thanks in advance...
Also, I'm a craigslist pro and know everything necessary for the trading part. I'm only looking for input on the devices...
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Click to collapse
Not a Note 2 user here...buy I've had a GS3 since its launch day and just upgraded to a Maxx...I fell in love with the Maxx as soon as I started using it...
Development is a little scarce to say the least...but I almost don't even care...the stock performance beats the pants off any ROM/kernel/OC'ing I ever experienced on my GS3...
I do need to take the time to root this thing in the next couple of days but I dont even feel the desire for much else other than basic root functions...
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I was doing a comparison with my brother's N2 and my Maxx. This Maxx, with the LTE, was doing everything faster and smoother. Not once was his phone more responsive or as polished as the Maxx.
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I vote to keep the Note 2.
I'm a former Droid Razr owner...you'd be hard pressed into talking me into any phone that had a locked bootloader like the Motorola devices. Plus the Motorola devices just don't have the sales volume of Samsung so that's another reason that the development community is small. I just love the large amount of custom ROMs that are available for the top selling phones.
For the guy who just came from the S3, I've got Paranoid Android with 4.4 on mine and everything opens pretty much instantaneously. I wouldn't mind having more (Cores/RAM/Storage/Screen) but it would really just be for show. I can wait for my contract to be up before I get the "Next Big Thing" (S5?)
That being said I don't have any other specific complaints about the new Moto Droid devices and I am mulling over getting a Droid Mini on for my stepdaughter for Christmas. Using Early Edge since Verizon took the early upgrade program away, and I promised her a new phone if she kept up GPA above 3.5. It seems to have the same CPU and memory specs as the Maxx and the Ultra, just with a smaller screen. She'll never root it or anything. I wouldn't mind getting her the Ultra or Maxx either but I'm not sure she wants a device that big.
Which leads to my other question, I guess the Maxx/Ultra/Mini are all in this forum since they seem to have the same hardware specs?
brons2 said:
I vote to keep the Note 2.
I'm a former Droid Razr owner...you'd be hard pressed into talking me into any phone that had a locked bootloader like the Motorola devices. Plus the Motorola devices just don't have the sales volume of Samsung so that's another reason that the development community is small. I just love the large amount of custom ROMs that are available for the top selling phones.
For the guy who just came from the S3, I've got Paranoid Android with 4.4 on mine and everything opens pretty much instantaneously. I wouldn't mind having more (Cores/RAM/Storage/Screen) but it would really just be for show. I can wait for my contract to be up before I get the "Next Big Thing" (S5?)
That being said I don't have any other specific complaints about the new Moto Droid devices and I am mulling over getting a Droid Mini on for my stepdaughter for Christmas. Using Early Edge since Verizon took the early upgrade program away, and I promised her a new phone if she kept up GPA above 3.5. It seems to have the same CPU and memory specs as the Maxx and the Ultra, just with a smaller screen. She'll never root it or anything. I wouldn't mind getting her the Ultra or Maxx either but I'm not sure she wants a device that big.
Which leads to my other question, I guess the Maxx/Ultra/Mini are all in this forum since they seem to have the same hardware specs?
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Correct, this forum covers all of the new Droid line.
Personally I would consider a Moto X for your daughter over the Droid Mini. The specs are about the same but the Moto X feels much better in hand and is a much more stylish device. The Droid Ultra is the worst of both worlds and should not even be considered IMO. I have the Droid Maxx and my wife has the Moto X, and both are great devices with slightly different strengths (battery/screen size on the Maxx, form factor/customization on the Moto X).
unbesorgt said:
Correct, this forum covers all of the new Droid line.
Personally I would consider a Moto X for your daughter over the Droid Mini. The specs are about the same but the Moto X feels much better in hand and is a much more stylish device. The Droid Ultra is the worst of both worlds and should not even be considered IMO. I have the Droid Maxx and my wife has the Moto X, and both are great devices with slightly different strengths (battery/screen size on the Maxx, form factor/customization on the Moto X).
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Stylish? Huh, she shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. I told her in July I wouldn't be able to get her another phone until May because Verizon had done away with the early upgrade program.
This is based on what I feel like paying. I am going above and beyond to do this for her. Even her mother encouraged me not to do it, but I feel the need to keep my original promise I made last Christmas. And I feel a little bad making her have a Droid Razr with a battery that broke, then an Xperia Play I had sitting around, and then (now) a used Droid Bionic I got off of Ebay.
So...
In the Edge program you basically pay for it every month, full retail divided by 24 months, so the Mini is appealing because full the retail price is only $349, or $14.54 per month. I think the Moto X was $549 so it would be $22.89 a month.
I can buy a 6 pack of Blue Moon with the leftover 8 dollars.
The other thing is that if I was going to go with a larger more expensive phone I like the G2 better than the MotoX. But I haven't looked at any reviews of the MotoX or the G2 either. I hated the HTC interface, and considering I will have to support her remotely, rather have an interface I can deal with. The S4 is not an option because it costs more than the other phones in the same class.
I could put my line on Edge, and do a hand-me-down with my S3 that works perfectly. But I would want an S4 out of that group and it would cost more. I'd rather wait until May when my contract is up and then I can re-up for another 2 year with either an S4 or S5.
So given all that, the Mini seems like a pretty good option considering I'm only paying $349 out of pocket and it has similar specs to all the other current gen Moto phones. But if she really wants a 5" phone we'll talk when she gets in town on Friday.
brons2 said:
Stylish? Huh, she shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. I told her in July I wouldn't be able to get her another phone until May because Verizon had done away with the early upgrade program.
This is based on what I feel like paying. I am going above and beyond to do this for her. Even her mother encouraged me not to do it, but I feel the need to keep my original promise I made last Christmas. And I feel a little bad making her have a Droid Razr with a battery that broke, then an Xperia Play I had sitting around, and then (now) a used Droid Bionic I got off of Ebay.
So...
In the Edge program you basically pay for it every month, full retail divided by 24 months, so the Mini is appealing because full the retail price is only $349, or $14.54 per month. I think the Moto X was $549 so it would be $22.89 a month.
I can buy a 6 pack of Blue Moon with the leftover 8 dollars.
The other thing is that if I was going to go with a larger more expensive phone I like the G2 better than the MotoX. But I haven't looked at any reviews of the MotoX or the G2 either. I hated the HTC interface, and considering I will have to support her remotely, rather have an interface I can deal with. The S4 is not an option because it costs more than the other phones in the same class.
I could put my line on Edge, and do a hand-me-down with my S3 that works perfectly. But I would want an S4 out of that group and it would cost more. I'd rather wait until May when my contract is up and then I can re-up for another 2 year with either an S4 or S5.
So given all that, the Mini seems like a pretty good option considering I'm only paying $349 out of pocket and it has similar specs to all the other current gen Moto phones. But if she really wants a 5" phone we'll talk when she gets in town on Friday.
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Didn't realize you were buying off contract ... in that case sure the Droid Mini is a very good choice. As for 5" displays, the Droid Maxx is now $499 off contract which is probably the best deal going in that class (price might be good online only though, not 100% sure). I think of the Moto X as the same class as the Droid Mini because the form factor is so small, although it does have a slightly larger display (4.7" vs. 4.3").
unbesorgt said:
Didn't realize you were buying off contract ... in that case sure the Droid Mini is a very good choice. As for 5" displays, the Droid Maxx is now $499 off contract which is probably the best deal going in that class (price might be good online only though, not 100% sure). I think of the Moto X as the same class as the Droid Mini because the form factor is so small, although it does have a slightly larger display (4.7" vs. 4.3").
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Update: The Maxx just dropped to $449 off-contract today. Amazing deal IMO.
Curiosity killed the cat I guess and I'm finally looking to get a smartwatch ASAP. I'm a female with a decent sized wrist, so I think I can get away with the bigger watches if needed. Let me know if I posted this in the wrong forum. Its been a while since I've logged on. I went to the dark side for a bit and went to an iphone with Verizon (Samsung went stupid getting rid of sd card support on their s6 and my hubs s5 was too glitchy for me to go to, thus the dark side and leaving my old note4 ) before finally switching to ATT and getting a V10 and back on android.
I'm torn on if I should try out the LG Watch Urbane 2 or if I should try a Samsung Gear S2 Classic or if I should look at something like the 2nd gen Moto 360.
I tend to not do great with silicone-like products (yay allergies) so the band on the LG Urbane 2 has me concerned but everything else about it seems to be ok.
On the Samsung side, I worry about compatibility and being able to use its features well. However, I love the bezel on it and the ability to change out watch bands.
What about the moto 360 second gen?
I want to be able to track my distance pretty easily, (even with the phone) when I go running, and I want to have notifications as I need them. I want the dang thing to work with the v10, I'm hearing mixed reviews about this phone playing nice with others. I also want a pretty decent battery life to go 12-16 hours when needed.
Help, ideas recommendations before I drop a pretty penny on this device? Also, would you go for the ones that connect to a carrier or just through the phone and no carrier involvement?
Thanks folks!
CMMELTON2
bump please?
I can't offer any input at all on the smartwatch area, don't have one, and actually don't know anyone with one (although, I'm starting to get an interest). I do have a BT headset and I've also paired it to 3-4 different car BT connections without issue either. So I haven't experienced any connectivity issues, if that helps at all
As far as the V10? I think it's a great device. I've been very happy with mine(AT&T). The development end has been very very slow going, due to lock down so if you are really interested in custom ROMS, there might be something available for T-Mo, but with the locked bootloaders on AT&T/Verizon custom ROMS are going to be really hard if not impossible to get.
That aside, I can typically get 4 maybe 5 hours screen on time. Admittedly, the battery on my Note 3 was much better, but I actually like the V10 better than the Note 3. (I'd also had Sam devices since the Captivate/2010'ish) so the change was very welcome
I have been looking at Smartwatches for quite some time. I wanted to get the LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition when it first came out, but it got pulled before I could buy one. So I started to look into others. The Gear S2 was the only other one that grabbed my interest. Having the ability to make and take calls and to text and basically be untethered to my phone is what I want. If you have an LG phone and go with the Gear S2, you lose a lot of that. Now that the LG Watch is back on the market, I have preordered it and will be getting it in the mail tomorrow. I can't wait to try it out. I will let you know how it is, but I can tell you this, since you are in the LG ecosystem, I would heavily consider the LG Watch as you will have better results. Also, this watch was first designed to work with the V10 so that is a major plus for me.
Thanks for the replies. Let me know how you like that LG watch 2 for sure. My biggest worry is that I will wind up allergic to the band. That and I'm not thrilled with them only getting black this round and no option to change the bands out.
I did not know that the watch was designed to work with the v10. That's a huge plus.
I hope the battery and fitness options on it works.
Anyone with opinion on moto 360 2nd gen or if I should try one without a carrier involved.
cmmelton2 said:
Thanks for the replies. Let me know how you like that LG watch 2 for sure. My biggest worry is that I will wind up allergic to the band. That and I'm not thrilled with them only getting black this round and no option to change the bands out.
I did not know that the watch was designed to work with the v10. That's a huge plus.
I hope the battery and fitness options on it works.
Anyone with opinion on moto 360 2nd gen or if I should try one without a carrier involved.
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Check this out, looks good to me. I might even look into one myself
http://www.wareable.com/lg/lg-watch-urbane-2nd-edition-price-specs-release-date-1761
Yea, that's the one I am looking at. The only thing is ATT only offers it in black with no plans for others anytime soon and I'm worried if the band is something I'm allergic to then I'm SOL when trying to switch out bands because its not allowed.
kangi26 said:
Check this out, looks good to me. I might even look into one myself
http://www.wareable.com/lg/lg-watch-urbane-2nd-edition-price-specs-release-date-1761
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By the way, in response to your other post, I love the LG V10. I'm a little peeved that there isn't as many products that are compatible with the phone compared to iphone or samsung, but the ability to not be as afraid of dropping my phone and only keeping a clear case and glass screen protector on it is great.
As for the custom roms, when I had the early droid motorolas and all of the samsungs, I felt the absolute need to customize and throw on roms. Plus, VZ and ATT are horrible about bloat. On the v10, I feel like I can actually use my phone regardless of bloat and there is no horrible touchwiz hell. The need to root and customize the rom is low in this device which is a first for me with android.
Sorry if any error with spelling or grammatical issues, my 1 year old thought it would be fun to bash my eye with her head this am and I can't see out of it now, and my face is too swollen to have my bifocals on lol.
cmmelton2 said:
Yea, that's the one I am looking at. The only thing is ATT only offers it in black with no plans for others anytime soon and I'm worried if the band is something I'm allergic to then I'm SOL when trying to switch out bands because its not allowed.
By the way, in response to your other post, I love the LG V10. I'm a little peeved that there isn't as many products that are compatible with the phone compared to iphone or samsung, but the ability to not be as afraid of dropping my phone and only keeping a clear case and glass screen protector on it is great.
As for the custom roms, when I had the early droid motorolas and all of the samsungs, I felt the absolute need to customize and throw on roms. Plus, VZ and ATT are horrible about bloat. On the v10, I feel like I can actually use my phone regardless of bloat and there is no horrible touchwiz hell. The need to root and customize the rom is low in this device which is a first for me with android.
Sorry if any error with spelling or grammatical issues, my 1 year old thought it would be fun to bash my eye with her head this am and I can't see out of it now, and my face is too swollen to have my bifocals on lol.
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"Good morning!" HA
kangi26 said:
"Good morning!" HA
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Yea no kidding. My plans to go out an about today went to hell after that hit. I really don't want to explain why i have a swollen eye and eyelid with bruising all around it today to every one I see. Make up isn't covering it and as a female I really don't need a bunch of people thinking the worst.
Go figure my girl doesn't hurt or have any pain from it, she's got a hard head like her daddy.
Does anyone else have an opinion on a watch before I spend awful amounts of money on a smartwatch in the AM?
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/keyboard-mod-a-physical-keyboard-for-the-moto-z/
safe to assume that this will work with the z2 play?
...due to 3 generation compatibility thing for moto mods, I would imagine that this will be compatible with all z series, yeah?
found some other indev moto mods on indiegogo:
biometric reader mod: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/moto-secure-a-moto-mod-concept-security/x/17667308#/
and air quality sensor mod: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/inhale-make-air-visible-personal-healthy/x/17667308#/
-- really hoping the mod concept takes off and at least is permitted to live in it's own little corner of the smartphone market... i doubt we'll see widespread adoption, but these are some interesting concepts.
This looks absolutely fantastic. I REALLY miss the Droid style phones. Have a note 3, and I'm weighing my options between this phone, or the OnePlus 5T.
Moto Z2 Play has been really eye-catching, I'm leaning towards getting it, and this keyboard addon would be awesome.
I now have one on order!
They're apparently nearing delivery and will stop taking preorders through indiegogo soonish... They're also discussing delivering a model a bit early without a built in battery, since they're nearing mass production.
Here in Canada, it's been tough getting ahold of mods. The gamepad isn't available at all... Every retailer has the 1st Gen speaker, projector and zoom... I know it's risky and a bit pricey, but I just want to support the mod platform, but Moto and it's partners aren't making it easy.
It wasn't easy to pull the trigger on a device that specs/benchmarks lower than flagship devices from 2 years ago, but the mods are really intriguing...
Every other device is basically in an arms race... Z series is trying to carve out it's own niche... So far, I'm really happy with it, having come from an LG G3.
is there a way to buy this mod? now they close the preorder?
potter3390 said:
is there a way to buy this mod? now they close the preorder?
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you'll have to inquire with the development team, but i imagine you'll end up having to wait for some kind of retail release at this point... i know they don't always make it that far, but if they won't accept an additional contribution, that's what you'll have to hope for - or perhaps, someone who backed wanting to sell theirs.
Honestly this mod was the one thing i was hoping for more than anything else, and albiet the second gen mods are nice they're generally not worth the upgrade, but this keyboard mod will be the cou de gras for buying the moto z2
Hello, all it is great to be back on XDA after long not being able to do anything with my phone because Samsung locks it down so you can't touch the US variants of their phones anymore! I decided to "downgrade" to a Moto G6 and save my money and free myself from Samsungs crapware etc. My thoughts from playing with it so far are that for the price it is incredible! Fast charging is faster than my S9+, battery life is better, overall system responsiveness is very consistent, and the screen is not at all bad! This barely feels like a downgrade at all. It feels like a breath of fresh air in an over saturated market of very pricey devices. I had the original Moto G and it is still to this day the most bang for my buck device ever. It still works and still runs Android 8 even! The OnePlus One is a close contender but I really need something that works on all major US networks. Only Samsung, Apple, HTC, LG, and Motorolla were really options for me. Out of those, I thought the G6 would likely be the most tinker friendly and budget friendly. So far that seems to be holding true as development looks to be on the horizon and there are open kernel sources! Who knows maybe I will take a crack at doing a simple AOSP ROM! Cheers everyone!
P.S. Enjoy the extra money in your pockets from not buying something overpriced like the iPhone X.
And you needed to post this... Why?
Dadud said:
And you needed to post this... Why?
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Why not? I do not think that this goes against the purpose of the News & Discussion section. I figure something like this would be welcome. :silly:
Yeah, try to do some custom ROMs please. Or fix bugs on treble ROMs, if you're able to do it ?
Hey there!
I just bought a G6 today and i'm coming from S6 Edge Plus.
Of course, this is not like a S9, but I was using the "port" version of S9 rom and i don't think Samsung's changed that much. After buying this phone I agree and understand what you are talking. I feel like I'm upgrading to a more expensive phone. Everything has this stock animations, smoothness and the battery... Omg... The baterry is fantastic!
I stopped to think about why spend so much i Samsung's phone if you can get even better experience with another phones on the market? Just because of a design that certainly will be covered by a case and a good screen.
Of course I miss the camera, but I can get over it
Loved reading the post. Don't mind the guy up above and his poor attitude.
Just like the OP i have 3 of these moto G6 play's and 1 iPhone X. The G6 is by far the bang for the buck in everyway. These phones even have facial recognition !
BTW, i picked up these phones for less than $100 each.................................
chokers said:
Just like the OP i have 3 of these moto G6 play's and 1 iPhone X. The G6 is by far the bang for the buck in everyway. These phones even have facial recognition !
BTW, i picked up these phones for less than $100 each.................................
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Wow how did you manage that deal? Used!? That is a great deal even from the play!
calage1234 said:
Hey there!
I just bought a G6 today and i'm coming from S6 Edge Plus.
Of course, this is not like a S9, but I was using the "port" version of S9 rom and i don't think Samsung's changed that much. After buying this phone I agree and understand what you are talking. I feel like I'm upgrading to a more expensive phone. Everything has this stock animations, smoothness and the battery... Omg... The baterry is fantastic!
I stopped to think about why spend so much i Samsung's phone if you can get even better experience with another phones on the market? Just because of a design that certainly will be covered by a case and a good screen.
Of course I miss the camera, but I can get over it
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Yeah I am going to miss the camera a lot but for the price it is making me like it a lot more. Also Samsung needs to up their quick charge game. Thinking about the camera again though... For the difference in price you can get a killer used DSLR or maybe even a new one not including lenses.
This is evidence that price does not equal quality. I'm glad you like your phone as much as I like mine.
Markon101 said:
Hello, all it is great to be back on XDA after long not being able to do anything with my phone because Samsung locks it down so you can't touch the US variants of their phones anymore! I decided to "downgrade" to a Moto G6 and save my money and free myself from Samsungs crapware etc. My thoughts from playing with it so far are that for the price it is incredible! Fast charging is faster than my S9+, battery life is better, overall system responsiveness is very consistent, and the screen is not at all bad! This barely feels like a downgrade at all. It feels like a breath of fresh air in an over saturated market of very pricey devices. I had the original Moto G and it is still to this day the most bang for my buck device ever. It still works and still runs Android 8 even! The OnePlus One is a close contender but I really need something that works on all major US networks. Only Samsung, Apple, HTC, LG, and Motorolla were really options for me. Out of those, I thought the G6 would likely be the most tinker friendly and budget friendly. So far that seems to be holding true as development looks to be on the horizon and there are open kernel sources! Who knows maybe I will take a crack at doing a simple AOSP ROM! Cheers everyone!
P.S. Enjoy the extra money in your pockets from not buying something overpriced like the iPhone X.
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Click to collapse
"...and the screen is not at all bad!"
Actually, I think the screen is gorgeous and looks amazing, bright and colorful without being oversaturated.
Hi, Markon101...
Wow, what a great post, and I agree with much of what you say, although I live in the UK and carrier networks are somewhat different here. Things aren't quite so locked down.
So, anyway, like yourself, I've also been away from XDA for quite a while, primarily because I'm not rich enough to afford the latest Premium Flagship devices. And over the past few years, I've been running fairly old devices, namely the (HTC built) Nexus 9 tablet and the HTC One M8 phone, both of which hail from 2014.
This hasn't been much of a problem in terms of regular day-to-day use, but to be a contributing member of XDA, it helps if you have more up to date hardware.
I remember buying my HTC One M8 phone way back in September 2014, which cost me over £500 - a fair chunk of cash for me even back then.
Today's Flagship phones are even more expensive (unless you go the contract route, but I prefer to actually own my phone outright), so when my HTC One M8's battery began to fail earlier this year (which is pretty respectable after three and a bit years of use!) ~ at the beginning of July, the phone would shut down when the battery dipped below 70% ~ well, I knew then that I needed a new phone, it couldn't be delayed any longer!
But you develop certain expectations, largely fed by what you read online and by the focus placed on them, that the only phones worth bothering with are Premium Flagship devices, such as the Samsung Galaxy S9, Google's Pixel phones, the iPhone X, etc...
...and that any phone not costing an arm and a leg (ie., anything less than around £800) is basically not worth bothering with.
And it's so easy to fall into the trap of believing that. I certainly did, which is why I delayed replacing my M8 for as long as I did, not wanting (and not really able to afford it anyway) to spend upwards of £800 to £900 on a new phone. I guess I could have found the money, but the sacrifices elsewhere in my life, as a result, would have just have been unacceptable to me.
And then I read this article...
The Moto G6 exposes the identity crisis plaguing Android's top-end...
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/moto-g6-release-date-uk-price-specs
This article 'recalibrated' my expectations and changed my perspective about a phone costing only a quarter of the price of a Flagship device ~ just £220, network unlocked.
So, I bought one. Just over a week ago now.
I transferred the SIM card from my antiquated HTC One M8 and I haven't regretted my purchase for a single minute!
The Moto G6 is a singular delight to look at, to hold and most importantly of all... to use. Smooth and responsive, great screen, fast charging, looks good - what's not to like.
You could buy nearly five of 'em for the price of an iPhone X - all I can say is that the iPhone X must be an extraordinarily and an astonishingly amazing piece of technology, but is it worth £1000? A slightly rhetorical question I know, because value, when it comes to such things, is highly subjective.
Clearly, it's worth it to some people, otherwise Apple wouldn't have sold any of 'em ~ I just couldn't personally justify such an extravagant purchase, even if I did have a spare Grand lying around somewhere!
But going back to the Moto G6 ~ it's a great phone, at a great price, and I doubt I'll ever pay much more than a couple of a hundred pounds for a smartphone ever again, which also means I won't leave it so long until I upgrade again - I mean, £220 (or thereabouts) every couple of years is something I can easily scrape together. Thick end of a £1000... well, not really.
It seems to me that something has recently changed in the smartphone world, and that good quality phones no longer require remortgaging the house! The Moto G6 is evidence of that.
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As far as custom mods for the Moto G6 are concerned (ie., root via Magisk, TWRP, Custom Kernels, Custom ROMs, etc.) and all that kind of stuff... well, I guess it will all happen at some point. It's still early days yet, the Moto G6 has only been on the market for around three months, and the dev guys who understand the intricacies of Android required for building the tools needed for these things need time to work on them.
And in any case, I generally wouldn't even bother thinking about unlocking the bootloader until I've had a device for at least six months, primarily for warranty reasons. What's the rush?
And ideally of course, you'd need some means of restoring/re-flashing the Moto G6 back to its factory state before messing around with all of that - and which I don't think there is currently.
Root is certainly nice to have, for things like AdaWay, Greenify and Titanium, but it brings problems of its own, for example when an OTA is imminent ~ it won't install over anything other than unmodified stock. Maybe Magisk has changed that ~ I haven't used Magisk myself, and I'm only familiar with Chainfires SuperSU, which I do know had to 'patch' the boot image/partition for root to work. I had to use Chainfires FlashFire to run an OTA on my rooted Nexus 9, but with Chainfire retiring from the field, I suspect that FlashFire no longer works, and probably wouldn't be supported on the G6 anyway.
Anyhow, whatever the complexities, root doesn't seem to me to be that much of a deal breaker these days. Or maybe I'm just getting old, and I can no longer be bothered with the hassle of it all anymore. I remember (cue: pipe, slippers, cardigan, grumpy old man routine)... I remember back in ICS, Jellybean and KitKat days when root was just so easy to acquire, and you could even flash an official OTA via ClockWorkMod recovery...
...well, those days are long gone, probably for the better actually, because it means Android is now considerably more secure with things like Secure Boot, DM-Verity, Selinix Enforced/Permissive and a whole load of other things I don't really fully understand (but sort of pretend to).
Android is certainly much more slicker and polished these days (anybody here remember Éclair, Froyo and Gingerbread!), with Nougat and Oreo and whatever P will eventually be called, but it doesn't seem to be quite as much fun as it used be back circa 2011-2014 or thereabouts.
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Well, having ruminated on all manner of diverse topics here, I'll conclude this ever-so-slightly rambling post by reiterating my opinion on the Moto G6, and totally agreeing with Markon101 and his post above.
It is unquestionably a delightful phone, at an equally delightful price. I'm still amazed that it only cost me a little over £200. I doubt you could even buy a half-decent TV for that kind of money.
Hope everybody else here is equally happy with their Moto G6... I know I certainly am.
Cheers everybody.
Ged.
I like the Moto G6 but S9+ is by far a better phone. Better cpu,gpu,camera,screen. S9+ feels more premium than the G6 as well. Just my opinion tho. I would never trade an S9+ for a moto G6 tho i do have the G6 as a back up phone
no kidding dude
supergear said:
I like the Moto G6 but S9+ is by far a better phone. Better cpu,gpu,camera,screen. S9+ feels more premium than the G6 as well. Just my opinion tho. I would never trade an S9+ for a moto G6 tho i do have the G6 as a back up phone
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obviously the s9+ is better but is costs over 4 times more than a g6... and you can do a bit more with the motorola. im glad to see some developers have noticed it recently. **** ive had pie since july and ive been able to get like 5 different oreo gsi and three different pie gsi (descendent has a few flaws) to boot and run successfully. the best bang for the buck is the g6. honestly you sound like a fool if you have a g6 as a backup lol. you need a backup phone for a 1000 dollar s9+ ? good thing samsung is letting you get that ota for their best phone this fast because your locked bootloader and ridiculous knox security wont let you even try without cancelling your warranty and after it says void odin tells you that it has failed to flash right as the phone shorts out and tells you that it cant turn on because of moisture in the charge port(my buddy had this issue)and youre like damn, now i gotta use the G6. sorry to be so hard on ya bro but reality is harsh and you sound like a guy that needed a check.
I sort of understand what you mean like when It comes to being a developer It's simple to unlock a Moto bootloader and simple to flash stuff to em and build custom stuff for em. Compared to Samsung you need to use Odin for everything and it might not work right still. along with Samsung knox and there bootloader's being pains to unlock sometimes through unofficial means. You gotta worry about it being a exynos variant or not and there verison of android is not as much of a stock Android experience compared to moto. There's a bunch of stuff I'm sure I'm missing on why you think Moto is better lol. But I mean i have the g4 play, g6 play, and the z2 force and I bought the z2 force just so I can play games on it lol if I was you I would have just kept the s9+ and used it for the things I couldn't use my other phones for lol
I think G6 is decent for the price.
Frankly, I'd prefer IPS over AMOLED all the time.
Now Samsung is way too locked down so I quit. LG isn't that bad on open market model.
I just hope G6 has more development, and G6 plus will come to America because I prefer bigger screen.
The way to wake the phone requires some learning curve but it's not bad.
The only thing I don't like is Google Play Music. I have to close all other apps or local playback stutters.
NFC doesn't matter because I barely use it.
It works well with PD charging
USB-C digital headphones works too
Markon101 said:
Hello, all it is great to be back on XDA after long not being able to do anything with my phone because Samsung locks it down so you can't touch the US variants of their phones anymore! I decided to "downgrade" to a Moto G6 and save my money and free myself from Samsungs crapware etc. My thoughts from playing with it so far are that for the price it is incredible! Fast charging is faster than my S9+, battery life is better, overall system responsiveness is very consistent, and the screen is not at all bad! This barely feels like a downgrade at all. It feels like a breath of fresh air in an over saturated market of very pricey devices. I had the original Moto G and it is still to this day the most bang for my buck device ever. It still works and still runs Android 8 even! The OnePlus One is a close contender but I really need something that works on all major US networks. Only Samsung, Apple, HTC, LG, and Motorolla were really options for me. Out of those, I thought the G6 would likely be the most tinker friendly and budget friendly. So far that seems to be holding true as development looks to be on the horizon and there are open kernel sources! Who knows maybe I will take a crack at doing a simple AOSP ROM! Cheers everyone!
P.S. Enjoy the extra money in your pockets from not buying something overpriced like the iPhone X.
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I downgraded too from Galaxy S9 to Moto G6 Play and Moto G6 and I've never been happier. I love to tinker with my phones and was sick of Samsung locking everything up. So I'm happy now with some extra money on pocket.
Markon101 said:
Wow how did you manage that deal? Used!? That is a great deal even from the play!
Yeah I am going to miss the camera a lot but for the price it is making me like it a lot more. Also Samsung needs to up their quick charge game. Thinking about the camera again though... For the difference in price you can get a killer used DSLR or maybe even a new one not including lenses.
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Just to let y'all know magisk has a camera port from a rog phone. Imo it's a significant upgrade. Not as good as the S9 camera of course but still.?
luvcustom said:
Just to let y'all know magisk has a camera port from a rog phone. Imo it's a significant upgrade. Not as good as the S9 camera of course but still.?
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Where?
madbat99 said:
Where?
Click to expand...
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Install magisk then search downloads for AZUS Style Suite. Install, reboot, try it out.
luvcustom said:
Install magisk then search downloads for AZUS Style Suite. Install, reboot, try it out.
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Click to collapse
I found it. Not worth another magisk module messing with my stuff. Everyone should keep them to a minimum, only what's needed to keep stability and needed features. Thanks though.
i have moto g6 .. You can't compare G6 phone with S9. SAMSUNG S9 is a 2018 most selling flagship device and have a good value in market.
I like it, but I think I'd have waited for the m1 ipad pro.
I currently use an ipad mini 5 and Air 4, and the difference is night and day.
I love the oled screen, a lot of Samsung's nifty touches and Dex but...
The keyboard sucks (and costs a LOT), browsers are buggy, Bluetooth keyboards ttyyyypeee likkkkkkke thiiiiiss, apps don't really look or feel great because they aren't optimised for tablets, the life cycle is relatively short, both the face and fingerprint unlock are limited, without a samsung phone it won't send messages (ipad sends imessage) and syncing is limited, the vibrate motor is really annoying (why is the tablet vibrating ??) And there are hosts of annoying bugs that crop up from time to time.
I really love it for what it is, but it can't replace a laptop or allow me to put down the phone and just allow me to use the tablet, forgetting the phone. Ipad can do all of that for me.
I definitely think that, since nexus and pixel android tablets don't exist anymore, Samsung tabs are by far the best android tablet experience we are likely to get, and I like it much more than a chrome book tablet (let's leave Windows out if this, separate class of device), but if I was buying again, I wouldn't pick this up.
Do I have fun on it? Yes. It's it powerful? Yes. It's it the best choice for me? No.
I love all operating systems, my preference changes year by year depending on what is available, and if I was to go for android in the near future, the fold 3 would get my money.
What about you?
Yes, I do love it a lot after two years The HW, screen , sound etc. are just unbeaton. It's extremely thin and light. So I hold it easly in the left hand and type wuth the right We don't have to talk about Apple`s closed system, which can't be real,y modified or changed like android does. So waiting for the last major update to OneUi 4 After that I might root it ... .
m.
meduza said:
Yes, I do love it a lot after two years The HW, screen , sound etc. are just unbeaton. It's extremely thin and light. So I hold it easly in the left hand and type wuth the right We don't have to talk about Apple`s closed system, which can't be real,y modified or changed like android does. So waiting for the last major update to OneUi 4 After that I might root it ... .
m.
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Exactly the same
I tried tab s7: no oled and not better in any other way
S7+: too big. Its as big as my MS surface book 3 when detached
I got the lte version and as soon as I am at home my tablet replaces my phone completely. I would buy it again as it is with the kickstand (I actually like the kickstand but hate fact that it makes the tab more bulky) and they keyboard, even if I almost never have to use it. But when I do, (too lazy to leave the bed) I'm happy to have it
+1
In case of tab S6 it was the LTE option to get the maximum on HW, in case of tab s7 its the size. Unfortunately with the phones it's the same. Size decides about performance.
m.
Yes I have been happy with mine. What is the eol for this tablet for updates.
Probably not. I mainly bought it in hopes of custom ROMs (and maybe even running pure Linux on it), or Linux on Dex support (even if rooting is needed). Sadly neither panned out, and we're left with a device that is amazing all around on a hardware level, but is limited by the OS.
I really wish someone picked up native Linux development on it, even a barebones Linux distro support would be awesome (though I'm quite partial to Debian/Ubuntu).
fonix232 said:
Probably not. I mainly bought it in hopes of custom ROMs (and maybe even running pure Linux on it), or Linux on Dex support (even if rooting is needed). Sadly neither panned out, and we're left with a device that is amazing all around on a hardware level, but is limited by the OS.
I really wish someone picked up native Linux development on it, even a barebones Linux distro support would be awesome (though I'm quite partial to Debian/Ubuntu).
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Click to collapse
Agree. I'm probably going to sell mine. Sad because the hardware build is pretty awesome. Just bought a s6 lite to mod.
fonix232 said:
Probably not. I mainly bought it in hopes of custom ROMs (and maybe even running pure Linux on it), or Linux on Dex support (even if rooting is needed). Sadly neither panned out, and we're left with a device that is amazing all around on a hardware level, but is limited by the OS.
I really wish someone picked up native Linux development on it, even a barebones Linux distro support would be awesome (though I'm quite partial to Debian/Ubuntu).
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Click to collapse
I bought it with the same premise, I was almost sure we will have Linux on dex, and they just abandoned the project.
It's really sad tbh, the machine is great though spec wise but I'll certainly won't give in on premises when I'll upgrade.
Most likely a windows hybrid machine for me so I can have Linux too or an iPad.
As I see it, our tab s6 LTE is the last tab this size with such excellent HW. Tab S8 doesn't even have an AMOLED screen. S8 ultra is definitely to big for how I use it with one hand ... .
m.
fonix232 said:
Probably not. I mainly bought it in hopes of custom ROMs (and maybe even running pure Linux on it), or Linux on Dex support (even if rooting is needed). Sadly neither panned out, and we're left with a device that is amazing all around on a hardware level, but is limited by the OS.
I really wish someone picked up native Linux development on it, even a barebones Linux distro support would be awesome (though I'm quite partial to Debian/Ubuntu).
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Click to collapse
Yes. Even rooted it's a PIA to (kinda) constrain Samsung & Google apps.
Overall it's been a pretty good tablet. I must say I'm surprised at the lack of community development for it. I do tire of the warnings when utilizing full brightness and loudest audio. Not buying the new one, way too big. I'll hold out for a bit, and see what else comes out.
+1 ! And we might even get android 13
m.
At the time I bought my Tab S6 it was the only high-end Android tablet on the market, so I feel like I didn't have a choice. I've never like liked Samsung's UIs, they're always half baked copies of Apple and without all the thought and polish. On top of that, forcing junk like Bixby and their own app store incredibly annoying.
Like others in this thread I really hopped that we see some cool ROMs for it, but alas, we're all stuck with the dumpster fire that is One UI. At the end of the day though, it was worth the money, even if it is to say that at least I'm don't have an Apple constantly sucking money out of my wallet.
I bought mine on ebay, and the seller LIED.
I thought I was getting the 8GB RAM/256GB model, but he shipped me the 6GB /125GB unit. I demanded a return, but he sent me back a large partial refund. So I got the 2nd best tablet for pretty cheap. And I love it. Initially I was going to resell it & get the 8GB model, but I have no performance issues at all. Of course I can't stand all of Samsung's bloat, but right now it does everything I need. I usually root all my devices to get rid of all the bloat & stop the ads, but since this is WIFI only, the only place I use it is at home. The limited ad block in my Tomato router stops most of it, I may never root it. I would definitely buy this again, but I would like to try the 8GB model.
mvanwey said:
I bought mine on ebay, and the seller LIED.
I thought I was getting the 8GB RAM/256GB model, but he shipped me the 6GB /125GB unit. I demanded a return, but he sent me back a large partial refund. So I got the 2nd best tablet for pretty cheap. And I love it. Initially I was going to resell it & get the 8GB model, but I have no performance issues at all. Of course I can't stand all of Samsung's bloat, but right now it does everything I need. I usually root all my devices to get rid of all the bloat & stop the ads, but since this is WIFI only, the only place I use it is at home. The limited ad block in my Tomato router stops most of it, I may never root it. I would definitely buy this again, but I would like to try the 8GB model.
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Click to collapse
I've my since September 2019 and also still not rooted - unusual for me but I really don't see any reason - private DNS blocks ads without any hassle
m.
i had been waited for so long to grap my tab s6 wifi since tab s(1)
wanted to upgrade but the feedbacks were not impreesive for tab s2 to s5, and they didn't include a spen, so tab s6 was definitely my choice
i like apple's design but i hate those proprietary things, and i never own one
i like oled so tab s6 lite, tab s7, tab s8 are not my cup of tea. but for the oled versions they are too expensive and in fact, they are too heavy for me so, no go. more, i am not a fan of punch hole thing
i am satisfied with my tab s6, the only thing is there is no custom roms or kernels as mentioed by @DaveImagery . i planned to make a custom kernel but i cant handle another device at the same time now (getting older and older, wont be able to open over 1000 files to work with anymore) as i am still working on the note9 kernel
@meduza hopefully we will get 13 but according to the news only the 5G version will have an upgrade to 13
@ykkfive
absolutely +1 regarding AMOLED and tab s7 and s8 ! My tab s6 LTE was also an upgrade from tab S
Yeah, I saw also something about android 13 and tab s6 5g ... . But there is still hope though m.
meduza said:
@ykkfive
absolutely +1 regarding AMOLED and tab s7 and s8 ! My tab s6 LTE was also an upgrade from tab S
Yeah, I saw also something about android 13 and tab s6 5g ... . But there is still hope though m.
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yeah
and if it doesnt, it should be easily ported to 860 easily, with doubts for 865
ykkfive said:
yeah
and if it doesnt, it should be easily ported to 860 easily, with doubts for 865
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Click to collapse
... I thought opposite might be the case becouse T865 has an Lte baseband build in ...
m.
Arobase40 said:
Got the same problem with Amazon Germany as I ordered a 8/256 GB T860 version but received a 6/128 GB version by October 2019 !
Got a full refund and as I thought it was a mistake I placed a new order again for the 8/256 GB but again received a 6/128 GB version !!! Grrrrr
Once again got a full refund and finally placed my order for the 8/256 GB model on Samsung France website as by the meantime I received a promo code to get the Samsung Cover keyboard for free...
I never received any ads with non rooted Samsung devices from Samsung and it's very easy to remove bloatwares with adb command even if you are not rooted !!!
I finally rooted my Tab S6 mostly to preserve my privacy and my security ! ^^
Amoled Tab S7 or Tab S8 are too big for me so I will keep this Tab S6 as long as possible...
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Unbelievable! Like something wanted to prevent that you get the T865 version ... ;-)
m.