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It is time for a new phone, my Moto X Style (Pure) on T-Mobile is getting a bit long in the tooth.
1) storage is only 16GB so even with the few apps I use, I have to clear cache to update apps (photos, videos, etc all goto the SD Card)
2) signal is crap at times and call quality suffers
3) Lenorola is starting to slack on Android update time frames, they use to be quick with the last two Moto X and now they are getting behind (even with security updates)
I am on T-Mobile and I mainly do alot of audio (BT), some pictures and video, and the rest is just FB, Email, Text, Web Browsing
My choices are to go with the V20 and root it to get a few apps that I need
or wait and order a Pixel XL (128GB) and ride the google update train again.
I was faced with the same decision.. 16GB is just a non-starter for me, and I couldn't wait for the 128GB version to become available. Also Google's hardware didn't completely impress me.. I picked up the V20 coming from the Note 7.. honestly my plan is to run with it until the Note 8 comes out more than likely. I think the Google phone will have a longer lifespan and obviously quicker updates.. but I needed a phone and couldn't wait for the 128GB version to come out. Also the price difference was pretty significant compared the Verizon's price on the V20.. so that was a factor as well.
Overall the V20 didn't 'wow' me like the Note 7 did.. but its still a very good phone and for the $650 or so I got it for I am happy.. I don't think the Pixel XL would have wowed me either to be honest after having the Note 7 though.
The last LG phone I had was the G4 and that was a bit of a let down.
Since I am on T-Mobile coming from a Moto X Pure (3rd Gen) I won't get any trade in value at all (keeping it as a backup)
It is $30 a month for the V20 on T-Mobile, or I buy the Pixel XL and get $325 in credit over 24 months which will take away some of the hit over time for the Pixel XL
I am leaning to the V20 right now, especially because of how on top of updates LG has appeared to become. I just hate the bloat, hopefully there are good fixes for that or someone later releasing a cleaned up stock rom
I was faced with the same problem
Pick the Pixel for:
- better camera (especially video stabilization)
- fast updates and longer lifespan
- better one-handed usage
- fluid software experience
- looks (subjective I know, but I kinda like it and it has no camera hump)
Lg v20 for:
- removable battery
- better sound experience
- military grade drop protection
- manual camera mode if that's your thing
- expandable storage
- second screen is useful sometimes
I obviously went with the v20. Unlocked bootloader on T-Mobile and root on it fixes some software problems. Although I wouldn't complain if I had went with the Pixel either
I'm currently facing the EXACT dilemma.
After reading your comments, I think I might pick up the T-mobile version of the V20 instead.
Since we still do not have an official V20 root for the Canadian model.
Looks like I am leaning to the V20 as well. Mainly for the camera, screen, audio.
Even if we get a stock cleaned up ROM later then it would be perfectly fine.
Not sure about your options in your part of the world, but here in New Zealand the pixel XL is $1400 while i bought the V20 for $900. So yea, no explanation needed
Pixel is a ugly ass phone.
Sent from my LG-H918 using XDA-Developers mobile app
---------- Post added at 01:43 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:42 AM ----------
I loved my Nexus 6
Sent from my LG-H918 using XDA-Developers mobile app
I came from the nexus 6P which I loved to this phone and to honest I love the battery life and everything it has to offer so far. Up in Canada they are offering the B&O H3 headphones plus 200 off which was 799 for the whole package which is a wicked deal
I have the Tmo V20 and I didn't feel like there was much bloat...well compared to AT&T's devices. Coming from the N7 my only gripe is the low light pictures come out gainier than the N7. I hated the edge screen on the N7 but I really dig the second screen on the V20. The screen isn't as saturated as an AMOLED screen, but in everyday use I don't notice it. Done call the V20 ugly, but I honestly love the looks. Of course most people throw a case on their device, so does that even matter?
Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk
If you listen to BT audio a lot stop hesitating and go get the LGv20 and grab a pair of BT headphones with Aptx support (lgv20 one of only a couple phones that support it.) I have these and they are awesome.
https://www.amazon.com/Monster-SuperSlim-Bluetooth-Wireless-Headphones/dp/B015EGRK9S
Honestly paying that much for a mere 128 gb is outrageous. For $400-500 like the old Nexus phones... sure I might be convinced to give up the extensive list of V20 features some of which were not even present in the Note 7. I see the Pixel XL like the Android version of the IPhone 7's business model: add a camera that's nice but doesn't blow the others out of the water anymore, give it a short shelf life with limited storage and non-removable battery (so that you MUST upgrade after 12 months), put a lot of emphasis on zippy when the competition are pretty zippy already. Overall a pretty meh exterior design like the V20 and Iphone7. The Note is prettier but that finger print magnet back is a chore and I had enough of TouchWiz lagging down the experience compares to the V20.
I have a YouTube Red account. With a 250 GB Samsung micro SD ($70 eBay) and 64 GB on board I have so much content I don't know what do with.
I picked up two new TVs on black Friday. I use the V20 IR blaster with both. Same for the Kinivo HDMI splitter, no more fumbling with that little easy to lose clicker.
The V20 has Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, which the others don't have, is like one of the best V20 features. I use a 3.0 Anker PowerCore+ 10k mAh power bank ($40 Amazon) with an iOrange-E type C cable and the V20 absolutely flies from 40%-80%.
The second screen is probably the most useful feature I can switch to different songs on Amazon music app, use it as the zoom wheel in video recording, allows for more fluid app switching than interrupting the main screen just to use the multitasking soft button. And the quad DAC actually drives my V-Moda M100s. I wanted to test this against the Note 7 but the Fire Department said no can do homey. And rumor is no more headphone jack on new Samsungs. You'll have to spend $300 on Bluetooth Bose headphones with as good a sound as upper mid tier wired cans.
Honestly...even if V20, Note 7, iphone 7 and Pixel XL were all priced the same it would be a no brainer for me as far as useful features I rely on every day.
For me, it was a price per gb difference, and a looks thing. I came off an S6 Edge, and for me, the Pixel looks like an iPhone minus the home button. Yeah, it's on 7.1, and will get updates sooner (but I'm on Verizon so it's bound to be slower no matter which one). The smaller capacity model would never work for me, I download too many movies and stuff for that. My Edge was 64 and that was a decent balance between saving until I downloaded it off to the computer. Plus I get the expansion slot for more just because you never know. Could care less about the removable battery, but to some it's a plus. The camera seems to be subjective on video reviews, between people that prefer one over the other. I use a DSLR for anything important, so it's not a deal-breaker for me, and it takes pictures just fine for my eyes anyway. I didn't buy it as a camera, I bought it as a phone. And I know the LG G2 I had was rooted pretty quickly if memory serves, and just browsing seems like we've got a good group tackling that now (missed that on my S6). So in the end, the cost savings, and the aesthetics won me over between the two, with everything else basically being a wash either way. Plus, coming from the other phone, every time a gal looks at it, they always seem to say "Wow that's big". Simple pleasures, but it never gets old
By the way, NetFlix now has downloads. As does Amazon video and YouTube Red. I see no win with a phone that kills micro SD.
I bought V20. And I love myself for that decision.
Mahendra Dhaker said:
I bought V20. And I love myself for that decision.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Believe it or not I returned the S8 and got mine. I'm freakin stoked by what LG has to offer. This my 1st non samsung phone and its rooted.
I ended up selling my V20 it was glitch fest everywhere even after several factory resets and the batter drain was bad.....I do miss the extra camera and the DAC but outside of that I love the S8+. This is my first Samsung phone since the note 3.
dakunclear said:
I ended up selling my V20 it was glitch fest everywhere even after several factory resets and the batter drain was bad.....I do miss the extra camera and the DAC but outside of that I love the S8+. This is my first Samsung phone since the note 3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am kind of on the same page. I jumped on the v20 from a note 4. My note 4 had less bugs, better battery life, and a better screen. "Auto" picture quality was much better on the note.
Things i will miss about the V20/Pros
~ Full manual camera controls and the wide angle lens
~ DAC
~ Second display
~ Build Quality
~ Removable Battery
***Biggest complaint by far is Battery life.. From my Pokemon Go experience specifically, my Girlfriend has a iPhone 6s. My note 4 battery life was better than hers. My V20 is literally half that of hers now. Same apps installed across both phones. Phone gets HOT.
The S8 has tempted me for the last month.... I was in Best Buy this week, and they had a special (free wireless $50 charger and $100 gift card), plus AKG earbuds and an entertainment package with more earbuds and some other "entertainment" things ($170 deal)....So I did the deal (At&t next plan).
I almost immediately regretted it! But now, I'm stuck with the S8 (and paying for it), so I might as well use it and sell my Axon 7 to recoup some money I'll be spending the next 2 years.
Axon 7 Pros:
- Speakers.....This was an immediate miss!
- Less bloat, especially since my A7 was running custom ROMs
- Just as smooth and fast
- Newer version of Android, not that it makes that much difference in the end or performance
- Better battery
- Custom ROMs
- Feels more solidly built
- No SD card issues (S8 has SD card issues, it's a big issue)
- Did I mention I REALLY miss the speakers!
- Fingerprint scanner placement
Galaxy S8 pros:
- Screen is just amazing
- Camera is really, really, good
- Less bluetooth connection errors and stays connected from a longer distance
- The in-call sound of the other caller sounds like they are actually on the other side of the phone! I haven't heard a phone call this good, loud, and clear since my land-line
- More case selections
- Battery isn't as good as the A7, but still not bad. Even though it's not QC 3.0, it's still pretty darn fast at charging (I have not complaints). Went from 61% to 100% in less than 30 minutes in my car (while using bluetooth to stream music).
- Lighter, slightly narrower
- Microphone is better/more sensitive and speech to text is more accurate because of this - also captures live music (in videos) better.
If I would have tried the S8 for a few days first.... I would not have bought it and kept my A7...But now that I have, there are things I really like about the S8, but there are more things I miss about my A7.
I've disabled all I can in my S8 and some features I don't want to, even though they're gimmicky. I really like the always on display too and the pressure sensitive "home" button to turn on the screen.
I know some warned me...But it's not as bad as everyone said and no end-of-time catastrophic events happened because I sold out.
I'll miss this community and may be back someday with the A8 or A9.
Thanks for everything and from everyone that worked their tails off to get us custom ROMs!
How about the headphone audio, does S8 have noise like my S6 does?
themostunique said:
How about the headphone audio, does S8 have noise like my S6 does?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the delay in replying.... I didn't notice it at first, since I used bluetooth....So I plugged directly into the aux port...... So, if you are charging your phone and plug in directly into the aux input, it is very noisy. You can change a setting to get rid of that noise on the music, but it's till there when using Google Assistant or maps. But when connected via bluetooth, there is no noise.
Since you're using AT&T and seem to be post-paid with them, the call quality jump could be a switch to using VoLTE. The S8 would be supported by them since they currently only allow it on A&T branded devices (and soon on Cricket).
I jumped ship from the Axon 7 having previously had the s7 edge. I jumped from the s7e to the A7 to the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4x and now the LG G6. I've also gone through the moto G4 at some point too.
The s7e was awesome but waay too fragile and after dropping it I just couldn't settle. I really liked the A7 but the camera just wasn't doing it for me so I bought the redmi note 4 as a stop gap. I have to say, for the money, the xiaomi was amazing. With a bit of patience even the camera was good. I held off on the LG G6 for the Oneplus 5 but caved when the price dropped and, I hate to say it, but I'm not thrilled by it. Is it three times as good as the Note 4x? No. I'm thinking of selling it on after just a few hours and waiting for the OnePlus 5 or going back to the Axon 7.
Question though, has the camera improved since January?
Sent from my LG-H870DS using XDA Premium HD app
jetsetwilly said:
I jumped ship from the Axon 7 having previously had the s7 edge. I jumped from the s7e to the A7 to the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4x and now the LG G6. I've also gone through the moto G4 at some point too.
The s7e was awesome but waay too fragile and after dropping it I just couldn't settle. I really liked the A7 but the camera just wasn't doing it for me so I bought the redmi note 4 as a stop gap. I have to say, for the money, the xiaomi was amazing. With a bit of patience even the camera was good. I held off on the LG G6 for the Oneplus 5 but caved when the price dropped and, I hate to say it, but I'm not thrilled by it. Is it three times as good as the Note 4x? No. I'm thinking of selling it on after just a few hours and waiting for the OnePlus 5 or going back to the Axon 7.
Question though, has the camera improved since January?
Sent from my LG-H870DS using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Willy what software were you on before you got rid off the Axon 7? There are definite improvements in Nougat but whether there are enough for you, I'm not sure.
Sent from my P027 using Tapatalk
I think it was B13 when I left. I've looked over my pictures at the time and they weren't good.
Sent from my LG-H870DS using XDA Premium HD app
tele_jas said:
The S8 has tempted me for the last month.... I was in Best Buy this week, and they had a special (free wireless $50 charger and $100 gift card), plus AKG earbuds and an entertainment package with more earbuds and some other "entertainment" things ($170 deal)....So I did the deal (At&t next plan).
I almost immediately regretted it! But now, I'm stuck with the S8 (and paying for it), so I might as well use it and sell my Axon 7 to recoup some money I'll be spending the next 2 years.
Axon 7 Pros:
- Speakers.....This was an immediate miss!
- Less bloat, especially since my A7 was running custom ROMs
- Just as smooth and fast
- Newer version of Android, not that it makes that much difference in the end or performance
- Better battery
- Custom ROMs
- Feels more solidly built
- No SD card issues (S8 has SD card issues, it's a big issue)
- Did I mention I REALLY miss the speakers!
- Fingerprint scanner placement
Galaxy S8 pros:
- Screen is just amazing
- Camera is really, really, good
- Less bluetooth connection errors and stays connected from a longer distance
- The in-call sound of the other caller sounds like they are actually on the other side of the phone! I haven't heard a phone call this good, loud, and clear since my land-line
- More case selections
- Battery isn't as good as the A7, but still not bad. Even though it's not QC 3.0, it's still pretty darn fast at charging (I have not complaints). Went from 61% to 100% in less than 30 minutes in my car (while using bluetooth to stream music).
- Lighter, slightly narrower
- Microphone is better/more sensitive and speech to text is more accurate because of this - also captures live music (in videos) better.
If I would have tried the S8 for a few days first.... I would not have bought it and kept my A7...But now that I have, there are things I really like about the S8, but there are more things I miss about my A7.
I've disabled all I can in my S8 and some features I don't want to, even though they're gimmicky. I really like the always on display too and the pressure sensitive "home" button to turn on the screen.
I know some warned me...But it's not as bad as everyone said and no end-of-time catastrophic events happened because I sold out.
I'll miss this community and may be back someday with the A8 or A9.
Thanks for everything and from everyone that worked their tails off to get us custom ROMs!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me too jump first to s8 for 2 weeks and now to s8 plus witch I'm keeping.
With majority of the observation I agree 100%.
My only disagreement is that battery life it's identical between S8 and Axon 7(I was getting 4.5-5 hours SOT per day) with extensive use.
In more light use I was getting with both phones 1.5-2 days battery life.
As for the S8 plus that I'm having it for 1 week now I'm getting 1 hour more SOT with intensive use of much easily reaching 2 full days with light to medium use.
As for the SD issue for S8/S8 plus their being addressed with latest May firmware upgrade.
One thing missing from Axon 7 is double tap to wake screen but with AOD on I can wake up the screen at s8 by double tap the home button witch is cool and nice.
I'm planning to keep both phone at first period and then will see what gone happen.
Honestly I'd take an S8 plus over my Axon 7, if it where not for the headphone audio output. Samsung hasn't really cared to compete in that department.
Maybe the Note 8 will tempt me, but I'd keep the Axon 7 for audio as I use two phones anyway. Or maybe it will be the LG V30 that will be my next phone. Time will tell
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.
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
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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™
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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?
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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)
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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.
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the z2 is the last force edition they will make.
jasperbastianrain said:
the z2 is the last force edition they will make.
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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?
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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.
Hi all! I currently have a nexus 6p as my daily driver and came from a nexus 6. I am running into some issues with the 6p and got to looking at other phones. My criteria is:
32gb storage minimum
usb-c charging or qi if micro-usb
good battery life
nfc
good camera (photos and videos)
no/minimal bloat ware (stock launcher also, no TouchWiz)
can be bought around $250 (used is ok)
fingerprint scanner is a plus
It looks like the ph1 meets all my requirements. I have found one slightly used for under $250. I really like the 128gb storage as I do YouTube videos using my phone sometimes and the extra space comes in handy. So my question is this: should the ph1 be a good device for me? I have been using nexus phones since the galaxy nexus and own them all except the 5x. I'm on AT&T. If there is a better phone that meets the requirements I'm all game to look at it. If I can't find a replacement phone soon I'm going back to my n6. This n6p is driving me crazy with the crap battery life, missed notifications, and phonecall black screen bug.
Thanks in advance for the input.
*edit* just found a pixel 128gb model certified refurb for same price. Which one would you get?
I've had my ph1 for only a couple of weeks now but I am loving this device. I rooted it but still running the stock operating system. I use Nova launcher just because I like the options in it but the stock launcher is pretty smooth as well. The camera takes great pictures especially compared to my htc 10 I came from. I go back and forth between the stock camera app and a modded Google camera app. Both seem to work great. Battery life is amazing for me. Easy lasts all day with 3-4 hours of screen on time. I had to charge my 10 a minimum of twice a day. I don't put this on charge until the very end of my day after I've been running the hotspot for a couple of hours. I'm not sure how it would compared to the pixel though. Security and software updates come pretty frequently. I've been getting the May security patch update for a few days now but since I'm rooted I can't except the OTA. Not sure if this will help your decision but that is my take on the ph1 so far.
I won't be a lot of help as I only picked up my PH-1 last night and have been playing with it at the office this morning. That said, I owned a 32GB Pixel XL prior to my current S8 and loved that thing. The main thing I felt it lacked was the always on display, which the PH-1 also lacks. When I got my S8 I decided to give wireless charging a try, don't know how I lived without it. The PH-1 doesn't have that either, although neither does the Pixel line.
The 32GB became an issue as I think only about 23GB was actually usable on my XL. Local carriers ran a deal last Nov and I picked up the S8. It's a solid phone, but I miss stock Android so I started looking at 128GB XL's. A deal came up on a PH-1, I was curious, so I pulled the trigger. It seems nice so far but if I'm being honest, I'd take a 128GB XL over it for the same price. The camera on it was amazing, better than the PH-1 stock camera for sure. I haven't sideloaded the Google camera app, so can't comment on that.
Hope this was a little helpful.
kameleon25 said:
Hi all! I currently have a nexus 6p as my daily driver and came from a nexus 6. I am running into some issues with the 6p and got to looking at other phones. My criteria is:
32gb storage minimum
usb-c charging or qi if micro-usb
good battery life
nfc
good camera (photos and videos)
no/minimal bloat ware (stock launcher also, no TouchWiz)
can be bought around $250 (used is ok)
fingerprint scanner is a plus
It looks like the ph1 meets all my requirements. I have found one slightly used for under $250. I really like the 128gb storage as I do YouTube videos using my phone sometimes and the extra space comes in handy. So my question is this: should the ph1 be a good device for me? I have been using nexus phones since the galaxy nexus and own them all except the 5x. I'm on AT&T. If there is a better phone that meets the requirements I'm all game to look at it. If I can't find a replacement phone soon I'm going back to my n6. This n6p is driving me crazy with the crap battery life, missed notifications, and phonecall black screen bug.
Thanks in advance for the input.
*edit* just found a pixel 128gb model certified refurb for same price. Which one would you get?
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Click to collapse
PH-1
kameleon25 said:
Hi all! I currently have a nexus 6p as my daily driver and came from a nexus 6. I am running into some issues with the 6p and got to looking at other phones. My criteria is:
32gb storage minimum
usb-c charging or qi if micro-usb
good battery life
nfc
good camera (photos and videos)
no/minimal bloat ware (stock launcher also, no TouchWiz)
can be bought around $250 (used is ok)
fingerprint scanner is a plus
It looks like the ph1 meets all my requirements. I have found one slightly used for under $250. I really like the 128gb storage as I do YouTube videos using my phone sometimes and the extra space comes in handy. So my question is this: should the ph1 be a good device for me? I have been using nexus phones since the galaxy nexus and own them all except the 5x. I'm on AT&T. If there is a better phone that meets the requirements I'm all game to look at it. If I can't find a replacement phone soon I'm going back to my n6. This n6p is driving me crazy with the crap battery life, missed notifications, and phonecall black screen bug.
Thanks in advance for the input.
*edit* just found a pixel 128gb model certified refurb for same price. Which one would you get?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're talking about the first gen of Pixel phones, then definitely get the Essential PH-1, it's more up to date in terms of processing power, feels rock solid (doesn't bend), uses ceramic back, which holds up well (according to various YouTube drop tests) as opposed to glass found on the Pixel, uses titanium rather than aluminum, so doesn't dent or scratch as easily.
Probably one of the best Android devices to own if you want consistent monthly security patch and os updates, definitely up there with the Pixel quality of os update support (I'm also hearing Razer phone is good for that as well). With Essential you also get a very elegant design, no ugly chins or huge bezels. Excellent cameras, just get a Google camera app if you find the stock essential one a bit lacking. Battery life is very good, can't say how it compares to a pixel, but I'd imagine it's not too different. I've installed Resurrection remix on the PH-1, and use it as a daily driver, this ROM really unlocks this device's full potential. Third party development is definitely there and growing. I'll say this much, if you enjoyed your Nexus devices, which I'm sure you did, you will love the Essential PH-1, it's not a generic copycat phone, but rather one of those devices that excite. With a pixel, well you get a very iPhonesque design and pretty much the same stuff as Essential plus more Google stuff I'm sure, don't know, never got one. My last two phones were the Nexus 6 and Nextbit Robin, both were and still are excellent phones to this day, but after checking out the Essential in person, I just couldn't not buy it. It definitely has that Nexus vibe to it
I just made the jump from a Nexus 6P to a PH1 a few weeks ago when bestbuy and amazon had them on sale for $400 and am on AT&T.
Overall the phone is solid though you can tell that it's not popular as your options for accessories such as screen protectors and cases are very limited.
Battery life is great, all day at work connected to my watch via bluetooth and I drain maybe 15-20%, my 6P would have drained 70% in that same time frame with the same usage. It's not an AMOLED screen which I do miss but it is a very bright LCD and seems to be fine in the car so overall I don't mind.
Haven't had any issues with AT&T other than a certain deadspot near the mall which was also an issue on the 6P so that's more AT&T's problem.
Bootloader unlock was smooth and rooting with Magisk was easy too so if you are coming from a Nexus device and want something simple to deal with this should fit the bill.
This phone has gotten so much better in the time I've owned it, the support is incredible. It is my favorite phone all around I've ever owned I think. My only issue is the camera, and with gcam it is half decent. Overall a great phone!