Related
Okay, trying to find out all of the relevant things about this phone is a lot more difficult that it sounds, getting some real world experiences from the XDA community makes more sense. I am coming from a Samsung Vibrant, a device still without 2.3 from the manufacturer, that has always had pretty bad GPS, and leaves a lot to be desired..
Feel free to offer any of the positives/negatives you've found switching from your old device, compare, contrast.. anything goes. A few of my specific questions:
Battery life? Under heavy use, not just because you have a million apps with notifications every 5 minutes..
The ease of rooting and recovering if something goes wrong? I've never came close to bricking my old phone, but we have software we can flash(odin) the original software with in download mode-- does this phone have protections like that?
Development and community support? I've never owned an HTC, so I am wondering if they are better about updating devices? Does the dev community here have difficulty getting drivers and such to create new roms(or upgrade to ICS)?
Think about the concerns you had before you upgraded to this phone(for those who actually think things out, not the "oh, shiney!" crowd), did this phone fill your expectations, is there another phone you wish you had bought(or one coming out you would hold out for) that works with T-mobile?
The only thing this phone seems to be missing is NFC, and I'm unsure about how the screen quality is versus my amoled galaxy S. The only other phone I'd consider that is out now is the S II, but something about it leaves me underwhelmed..
Please, be positive, no flaming, no telling me I should spend hours/days using search to find outdated answers to my questions- this has the potential to help other people considering the device!
Silentbtdeadly said:
Okay, trying to find out all of the relevant things about this phone is a lot more difficult that it sounds, getting some real world experiences from the XDA community makes more sense. I am coming from a Samsung Vibrant, a device still without 2.3 from the manufacturer, that has always had pretty bad GPS, and leaves a lot to be desired..
Feel free to offer any of the positives/negatives you've found switching from your old device, compare, contrast.. anything goes. A few of my specific questions:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See my signature. This phone suits my needs. The others have been good for what I needed them for (Sensation: similar but the Amaze has better everything; more RAM, better backlit illuminated camera, 2mp front camera, NFC, dedicated video/camera button), (Galaxy Note: has everything I needed, but camera was slightly slower and I have Tmobile and I couldn't handle the EDGE data only) I don't regret getting the Amaze. It is slightly heavier and thicker than the Sensation, but its solid.
Silentbtdeadly said:
Battery life? Under heavy use, not just because you have a million apps with notifications every 5 minutes..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Battery life is not that great if you are a power user. I have 3 batteries and it gets me through the day. I usually do not need to use the 3rd battery. I use the phone for practically everything. Gaming: Shadowgun 30mins-45mins, texting: 30-50 msg, Netflix streaming: Yo Gabba Gabba 30mins, Music playing via bluetooth headphone 1hr at the gym, phone calls via car bluetooth for 30mins, regular phone calls 30mins-1hr, surfing the web 20-40mins, xda forum for 30-40mins. With all those things, I use 2 batteries. If I cut the activities in half, I can use 1battery and it will last me around 12-14hrs. (My rooted sensation did better at 16hrs, but I don't mind the 2hrs sacrifice)
Silentbtdeadly said:
The ease of rooting and recovering if something goes wrong? I've never came close to bricking my old phone, but we have software we can flash(odin) the original software with in download mode-- does this phone have protections like that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
use the search button: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1324177
Silentbtdeadly said:
Development and community support? I've never owned an HTC, so I am wondering if they are better about updating devices? Does the dev community here have difficulty getting drivers and such to create new roms(or upgrade to ICS)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This phone is roughly a little over a month old. Don't expect the community to be brimming with new things, especially with the announcement of ICS. Most developers do not want to dev something that will last only 2 months and then have replaced by a totally new firmware (ICS). So there will be a slight lull during this couple of months. But there are some great developers like Xboarder56, NRGZ28, mike1986 and Revolution that is keep this phone relevant. I really appreciate these guys.
Silentbtdeadly said:
Think about the concerns you had before you upgraded to this phone(for those who actually think things out, not the "oh, shiney!" crowd), did this phone fill your expectations, is there another phone you wish you had bought(or one coming out you would hold out for) that works with T-mobile?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The build quality is top notch (at least initially) for HTC phones. IMO it is definitely better than the current Samsung phones out now. The Galaxy Note was a nice phone but you can totally tell that it did not use premium material for the overall phone. The glass looked nice, but it did not have Gorilla glass.
Silentbtdeadly said:
The only thing this phone seems to be missing is NFC, and I'm unsure about how the screen quality is versus my amoled galaxy S. The only other phone I'd consider that is out now is the S II, but something about it leaves me underwhelmed..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This phone DOES HAVE NFC. Check the specs. (Near Field Communications)
http://htc.t-mobile.com/amaze-camera-phone#/Specs
Having come from the Vibrant:
Great battery life-QS1.5.1
Great build quality
Great camera
Easy to root
Easy to backup
Easy to flash
[CWMR]
you can't really brick this phone because we're stuck with s-on. Usually bricking occurs when you mess with bootloader and radio. However, with s-on we can't change that unless its through an OTA update.
Rooting takes a minute, recovery is done with CWM recovery, so it should be familiar.
btw the vibrant sucks balls.
however the gs2 is supposedly a huge upgrade to all their crappy predecessor so you can check that out too if you're afraid of the change from samsung to htc.
You can always invest in a mytouch 4g or sensation to see how it's like. They're both AMAZING phones har har but of course they lack in hardware specs, but they're both better than any other samsung phones out there except the latest ones.
Best T-Mobile phone going right now!
Let me start by saying I have been with Android since day 1. Started with the G1, then Mytouch 3g, the Nexus One, the Vibrant, the Mytouch 4g, and now the Amaze. I have not had a problem with any HTC phones and they are all still running today. The only phone I had any issue with was the one Samsung (also still running). I am not an HTC "fanboy" if something better came along I would certainly buy that.
The Amaze is the best phone T-Mobile offers right now. Compared to your Vibrant you'll be blown away with the quality of the phone the fact that everything works as it should.
HTC has a good track record of updating their devices OS's (Even the Mytouch 3g got Froyo before the Vibrant) and they do it OTA, no Kies. HTC's have always been quickly adopted by the development community for their relative ease of rooting and overall usage of "common" hardware that allows you to make ROM's for several different devices with very little modification.
Gingerbread is not a huge leap from Froyo. Most everyday users would be hard pressed to find a real difference. What will be different is going to HTC Sense from Samsung's TouchWiz interface. This will be a case of "It's up to you" totally depends on your own personal taste. I personally couldn't stand Touchwiz.
Battery life has been a little better than my MT4g was and seems to be about on par with or maybe a little better than my Vibrant. I have not owned a phone since my Palm Treo 650 that I didn't have to charge at least daily so I don't think there will be any surprise for you here.
Lastly, the screen. It is very nice and smooth. The resolution is higher than SGS2 therefore making it very crisp. It is not AMOLED, however, so you will not have the vibrance and deep contrast of the AMO screens. Your blacks won't seem as black and your bright colors will not jump out of the screen at you like the AMO screen does. Once again this is somewhat of a personal preference but compared to the Samsung devices this may be the only slight disadvantage.
This phone has the best camera ever offered in a smart phone. It has as much or more computing power of any phone on the market. The device is very solid, it just feels high quality and it has all of the bells and whistles that any smart phone out now has including NFC. I can't imagine this phone not exceeding any expectation you would have for a smart phone, unless you need a phone with a battery that lasts several days between charges, then you my friend have un-realistic expectations. Ha!
In a nutshell..
Good -
Sharp and Bright screen. Blacks levels are ok light bleed makes it worse. Still better than GS2 screen because of sharpness and IMO color accuracy.
Very fast camera. Dedicated buttons for camera and camcorder. They also wake the phone which is a huge plus IMO.
Eye pleasing . White model looks great IMO. If this were a super light/thin phone itd be a no brainer.
Bad-
Just big , heavy, and Fn bulky. Simply doesnt feel as good as other phones in the hand.
Lack of support. I give nothing but credit for wonderful work by Xboarder and others but take a gander at GS2 forums , or when Galaxy Nexus drops there forum. I just dont expect this place to ever be buzzing with the number of great tweaks , enhancements , and features other phones may get. ICS ROMS will likely be on other phones much sooner than Amaze.
Galaxy Nexus and its HD screen are going to be available soon. Just something to consider. HD screens will be more prevalent and the Amaze fast camera and gorgeous screen wont be as impressive by weeks end.
Love my Amaze
I've had a Nexus One for over a year (prior to that it was a Droid). I've also used the original Galaxy phone as well as the Evo.
I've been waiting patiently for a Galaxy Nexus for months as a replacement for my Nexus One. After seeing the camera shots - which are identical in shot quality to the (poor) camera on my Nexus One, I knew I could not possibly get a Galaxy Nexus. For me, camera quality is very important, since my phone *IS* my point-and-shoot, and the Galaxy Nexus camera simply blows. So I gave up waiting to get a GN.
I went into the T-Mobile store to play with the GSII side by side with the Amaze. Both are very good. For me, I went with the Amaze.
1. Build quality, IMO, is top notch. Yes the phone is heavy. To me it has a really solid feel. It's like comparing a S300 Mercedes to a Fiat - both may actually provide similar reliability, but the Mercedes feels far better built.
2. The screen is excellent. I suspect the GN will be better, but side-by-side with the GSII the Amaze had the better screen IMO. The GSII's AMOLED "pops" more but the improved resolution on the Amaze made the real difference.
3. The camera on the Amaze took better photos, and I liked the software better. The flash is amazing for a camera phone.
4. Battery life has been a huge improvement over my N1/Cyanogenmod phone. In normal use I go all day easily without charging. If you aren't playing games or heavily using Maps, I suspect you'll never need to "top up."
5. Great network performance. I haven't benched the speed, but the network feels 3X faster than my N1.
6. The new Sense is much better than TouchWiz IMO.
I want to say this is some great quality feedback, definitely hit everything I asked then some. I have a multitude of reasons for wanting to upgrade from my vibrant besides the "oh, shiney!" factor. Not a huge fan of touchwhiz, poor gps performance, lack of updates, no camera button, etc.. The biggest issue I have right now is price, I'm not willing to go contract with tmobile, and I don't want to pay the current full price like I did with my vibrant-- so if anyone decides they want to get a different phone and knock a fair chunk off of their amaze to get rid of it, bookmark me(I'm looking at you deleriousbb!)
The best points for me I've read about so far:
picture quality, I do want a good camera in my phone since it is the device I have with me always, who knows how many pictures I've lost by not having a dedicated button too..
I forgot it DID have a NFC- that was the original thing I was looking for when looking for a phone, trying to find one that is a little more future proof, this phone being the only one that I could find with hardware specs that sounded good.
Hell, it even has FM radio, something I wish I had a few times now..
Heavy- I actually LIKE this, my vibrant felt far too light, I want to have a solid feeling phone, and if it can double as a brick to be used for self-defense-- so be it.
Overall this sounds like a phone worthy of upgrading to(I really want to make sure I am upgrading) from my vibrant, more or less future proof.. the only thing it doesn't have that I see in the near future is a quad core processor, and those only interest me because of the battery savings they are supposed to offer.
I don't know about the s-on thing someone mentioned, that locks the radio too? That would be the only downside I've seen so far, changing radios has been the way I get the best battery out of my phone thus far, but I suppose I can deal(and have something to research). I also don't know much about how the qHD led screen compares to the vibrant, I was looking forward to better battery life because I know amoled screens use more power than most and using black reduced that..
I guess the only question that didn't get answered is if there is a phone out or coming out that people wish they had held out for? I am not impressed by the galaxy nexus- no external sd, no camera button, lower mp camera(yes I understand better quality sensor), and a few other things.. but I am a hardware guy, and this phone is superior in specs, and the feedback makes me feel good about that.
Also, is there anyone who thinks they may be trying to sell their phone anytime soon? I see myself buying this used rather than going contract(I hate contracts), so I am going to have to wait till there is a price I like more..
Thanks again everyone for the great info, besides everything about the phone that sounded so great, it sounds like you guys are pretty friendly, supportive, and overall helpful!
Check out XDA's market there are some pretty cheap phones there. usually range about $400 for amaze. So you can sell your vibrant for iono $150? on CL and pay $250 more for an amaze.. on contract you already pay $200?
So anyways I actually have a gs2 in hand right now so i'll add some things, although it is similar to what manmythlegend said.
the gs2's connectivity is actually on par with the amaze. I would say amaze's gps is slightly faster but gs2's wifi connectivity is a bit stronger and has quicker connection time.
amaze's camera is better, GS2 appears to have more options on the camera and has their own scenes to choose from, BUT it does not compare to the amaze's scenes at all. BTW I love how the amaze's dedicated button works even when phone is locked.
Screen. the super amoled compared to the amaze's screen reminds me of mt4g good and bad displays. gs2 looks awesome when you view it from every angle. Amaze reminds me of an old LCD when you view from different angles the blacks become like gray. However, I hate how gs2 looks all stretched out and it's not as sharp. think iphone 2-3 vs iphone 4. Amaze is defintely more uhh pretty, its like the UI and icons actually pop out at you compared to gs2' where everything looks blended in a bit.
Another factor, I do not like gs2's blue tint when viewing websites or anything with a white background, it actually feels bad for my eyes. oh and amaze's color seems to be more true.
But remember this, Amaze's battery right now is SO SO, so if you're a heavy user make sure to carry a spare or your charger around.
This may seem like a bias review, but I'm actually pointing out what I normally use on a daily basis that the gs2 would not do for me as the amaze would.
keypoints
1. CAMERA (love amaze's camera and its scenes)
2. Web browsing or anything that has to do with a white background (XDA APP ahem), blue tint is no go for me..
3. base on user preference. I like the weight of the amaze. It tells me that my phone is in my pocket and that it's sturdy to carry around. The amaze's curve body makes it feels better in my hand.
There's something about the gs2 that just doesn't feel right. probably the width or depth of the phone, not exactly sure. I have about an average adult male size hands and the width of the phone might be the thing that is bothering me or that it's actually too thin that makes it feel weird, idk grip both phones, you'll see what i mean.
things that will bother you on the amaze:
the light bleed from the bottom (fixed with screen filter or other ways) and possibly the mediocre battery life.
GREAT GREAT reviews here. Just what I was looking for.
My G2 has some wear and tear and TMo said they would do an early upgrade where I could get the Amaze for $250. I went to the store and played with the Amaze, and it was a pretty nice looking phone at face value.
I, too, wanted to wait for the Galaxy Nexus to drop on TMo, but I despise Samsung. If I had to use Odin every time I flash, I'd be pissed. HTC is perfect for people who love to flash roms, and I am that guy.
Really thinking I should do this...only thing that had me thinking, was whoever said that development for this phone would be weak. xboarder is a BEASt, though - dude was in the G2 forum for a few months and had things going.
Should I do this?
enserio said:
GREAT GREAT reviews here. Just what I was looking for.
My G2 has some wear and tear and TMo said they would do an early upgrade where I could get the Amaze for $250. I went to the store and played with the Amaze, and it was a pretty nice looking phone at face value.
I, too, wanted to wait for the Galaxy Nexus to drop on TMo, but I despise Samsung. If I had to use Odin every time I flash, I'd be pissed. HTC is perfect for people who love to flash roms, and I am that guy.
Really thinking I should do this...only thing that had me thinking, was whoever said that development for this phone would be weak. xboarder is a BEASt, though - dude was in the G2 forum for a few months and had things going.
Should I do this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the SGS2 uses CWM recovery to flash too, you only need odin to install the recovery, after that you're golden.
I'm testing out the sgs2 for the day, and i'll update my opinion on it by the end of the day... so far battery life is good, camera is definitely no comparison to amaze, camcorder seems better though. wifi and bt connectivity is definitely stronger and connection time is quicker on the sgs2. HD games, amaze is better (more details). anything with fonts/texts goes to amaze.
It does support NFC btw, and also AT&T 4G bands.
Screen resolution is great, and its better than the S-AMOLED of the SGSII (which has some discoloration issues it seems).
The SGSII S-AMOLED has a very bright and saturated screen so the colors are shot at you, but if you are a pro as I think you are, and not a "oh, shiny!" fella... You know that definition is better and more important than brightness.
Unless you don't care, then that's different.
4G on the phone is pretty fast, and so its installing apps.
The 1.5 dual-core does not score that high on quadrant as the SGSII (especially the Exynos) does, but you know that they are to be taken with grano salis, and in everyday usage its pretty fast.
Camera is amazing, period.
Video quality is great, but sound recording should be much better on a device like this.
The HTC phone itself however, does have downsides:
Reception (its fair, but not amazing).
Battery, with heavy usage on 4G, will last you few hours. On 2G, a bit more. Phone does get warm by the way. Its not something that should worry you, but it is bothersome when you are on the phone playing a video or what have ya, you get a phone call and have to talk to a distance of the device.
The worst aspect is the earpiece. It is UTTER TRASH. It literally silences itself when you talk, and will "turn on" when the other party speaks, however, when that occurs, it will "eat" the first few milliseconds and you will get a broken up phrase (from the other party), 99.9% of the times. Seems to be an HTC issue btw.
The touchscreen is tricky. It seems pretty responsive overall, but I did have doubts sometimes. But overall no big issues for me so far.
The phone also does have an heft. It doesn't seem that big a deal, until you place this 4.3" monster phone in your pocket. Its bothersome, at least to me.
Final words: I am trying to sell the HTC Amaze 4G. It is a great media device, but an horrible communication device. This solely depends on you. I have been using a BB 9700 for the past two years and I went back to it after 8 days of impossible phone calls with the Amaze, battery that lasts nothing (on the Amaze of course), and I personally suck and can't stand typing on screens. Sure, the Amaze thrashes my 9700 on so many levels, but for what I need, the 9700 does a far superior job than the Amaze.
Hope this helped.
Capitan Totti said:
The worst aspect is the earpiece. It is UTTER TRASH. It literally silences itself when you talk, and will "turn on" when the other party speaks, however, when that occurs, it will "eat" the first few milliseconds and you will get a broken up phrase (from the other party), 99.9% of the times. Seems to be an HTC issue btw.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you have a defected phone or earpiece. From what I know the amaze doesn't come with an earpiece. I use my old mytouch 4g one and i do not get this issue. well good luck with your deals!
edit: that sounded sarcastic lol, I wasn't trying to be haha
The reception on my amaze is light years ahead of my old samsung galaxy s 4g. I would have one bar on the highway to town and the amaze has a full signal. (2g) just amazing.
The worst aspect is the earpiece. It is UTTER TRASH. It literally silences itself when you talk, and will "turn on" when the other party speaks, however, when that occurs, it will "eat" the first few milliseconds and you will get a broken up phrase (from the other party), 99.9% of the times. Seems to be an HTC issue btw.
I don't have this issue at all. It sounds to me (like someone else mentioned) like you have a defective Amaze.
Teo032 said:
Sounds like you have a defected phone or earpiece. From what I know the amaze doesn't come with an earpiece. I use my old mytouch 4g one and i do not get this issue. well good luck with your deals!
edit: that sounded sarcastic lol, I wasn't trying to be haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By earpiece I mean the speaker part.
FranzDages said:
The worst aspect is the earpiece. It is UTTER TRASH. It literally silences itself when you talk, and will "turn on" when the other party speaks, however, when that occurs, it will "eat" the first few milliseconds and you will get a broken up phrase (from the other party), 99.9% of the times. Seems to be an HTC issue btw.
I don't have this issue at all. It sounds to me (like someone else mentioned) like you have a defective Amaze.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, what do I do now? Can I go back to the store and try another one? And see if its defective or not?
Capitan Totti said:
By earpiece I mean the speaker part.
So, what do I do now? Can I go back to the store and try another one? And see if its defective or not?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should have a minimum of 14 days to exchange it from where you purchased it. After that you might have to send it in to HTC for repair/replacement.
enserio said:
GREAT GREAT reviews here. Just what I was looking for.
My G2 has some wear and tear and TMo said they would do an early upgrade where I could get the Amaze for $250. I went to the store and played with the Amaze, and it was a pretty nice looking phone at face value.
I, too, wanted to wait for the Galaxy Nexus to drop on TMo, but I despise Samsung. If I had to use Odin every time I flash, I'd be pissed. HTC is perfect for people who love to flash roms, and I am that guy.
Really thinking I should do this...only thing that had me thinking, was whoever said that development for this phone would be weak. xboarder is a BEASt, though - dude was in the G2 forum for a few months and had things going.
Should I do this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have obviously owned a Nexus S. We don't use Odin. Anyone who uses Odin on any Nexus (from Samsung) is a moron. Rooting and flashing recovery is all performed via fastboot and then make a clockwork backup like normal. The Galaxy Nexus will be the same way. All you need is fastboot.
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium
Capitan Totti said:
So, what do I do now? Can I go back to the store and try another one? And see if its defective or not?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep if you can't exchange at store anymore then call Tmobile to do an exchange.
Sent from my HTC Amaze 4G using XDA App
14 days are now gone guys...
And when I went back and told them, they said that I had to pay $50 dollars... which I found ridiculous... So I didn't do anything apart from trying to sell the phone.
With the recent leaks about the Galaxy Nexus being delayed, I have thought about purchasing the Rezound. What are your guys initial opinions on it? Do you regret purchasing it? What is your main gripe? Also, does the device have a locked bootloader?
You've been here over a year now...use search.
Cares said:
You've been here over a year now...use search.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Already did, don't be an asshole.
Yes. I would highly recommend it. The only thing the GNex has that this doesn't is instant root, and NFC. We will get S-Off soon, and then can flash ICS roms, and to be honest, how much do you really see yourself using NFC? I got mine on launch and love it. My only gripe is VZW's 4G is down right now (Nationwide Outage). I constantly get 42Mb/s download speed on it. But in the end, it all comes down to what you like the most. AOSP, or Sense. Samsung, or HTC. I personally love Sense, and many of the devs from the original Incredible came here also, so it was a no brainer.
Rezound has a better screen. It's so clean and clear, it is amazing.
I love this phone, but then I have nothing to compare it to never having used a smartphone before. I researched for the last 8 months, constantly changing which phone I was going to buy (incredible, tbolt, evo 3d, sgs2..) and I'm glad I got this one.
I love sense so HTC is a plus for me.
Poke around the forum and check all the threads. Loads of comments all over the place.
verizon g nex won't have NFC actually(at least not stock).
both phones are comperable, just that the GN does not have microSD support but it does have a slightly bigger screen.
additionally, Rezound has a better camera & of course its biggest selling point.... "Beats By Dre". w0rd
Heartbreak said:
Already did, don't be an asshole.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
really??? There have been many threads started already on this topic. Walk your lazy ass down to the verizon store when the nexus gets released (if ever) and play with both of them. We know nothing about you and your needs.
Rezound is the hands down winner. The Dev's who got their hands on it, coupled with reports of the bloat, lack of Google Wallet for Isis, etc have made me turn my head further from even considering the Nexus a viable option even as a warranty replacement device if the option ever arose. I would kick the CSR through the phone if that happened.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1371384
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1325303
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1321433
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1316219
Thought this question seemed familiar . Honestly in the end it would be best for you to just try them out both and see what you like. I'm happy with the Rezound it's hands down the smoothest phone I've used. Even with all bloat and stock launcher, I've recenly debloated and de-sensed and have like 500 MB of RAM free upon reboot or when I end apps w/ go launcher. Couldn't be happier with this phones performance, build quality, and most importantly the call quality. I've never been impressed with any Sammy phones for call quality or build quality, cheap plastic and tinny sounds.
I have had my Rezound since launch and have to say its an extremely nice phone. I am in the lucky position to be able to have a Rezound and also be able to get the GNex when it comes out. But without it being in my hands I would say the Rezound is by far the king of the Android phones for now. On the plus side: First, 16GB built-in and a 16GB micro SD card which is expandable to 32 for a grand total of 48GB. Second, best screen out and is better than the GNex. Third, 1.5 GHz dual-core processor (also at the top of the market). I could go on but you get the point. The plus side of the GNex is that it is Google's "phone". Google likes to save all of their newest/best technology for the Nexus line. So that basically guarantees updates and most of all a development community. I am definitely excited for the GNex but the Rezound is definitely a solid phone that will not disappoint.
nrfitchett4 said:
really??? There have been many threads started already on this topic. Walk your lazy ass down to the verizon store when the nexus gets released (if ever) and play with both of them. We know nothing about you and your needs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey chief, I would love to be able to compare them in person, BUT as you stated the Nexus isn't out and I would like to get an idea now. I guess I am not able to ask for a general idea of what the phone is like compared to the Nexus. Silly me.
zetsumeikuro said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1371384
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1325303
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1321433
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1316219
Thought this question seemed familiar . Honestly in the end it would be best for you to just try them out both and see what you like. I'm happy with the Rezound it's hands down the smoothest phone I've used. Even with all bloat and stock launcher, I've recenly debloated and de-sensed and have like 500 MB of RAM free upon reboot or when I end apps w/ go launcher. Couldn't be happier with this phones performance, build quality, and most importantly the call quality. I've never been impressed with any Sammy phones for call quality or build quality, cheap plastic and tinny sounds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, thank you for posting those. They didn't come up when I searched.
Heartbreak said:
Hey chief, I would love to be able to compare them in person, BUT as you stated the Nexus isn't out and I would like to get an idea now. I guess I am not able to ask for a general idea of what the phone is like compared to the Nexus. Silly me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how are we supposed to compare??? We don't have the nexus either. How about asking people who have tested both devices? Like Android central, engadget, the verge.
Though all will say the galaxy nexus is superior based on it being vanilla android.
Nexus lacks expandable storage, has a lower camera and less ppi on the screen. I don't like samsung products, so it has to blow away a htc phone for me to get it. My rezound has 46gb of storage, and is here now.
Yeah, expandable storage. It's even more than advertised. I saw a post in accessories where someone put in a 64gb card and the Rezound formatted it and it's working. So 80gb total. Pretty sweet.
See the multi-quote button? It is usable you know?
I wouldn't recommended the Rezound until the bootloader has been unlocked. Clearly it will have to be unofficial since Verizon decided to cockblock the official unlocking.
I got the Rezound shortly after it came out and will be exchanging it for the Galaxy Nexus when it arrives. The Rezound is good (much better than my aging Nexus One) but I don't care for HTC Sense and want a Google Experience phone. Not a fan of the Rezound's locked bootloader either. As for Google Wallet on the Nexus, it will likely work after rooting. See: http://gigaom.com/mobile/galaxy-nexus-and-google-wallet-my-first-nfc-purchase/
I went from the Blackberry Bold 9700 -> OG Evo -> Evo 3D -> Rezound. To give you my history. My girlfriend has a Captivate (the retarded cousin of the SGS line). I've used all of these extensively.
Obviously the Rezound is the best one. I honestly wasn't expecting a huge difference in performance between the Rezound and E3D, I wasn't sure that the extra .3ghz/core would make up for the pixel count difference. I was, however, pleasantly surprised. Again, obviously, best performance I've seen out of a phone. If you don't like Sense then use a different launcher. Yeah it's heavier on resources but I have yet to use a single app, play a single game, etc. and notice any lag whatsoever. This is, serisously, not an exaggeration.
On the other hand, I currently have Team Hacksung's alpha ICS port on my girlfriend's captivate (build 7.1) and it is gorgeous and snappy. Surprisingly snappy. Not that I am at all jealous of her hardware, but I now seriously want ICS on my Rezound. And my Touchpad. However, I am willing to wait.
All it comes down to, in my opinion, are these three things: Do you like Samoled more than SuperLCD? Do you like Samsung phones in general? (If you've used one you know what I'm talking about - thin and light, yes, but to the point of feeling like a happy meal toy). Can you wait a few weeks/maybe months for s-off/a good ICS port for Rezound?
And, beyond that, which feels better to you in general? Wait until the Nex hits the store and go pick one up. The one that feels better in your hand and that you like looking at more is the one for you.
Also, check out the Rezound's camera software. The HDR backlight mode and low light mode are killer.
Them's my thoughts, anyway.
nrfitchett4 said:
how are we supposed to compare??? We don't have the nexus either. How about asking people who have tested both devices? Like Android central, engadget, the verge.
Though all will say the galaxy nexus is superior based on it being vanilla android.
Nexus lacks expandable storage, has a lower camera and less ppi on the screen. I don't like samsung products, so it has to blow away a htc phone for me to get it. My rezound has 46gb of storage, and is here now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's pretty much what they're saying for the Nexus that it's "superior" because of ICS. Imo the hardware on the Nexus isn't as high quality as it could be. Pentile matrix for the amoled screen, plastic casing, sub par camera, external speaker lacking in volume. In the end it's personal preference.
Heartbreak said:
Hmm, thank you for posting those. They didn't come up when I searched.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem. I hope it gives you the additional insight you seek to make your final decision.
I love my Rezound, I consider it the best phone/smartphone I have ever owned, and I am 45 and have owned a helluva lot of phones.
Am I a bit disappointed by no S-off yet? Not really, it will happen one day. I've been keeping busy rooting other phones lol. I rooted my wifes Thunderbolt and installed 5hift AOSP for her yesterday. Today I rooted my father in laws new HTC DInc2, and installed CM7 for him. His phone was a bit more work as I had to downgrade GB 2.3.4 to 2.3.3, and had to downgrade the hboot also.
Is the Galaxy Nexus a great phone? No, not in my opinion. I have never liked Samsung phones. They feel cheap, and their SAMOLED screens have always looked cartoonish to me.
I'll stand by my Rezound, root/s-off or not . The Rezound does so many things so well. I really can't find anything I don't like about my Rezound!
Sent via my HTC Rezound using XDA premium app.
Sorry I know if everyone asked these general questions about what to buy the forums would be flooded. Hopefully posting in the general section I'm not getting in the way of any important development threads or anything. I wouldn't ask if I weren't really struggling with some indecision here.
I'm a Verizon customer, still have unlimited. Using a Droid Bionic with Carbon Rom. I'm planning to buy at full retail price to leave my data plan in tact.
LG wasn't really even on my radar. HTC One was originally what caught my eye for the styling and great reviews, then the new wave of Droids came out, and now the G2. I think I'm fairly decided in terms of currently available devices and don't need help there, I would get the G2 if it came down to what's on store shelves right now. I've seen comments on the HTC One camera ranging from amazing to garbage, and not sure I would like Blinkfeed. The One speakers would be nice but can't say I really need internal audio from my phone that much. Doesn't sound like the Droid Maxx battery is really thrilling anyone, plus with upgrading at full retail price it kinda isn't all that interesting to jump from one Moto Droid to another, it'll just feel like a differently shaped Bionic. Moto X seems interesting everyone keeps saying it's the best all around form factor and the most refined that an Android device has ever felt, but I think I'm ready for a bigger screen and battery.
I'm more a bit hesitant that I'll get the G2 and then the Nexus 5 or Note 3 is going to be amazing. Although I'm well aware of the crop of Nexus 5 rumors, apparently not having Verizon's LTE band (then counteracted by a newer rumor saying there may have been an FCC filing for a separate Verizon LG device that wasn't the G2 and could be their variant of the Nexus 5). Plus a rumored smaller battery for the Nexus compared to the G2 which would lower my interest in it. Note 3... I'm not really dying to own my first Samsung but it seems it might outdo the G2 in a few ways, more Ram, SD card slot, etc. Obviously anything compared to the Bionic I have will seem nice, 32GB (or the 20-whatever that's actually available after system install) on the G2 will be plenty, I am used to working with the 16gb I have on my Bionic and am used to having to send stuff to my PC harddrive if my phone gets too full.
I've owned LG in my cell phone history, had an LG Dare and then an Ally for my first Android phone. Their hardware is alright but if I recall correctly they are pretty iffy about timely updates and then just stop supporting devices once they hit a certain age. But then Motorola pulled the same stunt during my Bionic ownership and most of you will know about how long it took Bionic to get system updates. I don't think I ever really saw myself going back to LG as I've felt the same indifference towards them as the rest of the community for a while now, although it kinda says something about them that they're still good enough to keep getting contracted for the Nexus devices. And then this G2 landed on my radar out of nowhere.
G2 camera sounds great with a few reviews sprinkled in that suddenly didn't think it was all that amazing, but I take pictures like crazy, camera is important, I think I may even sell my Sony Nex 3 full size camera as a way to help pay for a phone upgrade, the big camera just sits here and collects dust when I can have a camera in my pocket all day in a phone.
Important aspects to me, battery life (sick of charging my Bionic constantly, I think my extended battery is wearing out because I can just watch the percentage drop like a rock as I use it), quality display would be nice after settling for the Bionic with it's blah pentile screen, camera as I mentioned above, other than that I browse, text message, need Tethering, and use Pandora in my car. And I do care about developer support, I like messing with Roms, but if the factory Rom is decent once you get it set up, I can live with not having as large of a dev community as S4 might have or whatever. So yeah with that said it seems like a no brainer saying display-battery-camera, G2 sounds to be the best at all of that right now, I'm just worried about what else is coming out this holiday season. I know the Nexus announcement is rumored for next month but I just hate to wait just to find out it's not coming to Verizon or is definitely going to have some lame 2300mah battery. You know how it is when you're ready to upgrade...
-I suppose we'd all be guessing, but how good are people feeling about the G2 getting a KitKat update in a reasonable time window? This is the LG flagship so I would hope for good support, but the LG skin and addons are so overwhelming and heavily skinned devices always take longer to get their updates out. I'd be thrilled to get this phone but that would quickly turn to disappointment if we're waiting for 4.4 longer than anyone else.
-How is developer support looking? Have any big names pledged to add the G2 to their supported devices? I really like Carbon Rom on Bionic. I suppose it's a good sign that root and loki happened right away but so far Rom releases, especially for VZW, looks slow.
-Speaking of ROMs, do we have any idea if any of the stock stuff like knock-on etc will ever be able to be pulled and applied to a custom ROM, or is it pretty much a guarantee that if you switch to anything but stock you're going to be sacrificing a lot of the factory features?
-I noticed the G2 doesn't even come up on the Top Devices window at the first XDA forum portal, is that a bad sign for community interest in the device? HTC One, Note 3, etc all show up as the top devices on XDA right now. Is there a community behind this device or not really? Does everyone dig the specs but shy away from LG with their heavy skin?
-It WiFi tethering working with the current root exploit? I use my Bionic as my home internet access, on the stock ROM it seems like FoxFi will stop working after a couple of days like it's detecting that I'm tethering, on Carbon ROM I can tether for gig after gig of data and no issue.
-I've seen more than one person gripe about thermal throttling and the G2 starting to run like utter garbage in certain conditions. That would certainly suck to spend 600 on. Is this widespread?
I don't think I'd regret buying it immediately but I see the potential that only a few weeks into ownership the "oh crap why did I go with LG" feeling will start.
For the awesome specs...yes. Its a great deal for what you get. I don't know if tethering is working yet but I do know pda net works. Top be honest with my wife and I we were concerned about going share everything but I got a music unlimited service for 50 a year and downloaded everything instead of streaming. We went from using 6+ gb a month to under 2. And almost all the music is ultra high quality which works perfect with the 24 bit DAC. I stopped using Pandora because of this...I can skip all I want no commercials and choose weekday I want. I am very happy with the lg UI MINUS the giant size. So fast there had been a fantastic dev community modding the stock rom. Coming from a GNex I am ecstatic to get TWRP already. I wouldn't be too sure that anything coming out from Samsung will be crackle since the S4 is locked down now. Battery is about 9-10 hours of straight screen and 24+ with normal usage including hours on and off of heavy use. The only thing I don't like is the weak out of the box speaker but they have already modded ATT gain to make it better. The Btooth audio and head phone quality makes for this Times a million. I don't see anything else coming close unless you are Andre the Giant and like the phablet Note type. The one is bigger with a smaller washed out color LCD. The speakers rock but it's not worth the lack of general power. Grey a quick window case it's s fantastic.
Sent from my VS980 4G using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Wow. There's about 5 minutes I can't get back.
Nexus5 will most likely never hit Verizon.
Big name devs? This phone is like a week old. Time will tell.
Wi-Fi tethering not currently working.
Buy it. If you don't like it inside of 14 days, return it. By that time, news of the nexus 5 should be out.
Thank you Devs. From my LG G2.
Wifi tether wasn't working on the S4 or One, I just had both phones on Sprint and T-Mobile with various roms and kernels. The only other phone I considered was the Note 3 but I can't stand the home button, would have liked the extra real estate but the G2 is still manageable for me to use one handed and a stylus would have been wasted on me.
This phone doesn't even need roms tbh.
I'd buy this phone all over again. No other phone feels like this one a atm.
LG G2
I was following every phone to come down the pipe for the last six months or more. I had an LG Nitro HD for my last phone and my first was the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. The nitro was terrible. The only time that phone ran right was on stock gingerbread. The development was fairly slow and the community small because it was att only and wasn't popular at that. I was about as put off by LG as they come.
Two days ago, I bought the G2, and I absolutely love it. The battery life really is phenomenal. I say this because it had kept up with my initial high usage love for a new phone. I plugged in last night with 34% left after having almost six hours of screen on time at 80% brightness. The note 3 might be great,but then again it might not. Only 100mah larger battery with a .5in larger screen concerns me a bit. The processor is already insane in the G2 so that will likely not make a difference for a bit. The ram shouldn't be an issue for at least an upgrade cycle at minimum.
Honestly, the biggest difference between this and the nexus is battery and screen. Nexus is 5 in and only had 2300mah so unless Kit Kat has major battery improvements that phone was no longer a option for me. The tipping point for this phone over the moto x in my case? Development and community. This phone already has a larger forum Than the moto x. That's not the only determinant but helps significantly. Go check the nitro forum, this phone is already almost as large... this phone had root on day one I think it was and boot loader bypass within a week of launch. And a Rom 2days later. It may not be as fast some devices but that is still damn fast. Will this be a great dev phone? Too early to tell but it looks promising. And with the nexus being nearly identical hardware wise, that could help too.
Hope that helps.
Sent from my LG-D801 using xda app-developers app
So I was one of the lucky Verizon glitch upgraders and chose this phone. It was a choice between this, Note 3, and S4. Note 3 was too expensive for me and the S4 I was afraid I would receive with newer firmware which I'm not sure you could get past the bootloader anymore.
I am just floored by this phone!! For the first time ever I am enjoying the stock rom, well Clean rom . LG did a very nice job with this one. This phone isn't a beast, it's a friggen monster!! I have to say that LG is back in the game big time with this and I'm hoping this doesn't fall into the pit of forgotten phones like the Bionic and Thunderbolt.
I came from a Galaxy Nexus so I've been spoiled by a plethora of roms, customizations, and the Google experience, but I feel from using this so far that I've made the right decision for once.
For people in the same boat, how do you feel about it? Also, go into your gallery and run the high def slideshow to amaze people of the beautiful screen. I'm going to show this thing to as many iphone users as I can and I might get one to convert.
I feel the same way
I think I'll be using this phone for a long time lol
Also, many friends of mine with iphones switched to g2 after playing with my phone a little.
They were amazed by the screen size/quality.
Fyi. Playing with the vutalk with friends in classes is very fun. hehe
Sent from my LG-D801 using xda app-developers app
I'm glad to see so many people saying similar things, with Clean ROM.
I was THIS close to ordering a S4. Then I changed my mind, due to the bootloader, and was leaning towards the HTC ONE due to the overall fluidity and design, but that camera just didn't cut it. I have 3 kids. I don't think my phone will replace my DSLR setup, but I do take a lot of on the go pics because when we're out with them kid awesomeness happens!
Then I saw the G2 and kept thinking (G2 vs S4) and it was so close I just took a plunge and had our developer order me a G2. It'll be here next week (he's stealing it for a few days to do some preliminary testing of our game on it before sending it to me) and I see things like this an dreally feel I made the best choice. The 549 price tag for the thing for a no-contract purchase helped! Since the S4 and ONE are 699 start that was a nice drop in price for better under the hood specs.
Don't get me wrong... the S4 is an amazing phone, but the G2 + Clean ROM seems like the perfect choice for me. Good camera. Power under the hood. Battery life. Load the hide drawer option for those On Screen buttons... and I'm good!
Can't wait to get it next week. I'll be retiring my iPhone 5 for it (love the iPhone, but I'm in a tinkering mood lately.)
digitard said:
I'm glad to see so many people saying similar things, with Clean ROM.
I was THIS close to ordering a S4. Then I changed my mind, due to the bootloader, and was leaning towards the HTC ONE due to the overall fluidity and design, but that camera just didn't cut it. I have 3 kids. I don't think my phone will replace my DSLR setup, but I do take a lot of on the go pics because when we're out with them kid awesomeness happens!
Then I saw the G2 and kept thinking (G2 vs S4) and it was so close I just took a plunge and had our developer order me a G2. It'll be here next week (he's stealing it for a few days to do some preliminary testing of our game on it before sending it to me) and I see things like this an dreally feel I made the best choice. The 549 price tag for the thing for a no-contract purchase helped! Since the S4 and ONE are 699 start that was a nice drop in price for better under the hood specs.
Don't get me wrong... the S4 is an amazing phone, but the G2 + Clean ROM seems like the perfect choice for me. Good camera. Power under the hood. Battery life. Load the hide drawer option for those On Screen buttons... and I'm good!
Can't wait to get it next week. I'll be retiring my iPhone 5 for it (love the iPhone, but I'm in a tinkering mood lately.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
" Load the hide drawer option for those On Screen buttons"
what do you mean?
I used Clean Rom and the modified UI to ditch the phone volume slider, disabled CarrierIQ and installed Xposed framework and did some simple mods. Got my Qremote set up with all my TV/Blueray stuff and it's awesome I couldn't be happier!
treyeumph said:
" Load the hide drawer option for those On Screen buttons"
what do you mean?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the LG G2 there's those bottom menu style keys that are static (unless in movies, games, etc). You can use the below app, from my reading at least, to hide them since a lot of people who tweak their systems dislike them.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...om/store/apps/details?id=com.gmd.hidesoftkeys
Me Too!
I just got mine today but I ordered it during the "glitch sale". Had it up and running in a couple of minutes and I've been genuinely impressed for the last couple of hours playing with it. I just hope they keep the firmware updated. So far, the interface is really not too bad. I may skin it but for now I'm going to give this a try.
Raverrevolution said:
So I was one of the lucky Verizon glitch upgraders and chose this phone. It was a choice between this, Note 3, and S4. Note 3 was too expensive for me and the S4 I was afraid I would receive with newer firmware which I'm not sure you could get past the bootloader anymore.
I am just floored by this phone!! For the first time ever I am enjoying the stock rom, well Clean rom . LG did a very nice job with this one. This phone isn't a beast, it's a friggen monster!! I have to say that LG is back in the game big time with this and I'm hoping this doesn't fall into the pit of forgotten phones like the Bionic and Thunderbolt.
I came from a Galaxy Nexus so I've been spoiled by a plethora of roms, customizations, and the Google experience, but I feel from using this so far that I've made the right decision for once.
For people in the same boat, how do you feel about it? Also, go into your gallery and run the high def slideshow to amaze people of the beautiful screen. I'm going to show this thing to as many iphone users as I can and I might get one to convert.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ditched my Gnex on launch day for the G2 also.. I couldn't be happier either. Now lets just see when CM10 comes this way.
Let's face it LG has STRUGGLED with some real dogs. The G2 absolutely shows they are back in the game. I swap and trade and upgrade on a frequent basis but with the G2 wow. This will be tough to improve on speed is crazy, screen is great really love the drop down menus.
Well done LG.
---------- Post added at 09:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:54 PM ----------
Let's face it LG has STRUGGLED with some real dogs. The G2 absolutely shows they are back in the game. I swap and trade and upgrade on a frequent basis but with the G2 wow. This will be tough to improve on speed is crazy, screen is great really love the drop down menus.
Well done LG.
I wanted the Nexus 5 once I found out it was based on the G2. Once I realized the N5 won't be on Verizon I settled on getting the G2 in a year when it would be cheaper at full retail or used.
Then the whole upgrade glitch comes along and makes my month!
This phone has absolutely met my expectations. The top and bottom bezels could be smaller as well as the sides, but for the phones available it has the most screen/size. It has a very solid, classy feel thanks to the thin metal/ceramic edge holding the screen. I couldn't get that feeling from the Verizon demo so it was a nice surprise. I was honestly expecting a Samsung type of plasticy feel but don't get that at all.
With my wife's Nexus 4 and our Nexus 7 fhd I will be getting enough stock Android to keep me satisfied. The UI isn't bad once things are turned off and Clean ROM sure helps. I'd like to use stock launcher but don't like the app labels so its back to Apex and that's fine by me.
I can't wait to see some kernels and Xposed modules that work better with our G2!
And one of those ASOP ROMs couldn't hurt but I can wait.
I was able to convert my cousin. He saw my screen and said "wow, that screen is way better than my iPhone5's screen. I think my next phone is going to be android."
Let me start this off with these are just swine thoughts I have been thinking. I like the g2 (AT&T IS WHAT I HAVE). Big BATTERY, big screen, phone feels good in the hand, ect. I had previously been on the fence of the g2 and the n5. Seeing 4.4.1 was just dropped and from the n5 thread there are gobs and gobs of roms and kernels and mods. Coming from a gnex I knew the g2 didn't have the dev attention like nexus devices. I see lg roms that are modded, custom roms such as vanir, pacrom and such...I've only had the g2 less than 15 days and all in all I like it. I just miss the flashing and testing. My g2 is rooted,exposed w g2, camera mod, dpi dropped and such.
Am I just having withdrawals and I actually have a better phone than the n5? Probably..
My one question.. when 4.4 officially drops on the g2 would there be more devs (roms and kernels) that jump on the g2 or will it b somewhat scarce like it is now. Again I like the g2 but not sure I made the right decision.
Sent from my LG-D800 using Tapatalk 2
If you get a Nexus 5.....
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The Nexus 5 is a "Chumps" G2. its "half" the phone.
The G2 Development scene is on fire and will only get better and better.
My opinion, as someone who owns the G2 now (for the second time) and someone who's owned the N5 (and probably still would if it didn't have a mic issue that I returned it for)...
...if you like tinkering, ROMing, modding, and generally messing with your phone, then the N5 is the way to go. While I did return mine, I'll probably pick up another one at some point if only so I'll have an "unbrickable" phone to play around with.
My G2 is rooted as well and I'm running stock with Xposed and G2 Xposed installed, an ad blocker, and that's pretty much it. The G2 is the superior phone when it comes to battery life (by far) and the camera. The N5 is the superior phone if you like tinkering and you want a phone that's got tons of developer support.
I will say this...while I love both these phones, neither works as well FOR ME as my Moto X. I know, I know...why am I posting that here? I'm just giving my own personal account. I've loved my carrier edition 16gb Moto X so much that I decided to grab a 32gb MotoMaker X during the Cyber Monday (on Wednesday) deal. That's how good it is.
I'm sure at some point I'll sell the G2 and probably use the funds to grab another N5. While I don't like tinkering as much as I used to, I do still have that bug every once in a while, so having one around would be nice.
deathshead said:
If you get a Nexus 5.....
The Nexus 5 is a "Chumps" G2. its "half" the phone.
The G2 Development scene is on fire and will only get better and better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is what I hope. I hope the scene will grow. Coming from I Toro gnex the dev scene wasn't as big as Maguro but you still had stuff to chose from. The battery is amazing. Playing games on the gnex with less than 50% I would usually need the charger plugged in as the battery would be hit pretty hard. With the g2 at 35 % I don't need the charger. Really my only gripe is all the white. White settings, sms, notifications. Is there an exposed or something where we can theme like theme chooser? I can always sell a year down the road. Just needed to see if I was being rash and unrealistic on the greatness of the n5.
Sent from my LG-D800 using Tapatalk 2
I'm actually trading my N5 for a G2 today lol. Better battery and camera and still aosp Roms like cm or slim
Sent from my GT-I9505G
KentuckyHouse said:
My opinion, as someone who owns the G2 now (for the second time) and someone who's owned the N5 (and probably still would if it didn't have a mic issue that I returned it for)...
...if you like tinkering, ROMing, modding, and generally messing with your phone, then the N5 is the way to go. While I did return mine, I'll probably pick up another one at some point if only so I'll have an "unbrickable" phone to play around with.
My G2 is rooted as well and I'm running stock with Xposed and G2 Xposed installed, an ad blocker, and that's pretty much it. The G2 is the superior phone when it comes to battery life (by far) and the camera. The N5 is the superior phone if you like tinkering and you want a phone that's got tons of developer support.
I will say this...while I love both these phones, neither works as well FOR ME as my Moto X. I know, I know...why am I posting that here? I'm just giving my own personal account. I've loved my carrier edition 16gb Moto X so much that I decided to grab a 32gb MotoMaker X during the Cyber Monday (on Wednesday) deal. That's how good it is.
I'm sure at some point I'll sell the G2 and probably use the funds to grab another N5. While I don't like tinkering as much as I used to, I do still have that bug every once in a while, so having one around would be nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do u mind elaborating on the moto x part please? on why u like it etc... I also have a g2. And got the moto code also. I really need to decide if I should get that phone. Please give ur input
Sent from my LG-D801 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
mike2518 said:
Do u mind elaborating on the moto x part please? on why u like it etc... I also have a g2. And got the moto code also. I really need to decide if I should get that phone. Please give ur input
Sent from my LG-D801 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure, no problem.
I'll say up front it's hard to explain. I was one of those people that wasn't wowed by the Moto X when it was introduced, because of the seemingly "sub par" specs. How in the world could this phone compete with the other flagships that I'd had over the past couple of years (S2, S3, S4, Note 2, LGOG, G2, Nexus 5, iPhone 5S)? All I can say is, it does. At least for me.
It wasn't until I actually went to my closest AT&T store and put one in my hand that I fell head over heels for it. The in-the-hand feeling is like nothing I've experienced with any Android phone I've owned. It's solid, got a great weight to it, and feels very premium. But it also FLIES. No hint of stutter or lag at all.
Of course, it helps if you're a person that really likes a stock Android experience. If you like all the bells and whistles of TouchWiz or LG's skin or Sense, then stock Android might seem bland to you. But I love stock, and the Moto X is stock on steroids because of the few unique things Motorola threw in that you don't think you'll use until you actually own the phone. Active Display (notifications), Assist, Motorola Connect, and Touchless Controls make it an experience unlike any other phone. I was never one to talk to my phone, but Touchless Controls is something I use 10-20 times a day and it just keeps getting better since it's now hosted in the Play Store and doesn't need a full firmware upgrade to upgrade itself.
And Active Display (notifications) have RUINED every other phone for me. To be able to glance at your phone, not touch it, and know if you've got a notification is awesome. Sure, you can do the same thing with the LED light on the G2 or any of the Samsung phones, but it's not the same. Again, it's just something you have to experience in order to get it.
A couple of other things...the camera wasn't great at first, but that camera update fixed it unbelievably. It's SO much better now. It's not G2 or 5S great yet, but it's not far behind. Another thing I love in a great phone is the speaker. Not for music, but for when I'm in the car and don't have my headset, so I can talk hands free. The speaker on the Moto X is WAY better than the speaker on the G2 (which is soft and distorts badly when you turn it all the way up). The X speaker can get loud, but doesn't distort...ever.
I highly recommend the Moto X to everyone that asks. It's simply the best Android phone I've ever used and has me excited to see where Motorola goes from here. They're off to a great start under Google tutelage.
jeff5347 said:
Let me start this off with these are just swine thoughts I have been thinking. I like the g2 (AT&T IS WHAT I HAVE). Big BATTERY, big screen, phone feels good in the hand, ect. I had previously been on the fence of the g2 and the n5. Seeing 4.4.1 was just dropped and from the n5 thread there are gobs and gobs of roms and kernels and mods. Coming from a gnex I knew the g2 didn't have the dev attention like nexus devices. I see lg roms that are modded, custom roms such as vanir, pacrom and such...I've only had the g2 less than 15 days and all in all I like it. I just miss the flashing and testing. My g2 is rooted,exposed w g2, camera mod, dpi dropped and such.
Am I just having withdrawals and I actually have a better phone than the n5? Probably..
My one question.. when 4.4 officially drops on the g2 would there be more devs (roms and kernels) that jump on the g2 or will it b somewhat scarce like it is now. Again I like the g2 but not sure I made the right decision.
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Exactly what I was thinking
KentuckyHouse said:
Sure, no problem.
I'll say up front it's hard to explain. I was one of those people that wasn't wowed by the Moto X when it was introduced, because of the seemingly "sub par" specs. How in the world could this phone compete with the other flagships that I'd had over the past couple of years (S2, S3, S4, Note 2, LGOG, G2, Nexus 5, iPhone 5S)? All I can say is, it does. At least for me.
It wasn't until I actually went to my closest AT&T store and put one in my hand that I fell head over heels for it. The in-the-hand feeling is like nothing I've experienced with any Android phone I've owned. It's solid, got a great weight to it, and feels very premium. But it also FLIES. No hint of stutter or lag at all.
Of course, it helps if you're a person that really likes a stock Android experience. If you like all the bells and whistles of TouchWiz or LG's skin or Sense, then stock Android might seem bland to you. But I love stock, and the Moto X is stock on steroids because of the few unique things Motorola threw in that you don't think you'll use until you actually own the phone. Active Display (notifications), Assist, Motorola Connect, and Touchless Controls make it an experience unlike any other phone. I was never one to talk to my phone, but Touchless Controls is something I use 10-20 times a day and it just keeps getting better since it's now hosted in the Play Store and doesn't need a full firmware upgrade to upgrade itself.
And Active Display (notifications) have RUINED every other phone for me. To be able to glance at your phone, not touch it, and know if you've got a notification is awesome. Sure, you can do the same thing with the LED light on the G2 or any of the Samsung phones, but it's not the same. Again, it's just something you have to experience in order to get it.
A couple of other things...the camera wasn't great at first, but that camera update fixed it unbelievably. It's SO much better now. It's not G2 or 5S great yet, but it's not far behind. Another thing I love in a great phone is the speaker. Not for music, but for when I'm in the car and don't have my headset, so I can talk hands free. The speaker on the Moto X is WAY better than the speaker on the G2 (which is soft and distorts badly when you turn it all the way up). The X speaker can get loud, but doesn't distort...ever.
I highly recommend the Moto X to everyone that asks. It's simply the best Android phone I've ever used and has me excited to see where Motorola goes from here. They're off to a great start under Google tutelage.
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Wow, thx for the really informative perspective. I've got one thing I wanna ask you that really concerns me the most, it's about the display size and resolution. Having first used the note 2 for a year and adjusting really well to the g2's screen size, which I think is the perfect size balance, how does it feel to use the moto? Does the smaller screen size bother u or is it better in your opinion?
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mike2518 said:
Wow, thx for the really informative perspective. I've got one thing I wanna ask you that really concerns me the most, it's about the display size and resolution. Having first used the note 2 for a year and adjusting really well to the g2's screen size, which I think is the perfect size balance, how does it feel to use the moto? Does the smaller screen size bother u or is it better in your opinion?
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You're welcome. Glad I could help!
No doubt coming back down to the 4.7" screen on the X will take some time to adjust to, even from the G2. It took me a few days as the last phones I was using before getting my Moto X were the Note 2 and S4. But, the screen is actually very underrated, in my opinion. It gets pretty bright (I tend to keep mine set around 25% unless I'm in direct sunlight in which case I'll bump it up to 50-75% as needed). It's also got a lot warmer color than the G2 (because it's AMOLED compared to the LCD on the G2), but LG is known for it's very blue tint on it's screens. Brightness-wise, I prefer the AMOLED as I think it's easier on the eyes. I get a lot of eye strain from the very bright, very blue G2 screen. That's something I don't get on the X's screen.
Another thing about the screens...the viewing angles on the X are GREAT. You can nearly turn it sideways and still read the screen. The G2, in my opinion, is awful, maybe as bad as some of the Sony phones (which are known for their terrible viewing angles).
As far as the comparison between 720p on the X and 1080p on the G2, yes, there's a difference. But it's not THAT noticeable and the battery savings are worth it on a phone as one-hand friendly as the X. I realize the battery savings don't mean a lot when you're comparing it to the G2 since the G2 has that huge battery, but if you want something that's not huge yet still want amazing battery life, the X will do nicely.
One preference I have is I like the front of my phones to be black (or dark blue in the case of the S3). I've always thought white fronts on phones wash out the display, no matter how good it is. That's just a preference of mine, though.
KentuckyHouse said:
You're welcome. Glad I could help!
No doubt coming back down to the 4.7" screen on the X will take some time to adjust to, even from the G2. It took me a few days as the last phones I was using before getting my Moto X were the Note 2 and S4. But, the screen is actually very underrated, in my opinion. It gets pretty bright (I tend to keep mine set around 25% unless I'm in direct sunlight in which case I'll bump it up to 50-75% as needed). It's also got a lot warmer color than the G2 (because it's AMOLED compared to the LCD on the G2), but LG is known for it's very blue tint on it's screens. Brightness-wise, I prefer the AMOLED as I think it's easier on the eyes. I get a lot of eye strain from the very bright, very blue G2 screen. That's something I don't get on the X's screen.
Another thing about the screens...the viewing angles on the X are GREAT. You can nearly turn it sideways and still read the screen. The G2, in my opinion, is awful, maybe as bad as some of the Sony phones (which are known for their terrible viewing angles).
As far as the comparison between 720p on the X and 1080p on the G2, yes, there's a difference. But it's not THAT noticeable and the battery savings are worth it on a phone as one-hand friendly as the X. I realize the battery savings don't mean a lot when you're comparing it to the G2 since the G2 has that huge battery, but if you want something that's not huge yet still want amazing battery life, the X will do nicely.
One preference I have is I like the front of my phones to be black (or dark blue in the case of the S3). I've always thought white fronts on phones wash out the display, no matter how good it is. That's just a preference of mine, though.
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I am really tempted to try out the Moto X now! Thanks for your informative and personal review!
GizmoKaca said:
I am really tempted to try out the Moto X now! Thanks for your informative and personal review!
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Again, you're welcome. I don't want to make it sound like I dislike the G2 at all. It's a fantastic device. But for me, the Moto X just works better. Obviously it's all subjective to each user, but you wanted an opinion...LOL. Sorry for being a bit long-winded!
KentuckyHouse said:
Again, you're welcome. I don't want to make it sound like I dislike the G2 at all. It's a fantastic device. But for me, the Moto X just works better. Obviously it's all subjective to each user, but you wanted an opinion...LOL. Sorry for being a bit long-winded!
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Yeah, sure it is subjective, but it is very interesting how specs on paper are seemingly becoming less and less important compared to real innovation, customization and originality. I am here thinking of the Touchless Control and Active display etc on the Moto X
KentuckyHouse said:
Again, you're welcome. I don't want to make it sound like I dislike the G2 at all. It's a fantastic device. But for me, the Moto X just works better. Obviously it's all subjective to each user, but you wanted an opinion...LOL. Sorry for being a bit long-winded!
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Thx again, makes me want to go out to a brick mortar like best buy and try playing with their display model before deciding what to do with that coupon deal. I've read and watched quite alot about the moto, but haven't had the chance to actually see one in person yet. I'll try to do that this weekend.
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mike2518 said:
Do u mind elaborating on the moto x part please? on why u like it etc... I also have a g2. And got the moto code also. I really need to decide if I should get that phone. Please give ur input
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If u decide not to buy the moto x, can you give me your code? I am buying my brother a moto x for Xmas and I couldn't get the code in time thanks
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GizmoKaca said:
Yeah, sure it is subjective, but it is very interesting how specs on paper are seemingly becoming less and less important compared to real innovation, customization and originality. I am here thinking of the Touchless Control and Active display etc on the Moto X
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We're definitely entering a good time in the mobile industry, one where specs don't matter nearly as much as optimization. It's what set the iPhone apart from other OS's for so long, but Apple had a distinct advantage because it controlled both software and hardware. Now Google/Motorola have each other, so they can start down that path to optimization (and I think the first very large step down that path is the Moto X). I'd all but written off Motorola phones after the Atrix HD that I'd had, but the X has me extremely excited to see what else is coming down the pipeline from Motorola/Google. :good:
KentuckyHouse said:
We're definitely entering a good time in the mobile industry, one where specs don't matter nearly as much as optimization. It's what set the iPhone apart from other OS's for so long, but Apple had a distinct advantage because it controlled both software and hardware. Now Google/Motorola have each other, so they can start down that path to optimization (and I think the first very large step down that path is the Moto X). I'd all but written off Motorola phones after the Atrix HD that I'd had, but the X has me extremely excited to see what else is coming down the pipeline from Motorola/Google. :good:
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Truth! Optimization is a very important factor in the user experience. I remember buying the iPhone 3GS back in the day instead of an Android phone purely because of the smoothness of the OS due to the great optimization
I'm going to add that although I thought the moto x looked amazing, I have previously owned the Motorola photon. When I first bought the phone I loved it, then Motorola stepped in and canceled all firmware updates for the phone, although they made a press release saying they would continue support which they later went back on. I'll never get a Motorola phone for this reason and this reason alone. How pathetic of a company.
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erapmicks said:
If u decide not to buy the moto x, can you give me your code? I am buying my brother a moto x for Xmas and I couldn't get the code in time thanks
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I'm not sure what I'll do yet, but in the mean time I see that eBay has a ton of these on sale for like a dollar. Check it out
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I had a N5 for a week then dropped it for the g2. If you want more roms than you can shake a stick at then the N5 is for you. If you want nice hardware, useable battery (imho N5 just isn't useable as a modern smartphone due to battery) then get G2. The screen and lack of bezel on the G2 is stunning. Id say the G2 is a grown up N5. Fyi, I had an N4 since November last year til the moment the N5 came out and after a few days decided that it was no upgrade.
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