Not a useful Q&A just for fun
Mine are
LG EnV--> Motorola DROID -----> Motorola DROID 2 -----> HTC Thunderbolt
-THUNDERCATS ARE GO!
Nexus One > Thunderbolt.
Not much, and before that it was a POS flipphone. simpler times then.
Audiovox bag phone
...a couple I don't remember
NEC P300
Panasonic HH900
Nokia 2180
Nokia 6185
Nokia 3589i
Moto E815
Moto KRZR
Moto Droid
HTC Thunderbolt
I'm sure there's some missing.
Visorphone>Treo600>Treo650>Treo755p>HTCEris>Incredible>Thunderbolt
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
LG voyager -> HTC Incredible -> HTC Thunderbolt
Audiovox CDM-8910 >Samsung SCH-a950> Samsung Flipshot> LG Dare> HTC Droid Eris> Incredible> Thunderbolt
Wow I cannot believe I actually remembered all that lol
Treo 755 > BlackBerry Storm > Droid X > Thunderbolt
LG VX6000 > Kyocera SE47 > Motorola Razr > LG VX9400 > LG Voyager > LG Dare > BlackBerry Storm (Also ordered iPhone 3GS and had for 4 months, but the service sucks so I terminated early) > Motorola Droid > HTC Incredible > Apple iPhone 4 > HTC Thunderbolt
This was from 2004 - Present.
Started off in Germany on "real" T-Mobile
Some sort of Alcatel OT-302
Nokia 3330
motorola V60i
Then I jumped ship to Vodaphone and got a Sharp GX-30 (guad band unlocked)
Got send back stateside and put that on T-Mobile USA.
Switched to a corp plan on nextel with a i355 (bullet proof) lost job, so nextell go bye bye.
After that I went to VZW on a LG VX-8100. not too bad for a dumb phone died be falling out of pocket while closing car door.
Sprint Moto Q9c then a Nextel BB 8350i (iDen BLAH!)
Back to T-mobile for a G1 (hook-up!) then got a SGS Vibrant (full non-contract price)
And we end with me back on VZW with the T-Bolt.
Similar specs to my ole SGS, but just feels 10 times faster.
Nokia ? (Back in the 90's)
Motorola v330 (reflashed software to a v551)
Motorola RZR
LG vue
Then I got smart and switched carriers
Motorola Droid 1
HTC Thunderbolt
I know I'm forgetting at least two others but I'm trying not to dwell on the bad service I once had.
A series of dumpy phones including a stone age Kyocera and some really bad feature phones, and then(starting in 2007)-> LG Voyager-> HTC Touch Pro-> HTC Droid Eris-> Motorola Droid-> Motorola Droid X-> Samsung Fascinate-> HTC Droid Incredible-> HTC Thunderbolt. In a little over one year, I've had 6 different phones -_-
Mine is in my signature.
I don't remember the first few "phones" but from an XDA relevant perspective:
HTC Wizard (Windows Mobile on TMO)
iPhone 2g (Unlocked, Jailbroken on TMO)
Droid (Rooted and running CM6 then CM7 on Verizon)
HTC Thunderbolt (Rooted but stock rom on Verizon)
Plus I have a MyTouch 3g that is unlocked and running stock TMO Froyo which I use when I travel outside of the US, and a Viewsonic G Tablet running Gingerbread.
MC
Aww damn, here we go:
1. Some Sony Ericsson Phone (at&t) 2. Moto Razr (at&t) 3. Moto krzr (alltel) 4. Palm treo 755 (sprint) 5. Samsung slider phone (sprint) 6. HTC Touch (sprint) 7. HTC Mogul (sprint) 8. Moto Razr 2 (sprint) 9. BlackBerry Pearl (sprint) 10. Apple iPhone (at&t) 11. Sidekick (t-mo) 12. HTC G1 (t-mo) 13. iPhone 3g (t-mo) 14. Blackberry curve (t-mo) 15. iPhone 3gs (unlocked, t-mo) 16. HTC MyTouch (t-mo) 17. Blackberry Storm 18. iPhone 3gs (new one! t-mo) 19. HTC Droid Eris (VZW) 20. moto droid (VZW) 21. Blackberry curve (VZW) 22. EnV touch (VZW) 23. LG Chocolate Touch (VZW) 24. Palm Pre Plus (VZW) 25. Droid X (VZW) 26. Droid Incredible (VZW) 27. Apple iPhone 4 (VZW) 28. Samsung Fascinate (VZW) 29. HTC Thunderbolt (VZW)
and you all thought you had problems...
Oooooo, back in the day (1994?) BIG. Motorola flip w pull put antenna ,Yeah!> Small Motorola flip>LG something or other> Bberry Storm 1> TBolt!!
Sent from my TBolt using XDA App.
Blackberry 8700-8900-G1-9700-3GS-HD2-iPhone3GS-Strea5-iPhone4-TmobileG2-Thunderbolt.
My phones in Cambodia were all cheap bar style Nokia phones, then when I arrived back in the US I got a G1. Then I got a Samsung Vibrant, kept it for some time, learned although, then sold it, got a Nexus S, too many issues, returned it, got a MT4G, it was a good phone but too many hardware related issues, returned it after several swaps, then gave up on T-mobile, switched to Sprint, got an EVO 4G, was great but Sprint sucked, switched to Verizon, got a dinc to hold me over until the Thunderbolt dropped, returned it and got two Thunderbolts, one for me and one for he wife.
Sent from my Thunderbolt using Tapatalk
Few I don't remember
LG VX-6000 (where my addiction to phone mods began...)
RZR
HTC 6700
HTC 6800
Storm 1
Droid 1
HTC Thunderbolt
I went unknown => razer => LG voyager => Motorola Droid => TB
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App
Nice long history
Nokia 5185
LG VX4500 (First phone I modded...free internet!)
Motorola Razr V3c
LG VX8550 (Chocolate 2)
LG VX1100 (EnV Touch) <-- Replaced this phone after only 2 months with..
Motorola DROID
Thunderbolt
Hi to everyone. I was planning to change my atrix with the razr maxx, but unfortunatly verizon phones don't work here in italy.
Do you know if motorola is planning to bring the maxx in europe?
Thanks in advance!
Inviato dal mio MB860 usando Tapatalk
stanley79 said:
Hi to everyone. I was planning to change my atrix with the razr maxx, but unfortunatly verizon phones don't work here in italy.
Do you know if motorola is planning to bring the maxx in europe?
Thanks in advance!
Inviato dal mio MB860 usando Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will be a few Motorola devices with 3.300mA worldwide about 3 months from now. Razr maxx may get other nanes and specs. New gadgets will feature improved cam (13MP), ICS with on-screen buttons, and ever a bigger screen. Take note of this.
Thanks
Sent from my XT910 using Tapatalk
so I'll wait till summer and maybe buy a razr maxx. What I need of this phone is the huge battery... can't stand without ;-)
Thanks!
Inviato dal mio MB860 usando Tapatalk
I am from Romania and I am waiting also for RAZR MAXX in Europe Thank you for this thread. I will be a hard waiting
Contact with Motorola UK
Just like you I live in Europe and I really like the specs on the RAZR MAXX phone. After reading dozens of sites with rumors I decided to contact motorola.
They replied the following:
"Discussion Thread
Response Via Email (Anton) 30/03/2012 08.31 AM
Customer Reference number:120329-022592
Dear Mr ***,
Thank you for contacting Motorola.
We regret to inform you that the Droid Razr MAXX will not be available on the European market.
Kind regards,
Motorola Mobility
0870 901 0555
*Here stands motorola,com* (But I'm not allowed to post it yet)
I replied with a couple more questions, mostly about the rumored(?) GSM version in China. When I hear more, I'll let you know.
Think I'll just get a kit to transform my xt910 to MAXX.
I posted this in another thread too, hope I won't get into trouble for reposting.
I've emailed motorola today. This is their answer:
Thank you for contacting Motorola.
We are sorry to inform you that we have currently no plans regarding the release of the Droid Razr Maxx in Europe. We would like to advise you against importing a phone that has not been manufactured for your region since we cannot guarantee its 100% compatibility with the European networks and in case you need a repair our repair centres would not be able to help due to the lack of necessary parts.
They didn't tell me if the China version is GSM or CDMA. I've asked that too.
buy from ebay
If I buy from ebay, how do use it without sim card? CDMA have micro-sim for verizon. How do I avoid the screen when I on the device (sim is needed to use this phone popup screen)? Any idea?
Contact with Motorola UK part 2
"Dear Mr xxx,
Thank you for contacting Motorola.
Unfortunately since it's an American unit, we can not guarantee that it will work in the EU.
It will most likely work on European networks, but please note that if you would purchase a device from America or China it will not be covered by a warranty in your country.
Motorola has not any plans on releasing a GSM unit of this device in Europe.
Kind regards,
Motorola Mobility"
Not good... The only option left is getting the regular RAZR with the bigger battery kit. Or just wait for a different phone...
Also keep in mind that all of these replies from Motorola state they don't have plans to release the "Droid Razr Maxx" in Europe. Well, that goes without saying. No "Droid" phone has ever been released in Europe. The "Droid" name is licensed by Verizon, and they're the only cellular operator in the world that officially releases phones with that name.
The Motorola Droid phones on Verizon almost always always see international GSM releases, but they're released under a different name and model number. Even though they're almost always pretty much identical on the hardware front, they're considered completely different phones. For the RAZR MAXX, such a release wouldn't be difficult since the radio already supports GSM (it's just not enabled on the Verizon version).
So while there hasn't been any confirmation of a GSM release in Europe, given Motorola's release history, it's definitely a possibility that there will at least be a GSM compatible version released at some point.
You are right about the name of the phone. It will probably be named differently. Still, if a GSM (compatible) version is coming, it will take a while. And I read somewhere a developer's version is already out. Although that one will have no warranty. Not that I will be getting warranty on an American or Chinese phone... Just by checking this forum, there are still a lot of things that are causing troubles. Without warranty, I regret to say that I will not be buying it.
This weekend I checked out two big cellphone companies (in the Netherlands) what they had to offer. They both mentioned the Xperia S and the still mysterious Galaxy S3. When I asked about the Razr Maxx, they both had to check if it was coming at all. Only one of them said it "might be in a couple of months".
I still have a month or two before I need to decide, so I'll just wait it out.
The Droid RAZR Maxx is coming to Europe, minus the Droid branding and LTE radio, in May of this year. Motorola has just announced its plans to release the 4.3-inch Android smartphone with a 3,300mAh battery in select markets across Europe and the Middle East. Although the Android version isn't specified, we can probably expect it to still be running Gingerbread like the US variant, with an upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich somewhere in its future.
http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/3/2922020/motorola-razr-maxx-europe-middle-east-release-date-may
---------- Post added at 01:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:48 PM ----------
BASINGSTOKE, UK – Apr. 03, 2012 – All day, every day - that’s how much you use your smartphone. With its impossibly thin and lightweight design, Motorola RAZR™ MAXX boasts features with the wow factor and a battery that can handle even the most demanding lifestyle. Customers across Europe and the Middle East will be able to start talking, texting, typing, watching and more for even longer from May 2012.
source: http://mediacenter.motorola.com/Pre...la-RAZR-MAXX-from-Motorola-Mobility-3a5c.aspx
So what is everyone looking at to replace the v30 for 5g and beyond. Thx...
Maybe LG V60?
Wysłane z mojego LG-H930 przy użyciu Tapatalka
skretch said:
Maybe LG V60?
Wysłane z mojego LG-H930 przy użyciu Tapatalka
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Except LG V60 (allegedly flagship phone!) only has 1080p vs the QHD 1440p all LG flagship phones have had for years. I've had 1440p since 2014 Moto Quark and I'm NOT downgrading.
They did that for the stupid dual display gimmick, so resolution would match on both screens. Give me ONE good screen. I don't want two.
I use the HDMI out & MiraCast (not ChromeCast) on my V30 frequently. So I'd be looking for phones that could do both of those.
ChazzMatt said:
Except LG V60 (allegedly flagship phone!) only has 1080p vs the QHD 1440p all LG flagship phones have had for years. I've had 1440p since 2014 Moto Quark and I'm NOT downgrading.
They did that for the stupid dual display gimmick, so resolution would match on both screens. Give me ONE good screen. I don't want two.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see the 60Hz being a bigger fail. I got a Realme X2 Pro after my LG V30 and I'd take 1080p 90Hz over a 1440p 60Hz any day. Not to mention that this panel looks better than what my LG looked like with a grainy display (that honestly didn't bother me at all at the time, but this one looks much clearer).
adsubzero said:
I see the 60Hz being a bigger fail.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that too. In 2020 for flagship phone you need 1440p and more than 60Hz. Even the OnePlus Pro (which has so much stuff removed -- like headset jack, no microSD card) has 1440p and more than 60Hz.
I make fun of OnePlus for their misleading lies but in this one case they are giving better display than LG.
newbe1droidx said:
So what is everyone looking at to replace the v30 for 5g and beyond. Thx...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It depends on what aspects of LG V30 you liked and stuff that you didn't like.
For example if you liked wired audio, your choices are very limited.
Anyone hear about motorola one fusion plus?
Well, I'm a Verizon customer. The two I have been looking at on their website are the one plus 8 (they don't offer the pro) and the LG v60. Pluses and cons for both. The LG is about $50 more, so in the end, that might be the deciding factor. But, I'm not looking too seriously right now. It will still probably be awhile before I get a new one.
These are the two "flag ship" phones I have been looking at. Not really looking at the Motorola razor or the Samsung ones as they are both quite a bit more costly.
gimpy1 said:
Well, I'm a Verizon customer. The two I have been looking at on their website are the one plus 8 (they don't offer the pro) and the LG v60. Pluses and cons for both. The LG is about $50 more, so in the end, that might be the deciding factor. But, I'm not looking too seriously right now. It will still probably be awhile before I get a new one.
These are the two "flag ship" phones I have been looking at. Not really looking at the Motorola razor or the Samsung ones as they are both quite a bit more costly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you wait until next year -- after December 31, 2020 -- Verizon will drop CDMA and be LTE only. At that point, it might not matter so much if it's a "Verizon" phone or just a carrier unlocked phone.
For instance, the 2020 VERIZON Galaxy Galaxy S20 doesn't have a microSD card while all other variants (including Samsung's official carrier unlocked) does have microSD card. Why doesn't Verizon's? Allegedly because Verizon's 5G antennas are too bulky -- so they had to save space somewhere. But you STILL need a special case for the Verizon Galaxy S20, as it's not the same size as other carrier S20, even without microSD slot! Verizon also dropped RAM from 12GB to 8GB Did AT&T drop the microSD card and reduce RAM? They use the exact same flavor 5G as Verizon... Or is it because (for now) Verizon has CDMA, LTE, and G5 antennas? Well, next year they won't.
What’s likely happening here is that Samsung needed to figure out a way to bring mmWave support to the Verizon Galaxy S20 without increasing manufacturing costs too much. For whatever reason, it decided dropping the RAM amount by 4GB and ditching the microSD card slot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also don't be swayed by 5G claims. "mmWave" with higher frequencies -- the variant Verizon and AT&T are building out -- is aptly named. It basically can't even pass through a mm of glass window. T-mobile is building out lower frequency 5G which travels for longer distances but is like 200mbps instead of 500mbps. Still fast enough!
Point is, I don't care about 5G since it is going to drain battery life.
ChazzMatt said:
For instance, the 2020 VERIZON Galaxy Galaxy S20 doesn't have a microSD card while all other variants (including Samsung's official carrier unlocked) does have microSD card. Why doesn't Verizon's? Allegedly because Verizon's G5 antennas are too bulky -- so they had to save space somewhere. But you STILL need a special case for the Verizon Galaxy S20, as it's not the same size as other carrier S20, even without microSD slot! Verizon also dropped RAM from 12GB to 8GB Did AT&T drop the microSD card and reduce RAM? They use the exact same flavor G5 as Verizon... Or is it because (for now) Verizon has CDMA, LTE, and G5 antennas? Well, next year they won't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Verizon has a long storied history of procuring nerfed versions of smartphones, unfortunately. It's one of the many reasons I walked away from them. Great signal; horrible everything else.
Caffination said:
Verizon has a long storied history of procuring nerfed versions of smartphones, unfortunately. It's one of the many reasons I walked away from them. Great signal; horrible everything else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ditto. And they're also well known for lying and saying a phone won't work or isn't allowed on their network, even though you can take an activated SIM and drop it in with no problem (eg, my V30 H931 (originally) which runs fine with VS996 installed).
This is why I switched to Total Wireless. They don't play the dumb IMEI game that VZ does, you save money, and you still get VZ towers.
Caffination said:
Verizon has a long storied history of procuring nerfed versions of smartphones, unfortunately. It's one of the many reasons I walked away from them. Great signal; horrible everything else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, long storied history. Here's my Verizon story which covers 2014 - 2016 involving lying and nerfing...
1) Verizon lied about the 2014 Droid Turbo being global exclusive. It wasn't even exclusive device to Verizon in the U.S. and I proved it to the dismay of XDA Verizon fanbois.
2) In 2016, Verizon delayed giving Marshmallow update for six months while all other worldwide versions had that update, because 2014 Droid Turbo with Marshmallow was equal or better to all their other 2016 NEW phones Verizon were trying to sell. So, they nerfed the Droid Turbo until after the 2016 Q3/Q4 back-to-school and holiday sales had finished.
Here's the full story:
MOTO QUARK
I bought three of the 2014 Moto "Quark", which was the best phone of 2014, the smaller sibling of the Moto Nexus 6. Both designed by Google when they owned Motorola -- with almost identical specs except for size. Remember these were awesome specs in 2014: 3GB RAM, 5.2" 1440p OLED, Qi wireless charging, 21MP camera, 3900 mAh battery (Quark). Yes, Quark had 5.2" display, but back then phones were smaller and until that year, the Nexus model number had NOTHING to do with screen size. It was merely the generation number. 2011 Nexus 3 (4.65"), 2012 Nexus 4 (4.75") 2013 and Nexus 5 (4.95") were all almost 5". The 4.95" Nexus 5 (2013) was merely the 5TH Nexus -- had nothing to do with screen size. But for some reason, Google decided the 2014 Nexus 6 should be 6" because their Nexus 7 tablet was 7"...
Until August 2014, Google was testing TWO different versions for the 2014 Nexus -- the 5.2" and the 6". They ended up going with the 6" and the 5.2" was re-purposed to be the Moto Quark. Ironically, the smaller Moto Quark had a larger battery (3900 mAh) than the larger Moto Nexus 6.
But about that time, Google was selling Motorola to Lenovo. So, to blunt the the competition from a FANTASTIC phone to compete with Moto Nexus 6, Google/Lenovo decided to sell the Moto Quark under different model names in different regions, different carriers. Stupidity, personified. "Quark" is the series code name, like "Joan" is for the V30. We all started calling it that because it was the SAME phone series, just like for V30, a US998 is same phone as EU H930. Just different firmware and (maybe) bands.
DROID TURBO/MOTO TURBO/MOTO MAXX
However, not only were they all the same series (like our V30 US998 and H930), but TWO of Quark models were exact clones of each other. Even same FCC ID.
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Verizon's version was called Droid Turbo (XT1254). And it was identical in every way -- including same FCC number to the Moto Maxx (XT1250) sold by other U.S. (regional) carriers. Well identical in every way, except the Moto Maxx had Motorola sanctioned bootloader unlock, while the Verizon Droid Turbo did not. The Moto Maxx XT1250 even ran on Verizon with Verizon SIM card, because guess why? It had the exact same FCC number, and thus had identical bands, etc. To Verizon's network, it was indeed a "Droid Turbo". (I predicted this was possible, then users proved it.)
In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare said, "That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet."
So, the Moto Maxx XT1250 was basically the "Dev" version of the the Droid Turbo XT1254. Buy it, unlock bootloader, install TWRP, put in Verizon SIM card. You could even flash Verizon firmware if you wished. Much like our V30 US998 to VS996 Frankenstein. But remember this was back in 2014... Cross flashing Verizon FIRMWARE over XT1250 worked because it was ALREADY the same phone.
There was a 3rd Moto Quark (or 2nd if you count the XT1254/XT1250 clones as the same phone), called the XT1225. In India, this variant was sold as the "Moto Turbo (XT1225)." In Latin America, it was sold as Moto Maxx (XT1225). Yes, it had different bands from the Droid Turbo XT1254/Moto Maxx XT1250, but in a good way for me. It had no CDMA, but had extra LTE and HSPA bands, and had ALL the AT&T bands, including the new (at the time) LTE band 5. However, you could not buy this one in the U.S.
So, I bought three -- importing them from Puerto Rico and Mexico. Bootloader unlocked, rooted, ran CM 12.1 and LOS Revolution Remix ROMs. (No you couldn't cross flash XT1225 firwmare over XT1254/XT1250 or vice versa.)
XDA DRAMA
With these specs in 2014 (3GB RAM, 5.2" 1440p OLED, Qi wireless charging, 21MP camera, 3900 mAh battery) and the too huge size at the time of the Moto Nexus 6, I decided the Moto Quark was my best bet to upgrade from the 4.95" 1080p LG Nexus 5 with too-small battery.
With me, so far? OK.
Back then, XDA tended to segregate all models according to carriers. The T-mobile Galaxy Widget would be separate from the Sprint Galaxy Widget, which would be separate from the AT&T Galaxy Widget. SO, people would coming in to a forum would automatically assume THEIR carrier version was what people were talking about. (Back in 2017, also had this trouble initially with T-mobile H932 users even in this V30 forum. Coming from older phones, some users don't understand changes.) But in late 2014, XDA started lumping all the models together -- like this V30 forum is now. Except XDA mistakenly called it the "Droid Turbo" forum and wouldn't re-name it "Quark" forum -- even though ALL the variants were being discussed there.
Adding fuel to fire, Verizon LIED in all their release hype and claimed their Droid Turbo (XT1254) was a GLOBAL EXCLUSIVE. The device wasn't even exclusive to them in the U.S. much less the entire world. (U.S. XT1250 was identical device, ran on Verizon with Verizon SIM card and had easy bootloader unlock.)
"Droid" is a trademark owned by Verizon. They can call any phone a "Droid". So, technically yes the Droid Turbo was exclusive to Verizon. But the exact same phone (same FCC ID) was being sold by a dozen regional LTE/CDMA carriers under the "Moto Maxx" (XT1250) model name. I even provided links to those carriers where people could buy these Moto Maxx XT1250.
Once I pointed out this fact -- Verizon was LYING through their teeth, the XT1250 was not only the same phone as the Verizon Droid Turbo but in fact a better phone due to easy bootloader unlock, PAGES of heated arguments ensued. Ignorant Verizon fanbois didn't want to believe it. They wanted to believe Verizon had cornered the market on this FANTASTIC phone. They were grudgingly willing to believe perhaps other variants like Moto Turbo XT1225 (with different bands, different FCC ID) existed for OTHER countries, but BY GOLLY, ONLY Verizon had this phone in the U.S.! (How can you love a carrier that much, like they are God? Or believe carrier PR hype that much?)
If you know anything about electronics, same FCC ID number carries weight of law due to the ADA law for handicaps/disabilities. Your company can fined by the U.S Government and be sued in class action lawsuit for millions of dollars if you mis-identify the characteristics of an electronic communication device, which is identified by the FCC number. You can call it whatever you like (Droid Turbo, Moto Maxx) but the FCC ID number is the unique identifier in the U.S. There's no way deep pockets Verizon nor Motorola/Lenovo would open themselves up to that kind of liability.
Plus, the Verizon fanbois didn't like that other Quark variants being discussed in THEIR forum. But this XT1254/XT1250 clone proof REALLY got under their skin. They called me a liar and worse -- even though I had FCC documentation. One of the FCC documents is attached, but I had whole chain of evidence, that not only was Moto Maxx/Moto Turbo XT1225 same specs as Droid Turbo XT1254 (so all were Quarks in spite of different model names), but furthermore that Moto Maxx XT1250 = Droid Turbo XT1254 to 100th decimal point.
______
Mods got involved, thread was cleaned, people got warned and even banned. Months later, I ended up an XDA Recognized Contributor. Because of my extensive knowledge of the cell phone industry, I'm the one who figured all this out. I went looking through the FCC records and searching regional telephone carriers. Most people only know about the Big 4 (now Big 3) -- but there are many other carriers with their own towers and licences serving remote areas like in Appalachia, Alaska, parts of Michigan, etc. I'm not talking about MVNOs but actual carriers. Cricket and MetroPCS used to be regional standalone carriers before being bought by AT&T and T-mobile. Back then, LTE/CDMA carrier MetroPCS in particular would get the EXACT same phones as Verizon, but under a different model name. For instance, the Verizon LG Revolution = MetroPCS LG Esteem -- and LG didn't even bother removing the Revolution boot up animation from the media folder. It had both animations in the media folder. But it allowed Verizon to claim (fake) "exclusive" for LG Revolution. All that kind of stuff flies under the radar to people who only know about the major carriers.
As a result of all this conflict, XDA did open a separate Moto Maxx forum and moved all non Droid Turbo content over there. But the ironic thing is all Development (kernels, CM and later LOS ROMs) were posted there. So, Verizon "Droid Turbo" owners had to go over THERE (Moto Maxx forum) to get stuff, once Sunshine Dev team found an exploit to unlock the Verizon Droid Turbo variant bootloader about a year after release. Whereas, the Moto Turbo and Moto Maxx variants always had bootloader unlock, TWRP and ROMs. Droid Turbo was late to the party.
So, point is, Verizon lies about phones.
VERZION DELAYED OS UPDATE
Then, in July 2016 when Marshmallow update pushed from Motorola servers for ALL Moto Quark variants, the Verizon Droid Turbo did not get their update. Motorola confirmed they sent it to Verizon and it would be released by Verizon. When? Only Verizon knew. Maybe they were testing it? NO, they weren't. They were just sitting on it. Why? Because all the back-to-school new phone sales were starting, then the holiday new phone sales after that and the Droid Turbo specs were still too good. 3GB RAM, 5.2" 1440p OLED, Qi wireless charging, 21MP camera, 3900 mAh battery. THAT 2-year old phone with new OS would still be as good as or better than any new phone Verizon was selling! So, if they didn't update the OS, then people will have to buy new phone to get Marshmallow. Only end of December 2016 did Verizon finally release the Marshmallow update for their Quark -- and it immediately bricked the phones which had encrypted storage. So, Verizon had to pull the update for a couple of weeks, then release a revised version. That shows Verizon was NOT extensively testing it for six months, they were just sitting on it to nerf the Droid Turbo from being too good a phone so people with "old" phones would buy new ones.
Point is, Verizon will purposefully degrade (or delay updates) to an older phone to increase sales of newer phones.
They were also the first to insist upon bootloaders which could not be unlocked -- even for Google Nexus/Pixel phones.
ChazzMatt said:
Yes, long storied history. Here's my Verizon story which covers 2014 - 2016 involving lying and nerfing...
1) Verizon lied about the 2014 Droid Turbo being global exclusive. It wasn't even exclusive device to Verizon in the U.S. and I proved it to the dismay of XDA Verizon fanbois.
2) In 2016, Verizon delayed giving Marshmallow update for six months while all other worldwide versions had that update, because 2014 Droid Turbo with Marshmallow was equal or better to all their other 2016 NEW phones Verizon were trying to sell. So, they nerfed the Droid Turbo until after the 2016 Q3/Q4 back-to-school and holiday sales had finished.
Here's the full story:
MOTO QUARK
I bought three of the 2014 Moto "Quark", which was the best phone of 2014, the smaller sibling of the Moto Nexus 6. Both designed by Google when they owned Motorola -- with almost identical specs except for size. Remember these were awesome specs in 2014: 3GB RAM, 5.2" 1440p OLED, Qi wireless charging, 21MP camera, 3900 mAh battery (Quark). Yes, Quark had 5.2" display, but back then phones were smaller and until that year, the Nexus model number had NOTHING to do with screen size. It was merely the generation number. 2011 Nexus 3 (4.65"), 2012 Nexus 4 (4.75") 2013 and Nexus 5 (4.95") were all almost 5". The 4.95" Nexus 5 (2013) was merely the 5TH Nexus -- had nothing to do with screen size. But for some reason, Google decided the 2014 Nexus 6 should be 6" because their Nexus 7 tablet was 7"...
Until August 2014, Google was testing TWO different versions for the 2014 Nexus -- the 5.2" and the 6". They ended up going with the 6" and the 5.2" was re-purposed to be the Moto Quark. Ironically, the smaller Moto Quark had a larger battery (3900 mAh) than the larger Moto Nexus 6.
But about that time, Google was selling Motorola to Lenovo. So, to blunt the the competition from a FANTASTIC phone to compete with Moto Nexus 6, Google/Lenovo decided to sell the Moto Quark under different model names in different regions, different carriers. Stupidity, personified. "Quark" is the series code name, like "Joan" is for the V30. We all started calling it that because it was the SAME phone series, just like for V30, a US998 is same phone as EU H930. Just different firmware and (maybe) bands.
DROID TURBO/MOTO TURBO/MOTO MAXX
However, not only were they all the same series (like our V30 US998 and H930), but TWO of Quark models were exact clones of each other. Even same FCC ID.
Verizon's version was called Droid Turbo (XT1254). And it was identical in every way -- including same FCC number to the Moto Maxx (XT1250) sold by other U.S. (regional) carriers. Well identical in every way, except the Moto Maxx had Motorola sanctioned bootloader unlock, while the Verizon Droid Turbo did not. The Moto Maxx XT1250 even ran on Verizon with Verizon SIM card, because guess why? It had the exact same FCC number, and thus had identical bands, etc. To Verizon's network, it was indeed a "Droid Turbo". (I predicted this was possible, then users proved it.)
In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare said, "That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet."
So, the Moto Maxx XT1250 was basically the "Dev" version of the the Droid Turbo XT1254. Buy it, unlock bootloader, install TWRP, put in Verizon SIM card. You could even flash Verizon firmware if you wished. Much like our V30 US998 to VS996 Frankenstein. But remember this was back in 2014... Cross flashing Verizon FIRMWARE over XT1250 worked because it was ALREADY the same phone.
There was a 3rd Moto Quark (or 2nd if you count the XT1254/XT1250 clones as the same phone), called the XT1225. In India, this variant was sold as the "Moto Turbo (XT1225)." In Latin America, it was sold as Moto Maxx (XT1225). Yes, it had different bands from the Droid Turbo XT1254/Moto Maxx XT1250, but in a good way for me. It had no CDMA, but had extra LTE and HSPA bands, and had ALL the AT&T bands, including the new (at the time) LTE band 5. However, you could not buy this one in the U.S.
So, I bought three -- importing them from Puerto Rico and Mexico. Bootloader unlocked, rooted, ran CM 12.1 and LOS Revolution Remix ROMs. (No you couldn't cross flash XT1225 firwmare over XT1254/XT1250 or vice versa.)
XDA DRAMA
With these specs in 2014 (3GB RAM, 5.2" 1440p OLED, Qi wireless charging, 21MP camera, 3900 mAh battery) and the too huge size at the time of the Moto Nexus 6, I decided the Moto Quark was my best bet to upgrade from the 4.95" 1080p LG Nexus 5 with too-small battery.
With me, so far? OK.
Back then, XDA tended to segregate all models according to carriers. The T-mobile Galaxy Widget would be separate from the Sprint Galaxy Widget, which would be separate from the AT&T Galaxy Widget. SO, people would coming in to a forum would automatically assume THEIR carrier version was what people were talking about. (Back in 2017, also had this trouble initially with T-mobile H932 users even in this V30 forum. Coming from older phones, some users don't understand changes.) But in late 2014, XDA started lumping all the models together -- like this V30 forum is now. Except XDA mistakenly called it the "Droid Turbo" forum and wouldn't re-name it "Quark" forum -- even though ALL the variants were being discussed there.
Adding fuel to fire, Verizon LIED in all their release hype and claimed their Droid Turbo (XT1254) was a GLOBAL EXCLUSIVE. The device wasn't even exclusive to them in the U.S. much less the entire world. (U.S. XT1250 was identical device, ran on Verizon with Verizon SIM card and had easy bootloader unlock.)
"Droid" is a trademark owned by Verizon. They can call any phone a "Droid". So, technically yes the Droid Turbo was exclusive to Verizon. But the exact same phone (same FCC ID) was being sold by a dozen regional LTE/CDMA carriers under the "Moto Maxx" (XT1250) model name. I even provided links to those carriers where people could buy these Moto Maxx XT1250.
Once I pointed out this fact -- Verizon was LYING through their teeth, the XT1250 was not only the same phone as the Verizon Droid Turbo but in fact a better phone due to easy bootloader unlock, PAGES of heated arguments ensued. Ignorant Verizon fanbois didn't want to believe it. They wanted to believe Verizon had cornered the market on this FANTASTIC phone. They were grudgingly willing to believe perhaps other variants like Moto Turbo XT1225 (with different bands, different FCC ID) existed for OTHER countries, but BY GOLLY, ONLY Verizon had this phone in the U.S.! (How can you love a carrier that much, like they are God? Or believe carrier PR hype that much?)
If you know anything about electronics, same FCC ID number carries weight of law due to the ADA law for handicaps/disabilities. Your company can fined by the U.S Government and be sued in class action lawsuit for millions of dollars if you mis-identify the characteristics of an electronic communication device, which is identified by the FCC number. You can call it whatever you like (Droid Turbo, Moto Maxx) but the FCC ID number is the unique identifier in the U.S. There's no way deep pockets Verizon nor Motorola/Lenovo would open themselves up to that kind of liability.
Plus, the Verizon fanbois didn't like that other Quark variants being discussed in THEIR forum. But this XT1254/XT1250 clone proof REALLY got under their skin. They called me a liar and worse -- even though I had FCC documentation. One of the FCC documents is attached, but I had whole chain of evidence, that not only was Moto Maxx/Moto Turbo XT1225 same specs as Droid Turbo XT1254 (so all were Quarks in spite of different model names), but furthermore that Moto Maxx XT1250 = Droid Turbo XT1254 to 100th decimal point.
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Mods got involved, thread was cleaned, people got warned and even banned. Months later, I ended up an XDA Recognized Contributor. Because of my extensive knowledge of the cell phone industry, I'm the one who figured all this out. I went looking through the FCC records and searching regional telephone carriers. Most people only know about the Big 4 (now Big 3) -- but there are many other carriers with their own towers and licences serving remote areas like in Appalachia, Alaska, parts of Michigan, etc. I'm not talking about MVNOs but actual carriers. Cricket and MetroPCS used to be regional standalone carriers before being bought by AT&T and T-mobile. Back then, LTE/CDMA carrier MetroPCS in particular would get the EXACT same phones as Verizon, but under a different model name. For instance, the Verizon LG Revolution = MetroPCS LG Esteem -- and LG didn't even bother removing the Revolution boot up animation from the media folder. It had both animations in the media folder. But it allowed Verizon to claim (fake) "exclusive" for LG Revolution. All that kind of stuff flies under the radar to people who only know about the major carriers.
As a result of all this conflict, XDA did open a separate Moto Maxx forum and moved all non Droid Turbo content over there. But the ironic thing is all Development (kernels, CM and later LOS ROMs) were posted there. So, Verizon "Droid Turbo" owners had to go over THERE (Moto Maxx forum) to get stuff, once Sunshine Dev team found an exploit to unlock the Verizon Droid Turbo variant bootloader about a year after release. Whereas, the Moto Turbo and Moto Maxx variants always had bootloader unlock, TWRP and ROMs. Droid Turbo was late to the party.
So, point is, Verizon lies about phones.
VERZION DELAYED OS UPDATE
Then, in July 2016 when Marshmallow update pushed from Motorola servers for ALL Moto Quark variants, the Verizon Droid Turbo did not get their update. Motorola confirmed they sent it to Verizon and it would be released by Verizon. When? Only Verizon knew. Maybe they were testing it? NO, they weren't. They were just sitting on it. Why? Because all the back-to-school new phone sales were starting, then the holiday new phone sales after that and the Droid Turbo specs were still too good. 3GB RAM, 5.2" 1440p OLED, Qi wireless charging, 21MP camera, 3900 mAh battery. THAT 2-year old phone with new OS would still be as good as or better than any new phone Verizon was selling! So, if they didn't update the OS, then people will have to buy new phone to get Marshmallow. Only end of December 2016 did Verizon finally release the Marshmallow update for their Quark -- and it immediately bricked the phones which had encrypted storage. So, Verizon had to pull the update for a couple of weeks, then release a revised version. That shows Verizon was NOT extensively testing it for six months, they were just sitting on it to nerf the Droid Turbo from being too good a phone so people with "old" phones would buy new ones.
Point is, Verizon will purposefully degrade (or delay updates) to an older phone to increase sales of newer phones.
They were also the first to insist upon bootloaders which could not be unlocked -- even for Google Nexus/Pixel phones.
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I totally agree and hate when carriers play games with updates . Android Manufacturers allowed carriers to rename and modify their smartphones and software, which was a mistake from the beginning. I dislike Apple, but i have to hand it to them when it came to their devices. None of the carriers could modify the software or hardware in any way. This meant that their devices performed exactly the way they were intended to, and software development was only under their direct control.
ibnturab said:
I totally agree and hate when carriers play games with updates . Android Manufacturers allowed carriers to rename and modify their smartphones and software, which was a mistake from the beginning. I dislike Apple, but i have to hand it to them when it came to their devices. None of the carriers could modify the software or hardware in any way. This meant that their devices performed exactly the way they were intended to, and software development was only under their direct control.
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This is what Treble GSI images were supposed to fix, but don't. Because GSI images don't have the drivers and proprietary features major OEM (LG and Samsung) stock firmware have.
Wow great info chazz, opened my eyes for sure. So then which phones should we get then, unlocked and or international? Then which network for area of us we are in?