Database Users

Atrix Build Quality

Hi All,
With the Atrix due to hit the UK soonish, I have a question about the build quality.
Now we all know Motorola make solid phones. Top quality build quality.
However...
Numerous reviews highlight the fact that for such a 'high end' phone, the all-body-plasticy-feeling just doesn't cut it. Other reviews suggest it is 'hardened plastic' and that it's not really an issue.
So what do you guys think? Has anyone dropped their Atrix? How did it survive?
Are cracks on the plastic body common?
For comparison, I currently use a HTC Legend, which is a 'one piece' body cut from a single block of aluminium, it's solid as a rock and awesome. I'm wondering how the Atrix would compare...

definitely not comparable to the phone you're using. while i dont mind the plastic back, it is a bit flimsy. however, motorola has released "rugged" battery covers which replace the stock battery cover and also cover the sides of the phone like a case as well, and it is harder thicker plastic with a rubberized outside. i'll be picking one of these up soon hopefully and when i do, i'll post something here.

The Battery cover is pathetic, an the mechanism to open too.
Sorry for my pathetic english.

vin791 said:
definitely not comparable to the phone you're using. while i dont mind the plastic back, it is a bit flimsy. however, motorola has released "rugged" battery covers which replace the stock battery cover and also cover the sides of the phone like a case as well, and it is harder thicker plastic with a rubberized outside. i'll be picking one of these up soon hopefully and when i do, i'll post something here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A link to these would be good in the meantime?
When you do pick one up, please do post back
Santiago - bummer not what I was hoping to hear...

The build quality is good IMO. It's definitely not rugged though. The main thing about the battery cover is that it's slippery. I almost lost grip several times just removing the Atrix from my pocket (yes hands are clean). An Incipio case fixes that problem .

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=rugged+atrix&x=0&y=0
and this place has the green one (as well as the blue and pink)
http://www.redtagcellular.com/produ...ard-Rubberized-Battery-Door-Cover,-Green.html
they end up costing about the same after shipping.
the stock battery cover really isn't that bad, definitely not a deal breaker

I have no problem with the plastic feel at all, but the lock button drives me nuts!
First of all it's too recessed, and second plenty of times when I press the unlock button phone still doesn't register.
I finally got tired and installed "No lock" just so I can unlock my phone by using the volume rockers.
IMO this is the worse lock button/switch I've ever seen on a phone which is a shame because I love the rest of it.
I'm also guessing that I'm the only one that has a problem with the lock switch since I haven't seen anyone else here really talk about it...

To me the phone is inbetween solid as a rock and satisfactory. Its heavier than most phones Ive used which makes it feel solid. But when you remove the battery cover it makes the phone feel cheap but that is done to get the phone as slim as possible.
The gorilla glass seems to be a lot stronger than what was used on the iphone 4 and doesnt scratch easily. Ive dropped my phone multiple times in its Commuter case and never had an issue. But never have I tested that without a case. IMO every smartphone should be wrapped in a case.

JayRolla said:
To me the phone is inbetween solid as a rock and satisfactory. Its heavier than most phones Ive used which makes it feel solid. But when you remove the battery cover it makes the phone feel cheap but that is done to get the phone as slim as possible.
The gorilla glass seems to be a lot stronger than what was used on the iphone 4 and doesnt scratch easily. Ive dropped my phone multiple times in its Commuter case and never had an issue. But never have I tested that without a case. IMO every smartphone should be wrapped in a case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1, a case is a must.
would rather not have a broken phone just due to dropping it. think of shelling the $30 or so for a good case as a one-payment insurance policy.

ccrows said:
I have no problem with the plastic feel at all, but the lock button drives me nuts!
First of all it's too recessed, and second plenty of times when I press the unlock button phone still doesn't register.
I finally got tired and installed "No lock" just so I can unlock my phone by using the volume rockers.
IMO this is the worse lock button/switch I've ever seen on a phone which is a shame because I love the rest of it.
I'm also guessing that I'm the only one that has a problem with the lock switch since I haven't seen anyone else here really talk about it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For some reason I really like the lock button. It took me a while to get used to but for some reason now it just feels really comfortable although I thought id never get used to it
Sent from my Motorola Atrix using Tapatalk

Build quality is fine IMO. If u are one to use a case...the build shouldn't really matter. I use a tpu case, my Stride is solid
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA App

Build quality is solid and good for a plastic device. The plastic is hard and doesn't creak, though the back is somewhat flimsy. You have to lower your expectations if you're coming from an all metal device though. This obviously can't compare physically to something that's made from machined aluminium or something.

i didnt like using it until i retrained my print by swiping up instead of down, like the tutorial shows.

HTC will always have topnotch build quality....Atrix is very solid for a plastic backing. Its more solid than the Cappy
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA App

I use a cheap $4 TPU case from eBay and that makes the phone 10X better, IMO. The phone gets bulkier (of course), but it's def worth it.
As an added bonus, it makes swiping my fingerprint easier.
EDIT: Exactly what I use: http://cgi.ebay.com/TPU-Gel-SOFT-CA...815105?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item19c4325441
$2.75 for making my phone feel awesome. BTW, no, I don't sell that case. Search ebay for "Atrix TPU" and find one you like.

Santiago said:
The Battery cover is pathetic, an the mechanism to open too.
Sorry for my pathetic english.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually really like the design of the battery cover. It's extremely quick to remove if needed, and the same for putting it back on. Does allow for dust to get in more easily, but also a snap to clean out if needed.
Feels just like my iPhone 3GS did for form factor, but I would say the iPhone was a wee bit more slippery due to the high gloss case finish.
Overall design and build quality are fine imo.

Many thanks for the comments thus far
rjayflo said:
HTC will always have topnotch build quality....Atrix is very solid for a plastic backing. Its more solid than the Cappy
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thing is, in the Android world, HTC has gained a decent reputation for build quality. But overall, (including pre-Android days) Motorola really were (are?) kings of the build quality game. Hence why comments around build quality are somewhat surprising.
It seems like most of you have cases then? I absolutely hate having a case for any phone I own, it takes away from the design lines of the phone, no to mention the weight, size, aesthetics, etc.
Maybe the question should be: do you feel the build quality is at such a poor level that you feel you *need* a case - because so many of you seem to have one!!

c_man said:
Maybe the question should be: do you feel the build quality is at such a poor level that you feel you *need* a case - because so many of you seem to have one!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I typically do not like using a case. I think the build quality on the phone is great as others have mentioned previously. It certainly does not "need" a case in imho.
Go for it.

ccrows said:
I have no problem with the plastic feel at all, but the lock button drives me nuts!
First of all it's too recessed, and second plenty of times when I press the unlock button phone still doesn't register.
I finally got tired and installed "No lock" just so I can unlock my phone by using the volume rockers.
IMO this is the worse lock button/switch I've ever seen on a phone which is a shame because I love the rest of it.
I'm also guessing that I'm the only one that has a problem with the lock switch since I haven't seen anyone else here really talk about it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nah your not the only one. this was one of the main reasons why i sold the phone. hitting the home button required too much effort because it was so recessed.

I am coming from a Nexus One and was a little skeptical of the build quality of the Atrix. I went ahead and got the Atrix on release date, have never put a case on it, and really do like the build of it. The back cover wraps around all the corners of the phone and covers the whole back, so if you where to scratch it up you can just replace it and it will be good as new.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App

>>> Build Quality - The Good, Bad, Ugly <<<

Good : Well i love the new tablet and in hand its light and a pleasure to use, the Plastic back is nice in hand and not slippery and visually this tablet is great. But ...........
Bad and Ugly : Here's my issue with the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
What is happening and i can see this being a big problem down the road of use is that when i hold the Tab with my left hand in portrait with the dock connector on my palm of the left hand, the thin piece of the housing is getting bent and pulled away from the glass and over time i see this getting stretched out. i think Samsung should have built the aluminum edging more webbing in the glass to keep that delicate piece from being so flexible and flimsy.
Anyone else having/noticing this issue or any other flaws, defects ????
Here's a few pics of what i am mentioning :
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/204/img0528y.jpg
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/34/img0529ze.jpg
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/854/img0534n.jpg

Damn, and here I was pondering returning my Transformer for a better build quality Samsung. Shootz!
I still may do it though since I never use portrait mode and for the most part it will be on a stand, but still, it sucks to see that.

You must have a 10.1v
I have the Google i/o edition and the side looks different than your with regard to the placement of those round hole covers on either side in relation to the curve.
I think that on the i/o (hopefully it will be the same as the 10.1) it has resolved that issue. I am trying to hold it as you are mentioning and I see no movement whatsoever. even if i try to pry at it, it is super solid.
is your a 10.1v?
R

^^ No mines the 10.1

H0CKEY said:
^^ No mines the 10.1
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Click to collapse
Same as the previous poster my LE from I/O does not look like that either. So what 10.1 do you have?

cosimoss said:
Same as the previous poster my LE from I/O does not look like that either. So what 10.1 do you have?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mines from San Fran USA - Dev Conference , its the white back Limited Edition

Everyone needs to specify details regarding there unit if they have one. It is clear that the limited edition/early release galaxy tabs are not identically the same as the one yet to be released.

thats really strange, your tablet looks way different than mine which also came from the recent i/o event.
picture attached...
it would seem there were multiple version of the same device if you have the limited edition white backed then...
anyone else? which do you have?
R

im trying to re-create your picture to make sure its not an optical illusion, but your bottom half of the silver bezel looks so angular/curved compared to mine which as you can see from the picture above is much less curved. Espeically noticeable with the small round hole covers on either end of the connector, mine are not very curves, yours seemvery curved and angular.
???
R

three weeks left and still so many questions and so little definitive answers! oh the humanity
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

RTessi said:
thats really strange, your tablet looks way different than mine which also came from the recent i/o event.
picture attached...
it would seem there were multiple version of the same device if you have the limited edition white backed then...
anyone else? which do you have?
R
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No mine looks the same from that angle , here's a pic
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/84/img0535cj.jpg/

I don't understand - are you using it while something is plugged into the dock connector, or is just from normal use? Maybe you are just holding it wrong?

normal use , i take very good care of my toys hahaha
And no i don't have it plugged in when using it
if you hold it left handed its normal i find that the palm and strong of the thumb seem to put stress on the thin strip of aluminum and slightly pulls it away from the glass since on mine the thin strip is not any thicker under the glass as what i can see visually. so its seems to be a weak point of the aluminum bezel

Bummer i wonder if a port plug would help.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App

I am not experiencing that same problem, but the glass in one of the corners does appear to be pealing up. Link below. Hoping that this is as far as it raises, but who knows... I talked to the Samsung guy at Google I/O and had my first device replaced for a similar issue I noticed there, and he said this first batch was made by hand in a bit of a rush so that they would be available for us googlers. I expect that the automated and machine driven build process for the production units will have more consistent quality.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/854/imag0206a.jpg/

brianwilcox said:
I am not experiencing that same problem, but the glass in one of the corners does appear to be pealing up. Link below. Hoping that this is as far as it raises, but who knows... I talked to the Samsung guy at Google I/O and had my first device replaced for a similar issue I noticed there, and he said this first batch was made by hand in a bit of a rush so that they would be available for us googlers. I expect that the automated and machine driven build process for the production units will have more consistent quality.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/854/imag0206a.jpg/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Harsh that looks bad. I think the quality of the aluminum bezel is to thin and over time with alot of use our holding styles will cause these kind of issues.

H0CKEY said:
Harsh that looks bad. I think the quality of the aluminum bezel is to thin and over time with alot of use our holding styles will cause these kind of issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just got off the phone with Samsung about this issue. They will allow me to send the unit to them for repair/replacement. Im just a little worried about going through the whole process only to find that they will send me back a unit with similar or worse build quality issues... Anyone else noticing problems with the screen raising up? Might just stick with what I have for fear of winding up with an even worse unit. Really was starting to fall in love with this thing.

brianwilcox said:
Just got off the phone with Samsung about this issue. They will allow me to send the unit to them for repair/replacement. Im just a little worried about going through the whole process only to find that they will send me back a unit with similar or worse build quality issues... Anyone else noticing problems with the screen raising up? Might just stick with what I have for fear of winding up with an even worse unit. Really was starting to fall in love with this thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm getting the same thing. Mine was this way out of the box at the conference, and with the plastic back pulling back, it looked like the tablet was warped. I popped it back into place and it looked good so I didn't say anything to anyone at the conference about it. I probably should have though, because now the screen is separating from the housing again in those two corners.
I stupidly threw away the blue card they gave at I/O that had the contact info for Samsung, who did you talk to about getting it repaired?

Not exactly getting a warm fuzzy feeling from this thread. I pre-ordered online. Starting to think I might want to cancel that and just wait for it at Best Buy, if even the Samsung tablets are having build quality issues.

Oh no. I was afraid these reports would begin to surface on the 10.1. Some of these issues described Ive seen in the 10.1v as well, although my biggest gripe with these is the severe backlight bleeding. I have now exchanged this device with Vodafone AU twice and seen a total of 6 units and all have had backlight bleeding and inconsistent build quality.
With the first unit I received both right corners of the screen were popping out over the bezel a little. I believed it to be a problem with the adhesive used, because if you were to put pressure on the corner it would hold for a second then release, and you could hear the "sticky" sound as the adhesive separated.
All the units I've sampled though have had really shocking problems with backlight bleeding/leakage. If you're someone who planned to watch movies on this tablet in dimly lit rooms, you could find this distracting. I do. Its a shame really because I otherwise like the quality of the display, and both 10.1 models are nicely designed and nice to hold. In a lot of ways I prefer the feel of the 10.1v over the iPad 2. Too bad though that the build quality is questionable across the range of what is now 3 different variants of the 10.1 that Samsung has produced. What's the deal Samy?!
I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet but most likely I'll return this 10.1v to Vodafail for a refund and wait it out for the 8.9. Perhaps I'll have better luck then?
Sent from my GT-P7100 using XDA Premium App

disappointed

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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Verizon fixed hdmi resolution on jelly bean 4.1.2

mtvdeo said:
Verizon fixed hdmi resolution on jelly bean 4.1.2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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

Pet Peeves

I love the Z1. So much. BUT:
- It's slippery as hell. I live in a humid climate and I nearly dropped it at least 10 times taking it out of my pocket when its a little wet.
- Speaker - Not a big issue as most of us use headphones anyway, but still annoying when showing videos to someone in public and all you hear is this mangled mess of tinny audio.
- Camera presets - Sony, for the love of god, please allow me to jump into my camera SAVE MY SETTINGS in a preset for those point and shoot moments!
Aside from that, this phone kicks a**. And yes, I have no problems with the 'viewing angles' - I am not a crustacean and my eyes are generally level with the screen during use.
What do you guys think? After some time with the device, what kinda tweaks could be made to improve it?

I'd prefer the back to be aluminium since I also think it's too slippery.
I use a lanyard wrist strap from an old sony camera instead of a case and I think it's great, it can't fall and it still looks sexy.

the only problem i have is how fragile it is. i'm on my 3rd one since release. one fell out of my pocket and broke (i was sitting down) and one pressed against my keys in my pocket and the screen shattered.

1988amr said:
- Camera presets - Sony, for the love of god, please allow me to jump into my camera SAVE MY SETTINGS in a preset for those point and shoot moments!
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This would be very useful. 3rd party apps could provide this kind of functionality. But the problem is sony does not permit access to camera functions to these 3rd party apps. LG isn't any better, the nexus 5 & G2 are in the same boat too.
This means we're dependent on the stock app for complete functionality.
When will they allow saving presets in the stock app ? anybody's guess

1988amr said:
- It's slippery as hell. I live in a humid climate and I nearly dropped it at least 10 times taking it out of my pocket when its a little wet.
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I'm in the exact opposite situation weather wise, cold and dry. Really ****ing slippery unless you go around with sticky hands which wouldn't be too professional in my line of work.
I'd love to find some kind of grippy rubbery tape I could apply in stripes on the phone, preferably on the sides. Haven't found anything despite extensive searches.
Anyone else have a tip where such a thing could be found?

For me it is the Flashlight which is placed in the worst place. Everytime i do a picture with the flash i see in every shot the light coming from the bottom side and so 1/4 of the picture is "white"....

rage77 said:
I'm in the exact opposite situation weather wise, cold and dry. Really ****ing slippery unless you go around with sticky hands which wouldn't be too professional in my line of work.
I'd love to find some kind of grippy rubbery tape I could apply in strike on the phone, preferably on the sides. Haven't found anything despite extensive searches.
Anyone else have a tip where such a thing could be found?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How about this ?
Sony Xperia Z1 TPU Gel Skin Case / Cover

One Twelve said:
How about this ?
Sony Xperia Z1 TPU Gel Skin Case / Cover
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Click to collapse
Thanks but I really don't want to add any bulk to the phone so I'd rather not have a case on it. Hence the grippy stripes idea.

rage77 said:
Thanks but I really don't want to add any bulk to the phone so I'd rather not have a case on it. Hence the grippy stripes idea.
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Click to collapse
https://www.west49.com/products/skate/grip-tape.html
Most malls in Canada and the USA have a West-49, a skater type shop.
If all else fails, most Canadian Tire, WalMart and other similar "we have everything you'd ever need" type stores sell tape with sandpaper type texture on one side. Just don't cheap out. Buy the vehicle quality 3M brand, as that's waterproof and moisture proof, and won't peel off from being taken in and out of a pocket frequently.

rage77 said:
Thanks but I really don't want to add any bulk to the phone so I'd rather not have a case on it. Hence the grippy stripes idea.
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A gel case isn't bulk, that's the most minimal case you'll ever get for the Z1. Can hardly tell its even there if you colour match.
Grip tape will be a dust& lint magnet. yeah great for grip but how comfortable after a bit.

Seelbreaker said:
For me it is the Flashlight which is placed in the worst place. Everytime i do a picture with the flash i see in every shot the light coming from the bottom side and so 1/4 of the picture is "white"....
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I have that problem too sometimes but it usually goes away if I wipe down the camera lens glass. Not sure why it fixes it, but it does.

ASF - it just gets in the way cause its scratched so easily
just use glass with oleophobic coating like every other phone manufacturer does - if you want additional protection buy a screen protector (which are much harder to scratch then the ones Sony uses on their phones..)
phone is a massive fingerprint magnet due to bad quality ASF..

Seelbreaker said:
For me it is the Flashlight which is placed in the worst place. Everytime i do a picture with the flash i see in every shot the light coming from the bottom side and so 1/4 of the picture is "white"....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What case are you using ?

I'm adding a new peeve - my wifi after switching to 4.3 is horrendous. Need like a super hi performance router to keep any connection and even in my car it takes ages to connect to bluetooth. Def some connectivity issues going on here after the update...
Also, I have night shots that are noisy AS HELL.
Any suggestions?

New one, loose USB port flap. No more waterproof for me
Sent from my SGP311 using Tapatalk

1988amr said:
I'm adding a new peeve - my wifi after switching to 4.3 is horrendous. Need like a super hi performance router to keep any connection and even in my car it takes ages to connect to bluetooth. Def some connectivity issues going on here after the update...
Also, I have night shots that are noisy AS HELL.
Any suggestions?
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Click to collapse
factory reset for the wifi. i had to do that to fix some other issues after updating (static during calls, proximity sensor not working)

I always do a factory reset after updates. It ends up saving you time...
Sendt fra XPERIA Z SGP312

Pet peeves..well I'll start off by saying I am in fact very happy with the handset, it's a beautiful device and performs beyond anything I'd ever expected.
But those peeves...
1: Magnetic charging is a novelty and in reality the magnets aren't powerful enough to use in the car as the cable just falls off.
2: A Navbar the size of a small country, Sony created a wonderful screen then filled a good deal of it with Navbar. I shouldn't have to root and use Xposed to reduce it.
3: No white balance settings...I mean come on, the older Z had it!
4: White phone... But black screen bezel totally ruins the looks of it, I picked the black one for that reason.
5: Rooting 4.3 (for now, I know this will change in the future) is a pain.
And finally.
The camera flash has more noise in it than a rock concert, with a case on it just ends up whitewashing the pictures.
But I'd still have an Xperia over ANY other handset.

Home button durability.. lets talk..

So, like many, i have jumped on the S6 bandwagon, and am rather enjoying it so far (so much so that i haven't even bothered with bootloader or root yet). And while over the few days so far the glass is great (i would hope so.. sheesh), i have noticed some scratches already on the home button. Now, being that no phone will ever stay perfect, i accept that wear and tear will happen, but i was surprised to see it this early.
Certainly, i am happy enough with the phone (non scratched glass, good battery life (with bloat disabled), etc), but am curious to see if i am alone in this, or others have the same issue.
And more to that - will the scratches become a problem for the fingerprint reader (something i do enjoy using, and would like to keep doing so)? Perhaps some voices of experience can bring some wizdom..

Divine_Madcat said:
So, like many, i have jumped on the S6 bandwagon, and am rather enjoying it so far (so much so that i haven't even bothered with bootloader or root yet). And while over the few days so far the glass is great (i would hope so.. sheesh), i have noticed some scratches already on the home button. Now, being that no phone will ever stay perfect, i accept that wear and tear will happen, but i was surprised to see it this early.
Certainly, i am happy enough with the phone (non scratched glass, good battery life (with bloat disabled), etc), but am curious to see if i am alone in this, or others have the same issue.
And more to that - will the scratches become a problem for the fingerprint reader (something i do enjoy using, and would like to keep doing so)? Perhaps some voices of experience can bring some wizdom..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine had scratches right out of the box and I scratched it further thinking there is a protective film over it since it looked like it had one. Its definitely a concern in the long run though I was able to get rid of the scratches by using toothpaste. My home button also wobbles a bit vertically and if I tap it gently in the left corner, it creates a clicky noise. The biggest concern for me right now is the pink tint on my s6's screen on the bottom half and left side. I can exchange but may end up getting the same/worse unit since most of the people who faced this issue ended up getting worse/similar units.
Will the finger print scanner stop working after many scratches is something we can only guess at the moment.

What's it made of?

The home button had the same vulnerability on the Note 4 and Note Edge, but it never affected the fingerprint reader. Micro scratches galore, but nothing too glaring and didn't affect the functionality.

Well, i certainly will agree right now, what i see is micro, and has had no impact on the scanning (4 fingers registered, no issue at all). I am a little disappointed that with the excellent build otherwise exhibited, something people will use most may be the most prone to scratches; but i also accept that that sensor may not work with more durable materials.
Still, a little more reassuring that the Note 4 is similar and should be ok..

I've noticed some minor scratches too on my home button. I'm not sure whether they were there out of the box as I didn't think to look closely at the time.
I imagine you could take a cheap plastic/PET type screen protector and cut out an oval shape and put it on the button. I'm not sure whether that would change the fingerprint recognition or not since I don't know how those scanners work. It would be easy to test though even before trying to cut the shape out.

Divine_Madcat said:
So, like many, i have jumped on the S6 bandwagon, and am rather enjoying it so far (so much so that i haven't even bothered with bootloader or root yet). And while over the few days so far the glass is great (i would hope so.. sheesh), i have noticed some scratches already on the home button. Now, being that no phone will ever stay perfect, i accept that wear and tear will happen, but i was surprised to see it this early.
Certainly, i am happy enough with the phone (non scratched glass, good battery life (with bloat disabled), etc), but am curious to see if i am alone in this, or others have the same issue.
And more to that - will the scratches become a problem for the fingerprint reader (something i do enjoy using, and would like to keep doing so)? Perhaps some voices of experience can bring some wizdom..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
any chance the micro scratches were there out of the box? i've had mine since April 1st and don't see any scratches...yet.

mrvirginia said:
any chance the micro scratches were there out of the box? i've had mine since April 1st and don't see any scratches...yet.
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Actually, yes, it is quite possible, as i noted them just about the second day i had it, and was shocked to see them. I may not have the smoothest thumbs, but the scratches went all the way across, which is also odd.
So far, no real issues, but it was surprising to see (part of me wrongly assumed the button was also glass).

Divine_Madcat said:
Actually, yes, it is quite possible, as i noted them just about the second day i had it, and was shocked to see them. I may not have the smoothest thumbs, but the scratches went all the way across, which is also odd.
So far, no real issues, but it was surprising to see (part of me wrongly assumed the button was also glass).
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honestly it should be glass. guess they're still working on premium quality 100%
it may be more likely that they were there out of box. i've tried scratching mine with my nail and no dice.
they have some assembly line and packing kinks to work out clearly. my device thankfully came unscathed but the plastic wrap that covered the phone looked like someone had pulled it back on with their finger/nail - there were 3 little indentions on it.

So, i hope its not related, but i have had my phone now fail to read my fingerprint a few times, and pop up a notice saying there was a failure, and if it keeps happening, reboot the phone. A reboot (or even manual unlock) seems to work, but i am hoping its not a sign of things to come...

No micro-scratches here yet....

I've confessions to make: I'm obsessed with physical buttons wearing off! The first app I installed is "pie control", which is something I really got accustomed to and find more practical than using home button and recent button, incidentally this saves a lot of click on the home button. I've been using for a while even an accessibility feature that let you wake up the phone by waving in front of it, to be honest I don't use much this one. Then again I use Nova Launcher and I set up a shortcut to lock the phone double tapping the display. I know I'm way overcaring about this, on the other hand I just dismissed my old S3 that was still practically perfect even after almost 3 years of usage.

Divine_Madcat said:
So, i hope its not related, but i have had my phone now fail to read my fingerprint a few times, and pop up a notice saying there was a failure, and if it keeps happening, reboot the phone. A reboot (or even manual unlock) seems to work, but i am hoping its not a sign of things to come...
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Click to collapse
Let me recommend you something what I personally did after finding micro scratches right out of the box. Use an ear bud (used to clean ear) and a very small amount of toothpaste. Apply a little paste on the bud and gently rub the home button for a min or so. Once done, wipe it from a damp cloth and also taking out bits an pieces of the paste that may have got around the gaps.
I was completely able to remove micro scratches doing the above and hope it helps you too. People have also used the above method to clean their camera lenses with great effect. Look out for a thread under the Xperia Z3 compact page where people complaint of having scratches on their camera lens after using the phone for a while.
Note - Dont rub too hard on the home button. It wont harm but will take away the gloss from the button leaving it looking matte.

CafeKampuchia said:
What's it made of?
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The button is actually metal, but the substrate for the sensor (on top) is of a type of polymer film- like plastic? I'll post a source link when I get a chance. Thx
See link:
It's definitely not durable
https://techpolarity.wordpress.com

I'll give it a try tonight the toothpaste and the q-tips .... hope it works... i'll try to be as gentle as possible and go up from there ... thanks for the info man. Same problem here. Came, I believe scratched from the box, had a scratch on it from the first day and it went up from there. Dunno what is wrong with samsung they always have to screw up somehow.

Hawkeye1103 said:
I'll give it a try tonight the toothpaste and the q-tips .... hope it works... i'll try to be as gentle as possible and go up from there ... thanks for the info man. Same problem here. Came, I believe scratched from the box, had a scratch on it from the first day and it went up from there. Dunno what is wrong with samsung they always have to screw up somehow.
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Yeah... I do believe they messed up this time.
https://techpolarity.wordpress.com
They decided to use a non-durable substrate. The above article explains why. Good luck!

Lucidd33 said:
Yeah... I do believe they messed up this time.
https://techpolarity.wordpress.com
They decided to use a non-durable substrate. The above article explains why. Good luck!
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Click to collapse
This is just conjecture. While it may very well be true, the author doesn't give any evidence or references to back this claim. For all we know, Samsung may have chosen plastic simply because it was cheaper.

when the iPhone 5S was launched, a few people expressed concerns that the sort of CMOS scanner they were using tends to deteriorate over time. This, thankfully, hasn't proven to be the case; however I think that this deterioration is mitigated by an exceptionally strong sapphire glass coating on the 5S's home button - and now on the 6 and 6 Plus.
I have concerns for the durability of the S6 home button too - not for the scratches (which mine also exhibited after only 6 days of careful use), but for the likelihood of the sensor itself wearing out over time, as they are supposedly prone to doing. If Samsung have indeed skimped on the protection this home button requires for long-term durability then people will be in for a nasty shock further down the line when they can no longer use the fingerprint recognition, or when it deteriorates to the point of being useless. For those who recommend using toothpaste to clean the scratches out, I would suggest that this is a terrible idea - clearly scratches are going to reappear anyway, and taking some of the already weedy protection away from the fingerprint scanner with a micro abrasive surely can't be a good idea.
I'm really happy with the S6 but the home button is a big concern for me. I simply don't think it's as high quality as the ones Apple use. My 6 day old S6 has been exchanged by the store for a new device as the home button not only rattled but didn't work at all on the left side unless it was pressed with a degree of weight. My replacement still jiggles a tiny but but is at least better.
To me this is a bigger issue than 'Sensorgate', which is just a load of rubbish as far as I'm concerned.

leoni1980 said:
when the iPhone 5S was launched, a few people expressed concerns that the sort of CMOS scanner they were using tends to deteriorate over time. This, thankfully, hasn't proven to be the case; however I think that this deterioration is mitigated by an exceptionally strong sapphire glass coating on the 5S's home button - and now on the 6 and 6 Plus.
I have concerns for the durability of the S6 home button too - not for the scratches (which mine also exhibited after only 6 days of careful use), but for the likelihood of the sensor itself wearing out over time, as they are supposedly prone to doing. If Samsung have indeed skimped on the protection this home button requires for long-term durability then people will be in for a nasty shock further down the line when they can no longer use the fingerprint recognition, or when it deteriorates to the point of being useless. For those who recommend using toothpaste to clean the scratches out, I would suggest that this is a terrible idea - clearly scratches are going to reappear anyway, and taking some of the already weedy protection away from the fingerprint scanner with a micro abrasive surely can't be a good idea.
I'm really happy with the S6 but the home button is a big concern for me. I simply don't think it's as high quality as the ones Apple use. My 6 day old S6 has been exchanged by the store for a new device as the home button not only rattled but didn't work at all on the left side unless it was pressed with a degree of weight. My replacement still jiggles a tiny but but is at least better.
To me this is a bigger issue than 'Sensorgate', which is just a load of rubbish as far as I'm concerned.
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Click to collapse
You do make some really good points… When you returned your phone for exchange, was it a big pain in the ass? Did they hint that they do an exception for you?
I've just become very wary about returns, exchanges because I've been screwed before on exchanges and being stuck with a mediocre device.
Anyways, I am very surprised that not too many complaints about the sensor has come up on the web searches so far.

I could demonstrate that the home button wouldn't work on the left side unless I pressed it hard. They were able to replicate it themselves so it wasn't too much of an issue. I struggle to deal with high street stores in matters of poor quality control though as they tend to take the stance of 'I can't see anything...it's not really an issue to me'. One thing I miss when I move away from Apple products - not to sound like a fanboy - is that I feel I can trust that they will rectify any little annoyances I have.
One thing I feel confident in saying with absolute certainty is that the home button on the Galaxy S6 is not even close to the quality of Touch ID. It works, and it works well; but the feel it gives when you click it, the overall travel and the cheap plastic feel is a giveaway. Samsung are nearly up to iPhone standards with this device in terms of quality control but this button is its Achilles heel - they kind of cheaped out.