Database Users

How reliable is the Oneplus One now? (March 2016)

After weathering the storm of chaos as huge crowds rushed to get the One, hearing countless horror stories of failing phones and terrible support, and waiting for (hopefully) all hardware problems to rear their ugly faces, I'm at a loss now--in March 2016--as to whether or not buying a used phone, said to work perfectly by the seller and has been tested enough by natural selection, would be a good idea if I can only return DOAs.
I'm calling on everyone here not to post just epic sob-stories; instead, if you had an issue (hardware, software, firmware, or other) please post what it was, when it showed up (how much use, any possible user error that may have caused it), whether it was fixed (and if it was, what it was fixed by), how long it lasted, what ROM/software version you were on, and any other important info.
Thanks so much in advance; I really like the specs and the original reviews, but just can't be sure if it got back up after falling flat right out of the gate.

I got a oneplus one. I love it!. Soon as I got i t I rooted and flashed CM13. NO ISSUES WITH IT AT ALL.
Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

dreamwave said:
After weathering the storm of chaos as huge crowds rushed to get the One, hearing countless horror stories of failing phones and terrible support, and waiting for (hopefully) all hardware problems to rear their ugly faces, I'm at a loss now--in March 2016--as to whether or not buying a used phone, said to work perfectly by the seller and has been tested enough by natural selection, would be a good idea if I can only return DOAs.
I'm calling on everyone here not to post just epic sob-stories; instead, if you had an issue (hardware, software, firmware, or other) please post what it was, when it showed up (how much use, any possible user error that may have caused it), whether it was fixed (and if it was, what it was fixed by), how long it lasted, what ROM/software version you were on, and any other important info.
Thanks so much in advance; I really like the specs and the original reviews, but just can't be sure if it got back up after falling flat right out of the gate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nearly 2 years and no regrets..

I only got this phone at the end of 2015 and I haven't regretted a bit, ever. It's an amazing phone, I never had any problem with it. The metal around the screen is the only thing that wears out, it's not awful but it as some scratches, and I'm very careful. Believe me, for the price, this is still the best budget phone you can get

I have the ability to get it for as low as $180 here in the US. I know that is quite a good deal compared to the original price, but with the OPX having been released with similar specs and such I'm not quite sure I fully grasp whether or not this price is a steal, or just a good bargain. Thoughts?

Absolutely hate it. I regret trading my Nexus 6 for it. My data has been spotty and I keep getting random reboots. Today, I was using the GPS and Google Maps lost the ability to connect to my phone's mobile data during the commute. Completely overshot my destination, thanks OnePlus!

billybobchongo said:
Absolutely hate it. I regret trading my Nexus 6 for it. My data has been spotty and I keep getting random reboots. Today, I was using the GPS and Google Maps lost the ability to connect to my phone's mobile data during the commute. Completely overshot my destination, thanks OnePlus!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When it comes to data, I'm not too worried as I use tracfone (so I'm not really used to the convenience of data on the go) and have great coverage around here--unless it is so significantly worse than the Nexus 6 so as to cause a steady 3-4 bars on one to equal intermittent service on the other.
For the random reboots, when did they start? What ROM? When do they happen?

dreamwave said:
I have the ability to get it for as low as $180 here in the US. I know that is quite a good deal compared to the original price, but with the OPX having been released with similar specs and such I'm not quite sure I fully grasp whether or not this price is a steal, or just a good bargain. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On paper, the OnePlus One and OnePlus X may seem similar, but it's only so much.
The OPO features (as compared to the OPX)
> a higher-tier variant of the Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC) @ 2.5ghz
> a larger 5.5in LTPS (IPS LCD) display (screen size is subjective, some people prefer smaller)
> better band support for US Carriers (the OPX lacks necessary bands)
> a better rear-facing camera (capable of 4K DCI/UHD recording) and can be vastly improved with Sultan's modifications
> WIFI AC + Dual band (2.4/5.0ghz)
> a larger 3100mah battery
> NFC (the OPX doesn't have NFC, seriously)
But most importantly, the OPO is sustained by one of the largest dev communities ever, right here at XDA. Even after OnePlus/Cyanogen discontinues official support for the device, the community will keep it alive and strong for a VERY long time. The OPX lacks this kind of love and support. Unsurprisingly, OnePlus themselves seem to be neglecting the OPX.
The OPX features (as compared to the OPO)
> a more portable 5in AMOLED display
> a better front-facing camera
I might sound biased, but that is justified by everything I've just listed. It's clear who's the winner here.
Spec sheets for reference:
http://www.gsmarena.com/oneplus_one-6327.php
http://www.gsmarena.com/oneplus_x-7630.php

JimJ2Mz said:
On paper, ... camera
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the insight. I kind of wonder why it's so cheap when it's so competitive with other phones of the time. The Galaxy s5 seems to go, used, for between $250-300 while the OPO goes for between 200-225 normally. I get that last generation phones can go down in price, but it seemed unexpected that it didn't even out to pretty much the same used price as most of those other phones. I was just thinking there must be something I was missing.

dreamwave said:
I kind of wonder why it's so cheap when it's so competitive with other phones of the time. The Galaxy s5 seems to go, used, for between $250-300 while the OPO goes for between 200-225 normally. I get that last generation phones can go down in price, but it seemed unexpected that it didn't even out to pretty much the same used price as most of those other phones. I was just thinking there must be something I was missing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is expected. The Galaxy S5 is a Samsung device and as with all popular brands, these devices can go for a high price, from when they're released to even a few years later.
The OnePlus One was OnePlus' very first device and it was named "The Flagship Killer" for a reason- that reason being it had the same specs as popular flagship devices (ie. Galaxy S5, Xperia Z3, HTC One M8) but costed much less than they did. This is why the OPO, new or used, continues to be sold for lower than any other popular flagship device.
As a note, OnePlus claims that they barely made any profit at the time due to selling the OPO for such a low price, but they actually had a lot of backup from their overseeing company, OPPO.
Trust me (and everyone here), the OPO is still an amazing device. Everything about it screams high quality.

dreamwave said:
When it comes to data, I'm not too worried as I use tracfone (so I'm not really used to the convenience of data on the go) and have great coverage around here--unless it is so significantly worse than the Nexus 6 so as to cause a steady 3-4 bars on one to equal intermittent service on the other.
For the random reboots, when did they start? What ROM? When do they happen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Running Sultan's CM13 - had similar issues with CM12. Switched to CM13 because Sultan was actively developing it. Tried other roms but I didn't like them as much as Sultan's rom. Charging is also atrocious - 2 hours to go from 10% to 100% with the stock cable and charger.
The funny thing is, I had full bars and data, GMaps just couldn't connect until I restarted the phone.
I had three reboots in the past hour. One with the phone laying on my desk. Another while scrolling through GroupMe. The final after I took a screenshot of my lockscreen. I don't use xposed or any other customization app.

Best phone ever released till date, we can edit ANDROID to the core.. I am using since aug 2014, only thing i regret is camera compared to todays phones but even it lives it up to the mark

well!! it is reliable enough ...

I've had this device since November 2014 and going strong. This device is one of the best purchases I've ever made in terms of a device. Unless I cause damage to it or there are new band support that's needed in the near future, I might actually try to keep this device until end of 2017.
I've really have had no issues with this phone, probably my only real gripe is the lack of OIS support.
You really can't go wrong with the OnePlus One.

Being a phone junkie, I jumped at the chance for a flagship killer, and do not regret it. Looking at all the phones we have today, this one still stacks up great, and outperforms my buddies lg v10 (which was what I was going to get, but couldn't justify the price) in a lot of areas (mostly stupid golf games), though all his hardware is top notch.
This device is affordable, and still runs as smooth as day one. Dev community awesome. I had the slight yellow tinge when it first came out, but it's gone. I had another friend of mine buy the op2 just cause he liked my phone so much but wanted the dual Sim...
Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

I'm looking to jump back in with a OPO after a year, has the touch screen issue been addressed? I had the issue on two OPO's. Very great device otherwise!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

MiguelSassoon said:
I'm looking to jump back in with a OPO after a year, has the touch screen issue been addressed? I had the issue on two OPO's. Very great device otherwise!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was one of the things I was wondering: there were a lot of people having problems with the touchscreen, they apparently had a firmware fix but I still saw some reports of problems afterwards. Haven't seen any recently, but no real discussion about what was the issue, whether there were some people with hardware problems AND some people with firmware problems or if there were just firmware problems. I think I might have seen something on their forums but I honestly don't trust that place with the reports of censorship and all the fanboys dismissing problems.
EDIT: Just found this thread that describes what causes the issue. Definitely an involved process, but at least it suggests a problem other than just faulty-digitizer roulette. I hate the lengths that Oneplus goes to to try and hide this kind of thing. They could gain a lot more support if they were just transparent about their fumbles and mistakes instead of trying to sweep stuff under the rug and waiting for it to create a scandal.

dreamwave said:
That was one of the things I was wondering: there were a lot of people having problems with the touchscreen, they apparently had a firmware fix but I still saw some reports of problems afterwards. Haven't seen any recently, but no real discussion about what was the issue, whether there were some people with hardware problems AND some people with firmware problems or if there were just firmware problems. I think I might have seen something on their forums but I honestly don't trust that place with the reports of censorship and all the fanboys dismissing problems.
EDIT: Just found this thread that describes what causes the issue. Definitely an involved process, but at least it suggests a problem other than just faulty-digitizer roulette. I hate the lengths that Oneplus goes to to try and hide this kind of thing. They could gain a lot more support if they were just transparent about their fumbles and mistakes instead of trying to sweep stuff under the rug and waiting for it to create a scandal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I remember reading about that .. Hoping they fixed the issue as I'm contemplating purchasing one new from OnePlus.

Just wanted to follow-up on my post from yesterday, OP.
I'm now on rooted stock COS12.1 - latest update, as of yesterday night. Only rooted apps I use are AdAway and TiBu (might not justify root tbh haha). But it's still not that great. The phone was definitely much smoother with Sultan's rom, with occasional hiccups. Just tried to do a raid in COC and the phone went unresponsive until I locked the screen but I had to resort to rebooting to make it actually work. It actually froze on the "rebooting" screen and I had to hard reboot.
For reference, I've had the phone since September 2015 and have been holding out for this year's Nexus but I might have to bite the bullet and pick up the 6P. My phone timeline is as follows: LG MyTouch, HTC Sensation 4G, Moto G 1st Gen, Nexus 6 and OnePlus One. Favorites have been Moto G and Nexus 6.

buy opo, leave opx....look around here on developments for both devices and u know why i say opo

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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.

Overall love

Yes, yes, it's possible to love a phone. Heck, you sleep next to it, don't you? Rate this thread to indicate your love for the Moto Z2 Force, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the Moto Z2 Force is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!

The best Android phone I've owned to date.

I love the phone enough to buy it multiple times, searching for the combination of carrier compatibility, unlockable bootloader and color.
I also love the phone enough to overlook its main shortcomings (no headphone jack, not truly waterproof, small battery) I love the hardware enough to use an unrooted phone. *gasp* literally every Android device I've ever owned has been rooted within a week, my first was a Nexus one.
This is a bit of a monumental device for me. It's my first ”phablet." My last daily driver was a Sony Z3 compact and a Z1 compact before that. I dropped my Sony trying to put it in my pocket while juggling keys, a backpack and my water bottle. The back glass shattered and the front has a hairline fracture.
Initially I was going to get the Z5 compact but I decided maybe I'd try something a little bigger, so I ordered an Xperia XZ from Amazon. It was a nice phone, but I hated the purplish color of the "black" model and I found myself constantly worrying about it after my last drop, so back it went in about a week.
The thing is, I hate using cases. What's the point in buying a phone you like the look and feel of just to cover it up? Enter the Z2 force. When I first saw promos talking about the shatter proof screen I was intrigued. I was never miffed by the easily scratched screen because an $8 screen protector is all you need to solve that problem.
Between the piece of mind of an unbreakable screen, stupid fast experience, solid aluminum body and gorgeous OLED display this phone is a keeper.

It's one of those phones that got shoved under the rug the second everyone saw the battery specs on paper, myself included. My previous long term daily driver was a Nexus 6 for the most part and that was the last high end, highly customizable Android phone I've used before briefly dailying a Nextbit Robin and then switching to Essential PH-1 for a few months. Both of those have great custom ROM support, but the battery life on both and signal strength on the PH-1 with T-Mobile were barely tolerable, so the only other sub $500 flagship/high end device with an up to date hardware feel was the Z2F from T-Mobile ($375 new), and glad I took the plunge despite the smallish battery capacity. From my experience, Motorola (at least as of their 2013 and newer models) have had a great track record for keeping close to stock Android experience, superb cellular signal, and great battery life and efficiency (despite often using smaller batteries, ie Moto X2, Moto G2, Moto E2). Somehow their devices always had awesome standby to screen on time efficiency. Essential didn't do this for me as much as I wanted to like it (although those on Verizon had a completely different perspective of that device).
This device gets some seriously great battery life (I've managed 8+ hrs sot with 20+ hrs total discharge from 100% charge capacity), excellent signal strength (probably why the battery doesn't suffer too much), solid screen (for those that do lots of accidental drops), front facing flash (with forward facing torch option in Moto camera flash settings), useful Moto gestures to enable main torch and camera with simple chop and twist gestures even when screen is off, solid and super thin build (Jerryrigeverything on YouTube approved it in his infamous bend test, it passed!), and because it's so thin, a simple tpu case gives this phone a perfect grip and thickness. There's a lot to like about this phone, it certainly checks all the right boxes. Most of all, it's the Android device with a Nexus/pixel-like experience; unlockable bootloader, easy to root, custom ROM availability (although from what I gather it currently works best in it's Motorola stock factory firmware form, custom ROMs are currently suffering from weaker cellular signal, failing safetynet due to the current state of selinux being set to permissive, and no sound in default video recording, also on some ROMs WiFi calling and Moto mods have issues), and to be quite frank, this device is very livable with stock firmware, just add root via Magisk and customize from there. Nexus 6 was by far my favorite device, but it is starting to feel a bit dated at this point, it had (and continues to have) some of the best third party dev support, and everything almost always works as good or better than what Google offered in it's stock Android form, that device was truly ahead of it's time and just like this device, was criticized and thrown under the bus numerous times, but low and behold a year or so after it's release, it was one of the best, if not the best device to mod. Of course with this device it's a bit finicky to mod or convert to another carrier firmware (if at all possible), but when it comes to working in it's native firmware for the carrier they were configured to run on, it truly doesn't miss a beat. You get a lot for the asking price, and until another developer device like Nexus 6 comes along, this will serve as a perfect successor for the time being. Yeah I'd love to have the dual front facing stereo speakers, and I'd love to have tons of custom features found in Resurrection Remix ROMs, but not at the cost of battery, cell signal, and failing safetynet check. Many of the custom ROM features can be manually added on stock firmware with root access enabled. Custom firmware just makes it easier to do so and also implements its own features, but often takes away features that are only available on stock firmware, for this reason, Nexus 6 was superior on every front in its time, everything was open source and easy to carry over to a custom firmware. Essential phone is like that, but unfortunately it doesn't play well with all carriers, despite being compatible with every carrier like the Nexus 6.
Some other cool and useful features include:
-Ability to remove navigation bar and allow fingerprint sensor gestures to navigate in the essence of Android P (swipe left for back, right for recents, short tap for home)
-fingerprint scanner also doubles up as a power button (normal tap for turning on to bypass screen lock, and normal press for screen off)
-voice assistant via long press on fingerprint scanner
-Moto voice for useful info on the fly, even with screen off
-Moto display, which unlike ambient display, doesn't waste much battery and is very precise when hovering your hand over and lifting vs keeping face down or in pocket (to keep screen from accidentally lighting up))
-dual rear facing camera with a dedicated rear facing black and white (monochrome) camera as one of the lenses
-twist gestures can double up as front/rear camera swapping
-lift to silence ringtone
-flip device onto screen to mute calls
-built in phone video calling
-power button to end call
-double chop for flashlight
-double twist for camera
-front facing torch through stock selfie camera
-night display (adjusts screen tint based on time if day)
-announce calls while driving
-and last but not least, water repellant nano coating, which is something I can't thank Motorola enough, my Nexus 6, Moto G2, Moto X2, Moto E2 all have this coating and I can confirm it works because the G2 owned by my grandma and my friend's Nexus 6 both fell into a tub and sink full of water, both devices worked without issue after removing them from water. Sure they're not water proof per say, but water proofing requires seals/gaskets and adhesives, both of which are compromised over time due to excessive heat from the internal hardware components and when screens or back glass (where applicable) break. So in essence a repellant nano coating may not be as water resistant as gaskets and adhesives, it does it's job most of the time when accidents happen and can surely withstand rain and shower splashes (just don't go plugging headphones or power cables before drying the ports and device as that may cause a short) and best of all, it doesn't get compromised because your screen broke or because of excessive heat and wear and tear.
The only cons I see are the few carrier and Motorola bloat apps most of which can be disabled (or frozen if rooted).
I enjoyed this device so much that I got one for a friend who had issues with her Nexus 6 charging port. Truly an underrated device that will hopefully get more attention from third party devs sooner than later. Personally, I will go as far as to say that this device should be looked at as a benchmark to beat. I've yet to see a device as well optimized, efficient, and as easy to manage right out of the box for such an awesome price.

Syndrome666 said:
snip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All the developers for the Nash have been working on getting things fixed. You know good things are coming when LOS might be official soon™

Uzephi said:
All the developers for the Nash have been working on getting things fixed. You know good things are coming when LOS might be official soon™
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I definitely do, this phone's technically a successor to what used to be the Moto X series before the Z line took its place, and those had awesome third party dev support. I'm sure I'll get flashing on the Z2F once I get some free time to mod this thing. Any clue if RR is in the works for this phone?

Syndrome666 said:
I definitely do, this phone's technically a successor to what used to be the Moto X series before the Z line took its place, and those had awesome third party dev support. I'm sure I'll get flashing on the Z2F once I get some free time to mod this thing. Any clue if RR is in the works for this phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No clue about RR but @npjohnson pretty much stated how everything is for LOS, unless something "goes sideways" Lineage will be official VERY shortly. @erfanoabdi also stated fingerprint nav now works with selinux enforcing so very few bugs left now. Pretty sure just a few gerrit reviews and everything before LOS ships official. (Red tape and all)

Uzephi said:
No clue about RR but @npjohnson pretty much stated how everything is for LOS, unless something "goes sideways" Lineage will be official VERY shortly. @erfanoabdi also stated fingerprint nav now works with selinux enforcing so very few bugs left now. Pretty sure just a few gerrit reviews and everything before LOS ships official. (Red tape and all)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice, sounds tempting. I'll have to give it a shot

I like my Z2F a lot! So much I bought a second one, a Sprint version. I enjoyed flashing ROM’s and stuff since the Motorola Droid days before 4G. I’ve had Safe strapped RAZR’s and then the RAZR M with the bootloader unlocked, that was fun till I bought a Moto Z Droid. Fast phone but being on Verizon, no root and no playing with ROMs.
I think the Z2F is a great phone, lots of ram so the bloat apps don’t matter much but I miss flashing ROMs. So I purchased a Sprint Z2F and as soon as the UPS guys delvers it, I’m going to activate it on Sprint, Unlock the boot loader, root it and tryout some ROM’s. And after a month or so I want to unlock it and add it to my Verizon account. Should be fun.

Still Loving the performance of this device 5 months later. I think my next device will be the z3 force.

A nicely packed set of features, still a mixed bag
Just got this device couple weeks ago, because: seemed a nicely packed set of features, I needed a new one after 3 years, and it was on sale locally for ~240€, about a third of the 2017 MSRP of 799€. So am happy with seeing and getting that bargain!
However, with the previous device being a Moto X Pure, which had just gotten tediously slower and slower over the last year or so, I find the differences in specs add to it not feeling like the real thing. Like that nightly purchase impulse this posting is severly subjective. I'll mark the so-sos with o and plusses and minusses (where it compares favourably or less than to my previous Moto experiences) in the list below.
o Moto X Pure has stereo speakers, the Z2 Force has 1 mono speaker. Watching the occasional video it certainly feels ok, but definitely "lopsided", thinner, inferior to front-facing stereo speakers. Yes, why, Captain Obvious told me, how did you know?
+ For telephone calls both call quality and, in quiet environments, the speakerphone functionality is just about right. People understand me well and I can hear everyone clearly.
+ Bluetooth connections work well and are quicker to establish. It seems as if the bluetooth range has also increased slightly.
o As of yet, the lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack hasn't actually bothered me. Since I'm on the traditionalist side I would have liked one, and sorta expect a hi-def moto mod for this some day.
- The main camera is meh when used with the vanilla Moto app. Really sorry to say that, but I am disappointed. 12MP does not mean much on paper, but the artificial sharpening puts me off. Probably I compare too much with the X Pure's 21MP and subjectively much better image quality, but in low light and less-than-ideal light conditions and when seeing strong contrasts I am unhappy with the Moto camera app. Maybe I have just gotten used to the X's quirks, but still. Disclaimer: need to take more pictures; I might set up a public album for this.
+ Using OpenCamera though I am getting different and better results. So overally I tend to use this now. Suggestions? Should I try FV-5 or Ektacam?
+ Using the Vignette camera app (as I did on all previously used devices) I can get proper results, even though I suspect it does not use the 2nd camera.
+ The snapdragon 835 is superfast, and the Z2 force with these recent price drops in Europe possibly one of the cheapest devices having it
+ the 6GB memory means I can multitask as hell and there indeed is very little reloading an app
+ I got used to having a fingerprint sensor quickly, position on front is fine
+ GPS works much better than on the old Moto, even indoors I typically get a fix both a) faster and b) at all
+ Display, having that crisp 2560x1440p resolution. Colours in saturated mode are strong, bright and I'm impressed.
+ Display colour settings can be set to "standard", which means colours come across as subdued, thinner, and erm less artificial. I use this mode.
+ Touch interactions have that very immediate feel to it, like zero lag and precise positioning. Like!
o the plastic shatterproof feature, well, it comes with a plastic layer on the screen that seems to have a blueish, almost milky tint to it, and that makes it look like plastic very much. Visually speaking it looks plastic when viewed from the side.
+ Connectivity in 4G was good.
o Using two LTE sim cards at the same time though it seems as if only the first one inserted makes use of 4G, the second one can't. Disclaimer: did only test this first evening and unsystematically.
+ Wifi is fast, holds both connections properly on 2.4 and 5 even when in offices or places with more than 40 available networks.
o Using it on commute though it seems as if, even when arrived on destination, it takes those very long extra seconds to connect to a known network. Need to fiddle with a scan interval setting I guess.
+ Built-in battery capacity is smaller, but as of now it lasts me almost two full days, and won't ever go below 20% really. The X Pure's battery is far from dead, but using it heavily means recharging it three times a day.
Overall love after these couple of weeks: an "acceptable meh" Yes, everything works, but I really needed something new and had hoped for something to give me that sensational thrill, but now feel unsatisfied. Had I bought it last year that would have been a serious disappointment.
With all this I think I am in sort of in line with many reviewers who see the oh so revolutionary mods concept as meaning well and ending up mediocre. While I intend to get that Incipio battery mod some day, that might well be the only mod I'll be getting.

mookiexl said:
Still Loving the performance of this device 5 months later. I think my next device will be the z3 force.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the z2 is the last force edition they will make.

jasperbastianrain said:
the z2 is the last force edition they will make.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I saw that and it made me cringe. I guess moto figured they couldn't put the price in the range of the Samsung and other more popular manufactures and compete. I still hope they release a device with the SD845 or one with OIS.

Love this phone at all. Just the backside has scratches from the first day on. Never complained, but was there out of the box. More important for me is that the screen has no scratches, even after months. No monday device, absolutly perfect, love this plastic screen. Very sad to know that we don't get any newer model of this force stuff. Battery is very good, too. That's very good at all. But additional screen protector isn't needed, at least at my model the screen isn't scratching. Maybe I have to do it with harder stuff? Don't know how the people get scratches in the screen

I'm absolutely in love with this phone. Obviously everything comes down to value, and for the original $700 or whatever asking price, there were better options. For $260 though (with the projector mod included), it's a downright steal. The phone is blazing fast and the only complaints are no headphone jack and a relatively weak camera. The very un-2017 screen ratio is also a negative, but considering the price you can find the phone for these days it's nothing to me.
ROM support is straight up bad unfortunately (huge thanks to the devs that do support it), but the phone works very well stock. I've always ran my phones with ROMs, but I don't really feel like I even need one.

Yeah I have this phone as well. I don't have any real issues beside poor signal but that's from where I live. Even with the booster T-Mobile sent me from Cel-Fi it can pickup 3 bars and 6 on the booster box I get 4G LTE and 5 bars. I can hear all my friends now. GF she has the same cell as well her's has issues like with most women when it come to cells. Data Mode drops can't do anything except remove the sim but not only that the screen is peeling off. So T-mobile is doing a warranty exchange with a brand new one. Not factory nonsense excuse for a cell. Brand new. Mine is like new!

01/2019 Real user review Great phone, super fast, great size, look outdated due to its form factor (big chin, no notch) Great battery life, super fast charging. Overall great phone, a little slow on updates

Update 01/17/2020. I've had my black, unlocked Sprint version since my last post in 2017. I've been using it flawlessly on Mint mobile for a couple years. It is positively Boba Fetted out with scratches all over the aluminum body. I am on my 3rd IQ shield screen protector. My wife has the white Verizon z2 force and we have almost all the mods.
A few months ago I noticed my battery life take a nose dive. Even after a complete wipe and clean install I struggle to make it through a day with moderate use. I've never had a phone long enough to experience battery degradation.
I went to Best Buy to check out the current crop of new phones. I handled the z3 and z4 and while nice they just seemed kinda..."meh" I didn't notice any speed difference or screen clarity between either of those phones and my 3 year old z2 and I'd be giving up shattershield. I thought about trying something new and was seriously tempted by the S10+ but a case would be a must. It is crazy
My daughter has a pixel 3 so I checked out the 4 and was a little underwhelmed. I ended up leaving with the phone I came with. I got home and started shopping online. I stumbled upon a nib unlocked gray T-Mobile Z2 for $150. Considering the Samsung cost almost 5x as much and would need to be babied I pulled the trigger on the Motorola.
So in summary I love this phone enough to buy it again despite it being old as dirt in the tech world. I plan on riding the gray one until the wheels fall off or until some new hotness comes out that I see and just have to have.
Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

Owner of one of the first Z2 Force XT1789-06 dual sim with Nougat, since of reduced battery life and screen a bit "impressed" I decided to buy a new phone.
I decided for a "brand new" Xt1789-06 dual sim that I set up with Pie. Need I to add something?

enetec said:
Owner of one of the first Z2 Force XT1789-06 dual sim with Nougat, since of reduced battery life and screen a bit "impressed" I decided to buy a new phone.
I decided for a "brand new" Xt1789-06 dual sim that I set up with Pie. Need I to add something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, there is no better phone on the market with unbreakable screen. I would buy it again, too. Costs 399€ (very much, but high end for many years) at the moment. More than 2018 here in europe.
Set Up should be Lineage OS 16 and then it's perfect.

Z4- The phone for me

Anyone who has their doubts about this phone... I get it. Motorola is in a unique situation with their Z lineup of phones. What once started out as a phone with an unbreakable screen and flagship specs has now become a mid-range device with a breakable screen and an attractive price point. This phone is a steal on Verizon for just $10 a month on a new line. The unlocked price of $499 with the 360 camera mod is a pretty good value as well. So Motorola is pushing value with the Z4, and I'm here for it. So I bought a Z4 despite watching every YouTube review that told me to buy a Pixel 3a instead... And I'm so glad that I did. This phone is a BEAST... And I'm coming from an LG G8.. a "high-end" Android device. Don't get me wrong I loved my G8, and had no intentions of abandoning it as my daily driver. I bought the Moto Z4 for two reasons. Value & Fun. I still had a lot of my Moto Mods from my Z2 force and I missed playing emulators on my phone with the Moto Gamepad so I figured for the price, this would be a great "fun" second phone. Now it is my daily driver. The killer feature on this phone is battery life. The 3a doesn't come close, nor does my G8. I can literally go for two days without needing a charge-up, and I'm on my phone 24/7. What made me apprehensive about this phone was the Snapdragon 675 processor. I knew my performance that I'd come to love would take a hit. Especially with gaming and running so many apps... To my surprise, this "mid-range" processor has surpassed my expectations. Yes, I notice a difference coming from the G8, but I'd put it on par with the prior year's G7. The main place that you notice slow down with the mid-range processors is on System boot-up and gaming. Day to day activities like Web Browsing, GPS, Snapchat, YouTubing, etc... You won't be able to tell a difference. Going from 6 gb of ram to 4gb was never a big deal to me because no one really needs 6gb of ram on their device. The Camera on this phone is INCREDIBLY detailed and it beats my G8 for most shots. I'm assuming Pixel's 3a would probably win the camera war, but that's about it... And that's why so many reviewers were wrong about this phone. I love the backwards compatibility with all of the Moto Mods and they all fit quite nicely despite what you may read online. LTE speeds on this phone are really nice. I live in a rural area and don't always have the best 4G speeds or signal strength but the Z4 hasn't let me down. I hope to see more development grow for this device being that Bootloader Unlock and root is as simple as unlocking from Motorola's website and patching your boot image with Magisk. After unlocking and rooting, I've been hard at work pushing this "mid-range" device to its MAXIMUM and trust me when I say it flies.

And here are some random camera samples!

I second this. I was apprehensive about buying the Z4 at first, and even smack talked it a bit when I first seen the specs compared to previous Z line products. Boy was I wrong. I absolutely love this phone.
My only complaint at first was the fingerprint scanner. But simply adding the same finger twice fixed that issue.
This from the guy with the Android tattoo ??

I fully agree with you! Came from a OnePlus 6T McLaren, but missed all the fun I had with my Moto Mods the time I still had my Moto Z and Z3 Play devices. When I got the opportunity to buy a second hand Moto Z4 directly from Germany, I took the chance and bought it with the hope, it would be sufficient to me. I have had it for less than a month now and I still do not regret to have bought it! I do not miss my OnePlus 6T at all! Especially, the usage of InstaShare Projector and 360° Camera is great fun and I have not yet noticed any deficiencies regarding the "weak" mid-range processor (but I am definitely NOT a gamer).
Especially the screen is fantastic! I noticed a huge difference in comparison with the screen of Z3 Play - the Z4 screen's haptics are very much better (it is not that sensible towards input - so it is much easier to write messages free of errors). Microsoft surface stylus types support is very nice, too - for testing purposes, I bought such a cheap pen supporting the MS surface protocol and writing with this stylus really works like a charm!
The only thing I miss with this phone is Dual SIM support.

Excellent and appreciated review but if like to hear more about build quality compared to the LG devices as I was eyeing those as a possible replacement for the S5.
Unfortunately I do not have the unlocked version since I'm in a rural area but without steady work.
Edit: For the much shorter version of this read the last paragraph or two.
I've only owned a few phones
The Droid X goes without saying.
The s3 new from big red but I was able to ditch touch wiz immediately the very first night (but an excited all night with lots of reading) since development was already about six months in.
And an S5 that was one year old when I bought it for like 140 us bucks (she wanted an iPhone). After some quick searching I said yeah 140 will work with me but I detest the gold color. It's cid 15 which I determined before my purchase.
The Droid X was tough as nails I'm telling you. I got it from big red as my first smartphone I got this huge ottorbox(sp?) where I could probably drop it from a cliff onto some rock in the mountains and not hurt it. That case was way too bulky for me.
Very long story a bit shorter for me anyway. I was coming home from working late one night and was going about 60mph on a short but winding road home. But I got home and didn't have my phone, I went back to the office, not there either. I drove slowly home that night in first gear all the way looking for it and was very lucky to spot the phone in the road. I stopped right there put the flashers on as it was an emergency to me... I found the back that night and took a machete to the weeds along the road and found the battery.
Excellent. The screen was not cracked, the phone was scratched on all four corners (probably got lucky) but I put the battery back in and it fired right up no problem and without one scratch on the screen.
The Samsung's were nice too with some development still going on both (for sure my S5 is running pie). But the s3 lasted a couple years and the screen died.
My S5 has fared much better but the screen finally cracked and I'm on my second "extended" battery. I still use it when using a weed eater and the rocks are flying for tunes.
This z4 is way better {fairly heavily disabled apps and permissions with adb) and the build quality reminds me of my first smartphone.. it's made of metal and feels like a high end device should feel in the hand.
I looked at s lot of phones and weighed all my limited options. Save up for a used phone a few years old, or get the g7 power fairly cheap unlocked or get the z4 with big red again.
I'm so glad I made the investment and look forward to finding a used (hopefully) gamepad mod for emulation. Phones in general have come a long way but this device is the best choice for me now.
I'd love root and all that but I'm not missing it as much as I thought I would right now.
After my few days off research on debloating I'm happy and only recently added a new Google account for testing s few things.
I do miss my microg and Google free life I've had with the S5 but again no regrets yet.
I know this wasn't so about the z4 but hope the comparisons help..
The Galaxy's felt cheap for top tier devices compared to my original dx. And this phone brings back that quality feeling.
Edit2 Damn your UI looks more stock than mine but maybe it's the wallpaper or volume.