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I don't know if this is the proper place to ask this but i can't find definite answer anywhere.
When is the moto E coming to canada specifically ontario? Most sites I looked at say late june. well here we are in very late june and nothing listed anywhere. I want to buy one unlocked without contract as I will be using it both in canada and US.
My current phone (HTC Desire C) is killing itself
I have tossed between buying verizon Moto z or x pure. Saying price is not an issue. I will use it in T-Mobile. Many said x pure is a better phone than z? Is it true?
I don't use verizon, does z have all GSM bands? can I do firmware update using computer when verizon has new firmware come up?
Any comments are welcome.
The verizon Moto Z does not have all GSM bands. If using it on Tmobile, I would say get the Moto X Pure, despite having 'lesser' specs than the Z. Band 12 is important for Tmobile, and the Verizon Moto Z does not have band 12 support.
ccheung said:
I have tossed between buying verizon Moto z or x pure. Saying price is not an issue. I will use it in T-Mobile. Many said x pure is a better phone than z? Is it true?
I don't use verizon, does z have all GSM bands? can I do firmware update using computer when verizon has new firmware come up?
Any comments are welcome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Z is a much better phone. The AMOLED screen on the Z looks better and works better with Moto Display. The battery life on both phones is crappy but at least with the Z you have the option to use a battery mod. Really, the only advantages the X has are the headphone jack and front facing speakers. The Z has a fingerprint sensor, Mods, and will likely get the next major Android version.
There is no reason to buy the Verizon version (Droid model) to use on T-Mobile when there is an unlocked version readily available. The unlocked version has all the frequencies you need.
https://www.motorola.com/us/products/moto-z#Specifications
Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
Moto Z is the best
ccheung said:
I have tossed between buying verizon Moto z or x pure. Saying price is not an issue. I will use it in T-Mobile. Many said x pure is a better phone than z? Is it true?
I don't use verizon, does z have all GSM bands? can I do firmware update using computer when verizon has new firmware come up?
Any comments are welcome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi ccheung,
The Moto Z is a better mobile than Moto X Pure. Moto Z has a better processor, more RAM, a good camera, a better display, and so on.
The Moto X Pure is still an excellent mobile, and will likely be a lot cheaper now that the Moto Z is on the scene. If you can afford it, however, you’re most likely going to want to go for the Moto Z.
Thanks
motorolaservicecenterchennai co in
The better choice is obviously the newer phone, especially in its unlocked form.
But if flashing custom firmware is your thing, the Moto X is actually the better bet as there's an active dev community for it. The Moto Z's dev community is still rather quiet.
Somebody asked me a question in a PM which is worth discussing. My answer is easy -- LG V30. But my priorities may differ from others, so the answer may be different for you.
melihcarter said:
I wanna ask your opinion about something... I really like v30, have been planning buying it but since it's almost 2018 and G7 should be around the corner. What would you say? Get V30 or wait little longer for G7?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LG V30 or 2018 LG G7?
I would choose the LG V30.
FIRST, it has all the specs (except for front facing stereo speakers) I desire in a phone.
OK, maybe it could have more RAM, maybe an LED notification light, maybe a slightly larger battery (even though this one is getting good reviews). But the LG V30 hits most of the boxes I wanted:
Qi wireless charging (which I have now),
1440p OLED display (which I have now),
at least 64GB internal memory (which I have now),
headset jack (which I have now) +
Snapdragon 835 (which is a next gen gigabit LTE chipset) and
high IP rating (which is requisite now for 2017 top-tier smartphones). Those that don't have that -- cough -- Essential, OnePlus are pretenders.
Even though I have a 2014 Moto XT1225, thanks to the stellar specs it had, it really kept pace with phones through 2015 and 2016. (Snapdragon 805, 3GB RAM, 64GB internal memory, 3900 mAh battery, 1440p AMOLED display, Qi wireless charging, 21MP rear camera, 3.5mm headset jack).
Sure, each year brought iterative CPU updates, but only with the 2017 phones was there a feeling I needed to update. A lot of it was cumulative: stuff like fingerprint sensors, more RAM, and high IP ratings which became common (Motorola, Samsung, LG, Pixel, even iPhone). But suddenly with Snapdragon 835 was there a real "next gen" difference not only in computing speed but also LTE download speeds.
But I didn't want to give up what I already had. Qi wireless charging was my line in the sand. Laugh at that, but it's a real convenience for me and my wife.
Point is, the LG V30 is the first phone that makes me want it as bad as the when I bought three of the 2014 Moto XT1225 phones. (I bought two for me and my wife and later bought a 3rd for emergency backup purposes.)
SECOND, why not the LG G7? Won't it be better than the LG V30?
1) Tell me how it will be better?
Front facing stereo speakers would pique my interest. Yes, more RAM would be nice.
Yes, it will probably have Snapdragon 845, but that's just an iterative update -- much like the Snapdragon 820/821. The Snapdragon 835 was the "next gen" chipset (in manufacturing process, CPU speed and LTE speed). 845 will be a slight improvement, but not earth shattering.
2) But, did you see how LG screwed up the release of the LG G6?
I don't trust them to do any better with the LG G7. They will have a nice phone "on paper" but somehow manage to mess it up.
The real problem with the LG G6 was the STUPID regionalized specs scheme.
Want more than 32GB internal storage? Only some of the Asian variants had that.
Want Quad DAC? Out of luck if you live in Europe or U.S.
Want Qi wireless charging? Better move to the U.S.!
WHY? I want more storage, better audio AND Qi wireless -- but there was no LG G6 with ALL the specs. The U.S. unlocked and European unlocked did also qualify for official bootloader unlock, but those were limited to 32GB models only. And the U.S. was the only LG G6 sold world-wide that had Qi wireless. Yes, they all have microSD card expansion -- but only the Asian models had 64GB internal memory + microSD card and then even fewer Asian models had Quad DAC. NONE of the the "better" LG G6 was on the bootloader unlock list, and NONE had "all" the specs.
LG had a winning phone on paper, but they cut that paper up and shipped it to various parts of the world. You could not tape it all back together to get the FANTASTIC phone that could have competed with the Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+. (Plus, it used "last year's Snapdragon 821.)
Only with the LG G6 Plus (which was NOT bigger, just had more specs) -- released MONTHS later as a follow-up to the LG G6 -- did LG include quad DAC and more storage for ALL countries where it was sold. It was the LG G6 they should have sold in the first place! The mid-year LG G6 Plus (South Korean edition) was the phone LG should have released at the BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.
BUT even then, only the South Korea LG G6 Plus also had Qi wireless charging -- but NOT the European LG G6 Plus or Taiwan variant or others. WHY? (Apparently the LG G6 Plus was not released in U.S. markets officially.) And the super-duper South Korea LG G6 Plus was not on the official bootloader unlock list. NONE of the LG G6 Plus are on the bootloader unlock list.
Also by this time (mid year 2017) when the LG G6 Plus was released, there was no excuse not to have Snapdragon 835. The South Korea LG G6 Plus (with Qi wireless charging, quad DAC, 64GB memory) was the phone LG should have released back in the beginning to the ENTIRE WORLD. At that point (early 2017, with the LG G6) they were beating Samsung to market and had to go with last year's Snapdragon 821. Even with "last year's" Snapdragon (which the Pixel XL also has), at the point in time (early 2017) the LG G6 Plus would have been a winner.
Instead they released parts of the phone to various parts of the world as various crippled flavors of LG G6, then later released the LG G6 Plus -- which not only made LG G6 buyers feel STUPID (they should have waited for the BETTER phone)... but then LG then still didn't fix the "last year" Snapdragon issue. Who is going to pay NEW prices for a Snapdragon 821 phone in mid-2017, MONTHS after other phones with Snapdragon 835 is on the market?
The mid-2017 LG G6 Plus should have had Snapdragon 835, and Qi wireless for all countries, as well as bootloader unlock at least for U.S. and Europe (like the LG G6). Maybe LG felt that would step on the release of the LG V30, but so what? It would have made amends for their very idiotic "regionalization" specs scheme for the LG G6 at the beginning of the year. Also, the LG V30 has AMOLED with a bigger display, so they would not have been identical phones.
OK, rant over about the LG G6 -- but LG has said over and over that now with the "V" series, the "G" series is no longer their premier phone. And how they treated the G6 really proved that point. I'm afraid they will do the same with the G7, and you would say, "I should have gotten the LG V30".
I think LG's attitude is wrong. I think they should release TWO top tier flagship phones per year, like Samsung does.
THIRD, bootloader unlock and root.
For the LG G6, LG did not release the "open market" variants (which are eligible for bootloader unlock) until several weeks later, and only placed them on bootloader unlock list in June 2017. June 30, for the LG G6 US997, practically July 1!
Already I'm waiting until DECEMBER for the LG V30 US998, and hoping it will be placed on the bootloader unlock list by the end of the year. But could be even January 2018.
For those who don't care about root and buy from carrier stores, this third point may not matter. You'll have your LG G7 by March 2018. For those who care about specs, you can always order from South Korea -- but you'll pay full price. Unless LG messes up again and waits to release the "super duper" spec "LG G7 Plus" in mid-2018.... even the one from South Korea -- like they did with the LG G6 Plus.
CONCLUSION
So, even though the G7 will have some slight improvements, I'm afraid LG will mess it up with stupid "regionalized" specs scheme again. Even if they don't, still the version that I want (open market) would probably not be available until mid-year.
Maybe they should wait for the V40... or the G8... or the V50... or the G9.....
CHH2 said:
Maybe they should wait for the V40... or the G8... or the V50... or the G9.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At some point you have to jump into the river and swim.
I used to upgrade every year. 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. Phones that were obviously better, faster, had more features I wanted. LG phones, Nexus phones, and basically the smaller version of the Moto Nexus 6.
The 2014 Moto XT1225 is the longest period I've owned a phone to use as daily driver.
I even briefly owned a 2015 LG G4 I won in a launch contest, but sold it because I still loved my 2014 Moto XT1225.
I've also worked on family members and friends' newer phones (LG, Samsung), but still liked my phone better.
Only with the 2017 LG V30, I'm about to jump back in again.
Thank you friend
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ChazzMatt said:
Somebody asked me a question in a PM which is worth discussing. My answer is easy -- LG V30. But my priorities may differ from others, so the answer may be different for you.
LG V30 or 2018 LG G7?
I would choose the LG V30.
FIRST, it has all the specs (except for front facing stereo speakers) I desire in a phone.
OK, maybe it could have more RAM, maybe an LED notification light, maybe a slightly larger battery (even though this one is getting good reviews). But the LG V30 hits most of the boxes I wanted:
Qi wireless charging (which I have now),
1440p OLED display (which I have now),
at least 64GB internal memory (which I have now),
headset jack (which I have now) +
Snapdragon 835 (which is a next gen gigabit LTE chipset) and
high IP rating (which is requisite now for 2017 top-tier smartphones). Those that don't have that -- cough -- Essential, OnePlus are pretenders.
Even though I have a 2014 Moto XT1225, thanks to the stellar specs it had, it really kept pace with phones through 2015 and 2016. (Snapdragon 805, 3GB RAM, 64GB internal memory, 3900 mAh battery, 1440p AMOLED display, Qi wireless charging, 21MP rear camera, 3.5mm headset jack).
Sure, each year brought iterative CPU updates, but only with the 2017 phones was there a feeling I needed to update. A lot of it was cumulative: stuff like fingerprint sensors, more RAM, and high IP ratings which became common (Motorola, Samsung, LG, Pixel, even iPhone). But suddenly with Snapdragon 835 was there a real "next gen" difference not only in computing speed but also LTE download speeds.
But I didn't want to give up what I already had. Qi wireless charging was my line in the sand. Laugh at that, but it's a real convenience for me and my wife.
Point is, the LG V30 is the first phone that makes me want it as bad as the when I bought three of the 2014 Moto XT1225 phones. (I bought two for me and my wife and later bought a 3rd for emergency backup purposes.)
SECOND, why not the LG G7? Won't it be better than the LG V30?
1) Tell me how it will be better?
Front facing stereo speakers would pique my interest. Yes, more RAM would be nice.
Yes, it will probably have Snapdragon 845, but that's just an iterative update -- much like the Snapdragon 820/821. The Snapdragon 835 was the "next gen" chipset (in manufacturing process, CPU speed and LTE speed). 845 will be a slight improvement, but not earth shattering.
2) But, did you see how LG screwed up the release of the LG G6?
I don't trust them to do any better with the LG G7. They will have a nice phone "on paper" but somehow manage to mess it up.
The real problem with the LG G6 was the STUPID regionalized specs scheme.
Want more than 32GB internal storage? Only some of the Asian variants had that.
Want Quad DAC? Out of luck if you live in Europe or U.S.
Want Qi wireless charging? Better move to the U.S.!
WHY? I want more storage, better audio AND Qi wireless -- but there was no LG G6 with ALL the specs. The U.S. unlocked and European unlocked did also qualify for official bootloader unlock, but those were limited to 32GB models only. And the U.S. was the only LG G6 sold world-wide that had Qi wireless. Yes, they all have microSD card expansion -- but only the Asian models had 64GB internal memory + microSD card and then even fewer Asian models had Quad DAC. NONE of the the "better" LG G6 was on the bootloader unlock list, and NONE had "all" the specs.
LG had a winning phone on paper, but they cut that paper up and shipped it to various parts of the world. You could not tape it all back together to get the FANTASTIC phone that could have competed with the Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+. (Plus, it used "last year's Snapdragon 821.)
Only with the LG G6 Plus (which was NOT bigger, just had more specs) -- released MONTHS later as a follow-up to the LG G6 -- did LG include quad DAC and more storage for ALL countries where it was sold. It was the LG G6 they should have sold in the first place! The mid-year LG G6 Plus (South Korean edition) was the phone LG should have released at the BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.
BUT even then, only the South Korea LG G6 Plus also had Qi wireless charging -- but NOT the European LG G6 Plus or Taiwan variant or others. WHY? (Apparently the LG G6 Plus was not released in U.S. markets officially.) And the super-duper South Korea LG G6 Plus was not on the official bootloader unlock list. NONE of the LG G6 Plus are on the bootloader unlock list.
Also by this time (mid year 2017) when the LG G6 Plus was released, there was no excuse not to have Snapdragon 835. The South Korea LG G6 Plus (with Qi wireless charging, quad DAC, 64GB memory) was the phone LG should have released back in the beginning to the ENTIRE WORLD. At that point (early 2017, with the LG G6) they were beating Samsung to market and had to go with last year's Snapdragon 821. Even with "last year's" Snapdragon (which the Pixel XL also has), at the point in time (early 2017) the LG G6 Plus would have been a winner.
Instead they released parts of the phone to various parts of the world as various crippled flavors of LG G6, then later released the LG G6 Plus -- which not only made LG G6 buyers feel STUPID (they should have waited for the BETTER phone)... but then LG then still didn't fix the "last year" Snapdragon issue. Who is going to pay NEW prices for a Snapdragon 821 phone in mid-2017, MONTHS after other phones with Snapdragon 835 is on the market?
The mid-2017 LG G6 Plus should have had Snapdragon 835, and Qi wireless for all countries, as well as bootloader unlock at least for U.S. and Europe (like the LG G6). Maybe LG felt that would step on the release of the LG V30, but so what? It would have made amends for their very idiotic "regionalization" specs scheme for the LG G6 at the beginning of the year. Also, the LG V30 has AMOLED with a bigger display, so they would not have been identical phones.
OK, rant over about the LG G6 -- but LG has said over and over that now with the "V" series, the "G" series is no longer their premier phone. And how they treated the G6 really proved that point. I'm afraid they will do the same with the G7, and you would say, "I should have gotten the LG V30".
I think LG's attitude is wrong. I think they should release TWO top tier flagship phones per year, like Samsung does.
THIRD, bootloader unlock and root.
For the LG G6, LG did not release the "open market" variants (which are eligible for bootloader unlock) until several weeks later, and only placed them on bootloader unlock list in June 2017. June 30, for the LG G6 US997, practically July 1!
Already I'm waiting until DECEMBER for the US998, and hoping it will be placed on the bootloader unlock list by the end of the year. But could be even January 2018.
So, even though the G7 will have some slight improvements, I'm afraid LG will mess it up. Even if they don't, still the version that I want (open market) would probably not be available until mid-year.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No offense but, your write up seems like an awful lot of work to explain the common sense situation with every consumer decision everyone makes on...anything, ever. You could buy a phone....or wait because the next model could be better. You could buy a toaster...or wait because the next model could be better. That is literally the point..."things" we spend money on need to show they're "worthy" of our dollars so they have to come with slight "improvements" to wow us.....
Sent from my LG-H932 using Tapatalk
dc82 said:
No offense but, your write up seems like an awful lot of work to explain the common sense situation with every consumer decision everyone makes on...anything, ever. You could buy a phone....or wait because the next model could be better. You could buy a toaster...or wait because the next model could be better. That is literally the point..."things" we spend money on need to show their "worthy" of our dollars so they have to come with slight "improvements" to wow us.....
Sent from my LG-H932 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But with LG it's a little different. They treat the G series differently from the V, and that's been a recent development. The G series (Optimus G aka G1, G2, G3, G4) were the premier phone from LG. Some people still don't realize that LG executives have publicly stated over and over the V series is now the premier phone and the G series is for people who don't care about specs.
Just like since people don't realize T-Mobile is no longer dev-friendly!
The LG G7 will be announced in January, supposedly released in February. This is now mid-November. So, it's a real question, do I wait 2 or 3 months to buy the "newer" LG phone or buy now? Based on how LG thinks of the "G" series, I think buy now. Because the "newer" phone coming out is not LG's premier 2018 phone -- that will be the LG V40. They'll find SOME WAY to make sure the G7 is not "too good".
Even Samsung treats their Galaxy S/S+ more equally to Note series than LG does with G and V series. I know some people have disagreed with this opinion, but Samsung basically releases TWO premier phones per year -- S/S+ in early year, and then Note at end of year. There's enough industry movement in specs throughout the year (RAM, cameras, maybe newer CPUs) to justify that. What is the "norm" at the beginning of the year looks old by end of the year.
I will be very surprised if the G7 is substantially better than the LG V30. It won't have a 7th gen OLED display, they barely got the 6th gen up and running. It might have 6GB RAM, but I would bet they will regionalize that and give that to South Korea and no one else. It probably won't have front facing stereo speakers. IF they do what they did with the LG G6, some regions may have quad DAC, but others won't.
Maybe 128GB internal memory? That would be nice, but will ALL countries get that?
ChazzMatt said:
At some point you have to jump into the river and swim.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's pretty much what I was insinuating.
you could still wait an buy the v30 in February probably much cheaper, if the g7 is not what you wanted. and i guess they still mess up the release next time. so g7 in May/June...!?
Don't know what the point of this topic really is. OP does not own a V30 and nobody knows jack about the G7. Total personal if you want to spend budget now or wait till price drops or if the new phone will be better...
1979Sentinel said:
Don't know what the point of this topic really is. OP does not own a V30 and nobody knows jack about the G7. Total personal if you want to spend budget now or wait till price drops or if the new phone will be better...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The point is "Will the G7 be better than the V30"?
I know all about the V30, but I'm waiting for the dev version. (Besides extensive research, I have fondled several in stores.) I actually know about a lot of LG phones -- from either owning them or working on them (rooting, setting them up, maintaining) for friends.
And I know -- even if you don't seem to? -- LG's stated philosophy on the G series starting with the 2015 G4 is: "Don't make it 'too good'.
You don't have to know the specs of the LG G7. Last year the specs "on paper" of the G6 were great, but you couldn't buy an LG G6 with ALL the stated specs. LG regionalized the specs, so no one got a great phone.
So, the choice between the two phones is easy. The answer is easy.
How long you want to wait to buy the LG V30, for price drops, is personal choice.
ChazzMatt said:
The point is will the G7 be better than the V30?
I know all about the V30, but I'm waiting for the dev version. And I know -- even if you don't seem to? -- LG's stated philosophy on the G series. "Don't make it 'too good'.
You don't have to know the specs of the LG G7. Last year the specs "on paper" of the G6 were great, but you couldn't buy an LG G6 with ALL the stated specs. LG regionalized the specs, so no one got a great phone.
So, the choice between the two phones is easy.
How long you want to wait to buy the LG V30, for price drops, is personal choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do know the philosophy (don't make it personal as always, and yes I have stated you don't own a V30 yet, but that is a fact you mentioned yourself). But philosophy as well as strategy can be easily changed especially when you are fighting/competing and not being the best on a lot of subjects. I think by now they will be realizing that "Don't make it too good" is a stupid strategy and need to reevaluate G7 philosophy.
I think they are already making that strategy too much appearant on roll out plan over the world. Europe lot of countries still no V30
1979Sentinel said:
I do know the philosophy (don't make it personal as always, and yes I have stated you don't own a V30 yet, but that is a fact you mentioned yourself). But philosophy as well as strategy can be easily changed especially when you are fighting/competing and not being the best on a lot of subjects. I think by now they will be realizing that "Don't make it too good" is a stupid strategy and need to reevaluate G7 philosophy.
I think they are already making that strategy too much appearant on roll out plan over the world. Europe lot of countries still no V30
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not making it personal, but I explained in detail LG's G series philosophy. Stated publicly by LG themselves many times over the past couple of years, in a more polite way of course.
This article below alludes to it, but I read others where the reporter said "off the record" execs were very plain spoken.
https://www.androidcentral.com/lg-g6-shows-lgs-commitment-v-line
Therefore it seemed you still didn't seem to know it... per proof in your post saying no one knew the specs of the G7. My point clearly is we don't need to know the specs.
And yes, that philosophy NEEDS to change. Samsung doesn't do that with their Galaxy S/S+ models vs Note, and neither should LG with G vs V.
The G7 will be announced in Feb and go on sale in June.
justibasa said:
The G7 will be announced in Feb and go on sale in June.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Don't go rushing them in to a release date. They may need until August.
It won't be ready for prime time either. They will ship reviewers a 6 month old pre-production model and the first run will be buggy. By october you might see it at it's full potential.
They announced that g7 will be announced in March / May, lg is going back to drawing board for g7, don't know what happened but things don't look good
Sent from my LGM-V300K using Tapatalk
melihcarter said:
They announced that g7 will be announced in March / May, lg is going back to drawing board for g7, don't know what happened but things don't look good
Sent from my LGM-V300K using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What "happened" was last year's G6: Regionalized specs, extremely slow rollout is what happened -- coupled with "last year's" Snapdragon. They went with 821 to BEAT Samsung to market, and they didn't beat them to market because of slow rollout.
Other companies like HTC, Motorola were able to sell phones with 835 even after S8/S8+ was released.
So, LG is re-examining all their flawed business practices for the G series, including even the name.
They also need to preemptively place the open market flagship phones on their bootloader unlock list.
Sent from my official carrier unlocked LG V30+ US998
melihcarter said:
They announced that g7 will be announced in March / May, lg is going back to drawing board for g7, don't know what happened but things don't look good
Sent from my LGM-V300K using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The LG G7 is cancelled and will be replaced by some diffrent kind of line/model.
Source: https://www.androidcentral.com/lg-g7-video (watch the video)
If G7 was to follow the last year G6 model (release it fast but with "last years" SoC ) it make sense. LG is usually slow to release after announcing a phone and by the time the phone is out there are already rivals out with the newest SoC. The V30 already looks like 2017 flagship for LG ( what G7 should have been) repeating this business model does not make sense. I suppose we are still going to see one flagship from LG every year, but only one so no more G and V models) and the cycle will change probably released and hopefully available in summer. This is probably what the message says, competing with Samsung for an early release with no SoCs available does not make sense. the G7 was a mess, released in multiple variants with missing features and released with previous year's SoC . By the time they release the 128 GB version V30 was already announced which is a much better phone.
adit9989 said:
. the G6 was a mess, released in multiple variants with missing features and released with previous year's SoC . By the time they release the 128 GB version V30 was already announced which is a much better phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right. And that G6+ model released in July, still had Snapdragon 821.
Samsung manages to release two flagships per year. LG can do it too. But Samsung differentiates the Galaxy S/S+ series from the Note series while not demoting S/S+. Past couple of years, especially with the G6 it was as if LG didn't want to make it TOO GOOD. "Can't give everyone quad DAC or extra storage or Qi wireless charging. That would make it better than our V20." WHO CARES? Put the best phone out there you can.
Yes, the V30 is what the G6 SHOULD have been.
Now go out there and give us an even better one for whatever the G7 replacement is going to be. Make it better than the V30. I dare you.
Give it better selfie camera, slightly bigger battery, more RAM, stereo speakers. Give it dual cameras with one that can also do portrait mode via software.
Make the 2018 V40 team break out into a sweat. "How are we going to top that?"
Sent from my official carrier unlocked LG V30+ US998
I know the S9 and LG7 are just rumors and there's little news, but I'm looking for some insight into what's likely to happen based on previous releases and time frames.
The problem I'm currently having with buying the unlocked V30 now (after waiting a couple months for the actual release) is the Snapdragon 845 chipset in early 2018 as well as rumors of the S9 and LG7 releasing in January. While I'd rather not wait, I certainly can wait.
I want an unlocked phone with root (and a headphone jack) that's 100% compatible with Verizon. Based on the history of Samsung S8 (and previous) and LG G6 (and previous) how likely is it we'll get this in an S9 or LG7 at all (vs before February)?
I've had high hopes for the Razer Phone, Google Pixel 2 XL, S8 Active, One Plus 5T, etc, etc, etc.... all failed for various reasons like incomplete Verizon support, no headphone jacks, etc. It shouldn't be this complicated, ha.
So, any thoughts on the unlocked V30 now... or holding off (painfully, but maybe smartly) for an unlocked G7???
thank you.
teknomedic said:
So, any thoughts on the unlocked V30 now... or holding off (painfully, but maybe smartly) for an unlocked G7???
thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You'll be waiting a long time. G6 unlocked finally was released in May, but not placed on the LG Developer Bootloader Unlock list until well into June for the European unlocked version. Was June 29 (practically JULY) for the North American US997.
Oh, LG will ANNOUNCE G7 in January or February. For CARRIERS. But to get an unlocked open market version in your hands and get it on the LG Developer Bootloader Unlock list? Mid-June to July.
Look at the V30. ANNOUNCED August 31. North America carrier unlocked V30 version (not even V30+ yet) shipped December 1, and hopefully placed on the LG Developer Bootloader Unlock list by end of the year.
For some reason, LG S-T-RE-T-C-H-E-S it out. They can't just announce a phone and release it.
ChazzMatt said:
You'll be waiting a long time. G6 unlocked was released in May, but not placed on the LG Developer Bootloader Unlock list until well into June for the European unlocked version. Was June 29 (practically JULY) for the North American US997.
Oh, they'll ANNOUNCE G7 in January or February. For CARRIERS. But to get an unlocked open market version in your hands and get it on the LG Developer Bootloader Unlock list? Mid-June to July.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you... that's exactly the kind of info I was looking for. I don't follow phone hardware unless I'm looking to buy and since I only buy every 2-3 years I suck on following the trends and history of what actually happens.
I suspected that would be the case, oh well. V30 it most likely is then.
EDIT... since I have you online... the unlocked V30 from B&H supports every Verizon band for LTE and CDMA yes? Just double checking if you happen to know.
teknomedic said:
I know the S9 and LG7 are just rumors and there's little news, but I'm looking for some insight into what's likely to happen based on previous releases and time frames.
The problem I'm currently having with buying the unlocked V30 now (after waiting a couple months for the actual release) is the Snapdragon 845 chipset in early 2018 as well as rumors of the S9 and LG7 releasing in January. While I'd rather not wait, I certainly can wait.
I want an unlocked phone with root (and a headphone jack) that's 100% compatible with Verizon. Based on the history of Samsung S8 (and previous) and LG G6 (and previous) how likely is it we'll get this in an S9 or LG7 at all (vs before February)?
I've had high hopes for the Razer Phone, Google Pixel 2 XL, S8 Active, One Plus 5T, etc, etc, etc.... all failed for various reasons like incomplete Verizon support, no headphone jacks, etc. It shouldn't be this complicated, ha.
So, any thoughts on the unlocked V30 now... or holding off (painfully, but maybe smartly) for an unlocked G7???
thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why did 5T failed for you?
I kinda have a similar internal struggle right now xD
My current OnePlus 2 still works fine, especially with all those Oreo ROMs now, but... I kinda wanna have something new, yet I should safe more money (poor student problems lol).
And i dont wanna "waste" my money on a phone thats completly locked down, or has barely any support (had that with the G Pro, was kinda.... meh, even though it was a really great phone actually, but barely any devs there), and we dont know that for sure yet about the V30...
It also doesnt kinda "fullfill" all of the things i have on my wishlist for my next phone (like a metal back, USB 3.0/3.1 Gen 1 or Gen 2).
And then... with the rumors of the Galaxy S9 and LG G7 maybe be announced in January with the Snapdragon 845... feels a bit like i would buy an outdated phone (by the time the US version also gets its unlocked bootloader, and the community starts to build ROMs and so xD)
Edit: And with my "new" carrier here for mobile internet, my phones missing LTE Band 20 (have the chinese oneplus 2, which doesnt support that, and unlocking didnt work :/)
And dont forget Project Treble... which would also be nice xD
Deadeye* said:
Why did 5T failed for you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
doesn't support Verizon CDMA, also no waterproofing (not required, but nice bonus for my line of work)
http://www.androidguys.com/2017/11/21/fyi-the-oneplus-5t-wont-work-well-on-verizon-or-sprint/
teknomedic said:
So, any thoughts on the unlocked V30 now... or holding off (painfully, but maybe smartly) for an unlocked G7???
thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's said that LG7 with 845 may come in June at earliest due that Samsung not gonna give anybody first batches of 845 chip. So, if want 845 you'll end up buying S9 or wait for almost a year LOL
So what is everyone looking at to replace the v30 for 5g and beyond. Thx...
Maybe LG V60?
Wysłane z mojego LG-H930 przy użyciu Tapatalka
skretch said:
Maybe LG V60?
Wysłane z mojego LG-H930 przy użyciu Tapatalka
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Except LG V60 (allegedly flagship phone!) only has 1080p vs the QHD 1440p all LG flagship phones have had for years. I've had 1440p since 2014 Moto Quark and I'm NOT downgrading.
They did that for the stupid dual display gimmick, so resolution would match on both screens. Give me ONE good screen. I don't want two.
I use the HDMI out & MiraCast (not ChromeCast) on my V30 frequently. So I'd be looking for phones that could do both of those.
ChazzMatt said:
Except LG V60 (allegedly flagship phone!) only has 1080p vs the QHD 1440p all LG flagship phones have had for years. I've had 1440p since 2014 Moto Quark and I'm NOT downgrading.
They did that for the stupid dual display gimmick, so resolution would match on both screens. Give me ONE good screen. I don't want two.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see the 60Hz being a bigger fail. I got a Realme X2 Pro after my LG V30 and I'd take 1080p 90Hz over a 1440p 60Hz any day. Not to mention that this panel looks better than what my LG looked like with a grainy display (that honestly didn't bother me at all at the time, but this one looks much clearer).
adsubzero said:
I see the 60Hz being a bigger fail.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that too. In 2020 for flagship phone you need 1440p and more than 60Hz. Even the OnePlus Pro (which has so much stuff removed -- like headset jack, no microSD card) has 1440p and more than 60Hz.
I make fun of OnePlus for their misleading lies but in this one case they are giving better display than LG.
newbe1droidx said:
So what is everyone looking at to replace the v30 for 5g and beyond. Thx...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It depends on what aspects of LG V30 you liked and stuff that you didn't like.
For example if you liked wired audio, your choices are very limited.
Anyone hear about motorola one fusion plus?
Well, I'm a Verizon customer. The two I have been looking at on their website are the one plus 8 (they don't offer the pro) and the LG v60. Pluses and cons for both. The LG is about $50 more, so in the end, that might be the deciding factor. But, I'm not looking too seriously right now. It will still probably be awhile before I get a new one.
These are the two "flag ship" phones I have been looking at. Not really looking at the Motorola razor or the Samsung ones as they are both quite a bit more costly.
gimpy1 said:
Well, I'm a Verizon customer. The two I have been looking at on their website are the one plus 8 (they don't offer the pro) and the LG v60. Pluses and cons for both. The LG is about $50 more, so in the end, that might be the deciding factor. But, I'm not looking too seriously right now. It will still probably be awhile before I get a new one.
These are the two "flag ship" phones I have been looking at. Not really looking at the Motorola razor or the Samsung ones as they are both quite a bit more costly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you wait until next year -- after December 31, 2020 -- Verizon will drop CDMA and be LTE only. At that point, it might not matter so much if it's a "Verizon" phone or just a carrier unlocked phone.
For instance, the 2020 VERIZON Galaxy Galaxy S20 doesn't have a microSD card while all other variants (including Samsung's official carrier unlocked) does have microSD card. Why doesn't Verizon's? Allegedly because Verizon's 5G antennas are too bulky -- so they had to save space somewhere. But you STILL need a special case for the Verizon Galaxy S20, as it's not the same size as other carrier S20, even without microSD slot! Verizon also dropped RAM from 12GB to 8GB Did AT&T drop the microSD card and reduce RAM? They use the exact same flavor 5G as Verizon... Or is it because (for now) Verizon has CDMA, LTE, and G5 antennas? Well, next year they won't.
What’s likely happening here is that Samsung needed to figure out a way to bring mmWave support to the Verizon Galaxy S20 without increasing manufacturing costs too much. For whatever reason, it decided dropping the RAM amount by 4GB and ditching the microSD card slot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also don't be swayed by 5G claims. "mmWave" with higher frequencies -- the variant Verizon and AT&T are building out -- is aptly named. It basically can't even pass through a mm of glass window. T-mobile is building out lower frequency 5G which travels for longer distances but is like 200mbps instead of 500mbps. Still fast enough!
Point is, I don't care about 5G since it is going to drain battery life.
ChazzMatt said:
For instance, the 2020 VERIZON Galaxy Galaxy S20 doesn't have a microSD card while all other variants (including Samsung's official carrier unlocked) does have microSD card. Why doesn't Verizon's? Allegedly because Verizon's G5 antennas are too bulky -- so they had to save space somewhere. But you STILL need a special case for the Verizon Galaxy S20, as it's not the same size as other carrier S20, even without microSD slot! Verizon also dropped RAM from 12GB to 8GB Did AT&T drop the microSD card and reduce RAM? They use the exact same flavor G5 as Verizon... Or is it because (for now) Verizon has CDMA, LTE, and G5 antennas? Well, next year they won't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Verizon has a long storied history of procuring nerfed versions of smartphones, unfortunately. It's one of the many reasons I walked away from them. Great signal; horrible everything else.
Caffination said:
Verizon has a long storied history of procuring nerfed versions of smartphones, unfortunately. It's one of the many reasons I walked away from them. Great signal; horrible everything else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ditto. And they're also well known for lying and saying a phone won't work or isn't allowed on their network, even though you can take an activated SIM and drop it in with no problem (eg, my V30 H931 (originally) which runs fine with VS996 installed).
This is why I switched to Total Wireless. They don't play the dumb IMEI game that VZ does, you save money, and you still get VZ towers.
Caffination said:
Verizon has a long storied history of procuring nerfed versions of smartphones, unfortunately. It's one of the many reasons I walked away from them. Great signal; horrible everything else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, long storied history. Here's my Verizon story which covers 2014 - 2016 involving lying and nerfing...
1) Verizon lied about the 2014 Droid Turbo being global exclusive. It wasn't even exclusive device to Verizon in the U.S. and I proved it to the dismay of XDA Verizon fanbois.
2) In 2016, Verizon delayed giving Marshmallow update for six months while all other worldwide versions had that update, because 2014 Droid Turbo with Marshmallow was equal or better to all their other 2016 NEW phones Verizon were trying to sell. So, they nerfed the Droid Turbo until after the 2016 Q3/Q4 back-to-school and holiday sales had finished.
Here's the full story:
MOTO QUARK
I bought three of the 2014 Moto "Quark", which was the best phone of 2014, the smaller sibling of the Moto Nexus 6. Both designed by Google when they owned Motorola -- with almost identical specs except for size. Remember these were awesome specs in 2014: 3GB RAM, 5.2" 1440p OLED, Qi wireless charging, 21MP camera, 3900 mAh battery (Quark). Yes, Quark had 5.2" display, but back then phones were smaller and until that year, the Nexus model number had NOTHING to do with screen size. It was merely the generation number. 2011 Nexus 3 (4.65"), 2012 Nexus 4 (4.75") 2013 and Nexus 5 (4.95") were all almost 5". The 4.95" Nexus 5 (2013) was merely the 5TH Nexus -- had nothing to do with screen size. But for some reason, Google decided the 2014 Nexus 6 should be 6" because their Nexus 7 tablet was 7"...
Until August 2014, Google was testing TWO different versions for the 2014 Nexus -- the 5.2" and the 6". They ended up going with the 6" and the 5.2" was re-purposed to be the Moto Quark. Ironically, the smaller Moto Quark had a larger battery (3900 mAh) than the larger Moto Nexus 6.
But about that time, Google was selling Motorola to Lenovo. So, to blunt the the competition from a FANTASTIC phone to compete with Moto Nexus 6, Google/Lenovo decided to sell the Moto Quark under different model names in different regions, different carriers. Stupidity, personified. "Quark" is the series code name, like "Joan" is for the V30. We all started calling it that because it was the SAME phone series, just like for V30, a US998 is same phone as EU H930. Just different firmware and (maybe) bands.
DROID TURBO/MOTO TURBO/MOTO MAXX
However, not only were they all the same series (like our V30 US998 and H930), but TWO of Quark models were exact clones of each other. Even same FCC ID.
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Verizon's version was called Droid Turbo (XT1254). And it was identical in every way -- including same FCC number to the Moto Maxx (XT1250) sold by other U.S. (regional) carriers. Well identical in every way, except the Moto Maxx had Motorola sanctioned bootloader unlock, while the Verizon Droid Turbo did not. The Moto Maxx XT1250 even ran on Verizon with Verizon SIM card, because guess why? It had the exact same FCC number, and thus had identical bands, etc. To Verizon's network, it was indeed a "Droid Turbo". (I predicted this was possible, then users proved it.)
In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare said, "That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet."
So, the Moto Maxx XT1250 was basically the "Dev" version of the the Droid Turbo XT1254. Buy it, unlock bootloader, install TWRP, put in Verizon SIM card. You could even flash Verizon firmware if you wished. Much like our V30 US998 to VS996 Frankenstein. But remember this was back in 2014... Cross flashing Verizon FIRMWARE over XT1250 worked because it was ALREADY the same phone.
There was a 3rd Moto Quark (or 2nd if you count the XT1254/XT1250 clones as the same phone), called the XT1225. In India, this variant was sold as the "Moto Turbo (XT1225)." In Latin America, it was sold as Moto Maxx (XT1225). Yes, it had different bands from the Droid Turbo XT1254/Moto Maxx XT1250, but in a good way for me. It had no CDMA, but had extra LTE and HSPA bands, and had ALL the AT&T bands, including the new (at the time) LTE band 5. However, you could not buy this one in the U.S.
So, I bought three -- importing them from Puerto Rico and Mexico. Bootloader unlocked, rooted, ran CM 12.1 and LOS Revolution Remix ROMs. (No you couldn't cross flash XT1225 firwmare over XT1254/XT1250 or vice versa.)
XDA DRAMA
With these specs in 2014 (3GB RAM, 5.2" 1440p OLED, Qi wireless charging, 21MP camera, 3900 mAh battery) and the too huge size at the time of the Moto Nexus 6, I decided the Moto Quark was my best bet to upgrade from the 4.95" 1080p LG Nexus 5 with too-small battery.
With me, so far? OK.
Back then, XDA tended to segregate all models according to carriers. The T-mobile Galaxy Widget would be separate from the Sprint Galaxy Widget, which would be separate from the AT&T Galaxy Widget. SO, people would coming in to a forum would automatically assume THEIR carrier version was what people were talking about. (Back in 2017, also had this trouble initially with T-mobile H932 users even in this V30 forum. Coming from older phones, some users don't understand changes.) But in late 2014, XDA started lumping all the models together -- like this V30 forum is now. Except XDA mistakenly called it the "Droid Turbo" forum and wouldn't re-name it "Quark" forum -- even though ALL the variants were being discussed there.
Adding fuel to fire, Verizon LIED in all their release hype and claimed their Droid Turbo (XT1254) was a GLOBAL EXCLUSIVE. The device wasn't even exclusive to them in the U.S. much less the entire world. (U.S. XT1250 was identical device, ran on Verizon with Verizon SIM card and had easy bootloader unlock.)
"Droid" is a trademark owned by Verizon. They can call any phone a "Droid". So, technically yes the Droid Turbo was exclusive to Verizon. But the exact same phone (same FCC ID) was being sold by a dozen regional LTE/CDMA carriers under the "Moto Maxx" (XT1250) model name. I even provided links to those carriers where people could buy these Moto Maxx XT1250.
Once I pointed out this fact -- Verizon was LYING through their teeth, the XT1250 was not only the same phone as the Verizon Droid Turbo but in fact a better phone due to easy bootloader unlock, PAGES of heated arguments ensued. Ignorant Verizon fanbois didn't want to believe it. They wanted to believe Verizon had cornered the market on this FANTASTIC phone. They were grudgingly willing to believe perhaps other variants like Moto Turbo XT1225 (with different bands, different FCC ID) existed for OTHER countries, but BY GOLLY, ONLY Verizon had this phone in the U.S.! (How can you love a carrier that much, like they are God? Or believe carrier PR hype that much?)
If you know anything about electronics, same FCC ID number carries weight of law due to the ADA law for handicaps/disabilities. Your company can fined by the U.S Government and be sued in class action lawsuit for millions of dollars if you mis-identify the characteristics of an electronic communication device, which is identified by the FCC number. You can call it whatever you like (Droid Turbo, Moto Maxx) but the FCC ID number is the unique identifier in the U.S. There's no way deep pockets Verizon nor Motorola/Lenovo would open themselves up to that kind of liability.
Plus, the Verizon fanbois didn't like that other Quark variants being discussed in THEIR forum. But this XT1254/XT1250 clone proof REALLY got under their skin. They called me a liar and worse -- even though I had FCC documentation. One of the FCC documents is attached, but I had whole chain of evidence, that not only was Moto Maxx/Moto Turbo XT1225 same specs as Droid Turbo XT1254 (so all were Quarks in spite of different model names), but furthermore that Moto Maxx XT1250 = Droid Turbo XT1254 to 100th decimal point.
______
Mods got involved, thread was cleaned, people got warned and even banned. Months later, I ended up an XDA Recognized Contributor. Because of my extensive knowledge of the cell phone industry, I'm the one who figured all this out. I went looking through the FCC records and searching regional telephone carriers. Most people only know about the Big 4 (now Big 3) -- but there are many other carriers with their own towers and licences serving remote areas like in Appalachia, Alaska, parts of Michigan, etc. I'm not talking about MVNOs but actual carriers. Cricket and MetroPCS used to be regional standalone carriers before being bought by AT&T and T-mobile. Back then, LTE/CDMA carrier MetroPCS in particular would get the EXACT same phones as Verizon, but under a different model name. For instance, the Verizon LG Revolution = MetroPCS LG Esteem -- and LG didn't even bother removing the Revolution boot up animation from the media folder. It had both animations in the media folder. But it allowed Verizon to claim (fake) "exclusive" for LG Revolution. All that kind of stuff flies under the radar to people who only know about the major carriers.
As a result of all this conflict, XDA did open a separate Moto Maxx forum and moved all non Droid Turbo content over there. But the ironic thing is all Development (kernels, CM and later LOS ROMs) were posted there. So, Verizon "Droid Turbo" owners had to go over THERE (Moto Maxx forum) to get stuff, once Sunshine Dev team found an exploit to unlock the Verizon Droid Turbo variant bootloader about a year after release. Whereas, the Moto Turbo and Moto Maxx variants always had bootloader unlock, TWRP and ROMs. Droid Turbo was late to the party.
So, point is, Verizon lies about phones.
VERZION DELAYED OS UPDATE
Then, in July 2016 when Marshmallow update pushed from Motorola servers for ALL Moto Quark variants, the Verizon Droid Turbo did not get their update. Motorola confirmed they sent it to Verizon and it would be released by Verizon. When? Only Verizon knew. Maybe they were testing it? NO, they weren't. They were just sitting on it. Why? Because all the back-to-school new phone sales were starting, then the holiday new phone sales after that and the Droid Turbo specs were still too good. 3GB RAM, 5.2" 1440p OLED, Qi wireless charging, 21MP camera, 3900 mAh battery. THAT 2-year old phone with new OS would still be as good as or better than any new phone Verizon was selling! So, if they didn't update the OS, then people will have to buy new phone to get Marshmallow. Only end of December 2016 did Verizon finally release the Marshmallow update for their Quark -- and it immediately bricked the phones which had encrypted storage. So, Verizon had to pull the update for a couple of weeks, then release a revised version. That shows Verizon was NOT extensively testing it for six months, they were just sitting on it to nerf the Droid Turbo from being too good a phone so people with "old" phones would buy new ones.
Point is, Verizon will purposefully degrade (or delay updates) to an older phone to increase sales of newer phones.
They were also the first to insist upon bootloaders which could not be unlocked -- even for Google Nexus/Pixel phones.
ChazzMatt said:
Yes, long storied history. Here's my Verizon story which covers 2014 - 2016 involving lying and nerfing...
1) Verizon lied about the 2014 Droid Turbo being global exclusive. It wasn't even exclusive device to Verizon in the U.S. and I proved it to the dismay of XDA Verizon fanbois.
2) In 2016, Verizon delayed giving Marshmallow update for six months while all other worldwide versions had that update, because 2014 Droid Turbo with Marshmallow was equal or better to all their other 2016 NEW phones Verizon were trying to sell. So, they nerfed the Droid Turbo until after the 2016 Q3/Q4 back-to-school and holiday sales had finished.
Here's the full story:
MOTO QUARK
I bought three of the 2014 Moto "Quark", which was the best phone of 2014, the smaller sibling of the Moto Nexus 6. Both designed by Google when they owned Motorola -- with almost identical specs except for size. Remember these were awesome specs in 2014: 3GB RAM, 5.2" 1440p OLED, Qi wireless charging, 21MP camera, 3900 mAh battery (Quark). Yes, Quark had 5.2" display, but back then phones were smaller and until that year, the Nexus model number had NOTHING to do with screen size. It was merely the generation number. 2011 Nexus 3 (4.65"), 2012 Nexus 4 (4.75") 2013 and Nexus 5 (4.95") were all almost 5". The 4.95" Nexus 5 (2013) was merely the 5TH Nexus -- had nothing to do with screen size. But for some reason, Google decided the 2014 Nexus 6 should be 6" because their Nexus 7 tablet was 7"...
Until August 2014, Google was testing TWO different versions for the 2014 Nexus -- the 5.2" and the 6". They ended up going with the 6" and the 5.2" was re-purposed to be the Moto Quark. Ironically, the smaller Moto Quark had a larger battery (3900 mAh) than the larger Moto Nexus 6.
But about that time, Google was selling Motorola to Lenovo. So, to blunt the the competition from a FANTASTIC phone to compete with Moto Nexus 6, Google/Lenovo decided to sell the Moto Quark under different model names in different regions, different carriers. Stupidity, personified. "Quark" is the series code name, like "Joan" is for the V30. We all started calling it that because it was the SAME phone series, just like for V30, a US998 is same phone as EU H930. Just different firmware and (maybe) bands.
DROID TURBO/MOTO TURBO/MOTO MAXX
However, not only were they all the same series (like our V30 US998 and H930), but TWO of Quark models were exact clones of each other. Even same FCC ID.
Verizon's version was called Droid Turbo (XT1254). And it was identical in every way -- including same FCC number to the Moto Maxx (XT1250) sold by other U.S. (regional) carriers. Well identical in every way, except the Moto Maxx had Motorola sanctioned bootloader unlock, while the Verizon Droid Turbo did not. The Moto Maxx XT1250 even ran on Verizon with Verizon SIM card, because guess why? It had the exact same FCC number, and thus had identical bands, etc. To Verizon's network, it was indeed a "Droid Turbo". (I predicted this was possible, then users proved it.)
In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare said, "That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet."
So, the Moto Maxx XT1250 was basically the "Dev" version of the the Droid Turbo XT1254. Buy it, unlock bootloader, install TWRP, put in Verizon SIM card. You could even flash Verizon firmware if you wished. Much like our V30 US998 to VS996 Frankenstein. But remember this was back in 2014... Cross flashing Verizon FIRMWARE over XT1250 worked because it was ALREADY the same phone.
There was a 3rd Moto Quark (or 2nd if you count the XT1254/XT1250 clones as the same phone), called the XT1225. In India, this variant was sold as the "Moto Turbo (XT1225)." In Latin America, it was sold as Moto Maxx (XT1225). Yes, it had different bands from the Droid Turbo XT1254/Moto Maxx XT1250, but in a good way for me. It had no CDMA, but had extra LTE and HSPA bands, and had ALL the AT&T bands, including the new (at the time) LTE band 5. However, you could not buy this one in the U.S.
So, I bought three -- importing them from Puerto Rico and Mexico. Bootloader unlocked, rooted, ran CM 12.1 and LOS Revolution Remix ROMs. (No you couldn't cross flash XT1225 firwmare over XT1254/XT1250 or vice versa.)
XDA DRAMA
With these specs in 2014 (3GB RAM, 5.2" 1440p OLED, Qi wireless charging, 21MP camera, 3900 mAh battery) and the too huge size at the time of the Moto Nexus 6, I decided the Moto Quark was my best bet to upgrade from the 4.95" 1080p LG Nexus 5 with too-small battery.
With me, so far? OK.
Back then, XDA tended to segregate all models according to carriers. The T-mobile Galaxy Widget would be separate from the Sprint Galaxy Widget, which would be separate from the AT&T Galaxy Widget. SO, people would coming in to a forum would automatically assume THEIR carrier version was what people were talking about. (Back in 2017, also had this trouble initially with T-mobile H932 users even in this V30 forum. Coming from older phones, some users don't understand changes.) But in late 2014, XDA started lumping all the models together -- like this V30 forum is now. Except XDA mistakenly called it the "Droid Turbo" forum and wouldn't re-name it "Quark" forum -- even though ALL the variants were being discussed there.
Adding fuel to fire, Verizon LIED in all their release hype and claimed their Droid Turbo (XT1254) was a GLOBAL EXCLUSIVE. The device wasn't even exclusive to them in the U.S. much less the entire world. (U.S. XT1250 was identical device, ran on Verizon with Verizon SIM card and had easy bootloader unlock.)
"Droid" is a trademark owned by Verizon. They can call any phone a "Droid". So, technically yes the Droid Turbo was exclusive to Verizon. But the exact same phone (same FCC ID) was being sold by a dozen regional LTE/CDMA carriers under the "Moto Maxx" (XT1250) model name. I even provided links to those carriers where people could buy these Moto Maxx XT1250.
Once I pointed out this fact -- Verizon was LYING through their teeth, the XT1250 was not only the same phone as the Verizon Droid Turbo but in fact a better phone due to easy bootloader unlock, PAGES of heated arguments ensued. Ignorant Verizon fanbois didn't want to believe it. They wanted to believe Verizon had cornered the market on this FANTASTIC phone. They were grudgingly willing to believe perhaps other variants like Moto Turbo XT1225 (with different bands, different FCC ID) existed for OTHER countries, but BY GOLLY, ONLY Verizon had this phone in the U.S.! (How can you love a carrier that much, like they are God? Or believe carrier PR hype that much?)
If you know anything about electronics, same FCC ID number carries weight of law due to the ADA law for handicaps/disabilities. Your company can fined by the U.S Government and be sued in class action lawsuit for millions of dollars if you mis-identify the characteristics of an electronic communication device, which is identified by the FCC number. You can call it whatever you like (Droid Turbo, Moto Maxx) but the FCC ID number is the unique identifier in the U.S. There's no way deep pockets Verizon nor Motorola/Lenovo would open themselves up to that kind of liability.
Plus, the Verizon fanbois didn't like that other Quark variants being discussed in THEIR forum. But this XT1254/XT1250 clone proof REALLY got under their skin. They called me a liar and worse -- even though I had FCC documentation. One of the FCC documents is attached, but I had whole chain of evidence, that not only was Moto Maxx/Moto Turbo XT1225 same specs as Droid Turbo XT1254 (so all were Quarks in spite of different model names), but furthermore that Moto Maxx XT1250 = Droid Turbo XT1254 to 100th decimal point.
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Mods got involved, thread was cleaned, people got warned and even banned. Months later, I ended up an XDA Recognized Contributor. Because of my extensive knowledge of the cell phone industry, I'm the one who figured all this out. I went looking through the FCC records and searching regional telephone carriers. Most people only know about the Big 4 (now Big 3) -- but there are many other carriers with their own towers and licences serving remote areas like in Appalachia, Alaska, parts of Michigan, etc. I'm not talking about MVNOs but actual carriers. Cricket and MetroPCS used to be regional standalone carriers before being bought by AT&T and T-mobile. Back then, LTE/CDMA carrier MetroPCS in particular would get the EXACT same phones as Verizon, but under a different model name. For instance, the Verizon LG Revolution = MetroPCS LG Esteem -- and LG didn't even bother removing the Revolution boot up animation from the media folder. It had both animations in the media folder. But it allowed Verizon to claim (fake) "exclusive" for LG Revolution. All that kind of stuff flies under the radar to people who only know about the major carriers.
As a result of all this conflict, XDA did open a separate Moto Maxx forum and moved all non Droid Turbo content over there. But the ironic thing is all Development (kernels, CM and later LOS ROMs) were posted there. So, Verizon "Droid Turbo" owners had to go over THERE (Moto Maxx forum) to get stuff, once Sunshine Dev team found an exploit to unlock the Verizon Droid Turbo variant bootloader about a year after release. Whereas, the Moto Turbo and Moto Maxx variants always had bootloader unlock, TWRP and ROMs. Droid Turbo was late to the party.
So, point is, Verizon lies about phones.
VERZION DELAYED OS UPDATE
Then, in July 2016 when Marshmallow update pushed from Motorola servers for ALL Moto Quark variants, the Verizon Droid Turbo did not get their update. Motorola confirmed they sent it to Verizon and it would be released by Verizon. When? Only Verizon knew. Maybe they were testing it? NO, they weren't. They were just sitting on it. Why? Because all the back-to-school new phone sales were starting, then the holiday new phone sales after that and the Droid Turbo specs were still too good. 3GB RAM, 5.2" 1440p OLED, Qi wireless charging, 21MP camera, 3900 mAh battery. THAT 2-year old phone with new OS would still be as good as or better than any new phone Verizon was selling! So, if they didn't update the OS, then people will have to buy new phone to get Marshmallow. Only end of December 2016 did Verizon finally release the Marshmallow update for their Quark -- and it immediately bricked the phones which had encrypted storage. So, Verizon had to pull the update for a couple of weeks, then release a revised version. That shows Verizon was NOT extensively testing it for six months, they were just sitting on it to nerf the Droid Turbo from being too good a phone so people with "old" phones would buy new ones.
Point is, Verizon will purposefully degrade (or delay updates) to an older phone to increase sales of newer phones.
They were also the first to insist upon bootloaders which could not be unlocked -- even for Google Nexus/Pixel phones.
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I totally agree and hate when carriers play games with updates . Android Manufacturers allowed carriers to rename and modify their smartphones and software, which was a mistake from the beginning. I dislike Apple, but i have to hand it to them when it came to their devices. None of the carriers could modify the software or hardware in any way. This meant that their devices performed exactly the way they were intended to, and software development was only under their direct control.
ibnturab said:
I totally agree and hate when carriers play games with updates . Android Manufacturers allowed carriers to rename and modify their smartphones and software, which was a mistake from the beginning. I dislike Apple, but i have to hand it to them when it came to their devices. None of the carriers could modify the software or hardware in any way. This meant that their devices performed exactly the way they were intended to, and software development was only under their direct control.
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This is what Treble GSI images were supposed to fix, but don't. Because GSI images don't have the drivers and proprietary features major OEM (LG and Samsung) stock firmware have.
Wow great info chazz, opened my eyes for sure. So then which phones should we get then, unlocked and or international? Then which network for area of us we are in?