The Nexus 6P - Dr Jekyll or Mr Hyde? - Nexus 6P Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

My Note 3 is dying and I'm looking around for my next daily driver. I've got kids so money and time mean I've got to get the best stock phone I can without rooting, and get it right first time.
I'm really interested in the 6P, but watching YouTube vids it seems to be two-faced: it's perfect or a mess; so which is it?
1) Does bluetooth work reliably or still have regular disconnects 6+ months after launch? (My Note 3 was rock-steady.)
2) Does Gmail arrive promptly, or after 20minutes-several hours? (Important for me.)
3) Is the headphone jack as dodgy as it looks in the vids? If it's not registering connection brand new, what's it going to be like after a year, or eighteen months? (I can't afford less than a 2 year cycle for phones.)
4) Is the phone 'buttery-smooth' or regularly prone to pauses and lags during lighter use? (Depending on the reviewer, it varied.)
5) Are my games going to throttle/stutter - rendering the money spent on a 'gaming' phone wasted?
6) Is there anything else I should know about?
Any help and accurate information greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
One confused Fizzig.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3335923
The latest update for me has been amazing. Best phone I've ever owned (I came from a Moto X Pure and a GS6 before that).
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

t2jbird said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3335923
The latest update for me has been amazing. Best phone I've ever owned (I came from a Moto X Pure and a GS6 before that).
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheers - how long have you had the update? Any problems that still seem unresolved?

Fizzig said:
Cheers - how long have you had the update? Any problems that still seem unresolved?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used it about two weeks. I never had a problem while I was on stock. I'm somewhat of a flashaholic.. So I'm on a custom ROM now that has some minor bugs.
If you're going to stay on stock though, phone is buttery smooth throughout.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

I use bluetooth daily(ear buds, radio at work, and AVR at home) and have not had any problems, but that's for streaming music, haven't tried for calls yet.
Also no problem with the headphone jack.

Fizzig said:
My Note 3 is dying and I'm looking around for my next daily driver. I've got kids so money and time mean I've got to get the best stock phone I can without rooting, and get it right first time.
I'm really interested in the 6P, but watching YouTube vids it seems to be two-faced: it's perfect or a mess; so which is it?
1) Does bluetooth work reliably or still have regular disconnects 6+ months after launch? (My Note 3 was rock-steady.)
2) Does Gmail arrive promptly, or after 20minutes-several hours? (Important for me.)
3) Is the headphone jack as dodgy as it looks in the vids? If it's not registering connection brand new, what's it going to be like after a year, or eighteen months? (I can't afford less than a 2 year cycle for phones.)
4) Is the phone 'buttery-smooth' or regularly prone to pauses and lags during lighter use? (Depending on the reviewer, it varied.)
5) Are my games going to throttle/stutter - rendering the money spent on a 'gaming' phone wasted?
6) Is there anything else I should know about?
Any help and accurate information greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
One confused Fizzig.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of the 6 problems you are asking about I have NO ISSUES with any of those things.
My current problems are:
Random WiFi drops, (no biggie) I am sure this will go away.
Dropping LTE/data issue, better after flashing radio.
All in all I love the phone. Unless you are considering Apple, this is the best Android phone of its size.

Fizzig said:
My Note 3 is dying and I'm looking around for my next daily driver. I've got kids so money and time mean I've got to get the best stock phone I can without rooting, and get it right first time.
I'm really interested in the 6P, but watching YouTube vids it seems to be two-faced: it's perfect or a mess; so which is it?
1) Does bluetooth work reliably or still have regular disconnects 6+ months after launch? (My Note 3 was rock-steady.)
2) Does Gmail arrive promptly, or after 20minutes-several hours? (Important for me.)
3) Is the headphone jack as dodgy as it looks in the vids? If it's not registering connection brand new, what's it going to be like after a year, or eighteen months? (I can't afford less than a 2 year cycle for phones.)
4) Is the phone 'buttery-smooth' or regularly prone to pauses and lags during lighter use? (Depending on the reviewer, it varied.)
5) Are my games going to throttle/stutter - rendering the money spent on a 'gaming' phone wasted?
6) Is there anything else I should know about?
Any help and accurate information greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
One confused Fizzig.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello, gonna try to answer some of your questions from personal expirience
1. Not using it daily, but when i do(for gamepad) or streaming music in car it works without any stutters or problems for me.
2. Again, i dont depend on email notifications arriving same second, so i never really looked into it, but it doesnt seem late for me.
3. Its nor better nor worse than any other jack, it just works and havent had any problems with it.
4. Thats where the phone shines the brightest, by far smoothest and fastest phone i have ever used, probably due to lightweight pure android.
5. I had encountered a little lag only in 1 game. Asphalt 8, i think its one the most power demanding games out there, and it wasnt like a big lag, sometimes when playing for extended period of time, i noticed the game would become not as smooth for like 10seconds, like a little bit less fps, and after that good again. Probably due to cpu thermal throtling, but as i said, was barely noticable and perfectly playable.
6. I dunno, for me its a very good phone, probably best so far, sometimes i wish it had a better battery life, but its still more than okey, will get you through the day even after heavy usage, just 3450mah sounds so much that my expectations were probably too high.
Hope i helped you

I returned my 6P after owning it for 3 months and having 3 replacements (all of which had many, many issues).
The speaker audio is good, bluetooth is the most unreliable of any Android phone I have ever used. The battery life is not as good as people say and is so intermittent. The speed of the phone is good, not excellent however. It starts of super fast when you turn the phone on, but give it 12 hours or so and it becomes stuttery and a mess sometimes. Games are unplayable about 30 mins of gameplay due to the throttling.
The headphone jack is ABSOLUTELY AWFUL. One of my phones had one that properly secured the headphones in places, the others were so loose, a slight jolt would disconnect the audio, even putting it into my pocket would disconnect the audio. Plus on all of my phones, there was a static sound at below 50% volume, which is so apparent. If you like your audio, avoid this phone like the plague, trust me. I have never had more issues with a phone's headphone jack than with the 6P.
That being said, I do not hate the phone, so don't think I am being biased, because I'm not. I gave this phone so many chances and it always fell short of what I would expect to be acceptable. Google's excuse for my issues was that I was 'unlucky', 4 phones in a row. Sure.

gman88667733 said:
I returned my 6P after owning it for 3 months and having 3 replacements (all of which had many, many issues).
The speaker audio is good, bluetooth is the most unreliable of any Android phone I have ever used. The battery life is not as good as people say and is so intermittent. The speed of the phone is good, not excellent however. It starts of super fast when you turn the phone on, but give it 12 hours or so and it becomes stuttery and a mess sometimes. Games are unplayable about 30 mins of gameplay due to the throttling.
The headphone jack is ABSOLUTELY AWFUL. One of my phones had one that properly secured the headphones in places, the others were so loose, a slight jolt would disconnect the audio, even putting it into my pocket would disconnect the audio. Plus on all of my phones, there was a static sound at below 50% volume, which is so apparent. If you like your audio, avoid this phone like the plague, trust me. I have never had more issues with a phone's headphone jack than with the 6P.
That being said, I do not hate the phone, so don't think I am being biased, because I'm not. I gave this phone so many chances and it always fell short of what I would expect to be acceptable. Google's excuse for my issues was that I was 'unlucky', 4 phones in a row. Sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And that remains my issue with the 6P. People say they have no, or minimal problems, and other's reports are like the above. Of the phones that are out at the moment, the 6P suits my needs the most. I'm just not sure that I'm willing to play the lottery to find a reliable unit. I'll have to hope my Note 3 will limp through the summer and autumn so I can see what late 2016 brings in terms of new releases. :fingers-crossed:

Fizzig said:
And that remains my issue with the 6P. People say they have no, or minimal problems, and other's reports are like the above. Of the phones that are out at the moment, the 6P suits my needs the most. I'm just not sure that I'm willing to play the lottery to find a reliable unit. I'll have to hope my Note 3 will limp through the summer and autumn so I can see what late 2016 brings in terms of new releases. :fingers-crossed:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably the best way to go. The hassle of RMAing over and over is not worth it. I really wanted to like the phone..

Fizzig said:
And that remains my issue with the 6P. People say they have no, or minimal problems, and other's reports are like the above. Of the phones that are out at the moment, the 6P suits my needs the most. I'm just not sure that I'm willing to play the lottery to find a reliable unit. I'll have to hope my Note 3 will limp through the summer and autumn so I can see what late 2016 brings in terms of new releases. :fingers-crossed:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's probably your best bet to be honest. The 6P is pretty much old news at this point in the mobile world and the new Nexus and other phones will be right around the corner and will be here sooner than you think.
And I'm not saying to always wait for something newer because you can do that forever. But I also went through three 6P's before I gave up. It just seems too risky to get involved in the rma game.
With that being said, the 6P is overall a good phone if you can get a good one. Good luck in your journey.

Related

[Q] Is Nexus 4 better or worse than other similar phones?

My jump into the world of smartphones has been small. A couple of years I purchased Motorola Spice. It was ok, froze every once in a while, and was super slow, like the original computers. Thus I got excited when I made a purchase of Nexus 4. It was all great until a couple of weeks ago when I received it.
Everything is fine except for a couple of things. The static buzzing noise when talking on the phone, kind of like someone shaking a cup half filled with sand, and the fact that the phone heats up after 5 minutes of web surfing, and is very hot after 10 minutes of use.
So my question is whether this is normal on higher end smart phones such as HTC One S/X, S3, S2, etc?
I have asked for a replacement due to static while making calls, and am thinking about selling Nexus 4, but if other phones have similar issues, then there is no point. I plan on keeping my phone for at least 2 years.
The Sprint Sgs3 heated up a lot, and the call quality was terrible. And the radios were the worst ever. I don't know about the other phones though. Would be curious to hear about them.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
My One S would heat up as well.
It is definitely better than one X or iPhone 5. Used it before and hate it so much lol
Honestly though, in my experience, Nexus 4 has been pretty much the best phone I've ever used. It is as smooth as iPhone while maintaining all the customization of android.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Well I guess sadly it's good to know that this is the best device at the moment. Even though it falls way below my expectations. The phone gets hot after a 10 minute conversation, meanwhile with my other phone it took at least half hour before I would feel anything.
When surfing the web, with my other phone, I could go almost an hour before things would get hot, and with this phone it only takes 10 minutes before it's hot enough to not want to have it in my hand.
Reception wise its the worse thing I have owned, I think ever. Even with Motorola Spice the reception has been pretty clear, not to mention my old (12 years ago) Nokia, Samsung and Motorola clamshell phones.
Now thinking about getting a Blackberry 10, but not sure if Blackberry software issues will be a problem.
Surfing xda the last 30 min, nothing gets hot on my phone. Talking for hours isn't a problem too. No issues so far, last three phones were Motorola Milestone 2 (good, sometimes I still miss the keyboard) iphone4s (seriously I don't get the apple crowd, was really laggy at times, got hot and was a b*tch to hold for longer than 5min and I gave it a honest go, even with jail breaking it was an utter annoyance) and the one x which I found quite nice, but it felt a lot bigger than the nexus and was overheating a lot). To conclude: in my opinion nexus 4 is the best phone right now on the market.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
nexus 4 is best than other brand phones...
only time it heats up is when gaming.... surfing and other things... doesnt even make it warm... its cool
No buzz like I know a lot of people seem to have. I definitely have the reception issue and I've seen a number of other people post about it too, it isn't the worst reception I've ever had but it is noticeably worse than my previous few phones. As for heat, stock I noticed it to get quite warm under normal use but it has a glass back so that is to be expected however with franco's kernel the phone seems to stay much cooler (not advocating rooting/modding/etc to get a properly functioning phone just relaying my experience.)
That being said I do think it is the best android phone out right now and the best android device I've used to date. I would certainly trade my n4 for an iphone 5, I would be willing to give a nokia 920 a trial run and for me BB10 is DOA so I wouldn't give it a second look. If you don't like the N4 don't stick with it, there are alternatives and maybe something else out there might be a better fit.
threeclaws said:
No buzz like I know a lot of people seem to have. I definitely have the reception issue and I've seen a number of other people post about it too, it isn't the worst reception I've ever had but it is noticeably worse than my previous few phones. As for heat, stock I noticed it to get quite warm under normal use but it has a glass back so that is to be expected however with franco's kernel the phone seems to stay much cooler (not advocating rooting/modding/etc to get a properly functioning phone just relaying my experience.)
That being said I do think it is the best android phone out right now and the best android device I've used to date. I would certainly trade my n4 for an iphone 5, I would be willing to give a nokia 920 a trial run and for me BB10 is DOA so I wouldn't give it a second look. If you don't like the N4 don't stick with it, there are alternatives and maybe something else out there might be a better fit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Coming from multiple HTC smartphones recently I can the reception not being as great, HTC makes excellent radios they are the best in my experience. Samsung is pretty good with GSM, not so much with CDMA. But the LG Nexus 4 actually has much better reception than my last phone the gsm galaxy nexus.
I actually think the reception is pretty good, is it the best radio ever, no. But it's also a new phone on a new chipset which by it's nature of being so new doesn't have the most optimized radio software either. I'm actually fairly impressed with the speed of data connections on a extremely low signal.
The heat is overemphasized and I'd ask some users that claim the phone gets hot enough to be uncomfortable to hold what kernel they are running. Playing with the thermal throttling setting seems popular among kernel developers and it's possible a poorly configured thermal throttling.
The N4 isn't perfect but for me it's damn close but I don't claim that one phone is right for everyone.
There is no similar phone
Nexus 5 > Nexus 4 > all
movielover76 said:
Coming from multiple HTC smartphones recently I can the reception not being as great, HTC makes excellent radios they are the best in my experience. Samsung is pretty good with GSM, not so much with CDMA. But the LG Nexus 4 actually has much better reception than my last phone the gsm galaxy nexus.
I actually think the reception is pretty good, is it the best radio ever, no. But it's also a new phone on a new chipset which by it's nature of being so new doesn't have the most optimized radio software either. I'm actually fairly impressed with the speed of data connections on a extremely low signal.
The heat is overemphasized and I'd ask some users that claim the phone gets hot enough to be uncomfortable to hold what kernel they are running. Playing with the thermal throttling setting seems popular among kernel developers and it's possible a poorly configured thermal throttling.
The N4 isn't perfect but for me it's damn close but I don't claim that one phone is right for everyone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not done any modifications to my phone. Heat-up happened during a regular phone call. But yes, when I do surf the net or play games, it does get really hot really fast.
As for reception, I am actually talking about voice clarity. Not signal strength. Signal strength has been very good.

Buying the Nexus 4...?

Hi there!
I currently have the Galaxy Nexus and looking to replace it with the Nexus 4. I have tried the phone several times in shops, read reviews and seen the hundreds of videos on Youtube and have noticed some negative things that might affect my purchase like:
1. Short battery life - even at 2100mAh and with minimal usage it still doesn't quite last for a whole day even on standby.
2. A not-so sharp screen - using this so-called "grey screen" test it was shown to be weaker than the previous-gen Galaxy Nexus
3. Wifi bugs - again when the phone is held in a specific way the wifi signal becomes affected
4. Muffled incoming calls
5. Frequency distortions when a headphone is connected
6. Weak & tiny speakers sound (just like Galaxy Nexus)
7. Very poor speaker grill placement
8. An "average" camera photos
Aside from the hardware issue has the other issues been resolved via software updates? And is Google aware of these issues?
We all know the wonderful and powerful specs (and OS) the Nexus 4 has but these issues seems to be on my head.
Please advice. Thanks.
gino_76ph said:
Hi there!
I currently have the Galaxy Nexus and looking to replace it with the Nexus 4. I have tried the phone several times in shops, read reviews and seen the hundreds of videos on Youtube and have noticed some negative things that might affect my purchase like:
1. Short battery life - even at 2100mAh and with minimal usage it still doesn't quite last for a whole day even on standby.
2. A not-so sharp screen - using this so-called "grey screen" test it was shown to be weaker than the previous-gen Galaxy Nexus
3. Wifi bugs - again when the phone is held in a specific way the wifi signal becomes affected
4. Muffled incoming calls
5. Frequency distortions when a headphone is connected
6. Weak & tiny speakers sound (just like Galaxy Nexus)
7. Very poor speaker grill placement
8. An "average" camera photos
Aside from the hardware issue has the other issues been resolved via software updates? And is Google aware of these issues?
We all know the wonderful and powerful specs (and OS) the Nexus 4 has but these issues seems to be on my head.
Please advice. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. My battery life is great.
2. I LOVE the screen. If you're used to amoled you may not, since amoled is as ugly as sin.
3. My WiFi always work great, sooo?
4. The hell? It sounds fine.
5. If it's there, I haven't noticed.
6 and 7 are linked in my opinion. One causes the other. I have zero issue with the earpiece.
8. The galaxy nexus had an "average camera" too. You can't sell a phone with this kind of hardware at this price and have the best of everything. If you think that you can, well, good luck with that philosophy. Also, a few seconds of editing really helps the pictures.
Honestly, I hope you don't buy a Nexus 4 because I hope to never see you here again.
Just my two cents:
1. Battery life is way better then my old HTC Sensation (like...i needed a spare battery for it if i had a long day at uni whereas my nexus last for a whole day of heavy use)
2. The screen is not AWESOME in stock, but it's pretty darn good. A custom kernel on the other hand makes it much much better then anything you have seen, trust me.
3. Wi-Fi working without issues here as well. I'm sure you're referring to the "Deathgrip" issue which mostsmartphones have...don't worry about it too much. You can always hold it in a different way if you find your wi-fi signal level unacceptable
4. Incoming call quality is top notch...didn't notice any problems. The earpiece is really loud even! I use it at minimum volume!
5. Didn't notice that either.
6. It's not too bad. There are audio mods which improve the volume and sound quality across the board (this applies to 5,6,7)
7. see above
8. The camera is much much better then the one in my old HTC Sensation. And i mean...MUCH BETTER!
So i guess it all depends on which phone you're coming for. Me? I'm extremely happy with my purchase
It doesn't appear that you want to buy the N4. That's fine, you've done your homework and came to a smart decision. But if you did as much research on the Galaxy Nexus you would have found similar complaints about it and would not now own it.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Solution for those problems:
Downloadnflash paranoid android or cm or just stick with stock.
Then flash Francos kernel, do some UVing and there you go. Use BBS(better battery stats) to find what's causing your drain if you ever do buy a nexus 4.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
gino_76ph said:
Hi there!
I currently have the Galaxy Nexus and looking to replace it with the Nexus 4. I have tried the phone several times in shops, read reviews and seen the hundreds of videos on Youtube and have noticed some negative things that might affect my purchase like:
1. Short battery life - even at 2100mAh and with minimal usage it still doesn't quite last for a whole day even on standby.
2. A not-so sharp screen - using this so-called "grey screen" test it was shown to be weaker than the previous-gen Galaxy Nexus
3. Wifi bugs - again when the phone is held in a specific way the wifi signal becomes affected
4. Muffled incoming calls
5. Frequency distortions when a headphone is connected
6. Weak & tiny speakers sound (just like Galaxy Nexus)
7. Very poor speaker grill placement
8. An "average" camera photos
Aside from the hardware issue has the other issues been resolved via software updates? And is Google aware of these issues?
We all know the wonderful and powerful specs (and OS) the Nexus 4 has but these issues seems to be on my head.
Please advice. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1... Battery life was okay on stock, after rooting it and throwing a custom kernel it is definitely better than my rooted galaxy nexus or s3 was.
2... I used to love superamoled. Switched to nexus and it was so so for a day or two, once I got used to it, amoled now looks unnatural and ugly.
3... WiFi isn't the strongest, but it works. If I connect upstairs, I get 1 bar max, same for any other phone. Never had a signal drop, no matter how I hold.
4... Dafuq?! Never had that issues
5... Same as 4!
6... Yea, it isn't HTC one speaker but is good lol
7... Yea, if I lay then phone flat, can't hear music at all pretty much.
8... They look good imo
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
this screen have a burn-in issue like galaxy nexus ?
gino_76ph said:
Hi there!
I currently have the Galaxy Nexus and looking to replace it with the Nexus 4. I have tried the phone several times in shops, read reviews and seen the hundreds of videos on Youtube and have noticed some negative things that might affect my purchase like:
1. Short battery life - even at 2100mAh and with minimal usage it still doesn't quite last for a whole day even on standby.
2. A not-so sharp screen - using this so-called "grey screen" test it was shown to be weaker than the previous-gen Galaxy Nexus
3. Wifi bugs - again when the phone is held in a specific way the wifi signal becomes affected
4. Muffled incoming calls
5. Frequency distortions when a headphone is connected
6. Weak & tiny speakers sound (just like Galaxy Nexus)
7. Very poor speaker grill placement
8. An "average" camera photos
Aside from the hardware issue has the other issues been resolved via software updates? And is Google aware of these issues?
We all know the wonderful and powerful specs (and OS) the Nexus 4 has but these issues seems to be on my head.
Please advice. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As everyone else has pretty much already said:
1. No issues here
2. Personal preference, the screen is definitely 'sharper' than the GNex (326 vs 316 ppi, and that's not taking PenTile into account) but is less saturated. Colours look much better on LCD displays than on AMOLED in my opinion, my dad's GS3 looks awful now
3. No issues here
4. No issues here
5. No issues here
6. The earpiece seems fine to me. The rear speakers are extremely loud but quality isn't great, especially bass.
7. Have to live with this I'm afraid. I knew that putting the device down on a flat table would muffle the sound but I didn't know by how much. It's quite ridiculous really, but if you don't cover the speaker then I reiterate that it's fine for me.
8. I personally don't use the camera as much as others so I can't see any difference. To me, photos in good lighting look no worse than photos from an iPhone 5, GS3 or One X.
I think quite a lot of people have really bad impressions of the supposed 'issues' on this phone because of a few vocal users. There's really nothing wrong with most people's units afaik. I know 5 others who have N4s (people apparently have good taste in my school) and none of them have any significant issues whatsoever. I have only a very minor complaint with mine which is that if you stroke the volume button upwards (that's right, I said stroke) there's an almost inaudible creaking noise. That probably shows you how happy I am with this device.
Well, i did my homework when it comes to reviews online from well-known websites (Amazon UK, CNET, GSM arena, etc.) but i haven't decided if the Nexus 4 is NOT for me or not. I am merely expressing my views on what i read and what i read or seen on video reviews are always there, always (almost) consistent and always the same problems.
Sure it might be a factory defect or a very select few but still it causes me to do some thinking.
Why is the "deathgrip" issues still there regardless of what phone you have?
I usually (and most of the times) hold the phone in my left hand. And that basically covers the speaker grill at the back. It's not like ALL THE TIME and not all the time i'm expecting a phone call whilst i'm holding my phone with my left hand. I just think it's a bad place to place the speaker grill.
Has anyone actually tried the "grey screen test" for the screen to check for any inconsistencies or broken pixels or something?
So far all of you say the battery life issue ISN"T an issue at all. I'm just slightly worried that all reviews i read say otherwise. I still think with the specs the N4 has the minimum battery capacity should be 2300mAh or even more. I have an extended-life battery 2300mAh for my Galaxy Nexus. I charge it for 7 hours overnight. Use it to commute to & from work. Whilst at work i put it on Airplane mode and don't use it that much. When i go home i put it on normal mode. By 9pm the battery is down to 30% and it goes downhill from there. And this is whilst the wifi is turned-onat home and doing the basics of tasks like checking my Twitter, Instagram, updating apps and minimal news and stuff. So with that in mind i still think 2100mAh is not enough.
Regarding the camera photos quality...well i'm not into ROM's or MODs etc. I want mine the stock Android. But if anyone has anything in mind like apps to improve/tweak the camera and improve the battery life then i would greatly appreciate it.
Does the Nexus 4 have "HD voice"? And does it have some kind of noise cancellation when hearing from the earpiece or making a phone call so it stays clear even if your in a noisy environment?
I await all your replies. Thanks.
gino_76ph said:
Well, i did my homework when it comes to reviews online from well-known websites (Amazon UK, CNET, GSM arena, etc.) but i haven't decided if the Nexus 4 is NOT for me or not. I am merely expressing my views on what i read and what i read or seen on video reviews are always there, always (almost) consistent and always the same problems.
And that's perfectly fair enough. I agree that many trusted websites appear to give the N4 below average reviews, but I personally can see absolutely no reason why
Sure it might be a factory defect or a very select few but still it causes me to do some thinking.
Why is the "deathgrip" issues still there regardless of what phone you have?
Well it's not there for me so I can't comment here. Never had it, don't know anyone who's complained about it.
I usually (and most of the times) hold the phone in my left hand. And that basically covers the speaker grill at the back. It's not like ALL THE TIME and not all the time i'm expecting a phone call whilst i'm holding my phone with my left hand. I just think it's a bad place to place the speaker grill.
Agreed. Awful speaker placement, which isn't helped at all by the fact that the back is completely flat.
Has anyone actually tried the "grey screen test" for the screen to check for any inconsistencies or broken pixels or something?
I haven't but I can tell you from simple usage that there's nothing wrong with the screen. A custom kernel definitely helps a lot, but if you leave it as stock you'll still be happy.
So far all of you say the battery life issue ISN"T an issue at all. I'm just slightly worried that all reviews i read say otherwise. I still think with the specs the N4 has the minimum battery capacity should be 2300mAh or even more. I have an extended-life battery 2300mAh for my Galaxy Nexus. I charge it for 7 hours overnight. Use it to commute to & from work. Whilst at work i put it on Airplane mode and don't use it that much. When i go home i put it on normal mode. By 9pm the battery is down to 30% and it goes downhill from there. And this is whilst the wifi is turned-onat home and doing the basics of tasks like checking my Twitter, Instagram, updating apps and minimal news and stuff. So with that in mind i still think 2100mAh is not enough.
This was an issue I was worried about before getting my phone too, but my experience with it so far has been great.
Regarding the camera photos quality...well i'm not into ROM's or MODs etc. I want mine the stock Android. But if anyone has anything in mind like apps to improve/tweak the camera and improve the battery life then i would greatly appreciate it.
Does the Nexus 4 have "HD voice"? And does it have some kind of noise cancellation when hearing from the earpiece or making a phone call so it stays clear even if your in a noisy environment?
I don't think there's any HD voice, but there is a noise cancelling mic on the top. Either that, or my phone has a random hole in it
I await all your replies. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since you haven't numbered it this time, I just answered in red
With 4.2.1 stock, it was too aggressive when it came to onlining cores so you'd end up with 4 online cores when reading Facebook lol. Which is cool for project butter, but isn't too battery efficient. Even if you don't root it, 4.2.2 is better when it comes to stuff like that, so battery life is definitely not like it used to be. Most reviews are based on 4.2.1, so...
The only other phone I'd trade this nexus for is lumia 920, but I don't want an unlocked version and T-Mobile doesn't have it. The reason I'd take that is due to me loving Xbox music so much.
Even new phones coming out, yea, they are pretty beefy but don't offer stock android experience. To me, I always found touch wiz laggy and ugly. Sense ui was decent, but too buggy and updates never came. Point is, I personally love stock android, it feels so smooth, even if benchmarks don't reflect it. If you like stock, definitely the phone to go with.
Sound quality is great, noise canceling is good. I used to have gs3 and there were a lot more times when people had issues hearing me when it was windy.
Camera is good, it isn't lumia 920 type camera, but it does take good pictures, flash is pretty good too. I found galaxy nexus camera to be crap, I'm happy with this one.
I dunno what carrier you plan on using, but connectivity is much better for me then galaxy nexus. Not only does it support hspa42, which literally gives me 22mbps vs 10mbs I used to get, but it stays connected to hspa better. But, it still isn't as good as some other phones still because I know that couple of times I'd get stuck on edge when I shouldn't.
I like the way this touchscreen is too, seems more responsive than gnexus was.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
I am not a fan of custom kernels, rooting or CM ROM's and i would prefer the "normal" updates here & there by Google/LG.
If there is an app to somehow (not magically but if it were then the better) make the speakers louder, make the photos more saturated/sharper/more contrast and further improve the battery life (instead of the usual turning off the GPS, bluetooth, brightness, etc.) then i would be happy with.
Speaker volume is great, it's just the quality that you may need to worry about
gino_76ph said:
Hi there!
I currently have the Galaxy Nexus and looking to replace it with the Nexus 4. I have tried the phone several times in shops, read reviews and seen the hundreds of videos on Youtube and have noticed some negative things that might affect my purchase like:
1. Short battery life - even at 2100mAh and with minimal usage it still doesn't quite last for a whole day even on standby.
2. A not-so sharp screen - using this so-called "grey screen" test it was shown to be weaker than the previous-gen Galaxy Nexus
3. Wifi bugs - again when the phone is held in a specific way the wifi signal becomes affected
4. Muffled incoming calls
5. Frequency distortions when a headphone is connected
6. Weak & tiny speakers sound (just like Galaxy Nexus)
7. Very poor speaker grill placement
8. An "average" camera photos
Aside from the hardware issue has the other issues been resolved via software updates? And is Google aware of these issues?
We all know the wonderful and powerful specs (and OS) the Nexus 4 has but these issues seems to be on my head.
Please advice. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll answer your questions from what I've experienced.
1.Not sure what you've been doing, but I've been getting 15+ hours and I'm only down to 47%. I use the internet now and then, and play games alot during school.
2. I'm not sure what you're talking about, but it's still a really good screen. I'm not one to be picky of the screen, but i'm happy with it. Only thing I wish was if the colors were more true, but hey, it's still a really really good phone. One of the best, if not the best phone in market.
3. That's never happened to me. No matter which way I hold it, I still get good wifi wherever I am.
4. Muffled calls? That's never happened to me. I can clearly hear the person on the other end all the time.
5. Never even heard of this before. The only thing I can think of causing this would be having an app that wasn't fully compatible with the software/rom on your phone.
6. Coming from the mytouch 4g, the speaker on this phone is really an upgrade. Although it isn't the best on the market, its still pretty loud and you can make it louder if you want with a mod like Eizo.
7. No comment on this, it's the design of the phone. If you let the placement of something ruin your chance of having a good phone, i'm sorry ,but that's ridiculous.
8. Camera photo quality for me is awesome. With the new HDR function android camera's, it makes pictures just as high quality as iphone pictures. Only thing that annoys me is the speed of the camera when HDR is activated. It has to take 3 pictures and blends them together to create one high res picture, but the outcome is worth it.
I'm not one to go looking for problems, but all the problems that have happened to me, they've all been solved with updates for the ROM i'm using, or i just find a solution myself to solve the problem. None the less, a lot of the problems people face can be solved by using the search bar and looking for a solution, or with an update to the software or ROM on your phone.
Once again, this is all from my perspective. Others might have a different opinion on this. In the end, this is still an amazing phone. Better than the iPhone IMO (except the camera.) It's your choice if you want to get this compared to the other phones in the market.
---------- Post added at 11:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:00 PM ----------
gino_76ph said:
I am not a fan of custom kernels, rooting or CM ROM's and i would prefer the "normal" updates here & there by Google/LG.
If there is an app to somehow (not magically but if it were then the better) make the speakers louder, make the photos more saturated/sharper/more contrast and further improve the battery life (instead of the usual turning off the GPS, bluetooth, brightness, etc.) then i would be happy with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think there are some apps in the app market that can do that. Volume + , or volume boost, just search volume booster or something.
I'm actually choosing between the Nexus 4 and the slightly older Optimus 4X HD which was made by LG (same as the N4) and has been plagued by almost the same issues especially that LG is notoriously known for very poor customer support and very slow updates. but the Optimus itself is an amazingly-specced phone.
No contest?
A good 2nd choice for the Nexus 4 you think?
gino_76ph said:
I'm actually choosing between the Nexus 4 and the slightly older Optimus 4X HD which was made by LG (same as the N4) and has been plagued by almost the same issues especially that LG is notoriously known for very poor customer support and very slow updates. but the Optimus itself is an amazingly-specced phone.
No contest?
A good 2nd choice for the Nexus 4 you think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My advice: Get Nexus 4. I currently own an Optimus 4X HD, despite it's great specs, I must say this phone is a let down.
Why you shouldn't get an O4X:
1. Battery performance super sucks. I managed only to get 12 hours with light usage (I mean, LIGHT)
2. Tegra chipset isn't really compatible with some games. I tried NFS, Nova and it's laggy
3. Update support is extremely poor. I'm still stuck with 4.0.3 and JB update is still indefinite to arrive
Browse O4X thread and see for yourself how many O4X users are unhappy with their handsets.
So, get a N4 and live a happy life.
gino_76ph said:
I'm actually choosing between the Nexus 4 and the slightly older Optimus 4X HD which was made by LG (same as the N4) and has been plagued by almost the same issues especially that LG is notoriously known for very poor customer support and very slow updates. but the Optimus itself is an amazingly-specced phone.
No contest?
A good 2nd choice for the Nexus 4 you think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The specs of the 4X HD looked great until I saw the words 'Tegra 3' on GSMarena. You'll be very frustrated with the performance of the Tegra 3, it's quite an awful chipset. Sure, there are tonnes of Tegra optimised apps, but the fact of the matter is that my friend's One X on JB still lags due to the Tegra 3. Even relatively light games such as Super Hexagon (you should try it out if you haven't) and Temple Run 2 (I know it isn't that light but for a phone of this gen it shouldn't be a problem) lag on it.
gino_76ph said:
I am not a fan of custom kernels, rooting or CM ROM's and i would prefer the "normal" updates here & there by Google/LG.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then i have to say that the nexus is not the device for you. The coolest thing bout nexus devices is that they are really easy to mod and customize. If you don't plan on doing that, there's no point in getting a nexus device. However, the N4 has the added bonus of being cheap but it still might not be enough for some users (yourself included apparently)
The reason why i'm not a fan of custom kernels and ROMs is maybe perhaps i haven't done it before and i might further "damage" the phone's OS and i might not be able to revert the OS back to its factory settings.
I'm still quite happy with JB on my Galaxy Nexus. The stock version of JB is very slick and i would imagine how even more smoother it is on the Nexus 4.
So far the complaints of the O4XHD has been kind of a viscious circle. Lag has been the word for today. And the fact that it has no JB makes it even more frustrating. I have just emailed LG and their reply re: my list of issues is that there has "been no known issue" with the said phone and they have no word as to when JB is incoming.
The Nexus 4 has still its flaws i think and that doesn't mean it is that good. But now, i'm more geared toward this phone as a "safe" choice rather than the O4XHD.
may i ask sth as well..
regarding the sensitivity issue on the screen, is it regarded as a software issue, or a hardware one?
i m currently thinking of buying a nexus 4, but i m kind of worried about the sensitivity issue, and i keep seeing people complaining about it http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=40445 is there any official response on this issue?

GoodBye Nexus, you were overhyped

So my Nexus 6 is gone. My new HTC 10 arrives today. My experiences with this thing for the last 2 years....
- Gets WAY hot. Always has. This is a replacement as the first one died immediately.
- Headphone jack is USELESS.... Phone worked great for a few months. Just long enough to have to deal with hoops to get it warranty replaced. Now the headphone jack is nothing but a swirling mess of feedback, distortion and noise.
- Audio works great, for about 10 minutes. It then fades to nothing but static and low volume noise. Unless your using Bluetooth, forget it.
-Updates... Yeah, I get updates like once every three months. these render the phone unstable for the next 72 hours and must be rebooted constantly.
-Battery....Don't get me started..... Gets hotter then hell if plugged in. If you try to use it when plugged in, the sound quality is horrible and the mic volume is low. Unplug it, and you get maybe 30 minutes of talk time. It used to be really good. Now it seems the battery is just crap.
This phone has lived its life in a nice armor case. Never dropped and has not a mark on it. Current trade in value... $96. amount owed, $167. Yeah, the hype over having a Nexus is just that.... Hype. I had a nexus 6 that I unlocked and rooted. Why? Because I could. I miss the days of flashing roms and tweaking on my HTC EVO 4G. This Nexus, in all honesty, is not half the phone that device was. It was old, it was slow, but it was a freaking reliable beast. I'm chalking these problems up to my phone just being a lemon. Just like the one I had right before it that I returned for this one. 2 for 2, real quality stuff there Motorola.
So as I activate my HTC 10, I will look back on my first Nexus experience as hopefully my last, and I hope my HTC 10 is everything my EVO 4G was.
I can never figure out why people post crap like this on XDA; obviously 1000's of folks have had none of the bad experiences that you claim to have had, and, the most important thing is why do you feel the need to post something like this here?
no one cares that you have left this phone, you've had a whopping FIVE thanks since you have been here, so obviously you have done nothing to contribute to XDA in any way, shape, or form, so why would you think this post adds ANYTHING to the community ?
Geez...
Good riddance. I've had two Nexus 6 (64GB Cloud white and 32GB Blue) and had literally no issues you experienced. In fact the exact opposite. With V4A (and now A.R.I.S.E. audio) with the Audiophile profiles it's been the best audio quality device I have ever owned. Never had issues with audio either via the headphone jack or via bluetooth paired to all kinds of stuff (Anker bluetooth speaker, my Toyota car, Klipsch sound bar, etc...). I love getting monthly security patches for 3 years and guaranteed updates for 2 for the next OS (good luck on your HTC 10 in terms of security patches and system updates). Also with it being a Nexus there should be developers supporting it much longer than the intended lifecycle- look at the Nexus 4 still getting up to date Marshmallow ROMs compiled for it.
What do you expect trading it in to a carrier? Seriously??? Sell it on swappa.com where the average selling price is around $220/$270 for the 32GB/64GB variants respectively. Carrier trade in has nothing to do with the value of the device.
I don't disbelief you had the issues. That sucks, getting two "lemons" in a row. I wouldn't completely write off the Nexus line though, who knows what the rumored HTC Nexus is gonna be like. Hopefully awesome and similar/better to the HTC 10 but with full open source software released by Google. I'm in the exact opposite camp as you. I will never not buy a Nexus device because of the timely updates, full open source releases from Google, and arguably the best developer community among any devices released. It's also nice that when buying from Google they are unlocked for all 4 major carrier networks now, so you can switch at any time and not be locked in to your current carrier.
I have had the exact opposite experience with my N6. I can now Edge-Up and I won't because there is no other phone that offers more than the N6. Here are my likes and dislikes about the N6
Pro:
Size is perfect for me. I can't stand the old 5" screens.
Mine does not run hot.
Huge amount of development support.
Fast
Battery lasts over 24 hours with heavy use 16 hours a day.
Pure Android experience. No annoying manufacturer crap.
Easy to unlock/root/change ROMS
Because I use a non stock ROM, I get monthly updates for security patches
Fast charging and wireless charging.
Cons:
Camera leaves something to be desired.
Must have a Fast charger if you are a heavy user.
Does not support wireless fast charging.
No micro SD slot
Until Google releases their next 6" phone, I'm sticking with my N6.
scothern99 said:
So my Nexus 6 is gone. My new HTC 10 arrives today. My experiences with this thing for the last 2 years....
- Gets WAY hot. Always has. This is a replacement as the first one died immediately.
- Headphone jack is USELESS.... Phone worked great for a few months. Just long enough to have to deal with hoops to get it warranty replaced. Now the headphone jack is nothing but a swirling mess of feedback, distortion and noise.
- Audio works great, for about 10 minutes. It then fades to nothing but static and low volume noise. Unless your using Bluetooth, forget it.
-Updates... Yeah, I get updates like once every three months. these render the phone unstable for the next 72 hours and must be rebooted constantly.
-Battery....Don't get me started..... Gets hotter then hell if plugged in. If you try to use it when plugged in, the sound quality is horrible and the mic volume is low. Unplug it, and you get maybe 30 minutes of talk time. It used to be really good. Now it seems the battery is just crap.
This phone has lived its life in a nice armor case. Never dropped and has not a mark on it. Current trade in value... $96. amount owed, $167. Yeah, the hype over having a Nexus is just that.... Hype. I had a nexus 6 that I unlocked and rooted. Why? Because I could. I miss the days of flashing roms and tweaking on my HTC EVO 4G. This Nexus, in all honesty, is not half the phone that device was. It was old, it was slow, but it was a freaking reliable beast. I'm chalking these problems up to my phone just being a lemon. Just like the one I had right before it that I returned for this one. 2 for 2, real quality stuff there Motorola.
So as I activate my HTC 10, I will look back on my first Nexus experience as hopefully my last, and I hope my HTC 10 is everything my EVO 4G was.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just wanted to say before this gets locked that if you think you Nexus 6 got hot. Wait till you start working with a metal phone. It will feel even hotter.
Also, why trade in for pennies on the dollar when you could have sold it on Swappa or Ebay. Going in the +$200 range.
@scothern99
Too long didn't read.
Glad you'll be able to go back to using Facebook exclusively for your feelings. No place for it here.
raptoro07 said:
Just wanted to say before this gets locked that if you think you Nexus 6 got hot. Wait till you start working with a metal phone. It will feel even hotter.
Also, why trade in for pennies on the dollar when you could have sold it on Swappa or Ebay. Going in the +$200 range.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't say I did. Thats just the trade in value. Kind of pathetic. A 2 year old phone with three times the horsepower (on paper) sells for less then a 3 year old iPhone. Its pathetic.
I seriously had high hopes for the Nexus 6. The 6p might be better as it was not glued together by Motorola. But this phone has been nothing but problems.
Have fun with your Touchwiz or IOS
iainaaldrich said:
Have fun with your Touchwiz or IOS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WOW!!
Sorry I'm not one of the "Cool kids".
I hope you all have much better experiences with your Nexus then I did. As for this Asshat here.... Moron.....
HTC = SENSE
Samsung = Touchwiz
Apple= iOS
Sence I said I was getting an HTC, your obvious attempt to attack me failed, and only showed that you sir are an IDIOT!
Why the defensiveness people? I was merely pointing out my experiences with my particular Nexus 6. I'm glad you like yours, I wanted to love mine. I guess I should learn to keep my opinions to myself. Wouldn't want to be different than anyone else...
Why not just get a new Nexus 6?
posts like this are part of the reason why I do not frequent this forum much anymore. the nexus 6 is a solid device, I have no real complaints about mine. it's not perfect, but it is far from terrible.
He seriously got a "thanks" for his OP? GJ
Have fun with Sense then. geez. but seriously if this isn't intended to be a troll post, then you just got sold a lemon. I've owned mine for well over a year now, nor is there anything going out on it. nothing really stands out for an upgrade at this point, and most likely won't until the new nexus devices get dropped. The biggest problem I have with this phone is the lack of an SD card, if it had that I wouldn't upgrade for a long time. I bought it at a new retail price, and honestly I think its worth every penny i spent on it, though I'm kinda angry how low it's dropped lol
But hey if you want to deal with the HTC 10, by all means have fun. you should read the most recent post on the XDA portal about it.
1. Sell the phone on Swappa. Phones sell for much higher there.
2. Your experience is atypical. Most nexus 6 users are very happy.
3. I've been on android phones, rooting and modding since 2007. Having a non nexus phone will be disastrous for getting security updates and upgrades to newer android versions. That alone will overcome any gimmick touchwiz or sense has.
4. Similarly spec'd HTC phones will always lag pure android devices by definition since they have to run a skin on top of the pure android software. It might look similar but it's not close. I'm not going to a non nexus device after having had 18 HTC and Samsung devices in the family.
5. HTC makes the most beautiful industrial design phones but the fragmentation caused by HTC etc having to catch up their overlays to android version upgrades is not trivial. This will be a move you will regret.
6. The nexus 6 has it's own problems but on balance a nexus > a non nexus
7. No android phone will ever match an iPhone in low depreciation rates. Android by definition is too fractured and fragmented to get the cult following iPhones do. Believe me your HTC will also collapse in value very soon.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA-Developers mobile app
Either OP got a defective device or he can`t handle a smartphone, got a Nokia 1611 laying around somewhere if you`re interested
I've been using the phone for 14 months straight without a single issue. As a matter of fact, the Nexus 6 is so good, I decided not to upgrade to the 6p. Everyone else who posted here is absolutely correct. Not every phone is going to be peachy keen all the time. Sometimes you will have to do a little homework and figure out what's going wrong and how to fix it. Your HTC 10 will have its own set of issues. What will you do then? Will you just give up and move on to the next phone, or will you try and do something about it?
scothern99 said:
So my Nexus 6 is gone. My new HTC 10 arrives today. My experiences with this thing for the last 2 years....
- Gets WAY hot. Always has. This is a replacement as the first one died immediately.
- Headphone jack is USELESS.... Phone worked great for a few months. Just long enough to have to deal with hoops to get it warranty replaced. Now the headphone jack is nothing but a swirling mess of feedback, distortion and noise.
- Audio works great, for about 10 minutes. It then fades to nothing but static and low volume noise. Unless your using Bluetooth, forget it.
-Updates... Yeah, I get updates like once every three months. these render the phone unstable for the next 72 hours and must be rebooted constantly.
-Battery....Don't get me started..... Gets hotter then hell if plugged in. If you try to use it when plugged in, the sound quality is horrible and the mic volume is low. Unplug it, and you get maybe 30 minutes of talk time. It used to be really good. Now it seems the battery is just crap.
This phone has lived its life in a nice armor case. Never dropped and has not a mark on it. Current trade in value... $96. amount owed, $167. Yeah, the hype over having a Nexus is just that.... Hype. I had a nexus 6 that I unlocked and rooted. Why? Because I could. I miss the days of flashing roms and tweaking on my HTC EVO 4G. This Nexus, in all honesty, is not half the phone that device was. It was old, it was slow, but it was a freaking reliable beast. I'm chalking these problems up to my phone just being a lemon. Just like the one I had right before it that I returned for this one. 2 for 2, real quality stuff there Motorola.
So as I activate my HTC 10, I will look back on my first Nexus experience as hopefully my last, and I hope my HTC 10 is everything my EVO 4G was.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
good bye, enjoy, and dont let the door hit you in the ass on the way out :silly:
Can the HTC 10 be rooted and have a custom recovery installed for a US phone?
ronaldheld said:
Can the HTC 10 be rooted and have a custom recovery installed for a US phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, flash TWRP after you unlocked the bootloader and after that flash the superSU.zip in recovery. S-Off is available too as i read somewhere.
He should get a warn minimum for this spammy post. I have gotten some in the past for less.

Where are the positive experiences?

I've been reading up about the Z5C because it's the only small yet powerful android phone currently on the market. Of course I always check XDA for root/rom/support experiences, and here I mostly see negative experiences. So many people are saying this is their last Xperia or that if the new Android M doesn't fix it's issues then they're going to switch to different phone, etc. This disheartens me greatly because I see no other viable option for a new sub-5 inch phone. I currently have a 1st gen Moto X - XT1053 Dev Edition. I love the phone and everything about it, but it's getting to be a bit slow with 2013 hardware running 2016 apps, and I think I will need an upgrade by 2017. I would buy another Motorola, but Lenovo has decided that Motorola should only make shovel sized phones (which goes against everything in Motorola's original vision.)
So where does that leave us who don't like gargantuan phones but still want a quality device? Do I wait and see if fixes come for the Z5C memory leak, stuttering, and its other issues? A few people report that their phone doesn't have these issues, do I gamble and hope I get a good one like that? Is there some other small form Andriod smartphone out there that I should consider? Or do I give up and get a 5+ inch device? It seems the Samsung G6 or G7 would be the next smallest option.
I would love to hear everyone's thoughts and comments on this.
DrvLikHell said:
I've been reading up about the Z5C because it's the only small yet powerful android phone currently on the market. Of course I always check XDA for root/rom/support experiences, and here I mostly see negative experiences. So many people are saying this is their last Xperia or that if the new Android M doesn't fix it's issues then they're going to switch to different phone, etc. This disheartens me greatly because I see no other viable option for a new sub-5 inch phone. I currently have a 1st gen Moto X - XT1053 Dev Edition. I love the phone and everything about it, but it's getting to be a bit slow with 2013 hardware running 2016 apps, and I think I will need an upgrade by 2017. I would buy another Motorola, but Lenovo has decided that Motorola should only make shovel sized phones (which goes against everything in Motorola's original vision.)
So where does that leave us who don't like gargantuan phones but still want a quality device? Do I wait and see if fixes come for the Z5C memory leak, stuttering, and its other issues? A few people report that their phone doesn't have these issues, do I gamble and hope I get a good one like that? Is there some other small form Andriod smartphone out there that I should consider? Or do I give up and get a 5+ inch device? It seems the Samsung G6 or G7 would be the next smallest option.
I would love to hear everyone's thoughts and comments on this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You ever consider the Z3 Compact? Or you picky on year and specs?
uchechris said:
You ever consider the Z3 Compact? Or you picky on year and specs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm picky on specs... Though I did consider it today and I watched several Z3C vs Z5C videos. I like it except that it's only one year newer/faster than my current phone, and it's only available in 16GB. My Moto X, being the Dev Edition, is a 32GB and it's usually full. the Z3C has an SD card slot, but not everything can go on an SD. If I was going to go with a Snapdragon 801 phone from 2014 I'd probably choose the Moto X 2nd gen and give a little on size to retain the seriously awesome Moto Display capability.
DrvLikHell said:
I'm picky on specs... Though I did consider it today and I watched several Z3C vs Z5C videos. I like it except that it's only one year newer/faster than my current phone, and it's only available in 16GB. My Moto X, being the Dev Edition, is a 32GB and it's usually full. the Z3C has an SD card slot, but not everything can go on an SD. If I was going to go with a Snapdragon 801 phone from 2014 I'd probably choose the Moto X 2nd gen and give a little on size to retain the seriously awesome Moto Display capability.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well theres really isn't anything bad about the Z5 compact.....tho ppl complain about it being overheat and camera being not good, if those things is not an issue to you, then yea the z5 compact is a great phone, i say go for it, been having updates since it just had a update last two days ago
I know where you're coming from. My LG G2 has been getting really slow so I've been wanting a new phone,, but I really don't want a phablet. So I got the z5 compact (international model). It's ok. It isn't everything I hoped. The idle battery life sucks (it loses 1% per hour where as my g2 would only lose 1% every 8 hours. That makes it pretty much a 1 day phone, not 2 for most people I would imagine. And the fingerprint scanner seems to be a piece of garbage. It doesn't work 70% of the time. Other than that the phone is good. It's fast, the screen can get very bright. Obviously waterproof. So yeah, not the battery life king that the z3 compact used to be, and the fingerprint scanner might as well not exist. I bought a nexus 6p - I know I know, it's a phablet and I said I didn't want one - just to test ( I will most likely return it before the 15 day return policy) but I can't tell you how nice it is to have a fingerprint scanner that works 100% of the time and is accessible with both hands. I'm hoping the update that is just now rolling out fixes the fingerprint scanner if possible. So those are my thoughts.
uchechris said:
Well theres really isn't anything bad about the Z5 compact.....tho ppl complain about it being overheat and camera being not good, if those things is not an issue to you, then yea the z5 compact is a great phone, i say go for it, been having updates since it just had a update last two days ago
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heat isn't an issue because I don't do anything intensive for long periods of time, like gaming. The camera I don't know about. My Moto X camera is ok, my Galaxy S3 camera was good, but that's all I've got to compare to. So maybe if I never had a better one I won't notice.
ksc6000 said:
I know where you're coming from. My LG G2 has been getting really slow so I've been wanting a new phone,, but I really don't want a phablet. So I got the z5 compact (international model). It's ok. It isn't everything I hoped. The idle battery life sucks (it loses 1% per hour where as my g2 would only lose 1% every 8 hours. That makes it pretty much a 1 day phone, not 2 for most people I would imagine. And the fingerprint scanner seems to be a piece of garbage. It doesn't work 70% of the time. Other than that the phone is good. It's fast, the screen can get very bright. Obviously waterproof. So yeah, not the battery life king that the z3 compact used to be, and the fingerprint scanner might as well not exist. I bought a nexus 6p - I know I know, it's a phablet and I said I didn't want one - just to test ( I will most likely return it before the 15 day return policy) but I can't tell you how nice it is to have a fingerprint scanner that works 100% of the time and is accessible with both hands. I'm hoping the update that is just now rolling out fixes the fingerprint scanner if possible. So those are my thoughts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also tried out a phablet, the Asus Zenfone 2. Really awesome phone, but awesomely huge as well. 64GB, 4GB ram, 4 Intel Atom cores, dual sim, SD slot, fully unlockable. I figured if I was going to go big, why not get crazy with specs too. While it performed great and had every option available, it was just too big. I felt like I was pulling out a ham sandwich to make a phone call. I could barely reach the power button one-handed, never mind navigate it one-handed. But my friend was enamored with it, so I sold it to him, and I'm on the hunt again.
The battery life could be an issue. Usually I end up with around 30% left on my Moto, but sometimes I'll have to use it a lot more than normal and hit single digits by the end of the day. I've never had it die on me though. I've heard mixed reviews about the fingerprint scanner ranging from "ok", to "crap." But I don't have one now, so I won't miss it if I don't use it, right? What I'll miss is the Moto Display where it semi-wakes when you pick it up or take it out of your pocket or get a notification. No other phones wake/unlock feature can hold a candle to that.
The thing that concerns me most is the RAM leak that people talk about and the stuttering. A lot of people complain that they have to restart their phone from once a day to once every 3-4 days to restore it's speed. Otherwise it starts to choke even with just one app open. Something about app caching or precaching or whatever, I can't remember. That would be a HUGE problem for me. I want a phone that's as fast today as it was a week ago when I turned it on. Even Windows doesn't have that problem anymore. And stuttering when swiping and/or moving from app to app. That would feel gheto, like I've got a $29 phone from Walmart. If I'm going to pay several hundred bucks for a phone, it needs to move like a several hundred dollar phone. My Moto is still smooth, even when it's loading or navigating a heavy app. It's just a little pokey about it sometimes.
I really appreciate your input guys. It helps substantially because no one I know AFK knows squat about phones.
DrvLikHell said:
Heat isn't an issue because I don't do anything intensive for long periods of time, like gaming. The camera I don't know about. My Moto X camera is ok, my Galaxy S3 camera was good, but that's all I've got to compare to. So maybe if I never had a better one I won't notice.
I also tried out a phablet, the Asus Zenfone 2. Really awesome phone, but awesomely huge as well. 64GB, 4GB ram, 4 Intel Atom cores, dual sim, SD slot, fully unlockable. I figured if I was going to go big, why not get crazy with specs too. While it performed great and had every option available, it was just too big. I felt like I was pulling out a ham sandwich to make a phone call. I could barely reach the power button one-handed, never mind navigate it one-handed. But my friend was enamored with it, so I sold it to him, and I'm on the hunt again.
The battery life could be an issue. Usually I end up with around 30% left on my Moto, but sometimes I'll have to use it a lot more than normal and hit single digits by the end of the day. I've never had it die on me though. I've heard mixed reviews about the fingerprint scanner ranging from "ok", to "crap." But I don't have one now, so I won't miss it if I don't use it, right? What I'll miss is the Moto Display where it semi-wakes when you pick it up or take it out of your pocket or get a notification. No other phones wake/unlock feature can hold a candle to that.
The thing that concerns me most is the RAM leak that people talk about and the stuttering. A lot of people complain that they have to restart their phone from once a day to once every 3-4 days to restore it's speed. Otherwise it starts to choke even with just one app open. Something about app caching or precaching or whatever, I can't remember. That would be a HUGE problem for me. I want a phone that's as fast today as it was a week ago when I turned it on. Even Windows doesn't have that problem anymore. And stuttering when swiping and/or moving from app to app. That would feel gheto, like I've got a $29 phone from Walmart. If I'm going to pay several hundred bucks for a phone, it needs to move like a several hundred dollar phone. My Moto is still smooth, even when it's loading or navigating a heavy app. It's just a little pokey about it sometimes.
I really appreciate your input guys. It helps substantially because no one I know AFK knows squat about phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You just need to realize that no phone is perfect....all phones has its pros and cons, kinda wish there was more small phones but nowadays its always big phones big phones big phones which is very annoying, but hey welcome to history of technology, it keeps improving every year
Most people come to these forums to fix problems or discuss issues so there won't be a lot of positive threads. But then again there's not much nice to say about the z5c lol if you can live with side charging go with the z3c. The xperia line has a lot of users that are too scared to root so the development is really slim. The z3c is at a more of a mature state than the z5c so it's your best bet.
I guess I just don't understand where did this problem of the phone being slow comes from. Because if there's anything positive that I can say about the Z5 compact that is that it is super fast and I am currently using a Nexus 6p which arguably is the fastest Android experience you can get and the Z5 compact doesn't feel any slower to me. I guess the camera is probably slower because I have noticed it take a half second longer to open than I would expect it and the photos take about a second to 2 seconds to fully load but really other than that the phone is blazing fast in my opinion.
civicsr2cool said:
Most people come to these forums to fix problems or discuss issues so there won't be a lot of positive threads. But then again there's not much nice to say about the z5c lol if you can live with side charging go with the z3c. The xperia line has a lot of users that are too scared to root so the development is really slim. The z3c is at a more of a mature state than the z5c so it's your best bet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't mind the side charge, but with only 16GB, it's a step down from what I have now in terms of storage. It's also 2 years old and I'm looking for something a little newer. If you go to other forums, there are a larger percentage of people talking about how they love their phone in spite of some issue they created or something they're trying to achieve or fix. I've seen users on the Moto X forum state that they'll give up their phone when someone pries it from their cold dead hands. Others have wept when their phone was irreparably damaged. I've seen the same thing said about the LG G2. You are quite correct about older phones being in a more mature state though. The S6/S7 don't have a Cyanogen build available yet, and neither does the Z5C. But the Z3C does.
ksc6000 said:
I guess I just don't understand where did this problem of the phone being slow comes from. Because if there's anything positive that I can say about the Z5 compact that is that it is super fast and I am currently using a Nexus 6p which arguably is the fastest Android experience you can get and the Z5 compact doesn't feel any slower to me. I guess the camera is probably slower because I have noticed it take a half second longer to open than I would expect it and the photos take about a second to 2 seconds to fully load but really other than that the phone is blazing fast in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not that the Z5C is slow all together, the complaints I've been reading are that it slows down after a few days of use due to an issue with the RAM not clearing properly. Everyone says a restart fixes/clears the issue till it builds up again. Sorta like Windows 98. If you don't restart your Z5C for a week, does it still feel just as fast as your Nexus?
DrvLikHell said:
It's not that the Z5C is slow all together, the complaints I've been reading are that it slows down after a few days of use due to an issue with the RAM not clearing properly. Everyone says a restart fixes/clears the issue till it builds up again. Sorta like Windows 98. If you don't restart your Z5C for a week, does it still feel just as fast as your Nexus?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't say that mine doesn't slow down somewhat after a week or so, but I've never had it happen to the point it is unusable. I've gone weeks without a restart with no real problems. I've noticed that it does slow down some, but nothing that I can't live with. And even with a slowdown, are you so in need of being connected 24/7 that you can't take the a minute periodically to reboot?
I've read some varying reports that the 6.0.1 update improves the memory management, and at least helps this issue. However, I haven't had a chance to use flashtool to update yet, so I can't say for sure.
The Z5 Compact (mine at least) does have a bit of the 810 overheating problem. The only time it impacted anything for me, I had been setting in a hot car and then tried to use the camera. I got the 'overheating... camera will close' message. I had that happen to me a few times on the Z3 compact the didn't have the Snapdragon 810 SOC.
Battery life isn't awesome, but then again I'm not really a power user. Little gaming, little social media checking, etc... I work in a location with no signal at all for the phone. It spends almost all of the day trying to connect. I generally go out to the car at lunch for a little while, but that is about all the time it is connected during the day. I don't think it has ever actually died on me doing this. If it has, it was maybe once.
When I'm somewhere that has signal all day, I've never had an issue unless I'm using navigation a lot, or something similar.
I've tried a few other phones over the last few years, and even if they have worked well they are just too freaking big. I've stuck with the Xperia compacts because they are the only <5" phone that offers true flagship specs.
Just my two cents. You're mileage may vary. If you get it and hate it, please don't blame me.
Look if you're happy, you're not gonna bother posting about it. That's human nature. There are a lot of happy users like me who don't have anything to complain about. People will only open a thread or comment if they run into a problem. Anyway, this phone has been fantastic for me since 6.0 update. And now after the 6.0.1 update, the camera starts almost instantly. So I can finally say that this was a worthwhile investment from my part.
Sent from my E5803 using XDA-Developers mobile app
i have z5c 3 months now, using MM and don't have any problems, using my phone for photos, navigation and regular calls and so on, last night i was travel with car, navigation was on 3,5 hours ( connected on charger ), phone was hot but didn't FC navigation and did't have any problems, but when i took it in my hands it was hot, checked temp and it was 42 C, so nothing to wory about, battery life depends how you use it, i can make whole day and before bed time i have over 50% left, but if i use wifi while in bed that 50% will be gone in 2 hours, i never tried on this phone but on my work phone( only calls and sms, data turned off) htc 320 battery last over 15 days in standby without problems, back on topic, camera is great for me, clear nice colors and 4k video recording is great, really can't find anything bed in this phone, if you wanna be sure battery would last whole day charge it over night
The z5c with MM is a very fast and capable multitasker.
The only negative is the camera really isn't a comparison to its competitors.
Sony sent the z5c out with an utterly p!ss poor Lollipop firmware. You can trust those review you've read at that point the z5c "was" an utter disgrace and let a complete let down.
However since MM the device is as you'd have expected it to be. It's a performer and a half.
Again it's only the sub par camera quality that negates away from an almost legendary device.
Sent from my E5823 using XDA-Developers mobile app
DrvLikHell said:
I don't mind the side charge, but with only 16GB, it's a step down from what I have now in terms of storage. It's also 2 years old and I'm looking for something a little newer. If you go to other forums, there are a larger percentage of people talking about how they love their phone in spite of some issue they created or something they're trying to achieve or fix. I've seen users on the Moto X forum state that they'll give up their phone when someone pries it from their cold dead hands. Others have wept when their phone was irreparably damaged. I've seen the same thing said about the LG G2. You are quite correct about older phones being in a more mature state though. The S6/S7 don't have a Cyanogen build available yet, and neither does the Z5C. But the Z3C does.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ive never come close to running out of 16gb on internal storage on any phone ive ever had and I've got two grand theft auto installed. I put everything on a 200gb sd, I can't stand a phone without SD slots lol
I agree with other forums showing more love, this is the third Sony phone I've tried over the years and the third one that I have very little nice things to say about it. But the z5c forums have only just started to take off since the US release, it was real real dead before that.
DrvLikHell said:
I don't mind the side charge, but with only 16GB, it's a step down from what I have now in terms of storage. It's also 2 years old and I'm looking for something a little newer. If you go to other forums, there are a larger percentage of people talking about how they love their phone in spite of some issue they created or something they're trying to achieve or fix. I've seen users on the Moto X forum state that they'll give up their phone when someone pries it from their cold dead hands. Others have wept when their phone was irreparably damaged. I've seen the same thing said about the LG G2. You are quite correct about older phones being in a more mature state though. The S6/S7 don't have a Cyanogen build available yet, and neither does the Z5C. But the Z3C does.
It's not that the Z5C is slow all together, the complaints I've been reading are that it slows down after a few days of use due to an issue with the RAM not clearing properly. Everyone says a restart fixes/clears the issue till it builds up again. Sorta like Windows 98. If you don't restart your Z5C for a week, does it still feel just as fast as your Nexus?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah in my opinion the phone is still as fast and I do not have to reboot every week or whatever. I would still say that it remains as fast and doesn't seem to slow down at all in my opinion. My sister also has the Z5 Compact and she also does not notice any slowdowns of any sort and doesn't have to reboot regularly and the only does it if necessary while changing SIM cards or something.
So again my main gripes with this phone are the idle battery life which I can live with even though it's really annoying, but the fingerprint scanner is just not good in my opinion. Especially after using a nice one that works every time and seamlessly and it's just so effortless, it's really hard to use this when it screws up more than half the time it feels like. However my sister's Z5 compact fingerprint scanner seems to be a little bit better, I don't understand why. The difference only is that she has the black model and I have the white one and I know that there was an issue with the screen not responding to touch properly when the phones first came out just for the white model so maybe there's a difference in the hardware of the fingerprint scanner as well.
DrvLikHell said:
I've been reading up about the Z5C because it's the only small yet powerful android phone currently on the market. Of course I always check XDA for root/rom/support experiences, and here I mostly see negative experiences. So many people are saying this is their last Xperia or that if the new Android M doesn't fix it's issues then they're going to switch to different phone, etc. This disheartens me greatly because I see no other viable option for a new sub-5 inch phone. I currently have a 1st gen Moto X - XT1053 Dev Edition. I love the phone and everything about it, but it's getting to be a bit slow with 2013 hardware running 2016 apps, and I think I will need an upgrade by 2017. I would buy another Motorola, but Lenovo has decided that Motorola should only make shovel sized phones (which goes against everything in Motorola's original vision.)
So where does that leave us who don't like gargantuan phones but still want a quality device? Do I wait and see if fixes come for the Z5C memory leak, stuttering, and its other issues? A few people report that their phone doesn't have these issues, do I gamble and hope I get a good one like that? Is there some other small form Andriod smartphone out there that I should consider? Or do I give up and get a 5+ inch device? It seems the Samsung G6 or G7 would be the next smallest option.
I would love to hear everyone's thoughts and comments on this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bear in mind that people who don't have problems have little reason to post on forums.
I went from a XT1058 to a discounted Nexus 5 to a Z5C and have been mostly happy.
The only issues I've had:
- Phone app crashes after a call ends when using Android Auto
- Camera app is a little slow to launch
- No "active display" (i.e. google's equivalent of moto display)
- Absolutely needs a case as it's too slippery to use bare (unlike the Moto X)
- Phone gets really warm after using it with Android Auto
Really after Mm update z5c is blazing fast, no complains what so ever when it comes to performance. Sometimes it gets a bit hot, but nothing to be concerned about. And I don't know why everyone complaints about fingereader, it works 95 proc of time for me. I register same finger three times. I don't really use camera that much, but it opens super fast for me, but even I can tell quality is not great. At least auto mode.
My experience with this device has been mostly a pleasant one. One of the previous poster mentioned that no device is perfect and this one is no different. You will always find something that you feel the manufacturer didn't get right. The gripes I have with this device:
- Slow camera app. (Also, I can't find a burst mode...is there one?)
- Wi-Fi connection when the phone is sleeping (this is sometime-y)
- Some of the Sony apps are useless
The positives:
- Size size size
- Fingerprint scanner is fast (not iPhone fast, but fast)
- Battery life is nice. I've gotten 2 1/2 days (mostly idle time. On screen was about 3hrs)
- Playing hi-res music (subjective...well, I guess all of this is subjective)
- The 820 is a great piece of silicone (it would be extraordinary if not for the occasional heat)
- SD card slot (and the ability to use it to back up your settings)
- The diagnostic tool in the "About Phone" section
- Front facing speakers. Not going to blow your mind, but they're facing you..not away.
I know there are more that I'm missing but the point is that it's been positive. I'm not a big fan of MM, but that is a different story.
Scribe'd on my everlasting Z5C
I dont recomend the z5c at all, i use it for working, and the phone really struggles with facebook pages, youtube, Chrome, facebook, Messenger and WhatsApp all the time receiving notifications and messeges.
The phone overheats to the point that everything lags like a 2008 Android phone.
When i play real Racing 3, i always have couple of Ice cube close to me, for let my phone cools down to avoid lag while playing.
Dont buy it, go for a nexus or Samsung, and sacrifice the size thing, and remember ALWAYS AN ALUMINUM PHONE WILL HAVE LESS HEAT ISSUES THAN A GLASS P PHONE, BECAUSE OF HEAT DISCIPATION.

Long term Pixel opinion?

What's your opinion of this phone now that it's been out for more than six months?
Build quality, development, etc.
Compared to previous phones or compared to whatever your expectations might have been.
Me?
I'm sorry to say that I wish I never left my Moto X Pure with BrokenOS' MarshMallow ROM.
Pixel is great though, in many ways.
It was a much needed update from my aging Nexus 6.
Was briefly contemplating iPhone, but stuck with the Pixel.
Overall, I love the camera, the battery is a champ, and so far I feel no need or want to modify the device.
I think google did well with this one.
Let's hope LG doesn't botch the next one.
LoopLoopLoopLoop
CZ Eddie said:
What's your opinion of this phone now that it's been out for more than six months?
Build quality, development, etc.
Compared to previous phones or compared to whatever your expectations might have been.
Me?
I'm sorry to say that I wish I never left my Moto X Pure with BrokenOS' MarshMallow ROM.
Pixel is great though, in many ways.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's the cherry ? bomb. Like all my Google phones.
Unprecedented battery life.
Fast as Lightning (Especially w/sdcardfs)
No cracks or damage.
Best reception I have ever had.
Extremely challenging to hack. Very easy once you have the slots and Google stops playing games. Lol
Speaker sucks. But I can live with it.
Never have and never will buy anything but a Google phone.
I can go on and on.....
BTW Moto Rocks!
I came from an S5 so anything would have been an upgrade for me. So this thing is screaming fast to me
I bought the phone after I had to send my Note 7 back. I liked it, but didn't keep it long. I've been through a few different phones in the meantime, but finally came back. It's faster than any phone I've used, and still feels really solid, and good in the hand
I came from a N6 as well. I miss the stereo speakers and the bigger screen size of the N6.
The positives of Pixel are the speed, battery life and the general smoothness of the phone.
The cons are pathetic speakers (What was google thinking?), huge bezels (which I find hard to digest coming from a lesser bezel N6) and the lack of development. On my N6 I had flashed almost 10 custom ROMs at different times.
There is hardly much choice for Pixel XL other than a handful ROMs. Perhaps the high price of the phone and the slot rigmarole turns off developers here.
I'm happy with the Pixel , but it was close to $900 and I just feel that I did not get my money's worth. That said, I can't deal with non-Google phones. Was thinking about a One Plus 5, but that's about it. Hopefully Google does something nicer with Pixel XL2.
I love stock Android and EAS is the best thing to happen to Android but..
Just can't justify the price for what you get. I'm a big Audio guy and the speaker is worst I've heard along with 3.5mm jack just sounds awful..
have to run an External DAC to make up for the poor quality
Video recording seems a bit meh blury/grainy no matter what I can't take a clear video unless it's in direct sunlight and then have to deal with the *Lense Flare* another pain in the ass
Rest of the phone is good
Development it's pretty much none existent seems like if you want roms/kernel's either stick with a 6P or OnePlus/Other China device
But I feel like it should of been priced at same as the 6P $440 we only got minor improvements nothing "WOW" to make up for the $300 extra..
I guess we paid for that "Made By Google" bs marketing. Also was never in stock anywhere + the hardware issues drove people away lets hope HTC isn't making again so we can have a great launch and hopefully bring people back :good:
liam_davenport said:
I love stock Android and EAS is the best thing to happen to Android but..
Just can't justify the price for what you get. I'm a big Audio guy and the speaker is worst I've heard along with 3.5mm jack just sounds awful..
have to run an External DAC to make up for the poor quality
Video recording seems a bit meh blury/grainy no matter what I can't take a clear video unless it's in direct sunlight and then have to deal with the *Lense Flare* another pain in the ass
Rest of the phone is good
Development it's pretty much none existent seems like if you want roms/kernel's either stick with a 6P or OnePlus/Other China device
But I feel like it should of been priced at same as the 6P $440 we only got minor improvements nothing "WOW" to make up for the $300 extra..
I guess we paid for that "Made By Google" bs marketing. Also was never in stock anywhere + the hardware issues drove people away lets hope HTC isn't making again so we can have a great launch and hopefully bring people back :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do miss the value days of the Nexus program. Minus Shamu of course. That was expensive. When I bought those Nexus, I felt like I was getting an incredible value for a smartphone.
Here is something I truly value and want everyone to think about.
How much is it worth to us for,
Monthly security updates
Major OS upgrades for two years
Bugfixes along the way
I'll tell you by saying what I've chosen as my daily driver and where my SIM card is and what's in my pocket right now. I've had marlin since Nov '16 and iPhone 7 plus since Jan '17. The marlin is in my pocket right now. The iPhone 7 plus is a great device (iMessages, waterproof) but the reason I love android is the ability to modify (stock or ROM-root-kernel) and access to that SD Card. Otherwise the 2 are pretty much equal as to camera, battery, speed, smoothness, response to touches, etc. at least in my perception. So, obviously I'm very pleased with marlin since I prefer it to a very popular alternative. Had a Samsung Galaxy S7 in early 2016 but sold it after 2 months, Pixel much better device to me.
iamjimmy said:
I came from a N6 as well. I miss the stereo speakers and the bigger screen size of the N6.
The positives of Pixel are the speed, battery life and the general smoothness of the phone.
The cons are pathetic speakers (What was google thinking?), huge bezels (which I find hard to digest coming from a lesser bezel N6) and the lack of development. On my N6 I had flashed almost 10 custom ROMs at different times.
There is hardly much choice for Pixel XL other than a handful ROMs. Perhaps the high price of the phone and the slot rigmarole turns off developers here.
I'm happy with the Pixel , but it was close to $900 and I just feel that I did not get my money's worth. That said, I can't deal with non-Google phones. Was thinking about a One Plus 5, but that's about it. Hopefully Google does something nicer with Pixel XL2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed 100%. Thats why i skipped this one looking forward to the next one. For the price it must have stereo speaker, better audio, water resist, better design and quality. Oh and wireless charging. Then i will jump right in.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Six month user here. And my main complaint for the Pixel remains exactly same as it was back when I bought it. The sudden freezing problem. Just out of nowhere the screen freezes for a second or two, if I am playing a game, then its done, simply over, have to restart, and I can't express how much I hate that. Of course its most noticeable/affecting while gaming, but it happens basically everywhere too, but just less frustrating in other places.
I was advised to format the phone, not root it and blah blah but exact same happened there too, without installing any apps at all! Ridiculous problem and IMHO the most annoying issue Pixels have.
Other than this, I don't know, sometimes the low light photos come with a really weird greenish cast, completely off coloured and way too much noise (yeah with HDR+ On, that's the only one I use anyway) etc.
But other than these two, I have no complaints. Tremendous call quality, more than acceptable display (though still no Apple!), excellent GPS (though Google Maps says to calibrate compass every now and then), buttery smooth interface all around most times, at max volume the loudspeaker is excellent (though at half volume it can't be heard and equally ****e!), really low SAR value etc., I am contemplating the U11 now, just for the sound and camera, but if I don't go that route I am gonna keep this phone for at least two years, and the maximum I have ever used a mobile phone was for 15 months, the Galaxy S2 back in the days, should suffice what I think about this phone.
I also have the OnePlus 3 in office, and I know some people compare it and I can say its basically Guava vs Apples comparison.
PS: Sorry didn't comment about development, but I honestly don't care much about it at all. I bought the Pixel so that I won't be needing the optimise it, let Google optimise it for me, and they did a fairly decent job, but after using Franco kernel I can say Google could have done a much better job. So that's all I need, a custom kernel.
coming from Samsung and LG devices, this phone has been a breath of fresh air even with this new partition scheme. Phone does well, battery life holds up for two days. I just have an issue with bluetooth not consistently sending music info to my radio. Some days it works, other days it's like what music info...
It's great and definitely a worthy upgrade from my Nexus 6. The only thing I miss is the front facing speakers but I didn't use them much anyways, well that and I guess it's way more slippery than my Nexus 6 because I don't use cases at all.
Couldn't be happier. Presently have a 7 Plus and the XL that I swap my sim between. IPhone is great in many ways but I just keep coming back to the Pixel XL....something about the experience I get using it that I really enjoy.
As for the other characteristics of the device others have already commented. I purchased mine at launch and received it later October.
I currently have the Nexus 6P. Damn that is a nice phone! I'm seriously doubting anything will "crush" this phones performance. But I decided I wanted to move up to the Pixel XL. I'm a decent Android gamer, so the updated GPU was nice. Plus, the camera is supposedly just that much better. Among other things, like 4GB RAM instead of the 6P's 3GB.
I don't receive the Pixel XL until Monday, so I'm wearing a path through my foyer, pacing back and forth, waiting for it to arrive.
I've spent at LEAST 30 hours this week doing research on the Pixel, its partition layout, how to get root to work, TWRP limitations, etc. This is certainly more complicated than the 6P.
Part of the reason I decided to plop down for the Pixel, was because I didn't see a lot of development going for it, as there is for the 6P. And since people seem to like my ROMs, I figured I'd toss something out there that I made, and see what kind of life it can breathe into the Pixel.
I think I'll like it. Tried it out in-hand at BestBuy yesterday. Solid device, great screen, color accuracy is actually better than the 6P, and for the first time, I kind of like the phone WITHOUT a case! Never though I'd say that.
I've used iPhones since the 3GS up until the 6S Plus (all jailbroken). I decided to try out the Nexus 6P (first ever Android phone) and fell in love with it! Custom ROMs, kernels, tweaks, Xposed, etc. were all new to me and I loved every bit of it!
However, for some reason, I decided to sell it and pick up an iPhone 7 Plus when it released. As iOS matured, security got tighter, and jailbreaking became more difficult. I got tired of waiting for a jailbreak to release and realized how locked down the OS is (when not jailbroken) compared to Android.
I sold my 7 Plus and bought this Pixel XL. I wasn't a huge fan at first, just because of the confusion with the slots and the lack of development​ compared to the 6P.
Now that there is more development and that I understand the slots better, I'm really enjoying this phone!
Overall, if I had the choice, I would still probably pick the 6P over this; that thing was just a beauty in basically every aspect, and it was the phone that first introduced me into the Android world.
Not a huge fan of the single downfiring speaker or the bottom chin, but otherwise it's a great phone, especially the camera!
I'm going to see what the OnePlus 5 has to offer, and may switch to that - but I'll definitely keep this XL around until the 2nd gen Pixels release. I'll be purchasing the second gen Pixels only if Google allows them to be development friendly like how the Nexus line was. If not, I may make a permanent switch over to the OnePlus line.
CZ Eddie said:
What's your opinion of this phone now that it's been out for more than six months?
Build quality, development, etc.
Compared to previous phones or compared to whatever your expectations might have been.
Me?
I'm sorry to say that I wish I never left my Moto X Pure with BrokenOS' MarshMallow ROM.
Pixel is great though, in many ways.
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Well I had the LG G6, S8+, and I sent the G6 back and sold the S8+. The pixel was snappier than both, better camera than both which is a great feature having and outstanding camera, and more reliable than both. I like stock Android, clean, fast, stable. I like being able to unlock and do what I want with my phone when I want and still have the same snappiness, camera quality, and reliability on custom ROMs. Most times you sacrifice things to go custom. Not with Google devices, Nexus, Pixel, etc. I still have it since released and can't see getting rid of it any time soon. Ya, maybe people thinking of OnePlus 5, but I also had the 3 and 3T and one thing I hated about that is when using anything custom, the camera was horrible, BT for me had issues, and other little nags. All in all, this is definitely my go to device and I've had many.
I give it a C+
After having the Pixel XL since I returned the Note 7 (Best phone I've ever owned IMO), There are issues with it that really bug me.
- For one, Youtube stutters and desyncs the audio from the video almost every video I watch, and I watch a lot of YT.
- Second, the bluetooth does not sync right in my Audi, and every 15 minutes it sounds like a modem for like 20 seconds and reconnects. It also doesn't know what to do on voice calls and frequently bounce back and forth between car speakers, and phone speaker mode, so I just turn it off for voice or Hangouts/Meet calls in the car.
- Third, the battery life has been dwindling over time, so I charge twice a day now. Yes, I'm a power user and need at least 6-8 hours of screen on time per day. That being said the phone charging speed is ridiculously fast. I can charge at least 50% in 30 minutes.
- The speakers are crap, and the audio jack doesn't give me enough volume. The setting between say 60-65% volume is way too loud, so the volume curve is not good.
-As a pro, the Camera is excellent, even in low light if you know what you're doing. The video, if you use the auto stability is crap so just don't use it.
The phone does stutter, and take a while sometimes. I am using the stock ROM, and have made no modifications to the file system or home screen at all. As is, this phone is average, so for the price, not worth it. I do have the Verizon version, and not sure if that makes a difference. Can't wait for the Note 8 to come out.
I've had mine since November and still love it. I came from the G7 edge which I was quite fond of as well. The following are the good things that keep me on the Pixel.
- Camera, for stills easily the best available. Wish the EIS didn't cause the jello effect when panning while video recording, but nonetheless I've been quite pleased with the camcorder as well.
- Software, clean, simple, fluid and robust. I am on stock unrooted. I reboot my phone once a month for updates and the phone never lags, gets janky or develops issues requiring a reboot. Additionally, the speed of updates means I'm always up to date with the most secure version​ of Android available.
I've had my Pixel XL 128gb since launch. I came from a Note 7, so was very challenging to get used to having a very lean software base which didn't offer many features in comparison to the Samsung series. I missed many software features from the Note 7.
The thing that gets me the most, is that I was already bored of the device 6 months in. I usually hold onto a phone for 12-24 months. The Note 4 I held onto for the longest time (24months). I enjoyed it as there were both android OS updates, and touchwiz updates, so it constantly got a new lease to life looking fresh or having new features. 8 months on and the Pixel looks exactly the same, with no updates.
I also feel that the design looked dated when I bought it, but it now is really showing it's age with the HUGE bezels. I have also struggled to find any good screen protectors (I've tried them all) as they don't sit properly. The phone is huge with a smaller screen than most phones this price/size.
It's got the worst bluetooth of any phone I have every owned, partly down to Android but also to the Pixel.
Had a lot more ROM options for Samsung, being that you can go Note 4 roms, Note 5 roms, Note 7 roms, AOSP builds, CM, MIUI. I feel like the Pixel has AOSP, stock. That's it really. They are all the same with very minor changes.
Otherwise it's mostly buttery smooth - although i'm constantly keeping my eye out for a new phone, so could be the shortest period I have owned a phone for.

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