Anybody come from Moto X '14? - Nexus 5X Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Has anyone switched from a Moto X 2014 to the N5X? If so what are your impressions? Specs wise the two phones look very similar and I'm considering dumping my locked down, never to be updated VZW MX14 in favor of the N5X.

I came from the Moto X 13 (which was on its last legs), and a buddy has the Verizon 14 Moto X.
The size of the phone (the MX14 that is) is very similar to the 5x. The 5x has MUCH better battery life, but that's mostly because of weird battery draining android bugs that aren't ever going to be fixed on the Moto X14 unless Motorola/Verizon backpedal and actually bring Marshmallow to that phone.
The audio is better on the Motorola phone (mainly due to the 5x's horrible speakers). The camera (especially low light) is much better on the 5x. I'm still blown away at the pictures it takes.
What I told my buddy was that if he can live with the battery draining issues, stick with that as long as he could (he's still on a contract cycle with he and his wife). Then get off that train next year. But if money is an issue, you may want to look at Google Fi and financing the phone through them. I'm loving Fi so far. Having the ability to use both sprint and tmo towers has made the coverage mostly comparable Verizon. Having said that, my father in law drives a truck for a living, and verizon is the only option he's got if he wants a working cell phone in many areas

JoeHockey said:
Has anyone switched from a Moto X 2014 to the N5X? If so what are your impressions? Specs wise the two phones look very similar and I'm considering dumping my locked down, never to be updated VZW MX14 in favor of the N5X.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I made the move. No regrets - a bit better battery life, similar performance and a much better camera. The finger print reader adds a lot of convenience as well.
Only slight downside is the speaker is not so good on the 5X, although it doesn't really bother me.
Note that I also have a 6P for when I need a bit more endurance but it is a bit large for my day to day needs.

Azarin said:
Yes, I made the move. No regrets - a bit better battery life, similar performance and a much better camera. The finger print reader adds a lot of convenience as well.
Only slight downside is the speaker is not so good on the 5X, although it doesn't really bother me.
Note that I also have a 6P for when I need a bit more endurance but it is a bit large for my day to day needs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try to get the twist to open camera gesture back or the chop/chop for the flashlight? I think those would be the two things I'd miss most.

JoeHockey said:
Did you try to get the twist to open camera gesture back or the chop/chop for the flashlight? I think those would be the two things I'd miss most.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. You double tap the power button to launch the camera on the 5x and 6p, which is better imho, since the twist (at least on my 2013 X) would sometimes be triggered when I'm jogging. Leading to...80 pictures of my pockets.
There's a quick settings toggle for the flashlight, but that's it :\

JoeHockey said:
Did you try to get the twist to open camera gesture back or the chop/chop for the flashlight? I think those would be the two things I'd miss most.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't tried to get the gestures back, but I do miss them... I find myself shaking the phone on occasion and wondering why the flashlight hasn't come on...
Being able to instantly wake and unlock the phone with the fingerprint sensor on the back makes up for this to some extent though.

Azarin said:
Yes, I made the move. No regrets - a bit better battery life, similar performance and a much better camera. The finger print reader adds a lot of convenience as well.
Only slight downside is the speaker is not so good on the 5X, although it doesn't really bother me.
Note that I also have a 6P for when I need a bit more endurance but it is a bit large for my day to day needs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Azarin said:
I haven't tried to get the gestures back, but I do miss them... I find myself shaking the phone on occasion and wondering why the flashlight hasn't come on...
Being able to instantly wake and unlock the phone with the fingerprint sensor on the back makes up for this to some extent though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL, I can totally see myself shaking the phone wondering why nothing is happening! A quick search turned up "Twisty Launcher" as a possible replacement.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.prometheusinteractive.twisty_launcher

Azarin said:
Yes, I made the move. No regrets - a bit better battery life, similar performance and a much better camera. The finger print reader adds a lot of convenience as well.
Only slight downside is the speaker is not so good on the 5X, although it doesn't really bother me.
Note that I also have a 6P for when I need a bit more endurance but it is a bit large for my day to day needs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same boat here. I will say that the Marshmallow update for the X 2014 has breathed new life into it. Rooted, with Xposed and GravityBox, and Naptime gives better battery life.

Related

Is it worth to move form N5 to N5X now?

Hi
I know that there is a lot of similar threads, but I read it and still don't know what should I do.
Is is worth to move? I believe that there is a lot of people which moved from N5 to N5X.
In daily using is there any difference in smooth and performance?
Big plus for mi is Android N
To be honest with you, it's even a downgrade.
I moved from N5 to Xiaomi Mi4C and then to N5X (because I love to tinker around) and if the screen on my old Nexus 5 wouldn't be broken, I would go back to the Nexus 5 without hesitating and I would look forward to it.
1. The camera is utterly crap if you want to make close-up pictures, otherwise it's just okay.
2. The cpu is janky, it lags here and there even with encryption disabled and even with custom kernel and custom roms. I would often like to smash the phone against the wall because it takes so long to do basic tasks...
3. The cpu, it gets so hot I could burn my skin with it from time to time (hotspot + using your phone? Burn your fingers...). Even browsing and listening to music seems to stress the cpu that much that it heats up extremely. Custom kernel and custom rom do indeed improve it a bit, but the problem is still there and noticeable
4. The sound is really quiet/silent and as soon as you turn the volume up it gets distorted. Listening to music with just the phones speakers is a huge pain.
5. The battery life is miserable, okay compared to the N5 it's at least not worse and it will get better with Android N as I already tested out for a week.
Honestly, keep your N5 and wait until they release the new ones, but don't buy the N5X. You will be so disappointed by its performance.
You can get Android N on the N5 without any big problems via custom rom which will be probably released shortly after the final Android N version is released . It's no problem to flash it to the N5 and you won't loose warranty (which I guess is already over)
PS; Nobody has to tell me my N5X may be defective, the 3 workmates who bought the N5X as well are complaining constantly about those points as well.
creambyemute said:
2. The cpu is janky, it lags here and there even with encryption disabled and even with custom kernel and custom roms. I would often like to smash the phone against the wall because it takes so long to do basic tasks...
3. The cpu, it gets so hot I could burn my skin with it from time to time (hotspot + using your phone? Burn your fingers...). Even browsing and listening to music seems to stress the cpu that much that it heats up extremely. Custom kernel and custom rom do indeed improve it a bit, but the problem is still there and noticeable
PS; Nobody has to tell me my N5X may be defective, the 3 workmates who bought the N5X as well are complaining constantly about those points as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely agree on most of your points as a 5x owner. But i never had problems with my cpu like you do. My phone is heavily filled with apps and stuff and it doesn't lag at all. Sometimes it's a bit jerky here and there but that's it. And on point 3. nearly all the smartphones have that issue it's the build material that makes it feel so hot. if you take for example a samsung phone with the same cpu but their build quality with the glass and metal it will feel far less hot. but yeah wait for the new nexus!
It's a noticeable upgrade in just about every way from a N5 and worth the upgrade IMO.
After 8 months I've seen no performance issues with my 5x and the graphics performance (gaming) is 2x higher especially over long gaming runs as the graphical performance doesn't hit rock bottom like it did with the N5 after warming up.
The camera is top notch. Same camera as the Nexus 6p, you'll see only praise for it around the internet. No other phone camera comes close at this price range.
Heat generation is actually a huge improvement over the N5. The N5 could see skin temperatures up to 10C higher than the 5x, so if people think their 5x gets hot then they haven't ever used a N5. Here's an exert from one of the few review sites that tests for thermals, skin temperature specifically.
With idle temperatures of just over 25 °C, the Nexus 5X hardly heats up noticeably in idle mode. The handset is also unexpectedly cool under load despite the relatively strong SoC. The hottest spot measured reaches just 37.4 °C here - other premium smartphones often surpass 40 °C. The review sample can even shine with the lowest rates compared with its rivals.
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Click to collapse
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Google-Nexus-5X-Smartphone-Review.155885.0.html
Size difference, the bigger screen is nice and even noticeable but the 5x is a lot taller than it needs to be so the N5 would win in total size and screen to bezel ratio.
External speaker. It sounds about the same but it gets 1 or 2 steps louder and facing forward is an improvement.
Back cover discolouration. My carbon black seems to get permanent smudges that can be seen under certain lighting conditions.
bokilz said:
Sometimes it's a bit jerky here and there but that's it. And on point 3. nearly all the smartphones have that issue it's the build material that makes it feel so hot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may call that jerky, we call it laggy, janky whatever. But you do agree it's not as fluid as the N5? Or could you even ever compare the N5 to the N5X? It is by no means fluid and for me not an acceptable performance. My N5 runs rounds around the N5X when it's not about gaming. And exactly that is my point. Why is the N5 in basic tasks (Menu, browsing, scrolling, animations) faster than the N5X? I didn't expect a downgrade in everyday task performance and it hit me hard in the disappointment section.
bblzd said:
It's a noticeable upgrade in just about every way from a N5 and worth the upgrade IMO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's just an upgrade if you are constantly playing games (performance wise). In the most basic tasks the N5 crushes the N5X performance. But the thread starter can decide that himself if he buys the N5X and I would really like to hear his opinion then after comparing the two devices
bblzd said:
The camera is top notch. Same camera as the Nexus 6p, you'll see only praise for it around the internet. No other phone camera comes close at this price range.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you kidding? I agree the camera is better than the one found in N5 but my Mi4C took way better pictures than the N5X and several levels better when capturing some close distance shots (really close distance) and you know what? The Mi4C is cheaper.
I don't want to sound like the camera is bad in every aspect, but top notch is fanboy talk...
Actually whenever I wanted to take a close distance picture with an N5X I always ended up with the picture being blurred to the point I couldn't even recognize what should be on the picture :crying:.
Some people also say the Nexus 9 is a very good tablet whereas my mate and I who bought the devices together would call it the worst nexus product until now
Now let me mention some things I like about the N5X because I don't totally hate the device and I'm just so disappointed that the performance is worse than on the N5 in almost every situation.
- Screen: I already got several compliments that the screen is well calibrated and looks pretty good.
- USB C: It's positive as well as negative. I like the new connector, but all of my friends who don't have it hate it because they can't use my charger nor my cable
- Front facing speakers (just don't turn the volume up too much, otherwise the sound gets ****ty)
- Quick Charging: Absolutely love that! Helped me out in many situations where I just needed like 20-30% more charge to get through the day or the night.
- Screen gets activated when you lift the phone from the desk or out of your pocket, pretty convenient
- You'll maybe be able to access the notification tray and quick settings panel with the fingerprint scanner in Android N
So it is really worse performance N5X than N5 in daily using?
Wysłane z mojego SM-T815 przy użyciu Tapatalka
atomic339 said:
So it is really worse performance N5X than N5 in daily using?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know if I would go that far. I feel like with my N5, I had to choose between a smooth experience or battery life. With the N5X it that isn't so much the case. That being said, there are times where this phone will lag on even the most simplest of tasks with no explanation or reason. It's beyond frustrating. At this point you're better off waiting for the new Nexus phones to come out and snagging one of those instead.
I would (am) wait(ing). I wouldn't even replace my N5, but it's showing problems with modem and gps. It's been suggested that our N5X is defective because of the jerky/lagging touch responsiveness. When it's placed next to the N5, the color calibration seems off. N5 has much whiter whites and just appears crisper than what I see on the 5X. The 5X belongs to hubby who doesn't care about the off-white tint, but he really dislikes the fact that touches have to be repeated even 3 times before they respond. I would try a custom kernel, but he doesn't want me messing with his phone. He doesn't use his phone for much. If the new phones don't meet my needs/wants, I'll get a 6P. It's a little big but haven't seen any other problems with the one we have.
Sent from my Nexus 9 using Tapatalk
ritchea said:
I would (am) wait(ing). I wouldn't even replace my N5, but it's showing problems with modem and gps. It's been suggested that our N5X is defective because of the jerky/lagging touch responsiveness. When it's placed next to the N5, the color calibration seems off. N5 has much whiter whites and just appears crisper than what I see on the 5X. The 5X belongs to hubby who doesn't care about the off-white tint, but he really dislikes the fact that touches have to be repeated even 3 times before they respond. I would try a custom kernel, but he doesn't want me messing with his phone. He doesn't use his phone for much. If the new phones don't meet my needs/wants, I'll get a 6P. It's a little big but haven't seen any other problems with the one we have.
Sent from my Nexus 9 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What you call "whiter white" is blue white and actually shows a bad calibration, just saying. If you prefer such color pallete then better go for samsung. Also there is an option in dev settings to "fix" it, though i have it disabled. No difference (unless you compare) in the day, while the blue white hurts my eyes in the night
Back to topic, stock 5x is a bit laggy but EX kernel with ghostpepper fixed that for me.
Battery is ok, similar to my G2 and people did not whine about that phone so i dont know why everyone is pissed with 5x
If someone (creambyemute ) believes that the camera is bad, then should get a eye surgery appointment soon. Just kidding, but you should tap your screen to focus at that distance/objec. If the blur persists just focus on something else and then back at your target
5x has great well-light photos, good low light ones, though no stabilizer so videos are shaky
All that being said new nexus phones should not be too far, so you might as well wait for them
For all the people complaining about daily performance... Just flash PA rom. Done. Phone is smooth now.
atomic339 said:
Hi
I know that there is a lot of similar threads, but I read it and still don't know what should I do.
Is is worth to move? I believe that there is a lot of people which moved from N5 to N5X.
In daily using is there any difference in smooth and performance?
Big plus for mi is Android N
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With the new Nexus phones coming out soon, I wouldn't upgrade to the 5X if I were you. I got my 5X when it first came out and I had a Nexus 5 before.
There are some improvements but nothing major despite a 2-yr gap. Better camera, better battery, better screen, but laggy and slow sometimes. I was kind of disappointed when I first got my 5X.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
You've waited this long with the N5, what's another 2 months for the next Nexus phones? Unless you can get some amazing deal and don't mind having 1 year old hardware, I suggest waiting.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
EeZeEpEe said:
You've waited this long with the N5, what's another 2 months for the next Nexus phones? Unless you can get some amazing deal and don't mind having 1 year old hardware, I suggest waiting.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
agreed
i suggested waiting too as the new nexus build quality is definitly going to be better then the 5X build quality. HTC is gonna make it this time according to various sources.
Giorgos Chatziioannou said:
What you call "whiter white" is blue white and actually shows a bad calibration, just saying. If you prefer such color pallete then better go for samsung. Also there is an option in dev settings to "fix" it, though i have it disabled. No difference (unless you compare) in the day, while the blue white hurts my eyes in the night
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know all the commentary about the color palette/calibration/preference/true colors arguments which makes it a little difficult to determine if, in fact, one actually has a defective screen (as I had on my first N7 FLO which looked worse than my then current N7). I prefer the color tones on my N5. However, I did change to cool temperature option on the 5x, and I think it's more to my preference. I do like the amoled display on the 6P and think the samoled's are all right. It was big change from Galaxy Nexus to N4. Ultimately, it's all about the point you bring up (blue white hurts my eyes in the night). No two people see anything exactly the same way so all we can do is get what works for us. Actually, I prefer the displays on the ios devices, that and battery life, but that's it.
The pictures were taken with the N9 which no one can argue has a great camera; however, it shows the differences. One can also see that the 5x presents sharper images on the screen. I will say that I thought the 5 showed clearer text than the pics show. I'm sure someone (anyone) could have taken betters shots. The left pic is warmer display; the right is cooler.
ritchea said:
I know all the commentary about the color palette/calibration/preference/true colors arguments which makes it a little difficult to determine if, in fact, one actually has a defective screen (as I had on my first N7 FLO which looked worse than my then current N7). I prefer the color tones on my N5. However, I did change to cool temperature option on the 5x, and I think it's more to my preference. I do like the amoled display on the 6P and think the samoled's are all right. It was big change from Galaxy Nexus to N4. Ultimately, it's all about the point you bring up (blue white hurts my eyes in the night). No two people see anything exactly the same way so all we can do is get what works for us. Actually, I prefer the displays on the ios devices, that and battery life, but that's it.
The pictures were taken with the N9 which no one can argue has a great camera; however, it shows the differences. One can also see that the 5x presents sharper images on the screen. I will say that I thought the 5 showed clearer text than the pics show. I'm sure someone (anyone) could have taken betters shots. The left pic is warmer display; the right is cooler.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thus why i said that sammy phones are probably more in your alley, they also have a neutral color option if you feel like it too.
My friends like samsung so i have seen few of their phones and amoled is not really my cup, stunning colors but you can take picture of a bulb light room and it will be chock full of orange while the same picture on other phones looks white/yellow.
I heard that the s7 has not such aggressive saturation, but until i can meet with my friend to check his s7 edge i cant say for sure. I will update when that happens if you want
creambyemute said:
You may call that jerky, we call it laggy, janky whatever. But you do agree it's not as fluid as the N5? Or could you even ever compare the N5 to the N5X? It is by no means fluid and for me not an acceptable performance. My N5 runs rounds around the N5X when it's not about gaming. And exactly that is my point. Why is the N5 in basic tasks (Menu, browsing, scrolling, animations) faster than the N5X? I didn't expect a downgrade in everyday task performance and it hit me hard in the disappointment section.
It's just an upgrade if you are constantly playing games (performance wise). In the most basic tasks the N5 crushes the N5X performance. But the thread starter can decide that himself if he buys the N5X and I would really like to hear his opinion then after comparing the two devices
Are you kidding? I agree the camera is better than the one found in N5 but my Mi4C took way better pictures than the N5X and several levels better when capturing some close distance shots (really close distance) and you know what? The Mi4C is cheaper.
I don't want to sound like the camera is bad in every aspect, but top notch is fanboy talk...
Actually whenever I wanted to take a close distance picture with an N5X I always ended up with the picture being blurred to the point I couldn't even recognize what should be on the picture :crying:.
Some people also say the Nexus 9 is a very good tablet whereas my mate and I who bought the devices together would call it the worst nexus product until now
Now let me mention some things I like about the N5X because I don't totally hate the device and I'm just so disappointed that the performance is worse than on the N5 in almost every situation.
- Screen: I already got several compliments that the screen is well calibrated and looks pretty good.
- USB C: It's positive as well as negative. I like the new connector, but all of my friends who don't have it hate it because they can't use my charger nor my cable
- Front facing speakers (just don't turn the volume up too much, otherwise the sound gets ****ty)
- Quick Charging: Absolutely love that! Helped me out in many situations where I just needed like 20-30% more charge to get through the day or the night.
- Screen gets activated when you lift the phone from the desk or out of your pocket, pretty convenient
- You'll maybe be able to access the notification tray and quick settings panel with the fingerprint scanner in Android N
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had zero performance issues with my 5x since I bought it 9 months ago. There hasn't been a single instance where I've found it to be slower than my N5, and multiple instances of it being faster such as connection speeds, gaming performance and loading the camera. Storage speeds are also much faster than the N5 even with encryption enabled on the 5x and disabled on the N5 (less secure).
The camera on the 6p and 5x (same camera) was well regarded as one of the best cell phone cameras until this years devices started rolling out. Details with HDR+ are insane, low light performance is out of this world, and the pictures come out fast and snappy with the camera loaded and capturing scenes within 2-3 seconds from being locked. Most importantly: everything you take a picture of looks like it does in real life with your eyes.
It can't be a fanboy comment when every review of the camera on the 5x and 6p agrees: it is absolutely top notch.
It sucks that you haven't experience the 5x to its fullest, I'm not sure if you have a defective 5x or possibly are causing the issues with your 3rd party software but your experience is not typical.
My friend has recently acquired a Nexus 5x about 2 weeks ago and so far has had the same experience myself. Snappy, smooth, and the best phone at this price range by a large margin.
atomic339 said:
So it is really worse performance N5X than N5 in daily using?
Wysłane z mojego SM-T815 przy użyciu Tapatalka
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not in my experience and I've owned the 5x since launch day and a N5 since its launch day as well.
I made the swap a month ago when Carphone Warehouse in the UK were clearing stock for £130 and don't regret it at all. Feels exactly like you would expect a two year newer N5 to feel, nothing earth shattering, just slicker all round. Put the Nougat DP5 straight on it which obviously helps but only downside for me is no wireless charging as mine lived on a wireless deskstand all day at the office but the quick charging and better battery life make up for it... just have to remember to plug it in for a bit in the evening.
Wasn't keen on how light it is but I always use a case and once that was on all was good. Solid recommendation for the Supcase if you get one, cheap, top quality and once you slit the buttons all is good.
I wouldn't have been looking if it wasn't so cheap or the N5 battery was going but very glad I did and have a got a much more up to date phone for a lot less than half the price of one of the new Nexi when they come out. I stuck a new battery in the N5 and now my youngest is even happier than I am.
Regarding the N5X camera discussion here....
Macro pictures are not important to me. I don't need close-up pictures.
In normal use, the camera is spectacular. I recently went on a trip to Italy with a real camera and, honestly, I didn't even use it. The N5X camera has a wide scope, high quality, and great color reproduction. It's the same camera as that on the N6P, same exact camera; the only difference is not EIS but that can be fixed if rooted (it's disabled by default to make N6P more premium).
Check out the picture thread for examples of users' photos.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-5x/general/excellent-camera-t3230797
Sure, it's no Samsung Galaxy 7, but few phones can compare to the 7's camera.
And who cares about macro?
One more thing about N5 camera vs N5X camera...
I had the N5 previously. If there was ONE thing I hated about the N5 is that pictures took 2-5 seconds to get taken after you press the button.
While on the 5X, it is practically instantaneous.
Last thing...
Come on, get the new Nexus which will launch in about 1-2 months.
This phone is great. I'm on N DP5 and 0 lag, great battery and performance.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

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 Google Pixel, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the Google Pixel is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
Only had the phone 3 days, but it has the most cohesive feel of all the Android devices I've owned, not as featureless as my Nexus 7, not over the top like my older HTC/Samsung devices. Switched to Nova Launcher, then switched back to Pixel launcher because it felt a better fit.
I love it. But I'm having some buyer's remorse. I still give it an 8 out of 10. A 10 would have been better than my previous in most categories, even if marginally.
The Pixel is more expensive than my 6P. It's subjectively uglier than my gold finish all metal 6P. It has no front firing dual speakers. It's speakers aren't as good as the 6P's. It has no 64gb option as my 6P did. And I know people may slate me for this, the 6P had a better camera. By a big margin.
So why the high rating? Well, the Pixel feels better in the hand. This is primarily due to the size. The build seems more solid and more dense. The software feels more natural, although this is hard to quantify. The Pixel doesn't exhibit any throttling that my 6P did, which is a huge improvement. It just seems a more polished finish.
It has excellent EIS and I think the 6P should have been given this as it's just software magic, AFAIK. But it is what it is.
No nightmares in the battery department. Quite stable in fact. My 6P was starting to drain quicker than I liked.
Did I say it's the only viable smaller handset with top end hardware? I find it so liberating to be using a smaller powerhouse again.
Most of all, it's just very reliable and dependable.
Sent from my Pixel using XDA-Developers mobile app
I actually very much love this phone, I was expecting a lot to be hype, yet battery is good, cameras awesome see attached pics, and overall it's probably the best phone I owned in awhile, I was using an iPhone 5s, missed mu Android,. Operating system is fast and responsive and split screen multitasking is great especially with YouTube and chrome open
subhani said:
I love it. But I'm having some buyer's remorse. I still give it an 8 out of 10. A 10 would have been better than my previous in most categories, even if marginally.
The Pixel is more expensive than my 6P. It's subjectively uglier than my gold finish all metal 6P. It has no front firing dual speakers. It's speakers aren't as good as the 6P's. It has no 64gb option as my 6P did. And I know people may slate me for this, the 6P had a better camera. By a big margin.
So why the high rating? Well, the Pixel feels better in the hand. This is primarily due to the size. The build seems more solid and more dense. The software feels more natural, although this is hard to quantify. The Pixel doesn't exhibit any throttling that my 6P did, which is a huge improvement. It just seems a more polished finish.
It has excellent EIS and I think the 6P should have been given this as it's just software magic, AFAIK. But it is what it is.
No nightmares in the battery department. Quite stable in fact. My 6P was starting to drain quicker than I liked.
Did I say it's the only viable smaller handset with top end hardware? I find it so liberating to be using a smaller powerhouse again.
Most of all, it's just very reliable and dependable.
Sent from my Pixel using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im sorry but the 6P does not have a better camera. Coming from a 6P as well i agree with some of your viewpoints but the camera isn't a valid arguement. While the 6P camera is good its not at the level of the pixel.
I've used android phones, I've used iPhones. If this is what Google has to offer with its first Pixel phone I'm excited for Pixel 2 already. The camera rocks, love the quality of photos, the UI is intuitive and fast. Opening apps feels instant for me at least no delay. Have yet to see the device slow down. Almost elliminates the need to shy away from stock one can be hopeful that Verizon doesn't end up blocking depixel8 otherwise I may end up unlocking the bootloader if I see they do.
I use an Android and iPhone handset concurrently for work-related reasons. The Pixel is great, and compares very favorably with the iPhone.
Battery: I used to run all intensive apps like Waze and streaming audio through the iPhone, now I don't fear running them on the Android.
App switching: You know when you're chatting with someone and you look something up to further your discussion along? The Overview button double-tap for switching back and forth is so great.
Fingerprint reader: Is faster than the iPhone 6.
You can probably get a nearly identical experience with a Xiaomi or Oneplus phone without spending $650+. I remember even seeing one of the new Xiaomi flagships featuring the same camera sensor. But I hoped that the Pixel being was it is, it'll be a more bug-free experience.
I bought this phone expecting to not like it and sell it in a few weeks. It doesn't have an sd card slot or a removable battery. That's a pretty big deal to me. But I got the 128gb and started allowing Google to back up my pics. I can go 16 hours on the battery with 4 hours SOT. That's exponentially better than my MXP or pretty much any other phone I've used. I have grandfathered unlimited on Verizon so my choices are slim if I want root. Everything about this phone works very well. It's super quick and feels good in the hand. Overall, I'm extremely pleased with it.
Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk
I adore this phone. By far my favorite phone I've owned (S3, EVO 4G, EVO 4G LTE, HTC M8, Galaxy Note 5, Samsung Fireball, LG V20, LG V10). The experience has been unparalleled for me.
It's a great phone, but not worth the price tag that comes with it.
I would consider this to be the "photographer's phone." It has a great camera and amazing EIS. As well as unlimited original photo hosting on Google Photos.
Did I mention it has UNLIMITED, ORIGINAL photo hosting on Google Photos?
Don't get me wrong, there could be better cameras out there, but you just can't beat that perk of having a Pixel.
As a long time samsung owner, this device is a breath of fresh air. If it were more water resistant, and had wireless charging, it'd be a perfect 10.
what overall love for Power Users?
i searched little bit and it seems ok but i want to ask from real life power users?
ease of rooting and number of custom roms & mods
So I got my Pixel right before Christmas and switched from VZW to Project Fi at the same time. Mostly love the phone (and the service) and my minor complaints are all due to me being so used to my old Moto X '14. I really liked some of the Moto "tweaks" such as the twist camera and flashlight "chop". The camera on the Pixel is great but I really miss being able to take a picture by just touching the screen. Like I said, most of my complaints are really minor and consist of small missing software features. My only major complaint would be the sound of the speakers, they are too quiet which I really don't understand because when you strap the Pixel into a Daydream headset the sound is suddenly great. Battery life is fantastic. As for rooting/romming I'm still in the honeymoon phase where I haven't felt the need for either.
Geeks Empire said:
what overall love for Power Users?
i searched little bit and it seems ok but i want to ask from real life power users?
ease of rooting and number of custom roms & mods
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Power user here. Previously owned a Galaxy Note 5 and 7. I got the 128GB because I like to store lots of high-quality music files and 4K film. The auto backup photo/video feature is tremendous.
If you're on a normal Pixel (non-Verizon), rooting is a joke. Very simple. Custom ROMs are awesome - PureNexus is amazing and so are OctOS and RR. Not a ton of options but they've got everything you need. Dirty Unicorns is available too (no Slim ROM, sadly).
JoeHockey said:
So I got my Pixel right before Christmas and switched from VZW to Project Fi at the same time. Mostly love the phone (and the service) and my minor complaints are all due to me being so used to my old Moto X '14. I really liked some of the Moto "tweaks" such as the twist camera and flashlight "chop". The camera on the Pixel is great but I really miss being able to take a picture by just touching the screen. Like I said, most of my complaints are really minor and consist of small missing software features. My only major complaint would be the sound of the speakers, they are too quiet which I really don't understand because when you strap the Pixel into a Daydream headset the sound is suddenly great. Battery life is fantastic. As for rooting/romming I'm still in the honeymoon phase where I haven't felt the need for either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root your phone and you can get those things you desire.
Actually, with Tasker, you could probably make the twist camera thing fairly easily. Probably don't need root for that, either.
Thanks for the tip, I'll have to look into Tasker.
PsiPhiDan said:
Power user here. Previously owned a Galaxy Note 5 and 7. I got the 128GB because I like to store lots of high-quality music files and 4K film. The auto backup photo/video feature is tremendous.
If you're on a normal Pixel (non-Verizon), rooting is a joke. Very simple. Custom ROMs are awesome - PureNexus is amazing and so are OctOS and RR. Not a ton of options but they've got everything you need. Dirty Unicorns is available too (no Slim ROM, sadly).
Root your phone and you can get those things you desire.
Actually, with Tasker, you could probably make the twist camera thing fairly easily. Probably don't need root for that, either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Upgraded to a 128gb unit in December from a HTC ONE M8 and love almost everything about it.
Seriously, the difference in cameras is just amazing. I've got a big family and we all use different phones, and going from one of the worst cameras to the best camera is absolutely incredible. It runs fast, I can play PSP games on it. The rapid charge? 15% to full in an hour?! seriously, just amazed.
I have 2 complaints, the speaker is just terrible in comparison to the M8 (best sounding phone I've ever used) and how I hold my phone in my right hand with my pinky on the bottom to keep it from slipping it just mutes it. Second complaint is location services just kill my battery. When my M8 was new, I once got 3 days on a full charge, with the Pixel I'm resembling those iPhone wallhuggers everyone likes to joke about.
JoeHockey said:
So I got my Pixel right before Christmas and switched from VZW to Project Fi at the same time. Mostly love the phone (and the service) and my minor complaints are all due to me being so used to my old Moto X '14. I really liked some of the Moto "tweaks" such as the twist camera and flashlight "chop". The camera on the Pixel is great but I really miss being able to take a picture by just touching the screen. Like I said, most of my complaints are really minor and consist of small missing software features. My only major complaint would be the sound of the speakers, they are too quiet which I really don't understand because when you strap the Pixel into a Daydream headset the sound is suddenly great. Battery life is fantastic. As for rooting/romming I'm still in the honeymoon phase where I haven't felt the need for either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's an app for the twist camera. Made by the same guy who made ForceDoze.
tobalaz said:
Upgraded to a 128gb unit in December from a HTC ONE M8 and love almost everything about it.
Seriously, the difference in cameras is just amazing. I've got a big family and we all use different phones, and going from one of the worst cameras to the best camera is absolutely incredible. It runs fast, I can play PSP games on it. The rapid charge? 15% to full in an hour?! seriously, just amazed.
I have 2 complaints, the speaker is just terrible in comparison to the M8 (best sounding phone I've ever used) and how I hold my phone in my right hand with my pinky on the bottom to keep it from slipping it just mutes it. Second complaint is location services just kill my battery. When my M8 was new, I once got 3 days on a full charge, with the Pixel I'm resembling those iPhone wallhuggers everyone likes to joke about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Battery life is much better than comparable Androids devices. I've never had such great battery life, honestly. Interestingly, I had an M8 for a year and did NOT get close to 3 days (not even 2). Coming from an LG V20, V10, Note 5 and Note 7 (and watching my wife's S7), this battery life is tremendous. I literally don't ever pay attention to battery anymore. I go to bed with 30-50% usually. I just charge overnight (why not?) to be safe.
But yes, the sound of M8 was unparalleled. Why they quit on that feature I'll never understand.
Overall I am pretty happy with the Pixel. I don't like large phones so i am glad Google offered a smaller version. I used to have the Nexus 5x (still do) but the Pixel has been lag free. Anyone who has been using Google's devices long enough knows the thing starts to lag and the only thing to get rid of it is to totally format every so often. This has been running great so far so I am happy.
One thing I hope Google does not do is eventually become like Samsung or Apple where they totally lock down the device. The price point was already bad enough, but if the attempt to become mainstream to the point where the phone cannot be customized I will be very unhappy.
If they want to sell their product as "Pure Android", that should include customization outside of their OWN OS. Locking things down is no better than Apple or Samsung.

Feelings About Pixel XL

After reading thread after thread about this phone on this forum, I almost get the sense that people don't like it as much as they had hoped they would. The forum seems chock full of complaining (I know, that's normal), defect threads galore, and generally unpleasant comments (camera sucks, freezing in software, etc.). As someone waiting for theirs to arrive, it's not the best feeling to read all this. SO! I was wondering if you all would share your overall feelings on the phone, regardless of how long you've owned it.
Best phone you've ever owned?
Great but still have phone jealousy?
Underwhelming?
Bad experience?
I'm coming from an LG V20 and phone jealousy lead to me purchasing this. I hope I no longer am jealous of anyone's phone.
Well I am using the phone for 8-9 days now and my impression is positive. My gripes are two mainly, one there is no Xposed for 7.1.1, so I can't use Gravity Box and disable the on screen buttons, and secondly the design overall, but I knew that before buying. The huge bezels I could never like, power and volume buttons at same side, which I don't like, the back glass part, no comments about, wish I could break it myself LOL. But that's it. Other than these I love the phone. Of course the best Android I ever owned. The smoothness all over the software is incredible. But yes, yesterday I did notice a very bad stuttering while I was scrolling down my WhatsApp contacts list, something to do with cache I suppose, not sure, but it did happen, and that's not the only place either, I noticed frame drops on other apps too, can't remember though, nothing which has made me think to sell off the phone or anything but definitely there. But the incredible overall smoothness, excellent camera, considering a non-Samsung a very good display, fantastic call quality, very good loudspeaker (yeah its good regardless of what reviews say), I really don't know what more could I have expected, other than a compact design anyway.
Go for it. I am running the phone naked without a case for now and no problem yet, no colour chipping on the frame or anything, no scratches on the back glass part either but about time I put on a case.
I had no intentions of leaving my Nexus 6p with the bigger screen and the dual front facing speakers. After reading reviews on the Pixel XL, and hearing how good the performance and camera were, I decided to make the switch. The screen size difference is minimal, and I like that the XL isn't quite as wide as the 6p. I do miss the Dual speakers, but with WETA volume isn't a problem. The everyday performance of the Pixel is superior to the 6p. Everything runs smoothly and fluidly. The camera is excellent. I've never seen pictures so good from a phone. It seems to me that it's just as good as any point and shoot camera. Now onto development. Granted, there isn't a whole lot yet, but I'm sure the dam is going to burst soon. The dual slots open up a whole new world to us flashaholics, and I'm excited to see where it leads. Overall, I'm glad I got the Pixel, and I look forward for things to come.
spotmark said:
I had no intentions of leaving my Nexus 6p with the bigger screen and the dual front facing speakers. After reading reviews on the Pixel XL, and hearing how good the performance and camera were, I decided to make the switch. The screen size difference is minimal, and I like that the XL isn't quite as wide as the 6p. I do miss the Dual speakers, but with WETA volume isn't a problem. The everyday performance of the Pixel is superior to the 6p. Everything runs smoothly and fluidly. The camera is excellent. I've never seen pictures so good from a phone. It seems to me that it's just as good as any point and shoot camera. Now onto development. Granted, there isn't a whole lot yet, but I'm sure the dam is going to burst soon. The dual slots open up a whole new world to us flashaholics, and I'm excited to see where it leads. Overall, I'm glad I got the Pixel, and I look forward for things to come.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You said it. This dual slot is a game changer. I just love tinkering with these slots, trying to get the best combination of ROM, kernel, and settings in each slot to make this battery go as far as it can. That's my goal in life, to make a damn cell phone last 2.5 days like my Sony Z3 used to.
ithehappy said:
Well I am using the phone for 8-9 days now and my impression is positive. My gripes are two mainly, one there is no Xposed for 7.1.1, so I can't use Gravity Box and disable the on screen buttons, and secondly the design overall, but I knew that before buying. The huge bezels I could never like, power and volume buttons at same side, which I don't like, the back glass part, no comments about, wish I could break it myself LOL. But that's it. Other than these I love the phone. Of course the best Android I ever owned. The smoothness all over the software is incredible. But yes, yesterday I did notice a very bad stuttering while I was scrolling down my WhatsApp contacts list, something to do with cache I suppose, not sure, but it did happen, and that's not the only place either, I noticed frame drops on other apps too, can't remember though, nothing which has made me think to sell off the phone or anything but definitely there. But the incredible overall smoothness, excellent camera, considering a non-Samsung a very good display, fantastic call quality, very good loudspeaker (yeah its good regardless of what reviews say), I really don't know what more could I have expected, other than a compact design anyway.
Go for it. I am running the phone naked without a case for now and no problem yet, no colour chipping on the frame or anything, no scratches on the back glass part either but about time I put on a case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the detailed response! I'm really excited to see what this thing can do, in terms of the powerful software. I always long for the smoothest experience, cutting edge software, and best camera I can get. That's what drew me to this phone. Plus I really love Google products, so this seemed ideal. Really happy to hear your point about the speaker - I've heard so many negatives!
spotmark said:
I had no intentions of leaving my Nexus 6p with the bigger screen and the dual front facing speakers. After reading reviews on the Pixel XL, and hearing how good the performance and camera were, I decided to make the switch. The screen size difference is minimal, and I like that the XL isn't quite as wide as the 6p. I do miss the Dual speakers, but with WETA volume isn't a problem. The everyday performance of the Pixel is superior to the 6p. Everything runs smoothly and fluidly. The camera is excellent. I've never seen pictures so good from a phone. It seems to me that it's just as good as any point and shoot camera. Now onto development. Granted, there isn't a whole lot yet, but I'm sure the dam is going to burst soon. The dual slots open up a whole new world to us flashaholics, and I'm excited to see where it leads. Overall, I'm glad I got the Pixel, and I look forward for things to come.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you happen to have moving targets you take photos of? I have two little kids and I cannot get good shots indoors with my LG V20. Really hoping this one is better. My wife's S7 takes much better pictures. I'm hoping this is as good as, or better, than that.
I don't know anything about these dual slots. I'm going to have to look into this! Is there a thread about this so I can read up on it?
PsiPhiDan said:
After reading thread after thread about this phone on this forum, I almost get the sense that people don't like it as much as they had hoped they would. The forum seems chock full of complaining (I know, that's normal), defect threads galore, and generally unpleasant comments (camera sucks, freezing in software, etc.). As someone waiting for theirs to arrive, it's not the best feeling to read all this. SO! I was wondering if you all would share your overall feelings on the phone, regardless of how long you've owned it.
Best phone you've ever owned?
Great but still have phone jealousy?
Underwhelming?
Bad experience?
I'm coming from an LG V20 and phone jealousy lead to me purchasing this. I hope I no longer am jealous of anyone's phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think part of the problem is the people who are having issues will always be the loudest, even though those people probably reside in the minority of those who've purchased the phone. Speaking for myself and all the people I've run into in person with the device, I have relatively no complaints. The performance is blazing fast and the phone has a great feel due to HTC's top-notch manufacturing. My only complaint has been the camera. I've come to realize that I was expecting a substantial jump in quality over my previous device, which was an iPhone 6+. Wile the quality is great, in reality this is just a smart phone camera. If I want high quality photos, I'm still going to keep my Sony RX100m3 with me if I remotely think I'll want a great shot. In the meantime and if I don't have my Sony, "the best camera is the one you have on you," and it definitely doesn't disappoint, it's just not a big leap for smart phone photography as I thought it would be. Hope my thoughts help, I would be very excited to have the device if I were you. After many Android devices and an iPhone, this is the best smart phone experience I've had.
It's a really good phone. I'm personally going back to the S7 Edge because I'm pretty disappointed in the camera but I knew some people really like the camera.
mjs2011 said:
It's a really good phone. I'm personally going back to the S7 Edge because I'm pretty disappointed in the camera but I knew some people really like the camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Said no one ever. Lol
zaksimmermon said:
Said no one ever. Lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which part?
mjs2011 said:
It's a really good phone. I'm personally going back to the S7 Edge because I'm pretty disappointed in the camera but I knew some people really like the camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do miss my Note 7 camera and all the functionality. People also say this is the fastest shooter but with the most useful shooting mode I have to still wait for the hdr+ affect when trying to view immediately after taking the photo.
pcriz said:
I do miss my Note 7 camera and all the functionality. People also say this is the fastest shooter but with the most useful shooting mode I have to still wait for the hdr+ affect when trying to view immediately after taking the photo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I noticed that in the Verizon store while testing that while you can take several shots consecutively (as reviews have stated) with no lag, there is lag waiting for the shots to be able to be viewed. That'll take some getting used to.
Coming from a Nexus 6P and host of other Android phones in the past, this is by far the best phone EXPERIENCE I've had. I've liked the design on the 6P better along with stereo speakers, and there are other phones with more features and hardware out of the box, but when you put together the Android experience of the Pixel XL along with the performance, camera and battery life, you just can't beat it.
Now, I really do hate the fact that a phone at this price doesn't have the water resistance of the flagship at this price point but that's a minor gripe. The camera (the speed of it is a lifesaver when you have a infant around the house) is better than I expected. My wife just got herself an iphone 7+ and this camera blows it out of the water.
spotmark said:
I had no intentions of leaving my Nexus 6p with the bigger screen and the dual front facing speakers. After reading reviews on the Pixel XL, and hearing how good the performance and camera were, I decided to make the switch. The screen size difference is minimal, and I like that the XL isn't quite as wide as the 6p. I do miss the Dual speakers, but with WETA volume isn't a problem. The everyday performance of the Pixel is superior to the 6p. Everything runs smoothly and fluidly. The camera is excellent. I've never seen pictures so good from a phone. It seems to me that it's just as good as any point and shoot camera. Now onto development. Granted, there isn't a whole lot yet, but I'm sure the dam is going to burst soon. The dual slots open up a whole new world to us flashaholics, and I'm excited to see where it leads. Overall, I'm glad I got the Pixel, and I look forward for things to come.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any chance you would be open to parting with the 6p? :laugh:
I have a pixel and I came from an s5. I just love to have new stuff to mess with and I never got to use a nexus device and it would be fun because of how much h development there is for it! Maybe we could figure out a trade for something of mine!
aholeinthewor1d said:
Any chance you would be open to parting with the 6p? :laugh:
I have a pixel and I came from an s5. I just looked e to have new stuff to mess with and I never got to use a nexus device and it would be fun because of how much h development there is for it! Maybe we could figure out a trade for something of mine!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Edit - sold
skyo12 said:
Coming from a Nexus 6P and host of other Android phones in the past, this is by far the best phone EXPERIENCE I've had. I've liked the design on the 6P better along with stereo speakers, and there are other phones with more features and hardware out of the box, but when you put together the Android experience of the Pixel XL along with the performance, camera and battery life, you just can't beat it.
Now, I really do hate the fact that a phone at this price doesn't have the water resistance of the flagship at this price point but that's a minor gripe. The camera (the speed of it is a lifesaver when you have a infant around the house) is better than I expected. My wife just got herself an iphone 7+ and this camera blows it out of the water.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So happy to hear this - I have two little ones and my LG V20 camera cannot keep up. Hoping this improves with the Pixel XL!
skyo12 said:
Coming from a Nexus 6P and host of other Android phones in the past, this is by far the best phone EXPERIENCE I've had. I've liked the design on the 6P better along with stereo speakers, and there are other phones with more features and hardware out of the box, but when you put together the Android experience of the Pixel XL along with the performance, camera and battery life, you just can't beat it.
Now, I really do hate the fact that a phone at this price doesn't have the water resistance of the flagship at this price point but that's a minor gripe. The camera (the speed of it is a lifesaver when you have a infant around the house) is better than I expected. My wife just got herself an iphone 7+ and this camera blows it out of the water.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Couldn't agree more with you. This device is by far the best I ever had. Pure stock was amazing right out of the box but now with MVK kernel it's just unbelievable.
I have every Nexus device, most recently the N6P. The pixel is better in my eyes, alone the battery is around worlds better. Speed ​​of the device it top, processing top, did not regret the purchase.
I love it Ive had it for about two months now. The phone is top notch hardware wise, but it's the software that makes it shine. I can't tell you how awesome Google assistant is, I find myself regularly using it to make my life easier. "Take me home" after it learns your voice the recognition is spot on. The live translation is pretty awesome too. Multitasking is great, the double tap to back is seamless. Battery last all day which is ridiculous considering I use it to play NDS games when I have time to myself. I mean really it's an all around awesome phone. My uncle also bought one and he told me he's never really been to excited about a phone but this one has so many nicities woven throughout the experience that he just fell in love. I'm weary to trust reddit threads and bug threads not just out of Google fan boy love, but for any product. You will find the same discontent threads on the iPhone as well because other entities influence the media to try to tank eachother. I mean reviews are important but there is problems some people are having with the phone, but I can't help wonder if it's not being blown out of proportion
Had the 6p for little while and it would be random reboots even after updating and factory reset. Maybe related to the thermal throttling? Phone never got warm so I don't know. Pixel has been much stabler and using it has been very fluid. My biggest gripe is that my gesture typing doesn't seem as accurate compared to when I used the 6p or the nexus 6. I'm not sure if it's because of the smaller screen. I'm getting better but can't figure out why this is. Would I buy it again? I probably would. The camera is quick and more than adequate.
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
mikaole said:
Couldn't agree more with you. This device is by far the best I ever had. Pure stock was amazing right out of the box but now with MVK kernel it's just unbelievable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MVK kernel?

V30 First Impressions Thread

Figured we probably needed a place to put everyone's first impressions.
I'll start with first, this thing is small and light! Coming from a V20 and a Nexus 6 before that, this thing is tiny. Last time I felt like I had a phone this size was the Galaxy Nexus. (Yeah, I know. That one was probably actually smaller than this but still, this thing feels that small in hand to me. I've been using nothing but phablets since that phone.) It feels closer in size to my work iPhone 6s than my V20. That's going to take some getting used to. It's in a case now but still feels small.
Still trying to get used to some app behaviors that seemed to have changed. For instance, Weather Channel app is having all kinds of issues. Shows as a sensitive notification on the lock screen vs my V20 where it isn't, because it isn't. The widget doesn't display information without being cut off. I still need to go log into all my apps and get them set up.
Camera. Haven't really taken any shots with it yet but I did dig through it. First, I'm not happy that it always opens in auto mode. The V20 would open in whatever mode you last had it in. I prefer manual mode and liked that I could just open it, make a quick adjustment to the settings and shoot. Now I have to dive into a menu to get to manual then make adjustments and shoot. It'll slow things down quite a bit. I am happy that Graphy can be shut off. Also, noise reduction can be shut off in manual. It was actually disabled by default. Going to do a lot of test shooting today.
Hoping to hit up the museum I used to work in and always test every camera I own there. Also hitting up an outdoor night event here as well as the jazz club. It's going to get one helluva workout today! Going to take my V20 and Nikon V3 along too. Not sure how much I'll use the V3 outside of the outdoor event. Not going to bother taking my DSLR. (I'm actually in the process of downsizing my photography to smaller cameras. DSLRs have gotten way too clean and clinical for my tastes.)
Nice! I can’t wait to see the pics it takes.
I played with this at Verizon yesterday, and I'm still on the fence. The front facing camera was HORRIBLE. I held my G5 next to it and took a selfie, and the G5 was so much better. The rear camera did seem to take awesome shots, but still slow to take and delay in swiping between front and back cameras, something I really thought they'd have a better handle on by now since I had the same issues in the G4 and G5. I loved it otherwise, I think it's a gorgeous phone, I like the looks a lot more than the Galaxy phones.
I went in wanting the phone, but two separate Verizon reps were adamant in saying I should stay away from LG, that they have nothing but problems, they only sold maybe 2 G6's, they have class action lawsuits against them, and they tell customers to go take a hike when asking for a new phone after having multiple of them die in a row from a known defect. Theyd rather keep sending you defective phones repeatedly under warranty. So idk. I'm reeeally torn between this and the S8+ which has very similar specs and is cheaper at this point, but I don't like having only one rear camera.
Initial results at the museum are looking pretty good. I'm impressed so far for the most part. As for selfie camera issues, I was disappointed at first until I figured out those stupid settings at the bottom of the screen. After you turn off the skin toning and lightning, the images are much better. Then they work well with post processing.
Have you had a chance to play w Bluetooth, GPS, Wifi/Data connection? My G4 had bad bluetooth disconnections and busted gps in the G5. Just curious how the different antennae have been working for you. Good battery life?
ryanpm40 said:
Have you had a chance to play w Bluetooth, GPS, Wifi/Data connection? My G4 had bad bluetooth disconnections and busted gps in the G5. Just curious how the different antennae have been working for you. Good battery life?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haven't played with GPS yet. I can't really speak to how well or not how well it works. I used wifi during set-up. It worked but my wifi is slower than my network connection and I regretted using it. Not a knock on the wifi of this phone, it's just that my carrier network is that much faster than my home wifi. Only BT I've done so far is to connect it to my car. That went much better and smoother than my V20. It took me many attempts over an hour and a half to get my V20 and car paired. The V30 paired the first time. The next test will be to see if I have to restart my phone after a few days to keep the connection from going wonky. (Which is a ritual with my V20 that occurred at least once a week.)
I got mine this past Friday. It is slippery to hold, you will def need a case to keep it from sliding out of your hand. I'm still not sure why designers can make insanely powerful devices but can't figure out that you actually need to hold on to it to use it. I'll probably get a DBrand skin or equiv when they are available. It is super light. Kinda feels flimsy it is so lightweight even though it is not. My last phone was a Nexus 6P, before that an HTC M9, before that an HTC M7. All three of those feel like tanks by comparison. I'm not sure yet if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
Camera is nice but uses a lot of noise reduction. It has endless options that will take some time getting used to. I'm not sure yet if it is as good as HTC's U11 which as an incredible camera IMO (my GF has a U11). Looks better than my Nexus 6p for sure though. Much faster too. I love the wide angle lens!
Audio from Headphone jack is insane. I'm using the BEATS headphones from my old HTC One, I can only imagine how good it would sound with high end headphones. Phone speaker is ehhh. Nowheres near as good as HTC or Google phones with front facing speakers. Or HTC U11 which seems to have crazy sound magically radiate into space.
As for speed, its as fast as any other 2017 phone I have tried, the hardware is all the same. The screen is amazing. I mean AMAZING! I can't really see a difference between 1080 and 1440 quality or speed wise. I thought at first there was but now think it is more of a placebo effect. I have been keeping it maxed mostly for the bragging rights of it being higher rez than Apple's silly Superduper mega retina display, what ever that means.
It is to early for me to tell if battery life makes a difference with resolution. I have read it is supposed to eat more power with the higher rez. It isn't as near bezelless as I thought it would be. It seems to be a marketing trend for company renders to show super edge to edge displays until you actually get it and there are good sized bezels. Not that I mind, it is just something I noticed. The screens are not any larger, the phone is just shrinking around it making the device seem small and the screen seem smaller than it is. My Nexus 6p dwarfs the V30 in the hand and the display just feels larger on the Nexus even though it is not. Kind of another odd placebo effect.
Speaking of battery, it seems to last well over a day of playing hard with it but is still to early to tell since I keep plugging it in to transfer files. After the newness wears off I think I will be able to get 2 days out of it.
The power button, or lack there of is great I think. Instead of a dedicated button, it is just the fingerprint scanner. You can click it, hold it to open restart options etc. Works great and is non intrusive by comparison to a dedicated button that I usually hit by accident all the time.
The UI is not terrible. It is fast and responsive. For the record I am a fanboy of Sense and Stock. LG's UI has a lot more options for customization over Stock but some things seem like they just changed from stock to say they did. Especially in the Settings menu where they feel extra pages of settings tabs is preferable than a simple list. The worst part is LG's apps that are mostly broken or limited.
Contacts doesn't work right and crashes sometimes when I try and edit a contact. You can not fully disable it. I'm using Google Contacts when it will let me.
Calendar is ok, about the same as Google Calendar. Again you can not fully disable it for some reason.
Camera app is good so far, or at least I like it.
Messaging app sux. It freezes sometimes and when it works you can't insert gifs. Again you can't disable it. I'm using Google's Messenger.
Keyboard is limited, I just use the Google Keyboard.
Gallery is simple and works for on device pix but doesn't allow cloud access. Since most of my pix are on GoogleDrive I just use Google Photos. And again you can't disable it.
Smart Cleaning is a cleaner app. The phone is so fast I can't see any difference after using it.
LG Health I haven't tried yet.
LG Smart World is just some LG app browsing thing. Haven't really played with it other than browsing themes.
So far I love the phone. Out of 2017 phones I have used the HTC U11 and Essential Phone I like the V30 best of those 3. My biggest complaint is I just wish you could at least disable the LG bloatware apps so they can't start up. Maybe there is a special way to do it aside from rooting the device and going that route.
Hope this helps anyone considering the V30
CHH2 said:
Figured we probably needed a place to put everyone's first impressions.
I'll start with first, this thing is small and light! Coming from a V20 and a Nexus 6 before that, this thing is tiny. Last time I felt like I had a phone this size was the Galaxy Nexus. (Yeah, I know. That one was probably actually smaller than this but still, this thing feels that small in hand to me. I've been using nothing but phablets since that phone.) It feels closer in size to my work iPhone 6s than my V20. That's going to take some getting used to. It's in a case now but still feels small.
Still trying to get used to some app behaviors that seemed to have changed. For instance, Weather Channel app is having all kinds of issues. Shows as a sensitive notification on the lock screen vs my V20 where it isn't, because it isn't. The widget doesn't display information without being cut off. I still need to go log into all my apps and get them set up.
Camera. Haven't really taken any shots with it yet but I did dig through it. First, I'm not happy that it always opens in auto mode. The V20 would open in whatever mode you last had it in. I prefer manual mode and liked that I could just open it, make a quick adjustment to the settings and shoot. Now I have to dive into a menu to get to manual then make adjustments and shoot. It'll slow things down quite a bit. I am happy that Graphy can be shut off. Also, noise reduction can be shut off in manual. It was actually disabled by default. Going to do a lot of test shooting today.
Hoping to hit up the museum I used to work in and always test every camera I own there. Also hitting up an outdoor night event here as well as the jazz club. It's going to get one helluva workout today! Going to take my V20 and Nikon V3 along too. Not sure how much I'll use the V3 outside of the outdoor event. Not going to bother taking my DSLR. (I'm actually in the process of downsizing my photography to smaller cameras. DSLRs have gotten way too clean and clinical for my tastes.)
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Deztroyah said:
My biggest complaint is I just wish you could at least disable the LG bloatware apps so they can't start up. Maybe there is a special way to do it aside from rooting the device and going that route.
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Click to collapse
Yep. This method works on G6, so it should work on V30 also, be careful on what you disable, you could potentially brick the device.
BTW any display problems? And what variant did you buy?
Thanks! As for the variant, I have the AT&T 64gig one. There are a few AT&T apps, all can be disabled. I actually use a few of them. And no display problems that I have seen. I think the display is one of the best parts of the device.
Deztroyah said:
I got mine this past Friday...
Hope this helps anyone considering the V30
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Awesome overview :good: Although I already ordered v30 (black, 64gb) from South Korea, it was still nice to read, especially regarding the screen/size. I am not a fan of 18:9 in general since native support is still behind (cropped,zoomed videos), but I like what LG does - basically putting 18:9 screen in a more like 16:9 frame.. this makes it look much better than sausage-style s8/s8+/note8.
Here’s my V30+ first impressions. Will do a deep dive on the camera and audio soon.
https://gavinsgadgets.com/2018/01/0...adphone-jack-with-quad-dac-wireless-charging/
gavinfabl said:
Here’s my V30+ first impressions. Will do a deep dive on the camera and audio soon.
https://gavinsgadgets.com/2018/01/0...adphone-jack-with-quad-dac-wireless-charging/
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Interesting review. Where did you get your B&O branded V30+ in UK? I thought they only had the V30? Did you get it from Italy or elsewhere?
I watched your full YouTube review and I agree people are selling the camera on this phone short. Interesting that all your friends chose the LG V30+ pictures over the Pixel 2 XL pictures. That's one reason I'm not really going to mess with the Pixel camera port.
ChazzMatt said:
Interesting review. Where did you get your B&O branded V30+ in UK? I thought they only had the V30? Did you get it from Italy or elsewhere?
I watched your full YouTube review and I agree people are selling the camera on this phone short. Interesting that all your friends chose the LG V30+ pictures over the Pixel 2 XL pictures. That's one reason I'm not really going to mess with the Pixel camera port.
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Thanks. You’re right. UK only gets standard V30. Wondamobile supplied the V30+. The Pixel 2 will take better pics , but like everything it depends on the scene. I was out this morning with my Canon & V30+ and will get a post up next week with the results.
Ok. Audio review now done on the LG V30 covering speaker, Bluetooth, wired and type c. Over a dozen headphones used too.
https://gavinsgadgets.com/2018/01/1...-wired-over-12-different-headphones-compared/
I'm on my second Sprint lg v30 plus. Had to exchange the first one due to digitizer issues. On one side of the screen. It only responded to taps. My luck I guess.. Overall I like the device. It's light, fast and has a nice design. The camera sucks tho compared to my s8+ especially in low light. Not a bad camera but no where near the pixel 2 or Samsung phones. Was going to get the note 8 but I doubt that will ever get twrp. Hopefully this device gets root and twrp
Ok full review is finished now. Includes a camera showcase and 32 reasons why it's the best phone in the world, with the 32nd reason the best one.
https://gavinsgadgets.com/2018/01/28/lg-v30-review-camera-showcase-this-is-the-best-phone-in-2018/

Question Pixel 6 Pro is the best phone I ever owned!

I recently upgraded from the Pixel 5 which I loved and where I thought that it cannot become better. Until I just upgraded to the Pixel 6 Pro. After reading all the issues and problems people seem to have here I was a bit worried. But everything works perfectly, the battery life is awesome and the in screen fingerprint sensor is fast and very reliable. The only thing I kind of miss is the smaller screen size, but I am starting to enjoy the bigger screen more and more https://9apps.ooo/.
I enjoy mine too. The first six months were bad with tons of bugs but with the 13 beta the phone is really good.
It shouldn't have taken that long though.
Wish I could have one!!!
Nikhil15 said:
Wish I could have one!!!
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Click to collapse
https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/wha36e
--> so far 3 people were able to buy it at target for less than $300 after taxes. Others are getting it for $450+ tax.
Good to hear you are enjoying your Pixel. I like mine too. Wouldn't say it's my favorite phone of all time, but it's good and just reliable. My unit was never buggy - I guess I'm lucky?
My only issue with it is how warm it can get even during light, NON GAMING usage. Best remedy I've found (so far) is Android 13 beta 4.1 with Despair kernel. Dunno what magic this kernel has but the phone will stay reasonably cool for a longer time, compared to before.
Also I really don't understand the complaints about the fingerprint scanner. I literally have a S22 Ultra as my secondary phone, which has an ultrasonic FP scanner and it's regarded as one of the fastest on the market according to reviews. Yes it's extremely fast, but I don't mind the slightly slower, optical one on the Pixel. My thumb absolutely never gets rejected, unless I have wet hands or something.
I think Pixel 6 Pro is the worst phone I ever had but it's the best camera. Anything about connectivity is so unstable about this phone. Having to go to airplane mode and back in order to bring back connectivity.
I agree, awesome phone, but without face unlock I will have to switch My hands are constantly wet/dirty at work so face unlock is a must for me now.
RushPL said:
I think Pixel 6 Pro is the worst phone I ever had but it's the best camera. Anything about connectivity is so unstable about this phone. Having to go to airplane mode and back in order to bring back connectivity.
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Click to collapse
never had this problem, and I travel a lot world wide.
I just ditched mine for a s22 ultra. Pixel 6 pro had me so frustrated that I was ready to jump ship and go iPhone.
I wish I did this from day one when I found out about this missing face unlock and didn't even wish to receive my pre order.
Besides the face unlock; the finger print scanner doesn't work and the phone is just plagued with issues.
The screen on my s22 ultra is so nice that when I go back to the p6 to look up old info etc; the screen of that p6 feels like going to iphone 1 compared to the s22
A12 was buggy asf but 13 beta 4.1 has been a lot better for me. Idk if sdmaid was the culprit, but 12 would lag so much I would be having an anxiety attack every time I used the thing. A13 is very stable. I love my p6pro
kasakopei said:
I recently upgraded from the Pixel 5 which I loved and where I thought that it cannot become better. Until I just upgraded to the Pixel 6 Pro. After reading all the issues and problems people seem to have here I was a bit worried. But everything works perfectly, the battery life is awesome and the in screen fingerprint sensor is fast and very reliable. The only thing I kind of miss is the smaller screen size, but I am starting to enjoy the bigger screen more and more.
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Click to collapse
I'm really sorry for you...

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