The Razr HD series has been out for quite some time now. There was a lot of hype prior to launch of the phone. One of the biggest hypes was the phones construction, I have owned 3 smart phones before this and never used a case, and prior to owning the razr HD never cracked a screen. I have cracked 2 screens on this phone already. The first was 17 days after purchase the phone feel off my desk on to a shelf, it was a 1.5 foot drop, in the middle of the night the inside LCD cracked, had to go through insurance. The second time I place my phone on a flat surface and the inside LCD cracked again, The warranty was honored that time. There has to be something clearly wrong with the construction of the phone for the inside screen to crack so easily neither time was there any damage to the gorilla glass exterior. My second beef is the plastic around the bezel of the phone. The plastic sticks out higher than the screen and is a prime target for scratches and dents and is not by any means scratch or dent resistant. I'm not an engineer but when I looked at the phone before I bought it my gut told me that the plastic around the bezel was going to get messed up easily, motorola could have done a better job with that design and from a practical stand point the raised plastic is ergonomically uncomfortable. Aside from that the phone lacks accessories, I do not care for the cases offered and many of the companies I would be interested in getting a case from do not manufacture accessories for the razr hd series. Motorola themselves do not offer a dock for the phone and if they do I can not find it anywhere. Lastly the phone itself runs glitchy even with jellybeen and "butter" or whatever they call, rooting did not solve glitches nor should you be required to change a device from stock to get it to run at an acceptable level when it is sold for $700 plus. I have skipped frame rates hangs and freezes all the time. When using HDMI to my phone the screen gets cut off, why include if it doesn't work properly. The only thing on the phone that has lived up to expectations is the battery, however the battery takes FOREVER to charge, I never have the time to completely charge it and I do not like charging overnight.
I feel your pain man... well not tjat deep cause i havent cracked my phone but i am dissapointed at the HDMI resolution on YouTube and Vevo... plus the lack dock sucks 00===D - - MOTOROLA
Some unbelievable points raised here.... And please if you want people to respond learn proper grammar and paragraphing...
OK, first off, the cracked screen - you've made a fairly big assumption that because you've broken it twice, there must be something wrong with the construction of the phone. I'd be interested to see if others have any issues with it.
Your second issue, the raised plastic doesn't seem to be too big of an issue to me. I'm an electrician, and have my phone in my pocket all day (with no cover/case) and have no such issues around the raised plastic. I'm taking a real close look at it now, and there are no scratches on the edges, not too much dirt, no problems at all really. I think you're picking at straws looking for problems with your phone on the physical side of things...
I for one love the size of the phone, and how rigid it feels in my hand. Coming from an SGS2 (which back felt like soft plastic - because it was!) the solid feel of the phone is a godsend to me.
Motorola do offer a dock for the phone it's directly there on their website. (http://www.motorola.com.au/consumers/MOTOROLA-ESP-PEDESTAL-WITH-SMART-CHARGER/169654,en_AU,pd.html)
I did find the phone glitchy to begin with, but I also found my telstra SGS2 glitchy when it had bloatware on it. Remove the bloatware, remove the glitchiness. Rooting alone doesn't change any hardware/software characteristics of a phone...
I haven't used the HDMI out yet, but was interested in the ability to output video while also charging the phone.
Why wouldn't you want to charge a phone overnight? That sort of complaint is one of the more ridiculous ones I've ever read...
Working fine for me.
Just kidding. Just wanted to be the jerk who says that . I have gripes about it as well. Not many of them are the same as stated because of how I use the phone, and because I haven't had the internal or external glass crack, don't use the hdmi, and charge overnight, but it has been both nice to have and its had its dissapointments. The "project butter", which I think is just marketing BS to be honest, and the screen stutter is especially annoying. The camera was a huge let down as well. I wish I had researched the camera quality before buying, however that said I've made the best of it and have it syncing with the home server that cleans up the photos. When I first bought it, my biggest irritation was that there were no pull down toggles and as my first Motorola phone, its baffling that it wouldn't be included regardless of a dedicated screen on the default launcher. I didn't even know that there were toggle apps on the market and just assumed that they were part of Android so I was really happy to find them. As for the plastic being raised above the screen, and touching on accessories, I found it next to impossible to even find a case and screen cover and had to go online and of the local stores found 3 cases. One looked like crap and I bought the other two. One didn't fit properly and luckily the last one fit very well while offering good protection and improved grip and doesn't add much bulk to the phone. I haven't had the time to scratch the plastic up because I found cases. Selection did suck. I reckoned, though, when I saw it that a raised plastic around the glass might serve to help stop it from breaking if it falls as it wouldn't land directly on the glass. The phone is heavy and glass breaks regardless of how you make it (glass is glass at the end of the day).
I'm also dissapointed.
On the plus side, the stock build with a better launcher is, on my carrier which is Telstra, anyway, is somewhat bloat free in comparision to a lot of other manufactures and I find that once its set up to my liking, my only real gripe left is the camera, the lack of community and development, here on XDA, with the phone, and indeed the lack of accessories. If I had the cracing problem that you did I'd be pissed the hell off though.
I came to this phone from the galaxy s2 and if I had to make a recommendation between the two I'd tell people to get the galaxy s2 (older and probably now very affordable) along with the Samsung extendable battery and then to find a custom Samsung based ROM that suits them and is stripped down of bloatware. The only saving thing about the phone now is that I'm used to it; battery life is really good, and the galaxys2 display does look old now that I haven't used it in a while. The processor is noticably faster but it doesn't stop the wacky launcher jitters that turn up and I've been messing around with the values of a couple of governors recently because just knowing that the phone does crazy scaling when just sitting there looking at it drives me nuts.
One last thing I forgot is "No Goggle Wallet? What the FREAKING HELL is nfc even for then?"
Downgrade to ICS and solve all your lag and hdmi issues. The thing is, your phone might have come deffective but that doesn't mean ours are. Mine works great and I feel proud of Motorola.
Verizon's OTA this week solved most of the issues including hdmi and lag.
Cases like yours happen all the time to everyone with every phone. It's not the manufacturer's problem. It's a combination of bad luck and being in the wrong place at the wrong time. My recommendation is to charge the phone with a stock charger. It took hours for me with an old motorola charger and using the stock one solved this. Go to ICS if U want real hdmi and less lag.
mtvdeo said:
Downgrade to ICS and solve all your lag and hdmi issues. The thing is, your phone might have come deffective but that doesn't mean ours are. Mine works great and I feel proud of Motorola.
Verizon's OTA this week solved most of the issues including hdmi and lag.
Cases like yours happen all the time to everyone with every phone. It's not the manufacturer's problem. It's a combination of bad luck and being in the wrong place at the wrong time. My recommendation is to charge the phone with a stock charger. It took hours for me with an old motorola charger and using the stock one solved this. Go to ICS if U want real hdmi and less lag.
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HDMI works perfect on ICS 4.0.4 but stay on ICS Really? Then i wont have any custom roms because everyone is going to work with JellyBean... im just going to pray that these heavenly devs figure out how to fix this in the future and the mean time im going to still use my OG Razr maxx which just got JB 4.1.2 also
razzrmaxx said:
HDMI works perfect on ICS 4.0.4 but stay on ICS Really? Then i wont have any custom roms because everyone is going to work with JellyBean... im just going to pray that these heavenly devs figure out how to fix this in the future and the mean time im going to still use my OG Razr maxx which just got JB 4.1.2 also
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Verizon fixed hdmi resolution on jelly bean 4.1.2
mtvdeo said:
Verizon fixed hdmi resolution on jelly bean 4.1.2
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Ok thats aaaaall i needed to know thank you... updating!
My opinion ... don't buy the Nexus 4 !
:laugh:
Except for the glass, I have the same issues. Plastic bezel is really fragile. SIM tray seems to start to oxidize. I acidentally dropped a coin on the bezel and it dented. Both performance and battery were affected after jelly bean update. I have the phone for less than 4 months. At first I though the phone was incredible and strongly suggested my gf to buy it. Now I'm really disappointed. Motorola didn't managed to cover all the bases.
Apparently all phones are different cause I've had the phone a month or so with the Otter Box Defender and the phone is in mint condition after being in my destructive hands Still runs smooth as ever with lots of apps and music on it. Only complaint would be speaker volume.
Droid RAZR HD (current)
LG Optimus One P-504 (For Sale)
vctrrl said:
Except for the glass, I have the same issues. Plastic bezel is really fragile. SIM tray seems to start to oxidize. I acidentally dropped a coin on the bezel and it dented. Both performance and battery were affected after jelly bean update. I have the phone for less than 4 months. At first I though the phone was incredible and strongly suggested my gf to buy it. Now I'm really disappointed. Motorola didn't managed to cover all the bases.
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as i was reading this post i dropped my cell about 3 1/2 feet high and it landed on a custom made computer with a metal cover because my 1 1/2 yr old son tripped me... i it landed face 1st halfway on the edge then to the ground... no scratch
I dropped my phone from about five feet onto concrete (the one time I didn't have an Otterbox on it!), some scratches near the top by the battery - but the phone is in perfect working condition.
I am rough with phones and have had the razr HD for 4 months without a cracked screen or any scratches. The bevelled plastic lip on the out side of the screen is a great idea, it means you can lay the phone flat on its screen without getting any surface scratches.
The razr HD is a great phone, the best available handset on any plan in Australia at the moment. Amazing battery life, the o.s is smooth and lite, 4G is fast and the handset feels strong & it looks great. The only complaint I have is sometimes switching wireless on can be buggy, but my previous phone (htc desire) had this same issue so it maybe an android issue..
krucifix85 said:
Some unbelievable points raised here.... And please if you want people to respond learn proper grammar and paragraphing...
OK, first off, the cracked screen - you've made a fairly big assumption that because you've broken it twice, there must be something wrong with the construction of the phone. I'd be interested to see if others have any issues with it.
Your second issue, the raised plastic doesn't seem to be too big of an issue to me. I'm an electrician, and have my phone in my pocket all day (with no cover/case) and have no such issues around the raised plastic. I'm taking a real close look at it now, and there are no scratches on the edges, not too much dirt, no problems at all really. I think you're picking at straws looking for problems with your phone on the physical side of things...
I for one love the size of the phone, and how rigid it feels in my hand. Coming from an SGS2 (which back felt like soft plastic - because it was!) the solid feel of the phone is a godsend to me.
Motorola do offer a dock for the phone it's directly there on their website. (http://www.motorola.com.au/consumers/MOTOROLA-ESP-PEDESTAL-WITH-SMART-CHARGER/169654,en_AU,pd.html)
I did find the phone glitchy to begin with, but I also found my telstra SGS2 glitchy when it had bloatware on it. Remove the bloatware, remove the glitchiness. Rooting alone doesn't change any hardware/software characteristics of a phone...
I haven't used the HDMI out yet, but was interested in the ability to output video while also charging the phone.
Why wouldn't you want to charge a phone overnight? That sort of complaint is one of the more ridiculous ones I've ever read...
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I'm not looking for issues I am just simply calling them as I see them. I have thrown phones across the room, droid incredible, droid charge and have never broken my screen. I do not baby my phone. As for the plastic bezel my complaint stems from the replacement phone I have received. Less than 2 days after receiving it and not abusing or dropping it at all my phone has a nice mystery dent on the top. I'm glad that you love the phone and have not had any of the same issues as me. I went to link that you have provided and I didn't find a dock there. I did see a $40 plastic stand thats sold by motorola that will work with any phone or tablet. I am looking for a real dock that has male HDMI and charger plugs fitted for the RAZR HD series, Motorola seems to have docks for every phone they make with the exception of the Razr HD series. When I rooted my phone and froze all the bloatware with TI backup I didn't see much improvement over stock at all. If you think I am uneducated because of my grammar you are ignorent, there are topics other english in higher education, I choose to study math because I don't care for grammar. If you can read english I think you will understand me relatively well, I'm not Robert Frost but you can get my point. To the rest I apologize for my none use of paragraphs.
o2qc418 said:
My opinion ... don't buy the Nexus 4 !
:laugh:
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amen
I have the SIII now and it's POS. Went back to my RAZR MAXX and fixing to buy the HD soon.
HDMI works
My girlfriends phone was 35 days old, never dropped, in a case from day 1. Screen cracked while it was just sitting there on the kitchen table. Brand new Razr HD.
SquireSCA said:
My girlfriends phone was 35 days old, never dropped, in a case from day 1. Screen cracked while it was just sitting there on the kitchen table. Brand new Razr HD.
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I only see this happening if one were to take the phone from one extremity to another... Ae: hot to cold or cold to hot. Other than that I would guess the case is too tight on the phone?
Droid RAZR HD (current)
LG Optimus One P-504 (For Sale)
Very dissapointed myself. At first I loved this phone...no more.
The raised bezel is dented and scratched. I don't care about scratches since I refuse to use cases and it comes with the territory but the straight up gouges and dents are disconcerting.
Lag lag lag...not sure what project butter is cuz I've never seen this! Constantly redraws when going to home screen, browsers are slow sometimes, graphics stutter.
On top of that it doesn't function properly in my car for Bluetooth.
There are things I love about it, but its phones like this that give android the perception of being laggy and glitchy.
Its also disconcerting that moto put out an update and it still stutters same as always.
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using xda app-developers app
Related
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thats how mine is but in the bottom. not a big deal but i did feel it
several people reported the same thing before. screen not flush all the way around. there's no adhesive, the screen slides out of the outer sleeve if you remove the screws in back.
Oh...
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mine does it on the bottom.
it feels like there is a slight gap in between the bottom bezel and the screen.
It's not a problem at all, but it sure is annoying at times.
On the left side of my HD2 the screen is easier to push in at the top and bottom, but it takes a lot of pressure to make it "squeak".
If I had a cosmetic issue, you can bet I would be on a waiting list to get a replacement. The looks on these phones are nearly as important as the performance, IMHO.
oh i deff agree, @op, if you only just got it id be trying to take it back.
Same on mine at the bottom - just barely - if you slightly press between the usb and headphone jack you hear a slight (guess it sounds like) a click and you feel it slightly move. When the usb jack is plugged in it stops Some play and I don't think its worth returning - also don't think it will get worse. Case materials should have been a little more rigid. Think if you get a hard shell case or aluminum skin - when they become available you won't notice it. Talking to other guys with the HTC branded Euro version their build quality is a bit better. Think its pretty much the same with all HTC stuff - their branded models (TYTN TYTN II etc.) were build better than the AT&T versions - they also cost a lot more because they aren't subsidized.
Personally feel the HD2 of all the MS phones with the exception of the HTC TYTN I is the most solid. The Fuze which I just got rid of was probably the worst. The case was ok but the front keypad was pure junk - out of the box the thing felt like it was going to break and it never sat "square" in its opening. The USB ports on all of them were really weak and were super loose out of the box. The slide out keyboards always loosened up and had too much play.
stim141 said:
Personally feel the HD2 of all the MS phones with the exception of the HTC TYTN I is the most solid. The Fuze which I just got rid of was probably the worst. The case was ok but the front keypad was pure junk - out of the box the thing felt like it was going to break and it never sat "square" in its opening. The USB ports on all of them were really weak and were super loose out of the box. The slide out keyboards always loosened up and had too much play.
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For me, the Touch Pro 2 has top honors when it comes to "feeling" solid. My sister dropped it the other day and cracked the bevel, with a large triangle missing near the volume rocker and three other cracks on the bottom, top and opposite side.
I am encouraging her to return it and claim the insurance, but since there is no change in the quality of the phone's operation, she wants to keep it.
Again, for me, the TP2 seems more solid than the HD2, but the HD2 is very well-built compared to other phones. I am so paranoid about even putting my phone down on a hard surface, due to the sharp edges of the camera mount and the light metal case.
I will be installing my new invisibleSHEILD as soon as sirphunkee and I can make the time to meet somewhere clean (I have a 2yo at home ). I imagine my paranoia will drop a bit then...
I dropped my phone while working out at the gym.
I was on the treadmill, and dropped the phone from my hand to the treadmill belt, then it flew out (i was running pretty fast at speed 7) and ended up hitting the wall behind me. Well, I freaked out and ran over to check on the phone.
Even though I had NO protection, the phone was perfectly fine. Only a tiny scratch that's barely visible on the top left bezel, and everything was fine.
I really was surprised at the sturdiness of the phone.
Snarksneeze said:
For me, the Touch Pro 2 has top honors when it comes to "feeling" solid. My sister dropped it the other day and cracked the bevel, with a large triangle missing near the volume rocker and three other cracks on the bottom, top and opposite side.
I am encouraging her to return it and claim the insurance, but since there is no change in the quality of the phone's operation, she wants to keep it.
Again, for me, the TP2 seems more solid than the HD2, but the HD2 is very well-built compared to other phones. I am so paranoid about even putting my phone down on a hard surface, due to the sharp edges of the camera mount and the light metal case.
I will be installing my new invisibleSHEILD as soon as sirphunkee and I can make the time to meet somewhere clean (I have a 2yo at home ). I imagine my paranoia will drop a bit then...
Click to expand...
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My TP2 fell out of my hand in a parking lot, the thing didn't hit hard, but it left a small scratch on the screen (it was visible, but wasn't too obvious) and then some nicks at the corners of the device. It did look used. I returned it to T-Mo (I was still within 14-day remorse period) and used the money I got back to get an HD2 instead (for some reason I didn't qualify for either the full or the 11 month upgrade price, only 50 bucks discount... now that I think about it, I should have gotten it at full price, also, the day after it arrived (ordered online) T-Mo came out with the 2 for 1 smartphone, but alas, a new line was needed and I had no use for it).
I've dropped my HD2 at least 4 times since and there's not a nick on it. I figure the glass screen helps (as opposed to the TP2's plastic), even if it's a finger print magnet. I also have no problems with the screen or bezel being uneven, even after dropping it, nor have I had any single of the problems people complain about, so, go figure, I got the perfect production HD2.
Whew.... OK. Soooo glad to hear this isnt only my device. Mines is on the bottom. I also dont see it getting any worst and its so minor right now its probably not worth the hassle of returning. I tend to keep the gel case on it anyway..
thrashingdeth said:
thats how mine is but in the bottom. not a big deal but i did feel it
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x2 same as mines.
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I had an issue with mine creaking, on the bottom. Mainly when I was pressing the start key, or back. Got a replacement and it seems better. For a phone seriously delayed I don't get how the quality is so terrible.
my first hd2 the camera lens started to rattle tmobile replaced it
Tm5078 said:
my first hd2 the camera lens started to rattle tmobile replaced it
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Was it the camera lens or the casing around the camera?
After watching the tear-down video I could see how the camera casing could be improperly installed and loosen after a bit of handling, but I thought the lens was pretty solid...
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JWang158 said:
Seriously, this phone is turning out to be pretty half baked.
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I disagree. Not sure if I got lucky or not, but my phone is in perfect condition despite being a month old and spending most of that time in my back pocket.
I've sat on it countless times, dropped it from my hand to the floor twice and dropped it from the car holder to the console in my vehicle so many times I can't count.
The only problem I have is with the SMS freeze, and I've solved 90% of that by keeping my inbox clean. If I have the money for a class 6 microSD card, I'd bet on having solved the other 10% of my problems.
Since upgrading my radio, I don't have any problems with dropped calls, missing texts, loss of 3G or any of the other popular issues that seem to be plaguing the new owners.
Since bad news always travels faster and wider than good news, one simply can't infer from the issues being discussed here that they are the norm. I would suspect a very small percentage of the HD2 owners frequent the forums here, and of those another small percentage are having hardware issues.
I've been through a few of these new phone releases here in the past and from my experience I would say that this is pretty normal for the first few months of a phone's release. In another month or so there will be a firmware upgrade to fix the freezing and icon switching, then a lot of the issues will switch from hardware to software. Soon after that, I expect everyone will be clamoring for the release of a Windows Phone 7 ROM, followed a few months later by a newer, faster phone that everyone will be switching to. A cycle, vicious but almost predictable.
So, I was one of the idiots who soft-bricked my phone by refusing to listen to common sense and have patience. I went ahead and installed various ROMs all while knowing that my Vibrant was hardware locked. Eventually, it caught up with me and I got in a situation I couldn't get out of. I had to get a new phone and got a loaner from T-mobile for a few dyas while I waited. Using that old, crappy phone really made me long for my Vibrant back.
Well, it just came yesterday (not hardware locked!) and I started trying a few of the different ROMs in this forum. Currently on Bionix 1.8. On my first Vibrant I had used one of those Invisible Shields, but as I look at my new one I'm thinking I may forego the shield and ride bare back (I am using a rubber case - still talking about phone here). I'm amazed at the how beautiful the display is on this phone and I think the shield actually cut down on how stunning this phone is. Plus, I've read how durable this gorilla glass is and it really doesn't smear. So, I may live to regret it, but I'm gonna give it a shot. This phone really is a work of art. Maybe it's all relative because i had to deal with that loaner, but I am so glad to have my Vibrant back.
I really like this phone too and it only seems to get better with time. We've got a fantastic dev community who consistently produce quality work, we've got great individuals in the forums who help others with questions, etcetera. Sure there are going to be bugs along the way but that happens...every major software/firmware producer put out patches for software (Just think of Apple & Microsoft).
I'm using a Realook SP on my Vibrant. It looks like nothing is there and many people don't even know I have a screen protector on my phone.
kangxi said:
I'm using a Realook SP on my Vibrant. It looks like nothing is there and many people don't even know I have a screen protector on my phone.
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ive also heard that realook takes nothing away from the vibrant....as much as im obsessed with the screen quality of this phone, it just makes me feel very uneasy to think the screen is butt naked
Well this thing uses gorilla glass so its not really needed to have a screen protector. It will withstand a lot except for a hardcore hit and even a SP wont protect you from that.
Actually, I've heard people reporting that moderately sharp objects can scratch the Vibrant screen; the Gorilla Glass is more useful against impact/cracking than scratching.
Also, +1 on the Realook not taking away from screen quality. I got my Vibrant used and it had a SP on it that made it look sorta fuzzy; I finally decided to try a different SP and got a Realook, and WOW what a difference.
Steinheil Ultra Crystal is also pretty good. I am using it atm but I can't decide between that and the Realook. The Realook seems clearer when there are no smudges, and seems like it fits just a tiny bit better (it seems slightly bigger and thus seems to cover more exactly), but smudges easier than the Steinheil and the smudges are more noticeable.
Thanks for the suggestions. I may try one these other SP, but I still can't get over how great the screen is without one. And unlike my old SP, the gorilla glass does not smudge. What little it does, I can simply wipe on my shirt and it looks sparkling new. With my old SP, I had to use special lens or LCD glass cleaner.
This phone sure is beautiful, and I have had a really hard time trying to find a SP that doesnt distort the image quality but would hold up to the abuse I regularly subjected a phone to. ReaLook SP had my vote for the longest time, but one day out of curiosity I tried trimming down a SP intended for my TRIMBLE unit... and it has my vote... it is crystal clear, and made from some sort of window cling plastic that has yet to recieve damage from my haphazard phone manners. Just my .02, but dont be afraid to try out several different products, after all the 30-40 bucks you spend finding the right SP, is well worth it on a 500 dollar phone.
Thanks for the infomation
Thanks for the review/input on the SP's The original ones I got from TMO were about the worst I have ever used. I will try the ones all of you have mentioned
I would recommend a screen protector. I used mine completely bare for a few months, always being very careful only to put it into pockets with no other objects, and making sure that there was no grit on the screen before using it. It still started developing hairline scratches. You have to hold the phone to the right angle under a light to see them, but they are there. I've ordere a TPU case now, and I'm using one of those ultra cheap, 5 for $1 eBay screen protectors. It works fine, doesn't seem to detract from the screen, and feels smooth and pleasant like the original glass.
bigragu said:
So, I was one of the idiots who soft-bricked my phone by refusing to listen to common sense and have patience. I went ahead and installed various ROMs all while knowing that my Vibrant was hardware locked. Eventually, it caught up with me and I got in a situation I couldn't get out of. I had to get a new phone and got a loaner from T-mobile for a few dyas while I waited. Using that old, crappy phone really made me long for my Vibrant back.
Well, it just came yesterday (not hardware locked!) and I started trying a few of the different ROMs in this forum. Currently on Bionix 1.8. On my first Vibrant I had used one of those Invisible Shields, but as I look at my new one I'm thinking I may forego the shield and ride bare back (I am using a rubber case - still talking about phone here). I'm amazed at the how beautiful the display is on this phone and I think the shield actually cut down on how stunning this phone is. Plus, I've read how durable this gorilla glass is and it really doesn't smear. So, I may live to regret it, but I'm gonna give it a shot. This phone really is a work of art. Maybe it's all relative because i had to deal with that loaner, but I am so glad to have my Vibrant back.
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Click to collapse
I hear you loud and clear.
Going through a near identical experience right now, except I will be without my phone for 2 weeks minimum (has to ship to US and back). I really can't believe how much I'm missing my phone. Really amazes me that there are so many complaints about the Vibrant. It's an absolutely fantastic device once you have it setup correctly. I wouldn't trade it for any other phone in the world.
2-3 days was the turn around time at T-mobile?
Yes, but I had to pay for expedited shipping $20 vs. $10 for 7 days,
I haven't gone through your experience, but one of my buddies was trying to sell me a his MyTouch slide for a good price and as soon as he turned it on I was like "ohhh.... is that what the screen looks like?" lol. For anyone who thinks this screen isn't all that great go play with another phone for a little hahaha
bigragu said:
So, I was one of the idiots who soft-bricked my phone by refusing to listen to common sense and have patience. I went ahead and installed various ROMs all while knowing that my Vibrant was hardware locked. Eventually, it caught up with me and I got in a situation I couldn't get out of. I had to get a new phone and got a loaner from T-mobile for a few dyas while I waited. Using that old, crappy phone really made me long for my Vibrant back.
Well, it just came yesterday (not hardware locked!) and I started trying a few of the different ROMs in this forum. Currently on Bionix 1.8. On my first Vibrant I had used one of those Invisible Shields, but as I look at my new one I'm thinking I may forego the shield and ride bare back (I am using a rubber case - still talking about phone here). I'm amazed at the how beautiful the display is on this phone and I think the shield actually cut down on how stunning this phone is. Plus, I've read how durable this gorilla glass is and it really doesn't smear. So, I may live to regret it, but I'm gonna give it a shot. This phone really is a work of art. Maybe it's all relative because i had to deal with that loaner, but I am so glad to have my Vibrant back.
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I originally wanted an Evo but got a Vibrant instead when the Evo was sold out everywhere. But I am loving it.
I was in a car with 2 Evo owners and we had our phones all running Google Navigation (whew.. one of the times my GPS worked before JI6 . My screen looked so much more colorful and crisper than theirs. It wasn't even close.
I picked up the Acer at BB last Friday and love it! I rooted it, increased the battery life, enabled Exchange, got Sync SMS and its the way I like it to be right now. I have been spending some quality time with it haha. I know it has its downsides but I was going to keep it regardless.
Today I notticed dust particles behind the screen glass and there is nothing that bugs me more about a device.. in fact I haven't had this happen since my Razr and I can't believe Acer would not seal the screen properly! This happens only after a week of use, I can only imagine how bad it would be after few months :-(
It looks like I should exchange it at least..
Anyways, does anyone have the same thing happening?
Not yet after almost 10 hours of use in the last 3 days. I have had the Acer sleeve on it since minute 1 though, maybe it will keep some of the dust out. Shoot some compressed air through the openings, maybe that will help.
That or search for a teardown video and blow the dust out that way.
Same problem here.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1059266
silencer51 said:
Same problem here.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1059266
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I am exchanging mine for sure though I don't think it would make a difference as I believe more and more Acer half assed this otherwise great device
I find it hard to believe that dust would just appear under the screen, or rather, between the screen and the glass without some kind of interference from the user. Either leaving the SD cover open (maybe you removed the tape over the nonexistent sim slot), storing the tablet in an dusty place (and I mean, it's gotta be REALLY dusty) or blowing, without consideration, dust around the device. While the ports may not be 'sealed' they aren't that open to the environment.
Baring all that, the chances are that what you're seeing is actually debris from the manufacturing process which was already in the tablet and, through regular use, some of which made their way into that very tight spot. As hard as it is to believe that, its just as possible.
While both possibilities are valid, the chances are, neither of them will warrant an exchange.
Post back if they take it.
I'm anal when it comes to proper handling of my gadgets and I haven't removed the tape or left the cover open. I can't even be sure its dust I just know there are some things under the glass that weren't there yesterday. You make a valid point that it could be something that was already there. BB will either exchange it or I will return it and buy another one
Its only been a week since I bought it.
Sent from my HD2 using XDA Premium App
Well just got my a500
tested it straight out of the box and sure enough I have one tiny dust spec under the screen.
Otherwise no other issues.
I can also say looking at this screen against my transofrmer (that has mucho light bleed and also a dust spec and is creaky) that the screen is definitely not as nice. It is cooler in color though ironically with better blacks. Also the viewing angles while acceptable are not as nice.
Well Now I have a dilemma. I got a 32gb Acer for 30$ more than a 16gb Transformer.
Transgormer has nicer screen but suffers light bleed a dust spec and is a bit creaky.
IT is a bit lighter with over all nicer screen. IT also has the keyboard dock potential for future.
Second option is I keep the iconia which has more storage usb prot feels better in the hand and better built, but also has dust spec under screen.
I am not sure what to do. Afraid to exchange the iconia as given the track record on all these tablets, I run the risk of getting some light bleed or dead pixels etc.
SO do I just suck it up ignore the little pixel sized dust spec and live on?
Do I gamble and exchange? DO I return both wait till availability on transformer is better and perhaps with time they work through the build quality issues?
Or just use nothing, wait a month and get the galaxy tabb.
One thing for certain is galaxy tab will have nice or nicest screen will be thinnest and lightest and by being samsung will likely have more accessories like cases etc for it.
IT will likely cot a bit more (not too big an issue) and might not have much expandibility which may or may not be much of an issue as there will likey be accessory to dock to allow usb host etc.
Hi everyone, I very recently purchased my brand new Desire Z. So far, I am really impressed with the software and general likability of the phone.
Although, having read too much about the Z hinge, it really makes me paranoid sometimes while handling the phone.
A few obervations and questions, which if someone with a few months of experience could respond to would put me at ease,
1. The Z hinge is surely loose, but doesn't worry me in general use. Although, I am scared it will get further loose with time, is that so?
2. The cable / ribbon running along with the hinge is not protected, is the wear and tear comparitively higher because of having no protection? Should I be budgeting in changing the ribbon every couple months?
3. Because of the hinge being loose and possiblity of the keyboard opening on a fall seems almost definite. Doesn't that put much more at stake on a fall comparitively? Fortuunately, mine hasn't fallen yet, but what's the experience you all have had with your devices falling on hard surfaces? Other than the scratches, that's not a problem. I am worried, the device will break in pieces if it falls!
4. For a little more peace of mind, are the hinges metal or plastic? I have read both on reviews and I can't seem to find a definitive answer to this one.
Thank you for taking out the time to read and respond with your experiences.
Sent from my HTC Vision
I've had mine since January and I've dropped it plenty of times. I have never had any problems with the keyboard, hinge, or ribbon cable.
After dropping my phone a few times my phone speaker went down... Had to replace them
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
So it does seem like it is a sturdy device, or at least as sturdy as the other devices.
Any idea about the hinges, if its plastic or metal?
Thanks!
Sent from my HTC Vision
Fairly certain they're metal. I've dropped my caseless G2 several times but it's only dinged with no other damage.
Sent from my G2
don't know about the hinges if they are plastic or metal...
but i got it 5 months ago... dropped it plenty of times... and nothing happened... not even a scratch
these kind of phones are sturdy... unlike samsung phones (believe me, i had one)... it breaks into pieces...
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sent from a phone... 'nuf said
btw... justin bieber sucks
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don't worry about the hinge
d_gkal said:
don't worry about the hinge
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+1, I dont get it, lot of discussion on this, but never I never had any problem with the hinge...
I know, lots of discussions on the hinge, but I guess its the placebo based on the early hands on the device. Although, I am getting much much more comfortable and relaxed about it.
In a nutshell, its a great device. Thanks everyone for endorsing it for me!
Sent from my HTC Vision
The G2/Desire-Z is one of the most rugged phones ever made, the only knock is that some people find that the hinge spring action gets loose (mine never has) - but if yours ever does, and you are comfortable taking your phone apart, you can replace the stock hinge spring in about 30 minutes, start to finish. - The part costs about $5 - Then it will be tight as hell like when new! (possibly tighter than new)
There is a great thread on this here on XDA complete with an HD video showing you an exact POV of the procedure being done in it's entirety!
The phone is quite sturdy overall. I had a stone thrown at my screen and no change whatsover.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
First half fall and its scratchless
Why I call it a half fall is, it didn't fall but it it lost my hand and hung from the charger and hit the side of the bed pretty harshly. The keyboard did open up though but luckily all's good - gave me a little more confidence on the device build.
Sent from my HTC Vision
Dropped mine a few times - the battery cover always seems to fall off when that happens. Few dents and scratches but nothing serious.
As for my opinion about build quality, personally I think it's pretty crap, due to the design of the hinge. I changed my first DZ for another, since the first one had a ridiculously loose hinge. The second one developed the same problem in 24hrs. It's not that that bothered me so much, but the fact the two halves were not held snug together by the spring, so touching or pressing on the touchscreen caused the top half of the phone to tap annoyingly on the bottom half.
Eventually I bodged this by sticking layers of electrical tape between the two halves. It's not visible in normal use, but I'm pretty annoyed that I had to do this to my (then brand new) phone. Good job nothing better with a keyboard has come out yet, cos if I tried to sell this thing then I'd get literally nothing for it.
The lacquer on my battery door started falling off after a couple of weeks. My physical camera button only works intermittently, but I won't send it away for repair because I don't know what software it will come back with - it's over a year since I rooted this thing, and I don't feel like researching the latest methods, or finding out that HTC have closed all current ways to root.
This phone does not have good build quality, in my opinion.
setspeed said:
Dropped mine a few times - the battery cover always seems to fall off when that happens. Few dents and scratches but nothing serious.
As for my opinion about build quality, personally I think it's pretty crap, due to the design of the hinge. I changed my first DZ for another, since the first one had a ridiculously loose hinge. The second one developed the same problem in 24hrs. It's not that that bothered me so much, but the fact the two halves were not held snug together by the spring, so touching or pressing on the touchscreen caused the top half of the phone to tap annoyingly on the bottom half.
Eventually I bodged this by sticking layers of electrical tape between the two halves. It's not visible in normal use, but I'm pretty annoyed that I had to do this to my (then brand new) phone. Good job nothing better with a keyboard has come out yet, cos if I tried to sell this thing then I'd get literally nothing for it.
The lacquer on my battery door started falling off after a couple of weeks. My physical camera button only works intermittently, but I won't send it away for repair because I don't know what software it will come back with - it's over a year since I rooted this thing, and I don't feel like researching the latest methods, or finding out that HTC have closed all current ways to root.
This phone does not have good build quality, in my opinion.
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A better hinge would have surely made the phone much more sturdy. That's what has always scared me so far, but now that the phone is 2 months old now I have started to get more comfortable around it.
Milestone 3 or MyTouch Slide could be good contenders, I think.
Sent from my HTC Vision
Don't get me wrong, there is no other phone I'd rather have at this moment in time - but that's due to a lack of qwerty phones on the market, as opposed to the DZ/G2 being some sort of amazing quality :-/
The Droid 4 looks proper nice though, hopefully it'll get released worldwide. And Motorola won't lock it down like they have with every other phone they've released since the OG Droid... but the chances of that are basically zero.
setspeed said:
Don't get me wrong, there is no other phone I'd rather have at this moment in time - but that's due to a lack of qwerty phones on the market, as opposed to the DZ/G2 being some sort of amazing quality :-/
The Droid 4 looks proper nice though, hopefully it'll get released worldwide. And Motorola won't lock it down like they have with every other phone they've released since the OG Droid... but the chances of that are basically zero.
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I totally hear you there.
So, all the current Motorola droids are locked and can't be upgraded to cm or other custom roms? Really!!
Sent from my HTC Vision
I have been VERY careless of my phone, dropped it probably close to 100 times some of them being quite bad, and the most I can see is a couple corners have SMALL little dents, often the keyboard does open when dropped but nothing happens after that... I'd be more worried if dropped WHILE open but chances are if the keyboard is open you're typing (and therefore have two hands on it) My spring is still as sturdy as when I first got it as far as I can tell.
setspeed said:
Dropped mine a few times - the battery cover always seems to fall off when that happens. Few dents and scratches but nothing serious.
As for my opinion about build quality, personally I think it's pretty crap, due to the design of the hinge. I changed my first DZ for another, since the first one had a ridiculously loose hinge. The second one developed the same problem in 24hrs. It's not that that bothered me so much, but the fact the two halves were not held snug together by the spring, so touching or pressing on the touchscreen caused the top half of the phone to tap annoyingly on the bottom half.
Eventually I bodged this by sticking layers of electrical tape between the two halves. It's not visible in normal use, but I'm pretty annoyed that I had to do this to my (then brand new) phone. Good job nothing better with a keyboard has come out yet, cos if I tried to sell this thing then I'd get literally nothing for it.
The lacquer on my battery door started falling off after a couple of weeks. My physical camera button only works intermittently, but I won't send it away for repair because I don't know what software it will come back with - it's over a year since I rooted this thing, and I don't feel like researching the latest methods, or finding out that HTC have closed all current ways to root.
This phone does not have good build quality, in my opinion.
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Lol and that's why I got the slide, I hate the hinge with a passion. I luckily got the slide and gave the G2 to my mom. The slide has an awesome build quality dispite the not so appealing look the quality is great.
I have dropped the G2 a couple of times but it had the rubber case on so nothing happen to it. Haven't dropped my slide so I can't compare
Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using xda premium
I had this since summer 2011. I did get a case (stays attached to the phone) for this phone and found the hinge very weak, it will slide out if I held it in at an angle. Then recently I removed the case and there was no problems with the hinge since, able to hold it at many angles without worrying it slip out.
Having put my phone with keys.etc all in one pocket I found there are scratches on the back of the case. I have dropped my phone a few times but no problems.
Ribbon is good, the hinges I believe is metal (perhaps, alloy or some sort).
I wouldn't worry about the hinge too much unless you plan to keep using the same phone for more than 3 years. HTC does also have a global 2 year guarantee (from day of purchase).
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
This is the most expensive phone I ever bought and I'm pretty satisfied with it, and also the one I have the least amount of gripes with, but it's not perfect unfortunately. My previous phone was the Galaxy S4 which I absolutely loathed from day one (made me wish I never exchanged my Xperia S for it), and the Z3 was a huge jump in quality compared to it.
Things I like a lot about the phone:
Stereo speakers sound pretty good (and by that I mean you can actually listen to it without wanting to tear your ears off), I actually like to listen to stuff using them, on the S4 and XperiaS the sound quality from speakers was unbearable.
Screen is nice, compared to S4 it's a bit less saturated but it seems much more neutral and accurate, white is actually white and not yellowish like on the S4, but black depth is obviously not absolute, but still pretty good. I think I prefer this screen to the AMOLED on S4 and AMOLEDs in general.
The phone is extremely fast and smooth, I'm a smoothness freak and I couldn't stand how laggy the S4 was.
The waterproofing is nice to have, makes you worry a little less about rain and water spills when using the phone near the shower or stuff like that.
Battery life is great, it lasts 3x what my S4 used to last. I still can't get a full day when I do extra heavy usage with hours of google maps.
Camera is pretty good, I don't know why everyone complains about it, it's not the best on the market but it's still in the top 3 best phone cameras available from waht I can tell. I'm more interested in videos on a phone since I have a decent compact camera, and I think the Z3 makes the best videos.
The phone does not overheat, the S4 was often worryingly hot and it also suffered from CPU throttling that basically cut performance in half.
Things I don't like about the phone:
I had a dead pixel on the first one I bought, brought it back and got it replaced, I examined the replacement for dead pixels and couldn't find any, too bad 2 weeks later I noticed a dead green subpixel but it was too late to exchange it (as it isn't covered by the store's warranty, previous one was replaced under customer satisfaction program). I absolutely hate dead pixels but this one is near the bottom and harder to notice.
The device seems extremely fragile and I am getting paranoid after reading a ton of reports from people who had bent phones, cracked glass, failed waterproofing, and all sorts of other breakage. Right now I have one micro scratch on the front glass that I have no idea how it happened, but it's extremely faint and only viewable in a certain angle, at which the touch grid also becomes visible so it's not really a big deal. Other than that I also found a minor scratch on the power button that is noticeable if you look at it closely.
I don't like the new Lollipop firmware, the colors are especially crappy and there doesn't seem to be any way to customize them properly. I'd like to have dark blue accents but there's no way to do so, and even if I select the blue theme, many accents are orange and I don't like it. I still think the Sony interface was at its best on the XperiaS and the original Z.
The SCR24 cover is absolutely worthless. I really can't find any positive qualities in it other than the fact that it saves the back glass from scratches. A cheap ass cover with cheap glitchy software. Except it costs 40€.
Stock keyboard is very nice and fast but I keep running into a glitch while typing in chrome where the stuff I delete using the backspace key keeps coming back. Another glitch that ruins my workflow is the email app which no longer autocompletes addresses in Lollipop and drives me nuts. Hopefully they'll fix these issues.
It happened twice already, out of nowhere I found my phone pretty much unusable as apps kept crashing all over the place (mostly com.android.phone, "enterprise service" and google play service) and I had to reboot. It happened once on Kitkat and once on Lollipop. On Lollipop I also had a random reboot. Did a factory reset and everything seems fine, but I wonder why these android phones keep having issues after OS updates until you factory reset. I had similar issues with the S4, except much worse (something like 3 reboots per day).
Lollipop multiuser mode is worthless, since gues users can also mess up your phone and access the SD card. There should be a way to limit usage only to certain apps, disable installing of apps, and stuff like that. I miss the baby mode from the S4, which came in handy when I wanted to let my little sis or someone try out my phone without having to worry about them accessing stuff I don't want them to.
Another thing I miss from the S4 is dual app multitasking, it was very limited and slowed the already laggy phone to a crawl, but it was great to play youtube in the background or use WhatsApp while doing something else at the same time. SmallApps are nowhere near as useful.
Soft Keys are awful and they make the screen feel smaller than the one on S4. This is noticeable only in some apps, for example Chrome or certain games that are not optimized to hide soft keys.
Overall I'm satisfied with it but I have major worries the phone will break and sometimes I dust off my S4 when I do something risky such as rollerblading, I can already imagine my Z3 shattering as soon as I fall once (which happens very rarely but is obviously still a risk). Not sure it was worth 565€ but so far it has worked better than any other phone I ever had. The dead pixel is also a cause of minor buyer's remorse every time I notice it.
I'd agree with most of that.
I bought a Ringke Fusion case from Amazon for mine, as the phone is obviously made of the worlds slippiest material! I got a clear one, as I like showing off the copper colour of my Z3. I think the phone may be tougher that it looks. I've dropped mine on a tiled floor, and had it slip off a bathroom shelf into an empty porcelain sink without any damage whatsoever.
I also bought a 9H tempered glass screen protector. Best buy ever. I always thought they were an unnecessary luxury, but it makes the screen a pleasure to touch when compared to a "normal" screen protector. Cuts down on fingerprints too.
I'd invest in a magnetic dock too. Saves wear and tear on the flap for the micro USB, which if it's anything like my original Z, will work loose after a few months.
The couple of things I'd add would be that the camera shutter is too close to the end of the phone, and that the lens itself is too far into the top corner. I keep putting my finger over the lens when I hold it landscape!
warface said:
I'd agree with most of that.
<snip>
I'd invest in a magnetic dock too. Saves wear and tear on the flap for the micro USB, which if it's anything like my original Z, will work loose after a few months.
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Regards the mentioned flaps, XZ and X3, what are your thoughts on it after some time on them compared with the XZ? Are they designed better and more robust? I've replaced an XZ one before, but it failed already unbeknown to me and it got wet and is dead now. So I'm in the market for a phone...