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Hi there. I know there are some threads about this but they are seriously outdated.
I have an Atrix that I bought in the summer off of eBay and I love it. I'm running CM7 Ba2tF and everything works great (I'm getting 3 days of battery with moderate use). Thing is: my girlfriend loves it too, she has an old Nokia and has been thinking about upgrading for a while, so I was thinking about getting her an Atrix for Christmas.
There are some pretty affordable Atrixes on eBay now, but my question is: is it worth it to buy one now?
My girlfriend doesn't need the latest hardware, but it would be nice to have a decent phone (which the Atrix certainly is). She also doesn't need the latest software, but the Atrix seems more than capable to run ICS (either officially or not).
So do you think there are other phones for about the same price on eBay (200-250 €/270-340$) that would be a better deal than the Atrix?
Edit: I forgot to mention that we live in Portugal, and don't have a lot of money, that's the reason for wanting to buy an affordable (possibly used) phone on eBay. It obviously can't have a contract and must be SIM unlocked/easily unlockable.
Sorry if this is the wrong forum to ask. And I apologize for my poor english.
I like it a lot, I think its great. Especially now that Lapdocks are cheap.
Honestly, I'd probably be looking at getting the next great thing if I were buying now. I love my Atrix, but it's already old news imo. There's bigger and badder coming out.
ATRIX is one great phone that brought Motorola from its grave however there are better phones out there now and if u wanna wait, there will be even more.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
CaelanT said:
Honestly, I'd probably be looking at getting the next great thing if I were buying now. I love my Atrix, but it's already old news imo. There's bigger and badder coming out.
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I agree, but the reason i asked this is because we don't have a lot of money, and we don't live in the USA, so we can't buy new phones for a couple hundred bucks (I should have probably mentioned that). We are looking for an affordable phone, that's also a bit future proof, even if it is not the most recent device out there.
tsdedst said:
I agree, but the reason i asked this is because we don't have a lot of money, and we don't live in the USA, so we can't buy new phones for a couple hundred bucks (I should have probably mentioned that). We are looking for an affordable phone, that's also a bit future proof, even if it is not the most recent device out there.
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If I were strapped for cash I would get one if I could get a good deal. It's a great phone. I'm just a technoholic, so I'm looking for my next one right now. With 5 phones on our plan, I get 5 times the chance for a nice upgrade!
Yeah you can be waiting for years for the next best thing to come out and never get one because there is another one on its way about to come out also...
I think atrix is a great phone, I had it since the week they came out and still love it. I say get it, it's an awsome phone for the price and the specs that it has.
Although I'm running a different rom on it, I think the stock version runs great too for anyone getting into androids or smartphones.
I came here looking for a thread just like this. Funny how it works out. Thanks
ATT is running a deal to get an Atrix 4g for a penny with contract extension. Being cash strapped and wanting an android device that doesn't suck to replace my old Curve just became an option.
Also consider replacement costs if you don't have insurance. Depending on where you live I am guessing this could be more or less expensive. If you don't have phone insurance through a carrier, you can always ask about adding the phone to your home or renters insurance.
I'd say get it!
The Atrix 4G is anything but an old and budget smartphone.
It still has great specs and even better than some of the latest and greatest.
Just for fun let's compare it to the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the Atrix has many features the Nexus don't have, like huge battery, hdmi out, webtop, lots of accesories to choose from, a screen that will outlast that on the Nexus due to image burn-in problem on AMOLEDs, ICS capable, memory expansion through micro-sd, fingerprint scanner that really works great, and best of all, CHEAPER!
P.S.- I'm not saying that SGN is not a great phone, but on feature/cost ratio the Atrix blows it out of the water.
I had thought of that, but what about the galaxy s (not the s2)? It is slightly cheaper on ebay, probably because more were sold, and it doesn't have the flash or hdmi out or dual core processor, but it's still a pretty capable phone.
I know there are more than a few posts comparing these two devices out there, and I've seen some of those, but TODAY, would any of you opt for the galaxy S, that is about 40€ cheaper, instead of the Atrix? I am just looking for personal opinions.
Keep in mind that I own an Atrix, and I did a lot of research before buying it, including comparing it with the galaxy S. The point is, the galaxy S was a lot more expensive when i bought my Atrix, and I don't know if i would still buy it, if the prices were as they are today (although I probably would and will again ).
tsdedst said:
I had thought of that, but what about the galaxy s (not the s2)? It is slightly cheaper on ebay, probably because more were sold, and it doesn't have the flash or hdmi out or dual core processor, but it's still a pretty capable phone.
I know there are more than a few posts comparing these two devices out there, and I've seen some of those, but TODAY, would any of you opt for the galaxy S, that is about 40€ cheaper, instead of the Atrix? I am just looking for personal opinions.
Keep in mind that I own an Atrix, and I did a lot of research before buying it, including comparing it with the galaxy S. The point is, the galaxy S was a lot more expensive when i bought my Atrix, and I don't know if i would still buy it, if the prices were as they are today (although I probably would and will again ).
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Well the problem I see by purchasing any type of used AMOLED based smartphones is that the buyer runs the risk of getting a device with a burned-in screen.
For those not familiar with this "burn-in" term here's a brief explanation:
AMOLED based screens (even new ones like Super AMOLED +) use organic leds that produce it's own light, so there is no need of an electroluminicent backlight like that on normal LCDs, colors are brilliant (oversaturated to some) but the downside to this new technology is that unfortunately blue leds tend to degrade faster than the other colors, so after just a few months of use (according to reports all around xda and other sites) the user start to see ghosting or burn-in effects on screen, specially visible on whites.
That's one of the primary reasons why we got a change of color scheme starting on Android 2.2 Froyo like dark top task bars where static icons and information tend to burn-in quicker.
So, in conclussion, I would avoid purchasing any AMOLED based smartphone without looking at it first IN PERSON!.
How to check?
Simply hold the device and pump the brightness all the way to the max settings and then have a blank WHITE screen (i.e. maximized or zoomed in blank white web page) and look for ghost images specially where the top bar sits, or even squared and ghostly icons where the program icons used to sit).
There are lots of videos and pictures all over to see what to look for.
Cheers!
Rayan
Definitely get an atrix over galaxy S. Much more powerful phone. The price on galaxy S is artificially high due to demand for replacements from a lot of people that bought them. See that a lot on the used market with the mass consumer market phones just like old iphones.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
atrix
Forget the old Galaxy...I had one and it was crap. Slow, not enough memory, laggy, Froyo.
I read all the android news every day looking for my next phone. So far the only one that is tempting me is the Motorola Dinara, or XT928 coming to AT&T soon. It is a 4.5 inch screen and true HD 1280 x 960. The ones being delivered to AT&T will have removeable batteries, 1.2 GH dual core, and I like the design. Price will be a factor so I won't be able to actually purchase it till 6 months down the road. Whatever the case the longer you wait the more powerful phone you will get, its just the was it goes.
I think the ATRIX 2 with a fingerprint scanner would be a fantastic device for the $100 asking price. Recently played with one, I liked it.
I was in the same position of yours couple of weeks ago. My budget was around $300-350. I couldn't find any phone better than Atrix 4G on this budget! Man its one of the greatest phone still now in the market & it has the lower price of them all. Its the great phone with a great price! If I had money I'd buy another atrix!
16 GB internal, 1910mAh battery, 1Ghz processor. How many phones out there beats that?
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Atrix has the best price/performance ratio today.
Semseddin said:
Atrix has the best price/performance ratio today.
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Yes, I would but the Atrix again today. I am not the "chase the hottest thing today" kind of guy.
Atrix has very good specs in dual core CPU and 1 gig of ram. Remember that most phones are still single core.
I will listen to upgrade arguments when there will be a single app that requires more raw hardware power than what Atrix provides.
I would happily purchase the Atrix again today, it's the best phone I've ever had. Ill be waiting for a good quad core phone before I replace mine.
Sent from my MB860 using xda premium
I live in Australia and we have UMTS 850 and 2100 so I can use the DNA, J Butterfly or International Butterfly, however I notice all of the developer support going out to the DNA and not the Butterfly. Will the same development work on both, for example kernel and ROM? The support already looks slow enough as it is, let alone none at all if I choose the wrong model! I wonder why there is no Butterfly sub section?
Is development always this slow for this phone or is it because it is a new device?
Depends on a lot of things.
Butterfly is not getting wide spread international release like most HTC phones do just yet. There is big question mark if it ever will. With their financial troubles and pulling out of many markets, they might skip widespread Butterfly launch and just go with M7 global launch.
Either way, DNA makes more sense at this point. Even if Butterfly releases widely internationally, the phone shares almost everything except modem with DNA. So any ROM that is released for Butterfly can and will be easily ported to DNA. If not the one that works for Verizon, then the one like Virtuous DNA+ which is dedicated ROM for 3G HSPA users like you and me.
So getting DNA makes more sense as it is global phone. So you have 2 development channels open. Easy ports of Butterfly ROMs and dedicated DNA development. I am sure most developers who will work on Butterfly in future will release simple port for DNA as it will increase their popularity and they will get more donations with minimal efforts.
And at the moment DNA is getting more development as you said as it released in the US as the only 1080P phone early.
Win win for DNA owners.
Funkym0nkey said:
Depends on a lot of things.
Butterfly is not getting wide spread international release like most HTC phones do just yet. There is big question mark if it ever will. With their financial troubles and pulling out of many markets, they might skip widespread Butterfly launch and just go with M7 global launch.
Either way, DNA makes more sense at this point. Even if Butterfly releases widely internationally, the phone shares almost everything except modem with DNA. So any ROM that is released for Butterfly can and will be easily ported to DNA. If not the one that works for Verizon, then the one like Virtuous DNA+ which is dedicated ROM for 3G HSPA users like you and me.
So getting DNA makes more sense as it is global phone. So you have 2 development channels open. Easy ports of Butterfly ROMs and dedicated DNA development. I am sure most developers who will work on Butterfly in future will release simple port for DNA as it will increase their popularity and they will get more donations with minimal efforts.
And at the moment DNA is getting more development as you said as it released in the US as the only 1080P phone early.
Win win for DNA owners.
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Thanks for that. I was at my local shops today about to purchase the Note 2, however it is too much like my last 3 phones SGS 1,2,3 and it was very uncomfortable to handle due to the nature of it's size. I was then looking at the Nexus 4 online and now the Droid DNA. I am having a hard time deciding on 1. I am blown away by all of the development for Nexus 4 and the front bezel looks sexy!. It is really sad to see little developers for DNA! - I am not used to little support, coming from a Samsung. I know for certain if the DNA threads were busier I would not hesitate to choose it over the Nexus 4.
the DNA is as wide as the S3 and taller, if you haven't compared the two yet
ML417 said:
the DNA is as wide as the S3 and taller, if you haven't compared the two yet
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I don't mind the size of my S3, however I wanted to try something away from Samsung now. I have been using them since Eclair. Like I said above, the only reason I am hesitant with this device now is it doesn't look to be flourishing in the development community!
I think HTC has become a little bit suspect over the last couple of years and that also worries me. I have owned a HTC Touch Diamond and a H2 (which I converted from windows to Android) and both of these phones overall weren't impressive to me at all. I just really hope if I buy a DNA/Butterfly, I won't regret it or be disappointed. Was anybody else on the fence with this device? if so what do you think now?
uppon2 said:
I don't mind the size of my S3, however I wanted to try something away from Samsung now. I have been using them since Eclair. Like I said above, the only reason I am hesitant with this device now is it doesn't look to be flourishing in the development community!
I think HTC has become a little bit suspect over the last couple of years and that also worries me. I have owned a HTC Touch Diamond and a H2 (which I converted from windows to Android) and both of these phones overall weren't impressive to me at all. I just really hope if I buy a DNA/Butterfly, I won't regret it or be disappointed. Was anybody else on the fence with this device? if so what do you think now?
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Well that is tricky one to be honest.
I have give more than fair chance to HTC over last few years. I had Hero, Desire, HD2, Sensation, Sensation XL and One X before DNA.
The One X I ditched purely out of frustration. It received fair share of development, but even lot of developers themselves were frustrated with S-ON and Tegra 3.
The S-ON blasphemy still lives on till today and that is the biggest caveat I have against HTC and same is the case with lot of developers. They just loathe the fact that you have to go through HTC DEV to unlock bootloader and S-ON putting extra restriction on them and one more step for end users to remember and make sure they dont mess up while flashing custom kernels and rolling back to stock.
The only reason I am even giving chance to DNA is purely because of Hardware. I am not a big fan of Sense either. But it can be refreshing for a while. I went to One X after using 2 back to back Samsung TWUI phones, and for a while it was great to use something else. In long run though that beautiful piece of hardware was nothing but disappointment. But I hope DNA is different. Even if it does not get as much development as Samsung, couple of key devs can make a lot of difference.
I just wish they do come here. We already have few good ones. But their interest needs to last.
In the end you can always ebay the phone if you take care of it properly (cosmetically) and recover large portion of your investment. Specially high end little exclusive device like DNA which is not easily accessible outside US is in great demand outside US.
DNA will never get as much developer support as Nexus 4. Its not happening, neither will it match Note 2 or SGS3 or upcoming SGS 4 for that matter. What we need is just enough developer involvement to address some critical issues or add some really beneficial features to a phone with stunning hardware. This time the hardware is all there. We just need little bit of development. I for one was willing to take that risk when I jumped in. If it works out, well and good. Or it hits ebay in month or two.
Usually it will take couple of months after device launch for developer section to start buzzing on the exclusive devices like DNA.
Funkym0nkey said:
Well that is tricky one to be honest.
I have give more than fair chance to HTC over last few years. I had Hero, Desire, HD2, Sensation, Sensation XL and One X before DNA.
The One X I ditched purely out of frustration. It received fair share of development, but even lot of developers themselves were frustrated with S-ON and Tegra 3.
The S-ON blasphemy still lives on till today and that is the biggest caveat I have against HTC and same is the case with lot of developers. They just loathe the fact that you have to go through HTC DEV to unlock bootloader and S-ON putting extra restriction on them and one more step for end users to remember and make sure they dont mess up while flashing custom kernels and rolling back to stock.
The only reason I am even giving chance to DNA is purely because of Hardware. I am not a big fan of Sense either. But it can be refreshing for a while. I went to One X after using 2 back to back Samsung TWUI phones, and for a while it was great to use something else. In long run though that beautiful piece of hardware was nothing but disappointment. But I hope DNA is different. Even if it does not get as much development as Samsung, couple of key devs can make a lot of difference.
I just wish they do come here. We already have few good ones. But their interest needs to last.
In the end you can always ebay the phone if you take care of it properly (cosmetically) and recover large portion of your investment. Specially high end little exclusive device like DNA which is not easily accessible outside US is in great demand outside US.
DNA will never get as much developer support as Nexus 4. Its not happening, neither will it match Note 2 or SGS3 or upcoming SGS 4 for that matter. What we need is just enough developer involvement to address some critical issues or add some really beneficial features to a phone with stunning hardware. This time the hardware is all there. We just need little bit of development. I for one was willing to take that risk when I jumped in. If it works out, well and good. Or it hits ebay in month or two.
Usually it will take couple of months after device launch for developer section to start buzzing on the exclusive devices like DNA.
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You raise some very good points. If the Nexus 4 had the same screen, I would not be typing this message. Thanks for your advice! Have you received the phone yet, if so how do you like it? - I understand that Samsung will win with development at this stage and it will take some time for HTC to gain back their audience. I just really hope for the same things you do with development!
I use a DNA on Telstra, am really enjoying it. Once you strip it down and cull the bloat, it goes well. Data on NextG works fine. I got MMS going with a few tricks, too. Happy to help if you decide to take the plunge!
Justin
uppon2 said:
You raise some very good points. If the Nexus 4 had the same screen, I would not be typing this message. Thanks for your advice! Have you received the phone yet, if so how do you like it? - I understand that Samsung will win with development at this stage and it will take some time for HTC to gain back their audience. I just really hope for the same things you do with development!
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Yes, I got phone few days ago. Been using it for a week or so now. Havent yet completely switched to it due to busy schedule so I can transfer all my data and files to this phone yet but using it daily as secondary phone for now.
I like the phone, the screen, the overall feel. Wish sense animation was little bit faster. Phone flies in apps which is to be expected thanks to the hardware, but sense feels slower than TWUI or AOSP UI. HTC has opted for that smooth transition effect which actually feels slower on such fast device. I am so used to Note 2 flying through home pages and app drawer that this will take some time getting used to. But there is very little wrong with the phone for day to day use.
I actually wish we get good stable and fast AOSP /AOKP release for this phone so I can switch to it. Simply switching launcher does not seem to give the desired effect on this phone.
But it is far from total disappointment. In fact it is good experience so far. Just want it to get little better :good:
juzz86 said:
I use a DNA on Telstra, am really enjoying it. Once you strip it down and cull the bloat, it goes well. Data on NextG works fine. I got MMS going with a few tricks, too. Happy to help if you decide to take the plunge!
Justin
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Thanks for the response mate. I appreciate the help. Why do you need to do anything to get working MMS?
Funkym0nkey said:
Yes, I got phone few days ago. Been using it for a week or so now. Havent yet completely switched to it due to busy schedule so I can transfer all my data and files to this phone yet but using it daily as secondary phone for now.
I like the phone, the screen, the overall feel. Wish sense animation was little bit faster. Phone flies in apps which is to be expected thanks to the hardware, but sense feels slower than TWUI or AOSP UI. HTC has opted for that smooth transition effect which actually feels slower on such fast device. I am so used to Note 2 flying through home pages and app drawer that this will take some time getting used to. But there is very little wrong with the phone for day to day use.
I actually wish we get good stable and fast AOSP /AOKP release for this phone so I can switch to it. Simply switching launcher does not seem to give the desired effect on this phone.
But it is far from total disappointment. In fact it is good experience so far. Just want it to get little better :good:
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Oh cool you have both phones then? The Note 2 is just a little bit too big for me. How do the screens compare to you? Anything else you might add you like or dislike about the 2 devices mate?
Funkym0nkey said:
Yes, I got phone few days ago. Been using it for a week or so now. Havent yet completely switched to it due to busy schedule so I can transfer all my data and files to this phone yet but using it daily as secondary phone for now.
I like the phone, the screen, the overall feel. Wish sense animation was little bit faster. Phone flies in apps which is to be expected thanks to the hardware, but sense feels slower than TWUI or AOSP UI. HTC has opted for that smooth transition effect which actually feels slower on such fast device. I am so used to Note 2 flying through home pages and app drawer that this will take some time getting used to. But there is very little wrong with the phone for day to day use.
I actually wish we get good stable and fast AOSP /AOKP release for this phone so I can switch to it. Simply switching launcher does not seem to give the desired effect on this phone.
But it is far from total disappointment. In fact it is good experience so far. Just want it to get little better :good:
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If you go into the advanced development settings menu, you can raise the animation speed from 1 to .5 and it makes it more like TW animation speed. :good:
MMS doesn't work outside VZV unless you edit a few things in the build.prop (they blacklisted the 'mms' APN). To do this, you need a kernel with /system write available, so your changes stick after a reboot. You also need to use a third-party messaging app like Go SMS Pro or something.
juzz86 said:
MMS doesn't work outside VZV unless you edit a few things in the build.prop (they blacklisted the 'mms' APN). To do this, you need a kernel with /system write available, so your changes stick after a reboot. You also need to use a third-party messaging app like Go SMS Pro or something.
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Ahh cool. I might ask you when I receive my phone. Just ordered it now. Costing me $598 delivered to Australia. It's fully unlocked and comes with an Otterbox Defender case. There weren't many deals going on and it took me a few days to even find this deal! I just sold a Nexus 4 for $550, so this is only costing me an extra $50 and it includes the case, so I'm happy. The phone has HTC USA 1 Yr Warranty. (Luckily for me my mother in-law lives in the US!
How much is the going price on the device outside of eBay? In the states for example.
uppon2 said:
Ahh cool. I might ask you when I receive my phone. Just ordered it now. Costing me $598 delivered to Australia. It's fully unlocked and comes with an Otterbox Defender case. There weren't many deals going on and it took me a few days to even find this deal! I just sold a Nexus 4 for $550, so this is only costing me an extra $50 and it includes the case, so I'm happy. The phone has HTC USA 1 Yr Warranty. (Luckily for me my mother in-law lives in the US!
How much is the going price on the device outside of eBay? In the states for example.
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Outside ebay its $599 + tax + shipping. So a lot more than what you paid. Even I got mine was way less than this from ebay only. Got mine for like 550 delivered. But yes I too had to wait for couple of weeks for right auction and little bit of luck with auction ending late local US time in the middle of night.
Most ebay phones are people who had upgrade option available and got the phone for $199 but decided to make some money by selling the phone on ebay and keep the old phone for another contract cycle.
This is what 99% of ebay deals are for phone like this. So we do save considerable amount by buying from ebay. If you have a look at the seller ratings, you are safe and covered by ebay guarantee which heavily favours buyers. So its pretty safe bet if you take minimal precautions.
---------- Post added at 01:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:30 PM ----------
uppon2 said:
Thanks for the response mate. I appreciate the help. Why do you need to do anything to get working MMS?
Oh cool you have both phones then? The Note 2 is just a little bit too big for me. How do the screens compare to you? Anything else you might add you like or dislike about the 2 devices mate?
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I am little bit of phone fanatic. I end up buying almost all high end phones from HTC, Samsung and sometimes some good chinese phones.
At the moment I have Xiaomi MI2, Note 2 and DNA with me. And just sold Nexus 4 few weeks ago, but you already had that so you know how it was.
Xiamoi is on par with DNA as far as performance is concerned. Its blazing fast and thats understandable as it has same chip. And no throttle issues like Nexus 4 on this phone. It just flies out of box. Mind boggling performance. It does out perform even DNA in benchmarks like Antutu as it has 720P screen and not 1080P. But you can feel the speed with this one. Total bang for buck for something I bought for less than $400 shipped. It does run out of battery quickly if you do anything processor intensive so it is mainly used as house phone.
Note 2 is a beast. Its screen is much better than SGS3. But DNA screen looks totally different. 1080P is heaven if you are viewing right content. Sadly somehow you feel sense is not making use of the real estate available. Specially those who have good vision and can live with smaller font or rather smaller icons / more grid lines as an option would have been nice. But thats fine. Nothing major. Sure someone will make a rom that will implement this down the line.
1080P and games that scale properly look super nice on this phone. But playing games with on screen controls is better experience on Note 2 thanks to bigger display. But I dont game much these days, not heavy gaming for sure. Just some 2d time pass games or sudoku, puzzle or jetpack joyride etc..
But the huge battery, and S-Pen make it much better productivity device. And I do have large hands.
I am totally in love with Note 2. I dont think that will change. It is better, more productive device at this stage of its development. But if you have problems with Note 2 size, DNA is definitely next best thing right now.
For development i say buy nexus.I had HTC desire and since then HTC changed, became a locked garden, Devs are moving away from HTC scene. However if you feel the need of some htc sense candy(i sometimes miss it) ,it is another story but i always flash an aosp rom usually so sense is kinda waste for me.Experience also taught me that software support is far superior as opposed to a slight advantage in hardware.Just my 2c though, it is your money and you decide how to us it at the end of the day
If not that why don't you Terry xperia z atm i don't really know about that line of phones but i only hear good things even from our beloved cody back at the sammy forums.
________________________________
I threw cm 10.1 off a rock and the rock broke.
Solid
Funkym0nkey said:
Outside ebay its $599 + tax + shipping. So a lot more than what you paid. Even I got mine was way less than this from ebay only. Got mine for like 550 delivered. But yes I too had to wait for couple of weeks for right auction and little bit of luck with auction ending late local US time in the middle of night.
Most ebay phones are people who had upgrade option available and got the phone for $199 but decided to make some money by selling the phone on ebay and keep the old phone for another contract cycle.
This is what 99% of ebay deals are for phone like this. So we do save considerable amount by buying from ebay. If you have a look at the seller ratings, you are safe and covered by ebay guarantee which heavily favours buyers. So its pretty safe bet if you take minimal precautions.
---------- Post added at 01:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:30 PM ----------
I am little bit of phone fanatic. I end up buying almost all high end phones from HTC, Samsung and sometimes some good chinese phones.
At the moment I have Xiaomi MI2, Note 2 and DNA with me. And just sold Nexus 4 few weeks ago, but you already had that so you know how it was.
Xiamoi is on par with DNA as far as performance is concerned. Its blazing fast and thats understandable as it has same chip. And no throttle issues like Nexus 4 on this phone. It just flies out of box. Mind boggling performance. It does out perform even DNA in benchmarks like Antutu as it has 720P screen and not 1080P. But you can feel the speed with this one. Total bang for buck for something I bought for less than $400 shipped. It does run out of battery quickly if you do anything processor intensive so it is mainly used as house phone.
Note 2 is a beast. Its screen is much better than SGS3. But DNA screen looks totally different. 1080P is heaven if you are viewing right content. Sadly somehow you feel sense is not making use of the real estate available. Specially those who have good vision and can live with smaller font or rather smaller icons / more grid lines as an option would have been nice. But thats fine. Nothing major. Sure someone will make a rom that will implement this down the line.
1080P and games that scale properly look super nice on this phone. But playing games with on screen controls is better experience on Note 2 thanks to bigger display. But I dont game much these days, not heavy gaming for sure. Just some 2d time pass games or sudoku, puzzle or jetpack joyride etc..
But the huge battery, and S-Pen make it much better productivity device. And I do have large hands.
I am totally in love with Note 2. I dont think that will change. It is better, more productive device at this stage of its development. But if you have problems with Note 2 size, DNA is definitely next best thing right now.
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Awesome! I already had the SGS 1 and 2. I then followed suit and bought the SGS 3. The phone was way too similar to the SGS 1 and 2. I got bored of it extremely fast, which was a first for me in a long time. I decided to flash a Samsung based ROM with AOSP apps, which I thought was pretty good for about a day and then flashed Paranoid, CM10.1 and AOKP over the next couple of weeks. I eventually just got sick of the look and feel of the device being too familiar to me.
At this point the nexus was the 1 and only phone for me....... I first thought. After using it for a while it didn't seem like the screen was even any bigger than even my SGS 2 as it loses so much screen real estate because of the OSKeys and it certainly didn't feel like an upgrade from the SGS 3, besides the fact it was extremely polished and fast being vanilla.
However, the thermal throttling and screen size pushed me away (Not to mention I was scared about the resell value if it eventually does come back in stock). So naturally I starting looking at the Note 2 (Which mind you is fantastic, but after using my friends over a weekend, I just found it to be so much like the SGS 1,2,3 in design and feel, with that same familiar Samsung feeling. Also it was very hard for me to handle while doing my day to day tasks. I did have a final play with it at the shops and it really just felt too strange to handle.
I am now taking a gamble on the DNA but oh well, it is selling in Australia for a lot more so I know if I want to resell it I won't lose any money! The screen looks brill and the muscle car chassis is dangerously gorgeous. I have never liked HTC phone after my previous attempts but fk it. At least I can give a complete comparison to others later on
Honestly, all of this fuss just for a phone which I will most likely sell to buy an Xperia Z or another 5"1080p phone by the second half of this year with perhaps the Adreno 330 or perhaps a comeback by Tegra? Who knows what the year will bring. All I know is their is a lot of competition that has yet to arrive from Sony, Oppo, Motorola, Acer, Asus.... and so on!
P.S It was refreshing to actually see some movement in the thread!
bartoloandre98 said:
For development i say buy nexus.I had HTC desire and since then HTC changed, became a locked garden, Devs are moving away from HTC scene. However if you feel the need of some htc sense candy(i sometimes miss it) ,it is another story but i always flash an aosp rom usually so sense is kinda waste for me.Experience also thought me that software support is far supurior as opposed to a slight asvantage in hardware.Just my 2c though, it is your money and you decide how to us it at the end of the day
________________________________
I threw cm 10.1 off a rock and the rock broke.
Solid
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Hey bart. Been a while mate. I don't think we have spoken since my fantastic post about the history of CheckROM and it's developers.
As for the N4, Been there already man. I loved the Nexus 4 for that pure clean experience. Above is my reasoning as to why I chose to leave it.
Oh god lol how can i forget that checkrom thread i still remember ur posts
Hehe k ,i suggest u look also at xperia z but,about tegra... i think you know how exynos is fked up in terms of supportthe grass at the tegra department is not greener
________________________________
I threw cm 10.1 off a rock and the rock broke.
Solid
bartoloandre98 said:
Oh god lol how can i forget that checkrom thread i still remember ur posts
Hehe k ,i suggest u look also at xperia z but,about tegra... i think you know how exynos is fked up in terms of supportthe grass at the tegra department is not greener
________________________________
I threw cm 10.1 off a rock and the rock broke.
Solid
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Click to collapse
Yeah well the grass is never greener If you read my long boring post above from start to finish you would have seen me mention the Xperia Z near the end of the thesis
I am now again looking at buying the Droid DNA due to being screwed around by previous seller! I wanted to ask this: Everywhere seems to state that the Droid DNA is network unlocked. Is this true? If it is then why are people sometimes stating on eBay that only GSM will work and no DATA outside of Verizon and the US! (I live in Australia and this is obviously important)
I am seriously getting so confused because of mixed seller listings. Some people say it is factory unlocked and some people say it is locked to Verizon. What is the deal? Also if the phone has a bad ESN or they fail to make a payment later on down the track and it does become bad, does this mean it will stop working in Australia or is it solely based around US and Verizon in general?
About the seller on eBay, I have now been refunded my money for my recent transaction. The seller did not mention that the device didn't come with it's box, instructions, charger etc. He also has no intention of mentioning it because he has relisted it without even indicating it. He is just trying to get an international buyer to deal with it is my guess. It was just a handset and a case. Very misleading, I am lucky that I confirmed with him just before he was selling it. It was one of those buy it nows that need to be paid upfront.
Thanks guys
i absolutely love my atrix but time has taken its toll and my screen has finally cracked (badly) and its starting to loose sensitivity on the screen
Im looking for for a cheap new android phone thats as fast as or faster than the atrix but with a better camera at the price budget of around £140 secondhand, i may even buy another atrix..
does anyone have some suggestions?
Pixelguy said:
i absolutely love my atrix but time has taken its toll and my screen has finally cracked (badly) and its starting to loose sensitivity on the screen
Im looking for for a cheap new android phone thats as fast as or faster than the atrix but with a better camera at the price budget of around £140 secondhand, i may even buy another atrix..
does anyone have some suggestions?
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Saw an Atrix HD couple of days ago (was it on Amazon or eBay, I forgot), around £130-150 I think. No contracts etc~
If I were you, I'd look like a Galaxy Nexus, but that's just me. One thing I've learned is that from now on, I'm only getting nexus devices. (Waiting on the next nexus to get a new phone for myself)
Depends on your budget but if you can afford it buy a nexus 4. Hordes of roms to try and developer support will be much better than the atrix. I still use my atrix 4g as a test dummy.
Sent from my HTC Velocity 4G using Tapatalk 4 beta
I would definitely not buy another atrix. I cracked my screen terrible a year ago and I've kept using it, but now the WiFi chip has burnt out. This is common problem with the atrix and happens with age. This combined with bug ridden ICS support and the fact that google will be releasing 4.3 soon, I believe it's time to move on.
Personally I'd wait until the new line of nexus-based products hits the UK. On June 26th the S4, and HTC One nexus versions are coming out in US and shortly after to the UK. You'll see a crapload of people dumping their old phones for resale when this happens. Just wait a couple weeks and you'll spot some deals. And you'll definitely see used Nexus 4 prices hit within your budget.
Hey all,
Last week I decided to give Sprint and the iPhone 5 a go.
I don't recommend either.
So I'm back with Verizon, still have unlimited data (never actually cancelled just in case!), and I'm looking for an upgrade to the Galaxy Nexus, off-contract.
I'd like to get an HTC device, all I really want is Sense, SD Card support (coming from the GalNex, I really miss that), and I mean, decent specs. I obviously don't want to drop $300-400 on a phone that won't support Android 4.3 (yes, I know no one knows the answer to that FOR SURE, but I mean... ).
I also looked at the DNA, but its off-contract prices are STILL through the roof, plus, I like that the Dinc 4G LTE has a smaller screen size, I think the 4.7" on the GalNex was too big for me and not worth the battery woes.
So without further adieu, what do you guys think?
jimmyco2008 said:
Hey all,
Last week I decided to give Sprint and the iPhone 5 a go.
I don't recommend either.
So I'm back with Verizon, still have unlimited data (never actually cancelled just in case!), and I'm looking for an upgrade to the Galaxy Nexus, off-contract.
I'd like to get an HTC device, all I really want is Sense, SD Card support (coming from the GalNex, I really miss that), and I mean, decent specs. I obviously don't want to drop $300-400 on a phone that won't support Android 4.3 (yes, I know no one know's the answer to that FOR SURE, but I mean... ).
I also looked at the DNA, but its off-contract prices are STILL through the roof, plus, I like that the Dinc 4G LTE has a smaller screen size, I think the 4.7" on the GalNex was too big for me and not worth the battery woes.
So without further adieu, what do you guys think?
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Got mine mint at us160 on eBay, looks like new, decent phone and great price, also about android 4.3, it will be minor update like 4.2 so I guess we will probably get it too with cyanogen
Sent from my ADR6410LVW using xda app-developers app
jose51197 said:
Got mine mint at us160 on eBay, looks like new, decent phone and great price, also about android 4.3, it will be minor update like 4.2 so I guess we will probably get it too with cyanogen
Sent from my ADR6410LVW using xda app-developers app
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$160 used though, right? I'm trying to stick to new if prices permit.
jimmyco2008 said:
$160 used though, right? I'm trying to stick to new if prices permit.
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I got mine, new for $250, via XDA marketplace when it still existed. This was back in November last year, if I remember correctly. You should easily get it reasonably cheaper than that off contract. But I dunno where to find new ones of these off contract at those prices. Most online places will probably only have used or kinda used ones. But keep hunting and you should get good prices.
litetaker said:
I got mine, new for $250, via XDA marketplace when it still existed. This was back in November last year, if I remember correctly. You should easily get it reasonably cheaper than that off contract. But I dunno where to find new ones of these off contract at those prices. Most online places will probably only have used or kinda used ones. But keep hunting and you should get good prices.
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I see a cell phone seller on eBay that has like 50 Dinc LTEs (sold like 15) for around $250, classic "New but we opened them", seems reasonable, I paid $350 for the Galaxy Nexus new not even a year ago (October 2012).
Does it have that lanyard loop thing like the original Dinc had?
Also, how's the battery life? I had the Thunderbolt and the original Dinc, HTC never gave their phones good batteries, at least up through 2011. I'm not up to date on this...
And can anyone explain the Inductive Charging situation? Does the Dinc LTE have it, does it need a special cover?
jimmyco2008 said:
Does it have that lanyard loop thing like the original Dinc had?
Also, how's the battery life? I had the Thunderbolt and the original Dinc, HTC never gave their phones good batteries, at least up through 2011. I'm not up to date on this...
And can anyone explain the Inductive Charging situation? Does the Dinc LTE have it, does it need a special cover?
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I don't think it has a lanyard loop. I can't find one. I can't compare the battery life of the Dinc4G with any other 4G phone as it is my first but I think it is fair to say that I get very similar battery life as I did with my Dinc2 which was a 3G only phone. All thanks to the Snapdragon 4 which are more frugal with LTE. But then again, I am a pretty light user so don't take my word as final. On a relatively light-moderate usage (music, talk, gps for tracking my running and occasionally gps for navigation) I get a days worth of battery. I leave my phone on 4G most of the time, even if I have wifi and it doesn't kill the battery at all. It hardly uses any in downtime.
Inductive charging needs a special back cover. It adds to the thickness. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDZuCyadpZs Never tried it and your mileage may vary.
jimmyco2008 said:
$160 used though, right? I'm trying to stick to new if prices permit.
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yes used, all in perfect shape, the seller had it on a case all the time and was used only 2 weeks so i was very lucky, however i can still find some used incredibles on ebay for the same price, i won mine on a auction
I can't believe people actually prefer Sense. I mean, I know people's opinions differ, but pure JellyBean is just so...nice...Out of curiousity, what do you prefer about Sense over stock android?
I want to get the Moto X phone coming out. The specs aren't amazing, but it's got a pretty low price point too:
http://www.popherald.com/news/20130721/motorola/google-x-phone-leaked-white-model.php
somerandomname1 said:
I can't believe people actually prefer Sense. I mean, I know people's opinions differ, but pure JellyBean is just so...nice...Out of curiousity, what do you prefer about Sense over stock android?
I want to get the Moto X phone coming out. The specs aren't amazing, but it's got a pretty low price point too:
http://www.popherald.com/news/20130721/motorola/google-x-phone-leaked-white-model.php
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I was thinking about the Moto X, too, but I was thrown astray by the whole "lack of expandable storage" thing. I already have a Pure Google phone, I don't want another.
I've always had a soft spot for Sense. Ignoring the features and the useful widgets (HTC Sync for iTunes music syncing and fullscreen widgets), it just looks better than AOSP IMO... But I mean, with the Galaxy Nexus, AOSP/Vanilla has been my ONLY option, so I guess I'm a little tired of it.
jimmyco2008 said:
I was thinking about the Moto X, too, but I was thrown astray by the whole "lack of expandable storage" thing. I already have a Pure Google phone, I don't want another.
I've always had a soft spot for Sense. Ignoring the features and the useful widgets (HTC Sync for iTunes music syncing and fullscreen widgets), it just looks better than AOSP IMO... But I mean, with the Galaxy Nexus, AOSP/Vanilla has been my ONLY option, so I guess I'm a little tired of it.
Click to expand...
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The grass is always greener on the other side. The key advantage of a Nexus phone is timely support, though you can kiss that goodbye on Verizon. Even the Galaxy Nexus suffered horrendous waiting times for updates to roll out. I do like the Sense aesthetic to some extent, but then it does get in the way in other areas. If I were to honestly rate Sense 4.1 to AOSP 4.x and above, I say the vanilla Android has the upper hand. Granted it may seem sparse at places but it is consistent and doesn't have certain annoying features you may find on Sense. I assure you you'll get tired of sense too... But more importantly you'll start to get frustrated by lack of support, lack of kernel source leading to buggy CMs. Luckily that is not yet a major issue and we thankfully have a very stable CM 10.1.2 on 3.0.x kernel...
Speaking of Motorola X, who cares of those cutting edge specs? I used to be naive to think more is better and keep running for the best specs. But you know what, I don't care anymore. All these tech blogs care about is bleeding edge tech despite how little a majority of us need it. And they brainwash us into wasting money upgrading phones while the current phone is more than serviceable. I don't find the Moto X to have subpar specs, and for that price off-contract, that is a freaking amazing phone. I just don't know why we can't have decent 4"/4.3" phones anymore. Remember when phones were compact and all? Are these OEMs seriously planning to push the boundaries and make phones as big as the Nexus 7 in a few years? Sheesh. I am trying my best to avoid that road, but I think there aren't any decent 4"/4.3" phones anymore
Amen. I was content with the Droid Incredible, but then LTE happened, and I got the closest thing to it with LTE, the Thunderbolt. I recall the whole kernel source problem, I wish HTC would just release the source with the RUU (do RUUs still exist?).
Anyway, I looked at the Moto X rumors... It's interesting with the made in USA and customizability, but I don't want a phone that size, I want SD card support, easy sync with iTunes on a Mac (Doubletwist or HTC Sync, but neither support a Nexus or Moto phone with MTP), and support for Beats headphones in-line buttons and mic (I'm assuming...).
I wish it was cheaper than $250 new though, especially since the Moto X is supposed to be around $199 new off-contract (allegedly...hmm that seems fishy though).
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