Support NeoGAF

[Aquavelvaman]

Note 4 preorders start today where I am. Launches next Friday. Costs over $900 though

I think I will get the LTE-A S5 or G3 instead. I'm still not sure. That version of the S5 has a QHD AMOLED and 3gb ram, so it's a lot like the Note 4 but costs less. I think I'll stop by the store and see one in person after work.

 

[Rewrite]

Gen 1 murdered you on your own shit.

:lol :lol :lol

 

[NotBacon]

Is Android L going to fix the poor screen or mediocre camera?

Android L is actually bringing an awesome camera API and improvements.
So basically:
The camera pics look damn fine to me already.
Android L will improve it anyways.
Moto actually supports their software, so expect camera updates.

Every other review says the screen is gorgeous...

There's not really much to say other than that this was definitely a compromising design choice.

Yeah they had one damn job -.-
Doesn't change the fact that L isn't even out yet though.

It's more funny that he's trying to get people to buy a Moto X when he's not even getting one for himself.

Interesting sense of humor.
Suggesting phones for others when they might not fit your personal needs? PREPOSTEROUS.

......

The only positive that comes from owning a moto x before november is that you'll get an L before nexus owners.

Again, is L out yet? Yeah we're done here.

 

[mturco]

Android L is actually bringing an awesome camera API and improvements.
So basically:
The camera pics look damn fine to me already.
Android L will improve it anyways.
Moto actually supports their software, so expect camera updates.

Every other review says the screen is gorgeous...

I'm as excited for L as the next guy but let's kill the hyperbole here. L has a lot of new camera APIs that will give 3rd party apps much better control of the camera sensor (things like shutter speed, white balance, ISO, exposure, etc). It also lowers capture latency by simplifying the imaging pipeline. This is all fantastic and is definitely needed but it is certainly not going to magically make the camera sensor itself better. While it's technically possible for a 3rd party camera app to make better use of the sensor than Motorola did, it's very unlikely and it definitely won't be a huge night and day improvement. The camera on the new Moto X isn't very good relative to other 2014 flagships. That's just a fact.

And as for the screen, take a look at Anandtech's review. The white point is way off, the color accuracy is terrible, and the display brightness is poor. Additionally, it has the problem a lot of older AMOLEDs have in that it gives off a purple-ish tint when switching between dark and light colors. The other reviewers are just wrong here.

You're in denial, dude.

 

[Jazzy Network]

The Zenwatch is pretty nice. I might consider it at the right price and if battery life is good.

 

[reKon]

Just buy the Xperia Z3 and let it go pctx

 

[NotBacon]

I'm as excited for L as the next guy but let's kill the hyperbole here. L has a lot of new camera APIs that will give 3rd party apps much better control of the camera sensor (things like shutter speed, white balance, ISO, exposure, etc). It also lowers capture latency by simplifying the imaging pipeline. This is all fantastic and is definitely needed but it is certainly not going to magically make the camera sensor itself better. While it's technically possible for a 3rd party camera app to make better use of the sensor than Motorola did, it's very unlikely and it definitely won't be a huge night and day improvement. The camera on the new Moto X isn't very good relative to other 2014 flagships. That's just a fact.

And as for the screen, take a look at Anandtech's review. The white point is way off, the color accuracy is terrible, and the display brightness is poor. Additionally, it has the problem a lot of older AMOLEDs have in that it gives off a purple-ish tint when switching between dark and light colors. The other reviewers are just wrong here.

You're in denial, dude.

The sensor is the same as the GS5 and G3.

And as much as I respect Anandtech for their technical breadth, something as simple as how good a screen looks can't be gotten wrong that many times.

Just buy the Xperia Z3 and let it go pctx

Please, just shout to the world who I really am. That was sarcasm.

Spoiler

But it wasn't.

My upgrade is in November. By then the choice between Moto X, Z3,

Spoiler

HTC M9?

should be clear.

 

[mturco]

The sensor is the same as the GS5 and G3.

And as much as I respect Anandtech for their technical breadth, something as simple as how good a screen looks can't be gotten wrong that many times.

There's a lot going on inbetween the actual sensor and the camera app and no 3rd party app is going to be able to improve that. If that were the case, almost all phones would have identical camera performance because for the most part they all use the same Sony sensors.

 

[The Faceless Master]

The sensor is the same as the GS5 and G3.

And as much as I respect Anandtech for their technical breadth, something as simple as how good a screen looks can't be gotten wrong that many times.

or... maybe reviewers just have stock blinders on?

the color reproduction is something that can be objectively measured.

 

[Bboy AJ]

You're in incredible denial. L is not going to make the Moto X a beast. The phone is a dud.

 

[Blackstarhat]

got a zero lemon battery for my note 3 got 13 hours of screen time.

 

[Vanillalite]

Can we all just admit Osiris is just another PCTX alt? Has to be.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

You're in incredible denial. L is not going to make the Moto X a beast. The phone is a dud.

I don't understand the mentality of people who argue that software can magically upgrade hardware specs.

See Xbox One for further information.

 

[this_guy]

got a zero lemon battery for my note 3 got 13 hours of screen time.

That's like 6 Moto X's!

Spoiler

before Android L

 

[Ruthless_Barbarian]

Was looking to buy the Z3 compact for my mom, due to battery and manageable screen size for her, any ideas of the expected price? I'm hearing $600 outright?

got a zero lemon battery for my note 3 got 13 hours of screen time.

That's what, a 3500 mAh battery?

The best screen time I've squeezed out of my N5 running L is 7.5 hours.

 

[3phemeral]

Geez, that Moto X review is rough. It's weird how the OG Moto X even surpasses it in some respects. I'm wondering if the software optimizations were rushed (if that's the cause) because they're going to be investing more heavily in L once released.

 

[NotBacon]

You're in incredible denial. L is not going to make the Moto X a beast. The phone is a dud.

It doesn't need L to be a beast. It already is a beast.
It'll just be a beast for a shorter time than other phones due to it's sadly gimped battery. When it gets L it should be more than acceptable, and yes the competition will also get better, etc.

It's not a bad phone, it's just for people willing to trade longer battery life for other positives. Still trying to figure out if I'm one of those people....

There's a lot going on inbetween the actual sensor and the camera app and no 3rd party app is going to be able to improve that. If that were the case, almost all phones would have identical camera performance because for the most part they all use the same Sony sensors.

I'm not talking about 3rd party apps. I'm saying if they all have the same sensors, they all have the potential to be close in quality. This is of course simplifying things, but this means the Moto X camera has the potential to be close to G3 quality.

I don't understand the mentality of people who argue that software can magically upgrade hardware specs.

See Xbox One for further information.

See: Moto X(2013) camera at launch -> Moto X(2013) camera now
See: iPhone 5S 1560mah battery vs Moto X(2014) 2300mah battery. Guess which lasts longer in tests.
See: TouchWiz performance vs AOSP performance.

Software can make a huge difference.

 

[killertofu]

Any z3 reviews yet?

 

[Cipherr]

The Moto X 2 is trash juice guys.....

Seriously, If I want 2010'ish battery life with vanilla Android I can just buy the Nexus and save like.... 200 bucks.

 

[Mr. Wedgewood]

I'm kinda confused with the whole status bar talk. Lg phones don't allow you to control what is shown?

 

[The Faceless Master]

Can we all just admit Osiris is just another PCTX alt? Has to be.

i just wanna know who controls all the Xperia phone alts...

 

[NinjaBoyLao]

My OnePlus is 1 week old now and I'm still amazed by the battery.
Mostly just texting, browsing, FB messenger, WIFI is on 24/7.

 

[malyce]

Moto caught a battery about a weak ago.

 

[Groof]

I'm kinda confused with the whole status bar talk. Lg phones don't allow you to control what is shown?

They do. LG let's you customize pretty much every last bit of the os down to the system font and even colour saturation.

People are just pulling out worst case scenarios to emphasize how bad everyone else is compared to their own brand of choice.

 

[Bboy AJ]

It doesn't need L to be a beast. It already is a beast.
It'll just be a beast for a shorter time than other phones due to it's sadly gimped battery. When it gets L it should be more than acceptable, and yes the competition will also get better, etc.

It's not a bad phone, it's just for people willing to trade longer battery life for other positives. Still trying to figure out if I'm one of those people....

That's a fair take. Phones have pros and cons. All of them make sacrifices somehow. Which balance you prefer is up to you. That said, other than Moto Maker, I don't know why anyone would spend the extra money for the X when they could get a Nexus.

 

[The Faceless Master]

That's a fair take. Phones have pros and cons. All of them make sacrifices somehow. Which balance you prefer is up to you. That said, other than Moto Maker, I don't know why anyone would spend the extra money for the X when they could get a Nexus.

real leather!!!

 

[Groof]

real leather!!!

Horweeeeeeen

 

[Antiwhippy]

Hey, horween leather is actually pretty good quality leather. Definitely one of the finest tanneries around.

 

[terrier]

I don't understand the mentality of people who argue that software can magically upgrade hardware specs.

See Xbox One for further information.

i am not a Moto X lover, but just like Xperia cameras usually are worse than expected, software won't upgrade hw specs but they can downgrade it , as seen with camera software, so if Moto X happens, which i do not know, to have subpar performance in some areas due to software, Android L may help solve that. Just look at what sony seems to have done with screen management for Z3 regarding battery life.

Just like stamina mode, or other battery saving features that some oem include, stock android lacks that, so it is welcome that comes with that out of the box instead of having to use 3rd party or oem apps for optimizing battery , especially when the phone is idle

Got my Nexus 5 today. It's fucking awesome.

yes, it is (despite battery and camera not being top tier

 

[NotBacon]

Seriously, If I want 2010'ish battery life with vanilla Android I can just buy the Nexus and save like.... 200 bucks.

That said, other than Moto Maker, I don't know why anyone would spend the extra money for the X when they could get a Nexus.

There are a few things that make it stand out (premium materials, front speaker, awesome reception), but the killer feature is the Moto apps integration with dedicated processors.

It may sound gimmicky, but these are legit awesome features that are making it really hard to move away from a Moto phone:

-Viewing time and notifs just by looking at my phone while it's on the table
-Never having to use the power button to unlock
-Eerily accurate voice commands while screen is off
-Moto actions (a very simple and beautiful Tasker)

It's truly a joy to use, and I will miss these if I go for the Z3.

 

[Salsa]

charging port of my S3 crapped out

you guys remember I replaced the entire screen like a month ago

this is a cruel joke

;_;

i'll try to see how much a repair costs but im guessing it's battery charger + wireless charging kit for me from now on. both of which are annoying

 

[Hasney]

charging port of my S3 crapped out

you guys remember I replaced the entire screen like a month ago

this is a cruel joke

;_;

i'll try to see how much a repair costs but im guessing it's battery charger + wireless charging kit for me from now on. both of which are annoying

Had the same on my S4. It's a really easy replacement to do yourself and the part should only cost around £10.

EDIT: Ah, fuck that. Just checked and it was soldered on for the S3 while you can just pull the S4 one out.

 

[Matty8787]

Waiting on the Nexus X or 6 or whatever the hell they wanna call it!

Any idea on when this thing will be announced and are Nexus phones usually any good?

 

[Groof]

Waiting on the Nexus X or 6 or whatever the hell they wanna call it!

Any idea on when this thing will be announced and are Nexus phones usually any good?

It'll probably be announced end of September or sometime in October.
Nexus phones are very good, but with some concession. Oftentimes in a smaller battery or poorer camera, though still serviceable for most.

 

[Blackstarhat]

That's what, a 3500 mAh battery?

The best screen time I've squeezed out of my N5 running L is 7.5 hours.

its 10,000 mAh

 

[Volotaire]

HTC Nexus 9 release date might be October 16th

http://www.phonearena.com/news/HTC-Nexus-9-release-date-might-be-October-16th_id60814

 

[jesalr]

Was looking to buy the Z3 compact for my mom, due to battery and manageable screen size for her, any ideas of the expected price? I'm hearing $600 outright?



That's what, a 3500 mAh battery?

The best screen time I've squeezed out of my N5 running L is 7.5 hours.

How on earth? I can barely beat 3 hours most of the time.

 

[newdayrocks]

Current main G3 screen.

As with any other phone's status bar, it's only as crowded as you let it be.

 

[mturco]

Current main G3 screen.



As with any other phone's status bar, it's only as crowded as you let it be.

You don't think that's crowded...?

 

[Angst]

Current main G3 screen.



As with any other phone's status bar, it's only as crowded as you let it be.

The "4G LTE" symbol is pretty awful, why didn't they just go with "LTE"?

 

[newdayrocks]

You don't think that's crowded...?

I could eliminate a lot of those if I wanted to, but it's pretty not-crowded compared to the screenshot upthread.

 

[newdayrocks]

The "4G LTE" symbol is pretty awful, why didn't they just go with "LTE"?

Verizon gonna Verizon. I can even imagine what it'll look like when they switch over to their new XLTE network.

 

[PriitV]

Why do you even need to know that you're using 4G LTE when you're connected to a wifi network?

 

[newdayrocks]

Why do you even need to know that you're using 4G LTE when you're connected to a wifi network?

My 10-year-old son asked me the same question, because his 2013 Moto X apparently (and rightfully) drops the cellular icon when connected to wifi, and he thought it was odd.

I ... didn't have an answer for him.

 

[Jazzy Network]

My T-mobile G3 has no LTE status bar when I am on wifi lol.

 

[PaulLFC]

After my Z3/Z3 Compact post yesterday I went to a phone store today and tried out two Sony phones - Z2 (same screen size as the Z3), and another which I forget which had a 4.6" screen (same as the Z3 compact).

While the larger screen was nice, the smaller phone was more comfortable to hold and use one-handed.

Making me lean more towards a Z3 Compact now. Yes, no upgrade in screen resolution from my Nexus 4, and a slight downgrade in screen size - but the addition of 4G (my main reason for upgrading), 20MP camera, seemigly very good screen and battery life which should outlast even the Z3 (same battery size, smaller screen, less pixels).

And that's for ~£350 unlocked compared to ~£500 for the Z3.

Do we know when reveiws are likely to be out for either the Z3 or Z3C?

 

[Volotaire]

After my Z3/Z3 Compact post yesterday I went to a phone store today and tried out two Sony phones - Z2 (same screen size as the Z3), and another which I forget which had a 4.6" screen (same as the Z3 compact).

While the larger screen was nice, the smaller phone was more comfortable to hold and use one-handed.

Making me lean more towards a Z3 Compact now. Yes, no upgrade in screen resolution from my Nexus 4, and a slight downgrade in screen size - but the addition of 4G (my main reason for upgrading), 20MP camera, seemigly very good screen and battery life which should outlast even the Z3 (same battery size, smaller screen, less pixels).

And that's for ~£350 unlocked compared to ~£500 for the Z3.

Do we know when reveiws are likely to be out for either the Z3 or Z3C?

GSM has already reviewed the Z3C, I'm not sure about other outlets.

 

[Talon]

Damn. The Anand review of the Moto X is brutal.

On LTE, the new Moto X is noticeably trailing behind the rest of the competition. Here we see that battery life is just behind the LG G2, but behind all recent Apple iPhones and just about every other Android high-end flagship phone launched in 2014. While the new Moto X has definitely improved over the previous Moto X, it seems that Motorola has used the newer AMOLED panel and lower power SoC to avoid using a significantly larger battery.

...

Overall, it’s hard to really say much in the way of praise for battery life. While it’s definitely surprising just how much battery life Motorola has achieved given the size of the battery and display, I suspect that Motorola found themselves in an uncomfortable situation as they tried to deliver a bigger display while keeping the phone easy to use with one hand. I suspect that all things considered, Motorola would have been better off if they went for a smaller display and the smaller height and width that would logically follow. It’s also not that the battery life is bad in an absolute sense, but it isn’t as good as its peers. Motorola is likely tracking closely to their estimated 24 hours of “mixed usage”. The use of Moto Display will also go a long way to reduce the time with the AP and display on.

...

Unfortunately, it’s not clear where this lack of attention to color accuracy comes from. In discussions with Andrei it's clearly possible to calibrate the AMOLED panel from the GS4 quite accurately, and there's no real technical limitation for AMOLED to lack good calibration. However, judging by the relatively low peak brightness there are other issues as this could affect Motorola's performance in battery life tests. This seems to suggest that Motorola is unable to access the latest generation of AMOLED panels from Samsung Display.

This would be a rather startling thought, as it means that no matter what Motorola does to improve their implementation of Samsung’s AMOLED displays, they will always be behind the curve. If it becomes clear that Samsung’s AMOLED is the best display from a user-facing standpoint, every other OEM will face significant barriers in competition as they would be unable to access the latest generation AMOLED panels. The real solution here is for other display manufacturers such as LG, JDI, and AUO Optronics to catch up.

At any rate, the display of the new Moto X seems to be relatively poor compared to what we see in the Galaxy S5 LTE-A (and likely the Note 4), along with the iPhone 5s, Nexus 5, and One (M7). While it’s impossible to ignore the power advantage of AMOLED when implementing functions like Moto Display, the relatively low peak brightness and poor color accuracy are concerning.

...

Unfortunately, after all of this we are left in a bit of a tough position. Fundamentally, the new Moto X doesn’t change the market. It simply isn’t the best Android phone on the market. Regrettably, there are too many issues to make this a clearly superior smartphone. The poor camera, battery life, and display when compared to the competition are three issues that need improvement to be competitive.

Link

 

[Hasney]

Damn. The Anand review of the Moto X is brutal.


Link

Goddamn

 

[belvedere]

Damn. The Anand review of the Moto X is brutal.


Link

And while most of these things seem obvious, the Verge blew their load over the device.

It's baffling.