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Looking for recommendations on a new phone

Papamalo

Papamalo

Android Enthusiast
I am getting down to the last bit of usability for my beloved Motorola Moto x Pure edition, and as loathe as I am to try to replace it, I know it's time is coming. So here are a list of functions I need for under $500, in my new replacement phone.

1: The moto x has a 5.7'' screen any replacement must match or exceed that

2: I've been running 3 GB RAM, on a Snapdragon 808, with Hexa-core, at 1800 MHz. I'd like a phone with 4 or 5 GB RAM.

3: I need a camera better than the one on the MXPE, and one with more control over light.
The one I am using when I try to take pictures of white license plates, (I work security at an events arena, and it's part of my job), I get nothing but white reflected blur in the photos taken at night using my headlights.For some reason, even my old samsung galaxy 3 was better in this regard

4: Moto voice is GREAT, and I'd like a phone that I can customize my voice activation with, instead of having to say "hey google"

5: I can take a reduction in speakers, and graphics quality, since I don't play video games nor listen to music on my current phone. I just need more guts, power, and eyes.

6: Finally, I had to replace the standard battery, and I'd lioke a battery that can run an entire day without charging, and also have a turbo charging option.

I'd even be willing to go as high as $600, if I could get all these things. Basically if I could get a better camera, and more RAM on my MXPE, I'd never even get a new phone.

Any recommendations?
Thanks!.
 
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Yosagi Yo' Jimbo! Hey there, I was looking for improved RAM and processor myself but the pickings are slim for most Carriers on many fronts compared to reasonable prices.. I got the Moto E4 Plus (XT1775 & XT1776 'owens') and the 5,000Mah battery has been wonderful, 3 days in a full charge.. it's not a hexacore or more RAM but many other features of the device make up for it, including an unlockable bootloader, TWRP, & custom ROMs
 
I was a fan of Motorola beginning with the original Motorola Droid in 2009. Then Motorola sold to Google, and released the Moto X Pure. Phenomenal device. The Google sold Motorola to Lenovo. And I moved to the Samsung Galaxy Note series. Any of the Notes will serve you well, and you can get a great deal on the Note8 now (since the Note9 is due out in a few months). I think you'll be shocked at how much better it is, even over the MX Pure!
 
Papamalo said:
4: Moto voice is GREAT, and I'd like a phone that I can customize my voice activation with, instead of having to say "hey google"
Click to expand...
I don't see Google allowing that. I mean it would be a huge improvement, "ok google" or "hey google" are very clunky and far less natural than addressing a fake person as others do. But I'm sure they made a deliberate choice to use their brand name as the trigger (even if I'm not sure it was as smart as they think it was). And if they allow a free-for-all they not only lose that brand reminder but open it to all sorts of things they'd rather you didn't use: Apple users choosing "Hey Siri" as the trigger, kids using "Hey ****head", etc. If I used the voice trigger I'd probably train it to answer to "Big Brother"...
 
Picked up a Moto X4 after the XPE. No complaints with the camera and battery life is great and has all the Moto actions as the XPE. Screen is a tad smaller with single speaker. Don't know what it is but I just can't make myself like the phone much. I got the Android One version which only came in 32gb with 3gb ram. Thanks to Seamless Updates, it has a large System Partition with only about 18gb left for user data.

Got a 128gb OnePlus 5T next. Loved everything about the phone. Great camera, blazing fast, all day battery, quick system updates, great community.
Had forgot how bad GSM coverage was in my area with AT&T and T-Mobile and had to move back to Verizon.

Currently using a LG G6. Camera took a little longer to get used to than with other phones. Mostly use camera at work to take pictures of equipment and wiring diagrams before I take them apart.
Screen size is great, all day battery life and smooth operating system. Updates are slower than I expected, still on 7.0.
Dev support is coming along and I will probably be running a custom rom soon if LG doesn't get its act together.
All in all, a great daily driver but if OnePlus ever decides to become Verizon compatible, I would switch back in a heartbeat.
 
Great pics you guys. Much appreciate it.

The_Chief:
I've always kind of wanted to get back with a galaxy note.Samsung is just so damned reliable.

JFalls:
Question is, if I decided to go with OnePlus 5T can I use it with my metro account, and when you say the camera on the LG G6 takes getting used to , does that means it is better or worse than our beloved MXPE?

Hadron:
I thought as much. I just really love my custom dead language impossible to say trigger word.

It will probably be a note. but that nearly $800 price tag? OUCH.

Thanks!
PM
 
OnePlus will work fine with Metro. The one thing I forget to mention about the 5T was that the in call speaker volume could be a little louder. Sometimes hard to hear the person talking to. Could just be my hearing is worse than I thought.
Problem I had with the LG G6 camera was up close focus on small objects like wire markers and data plates.
 

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Thanks to you guys' recommendations I will will Probably go with either the LG G6 plus, or the 1 plus 5t.
It seems the galaxy note 8 is still a good $300-400 more than either the one plus 5t, or the Lg G6 plus.
Thanks!
 
Final Bonus round question: Do many of the phones we are talking about have a customizable voice activation capability, like the Moto X Pure? Like where i can program a word into it that I like?
Thanks.
P
 
I'm not sure what you mean with the voice customization - I had a Moto X Pure and I guess I didn't use that... but any recent Samsung Galaxy flagship device has Bixby. Bixby is very good at complex commands within the phone: such as 'open camera, take a selfie and send it to Mom in a message'. Bam, bam, bam, done. And users can set quick commands to abbreviate that - 'Pic to Mom'. Done.
 
So it's down to these three!

LG G6, (Don't need the storage or audio of the LG G6 plus) with
Lunatic: Man that would be great! total voice control is a deal breaker for me

OnePlus 5T, (If get a handle on voice activation functions, I know least about this phone in action, only the listed specs)

Galaxy note 8, ( I never use a stylus, is there a comparable version with no stylus? Maybe Galaxy S8 Plus?)

For some reason I keep coming back to Galaxies. The phone is a bit thin, (Why do they always list the height of the screens and never the width, and why don't they list "screen size" instead of "screen to body ratio" in specs comparisons? I like slightly wider screens and don't mind the size, because I can read more text without breaks or line changes.
Getting ready to pull that trigger and retire my moto x pure as a security cam.

Thanks!
 
Papamalo said:
OnePlus 5T, (If get a handle on voice activation functions, I know least about this phone in action, only the listed specs)

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I believe that's now been discontinued, and can no longer be ordered from the website. Their current device available now is OnePlus 6, which has a display notch, and is effectively same phone as Oppo R15 and Vivo X21.
 
Oppo R15 and Vivo X21? Those were two phones I never considered. Are they worthy?
 
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Papamalo said:
Oppo R15 and Vivo X21? Those were two phones I never considered. Are they worthy?
Click to expand...

As you're evidently in the US, Oakland, I don't think that either of these phones will be completely suitable for US carrier networks. OnePlus does specific North American variants of their phones. I'm in China myself, and I did consider the Oppo R15, but it was mainly the display notch that put me off it, and bought a Huawei Mate 10 instead. Which I'm very happy with, has nice camera, lot's of storage, great screen, fast, large capacity battery, etc, and can definitely recommend it. :thumbsupdroid:
 
Papamalo said:
OK. this looks like the best bet unless someone knows of a better price.
https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Galaxy-Single-Unlocked-Phone/dp/B06Y1548ZS?ref_=nav_signin&th=1
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That's an Exynos S8+, which confirms it's a grey import from somewhere, possibly Asia. "International Version" as Amazon sellers euphemistically call them. S8+s intended to be sold in the US are always Qualcomm Snapdragon, same with other Galaxy S and Note series, because of CDMA/EVDO network compatibility, like Verizon and Sprint. As it is a grey import, Samsung US will not honour warranty, basically you won't be able to register it with Samsung service, and any problems that require warranty service will have to be dealt with by the vendor or Amazon.
 
I would avoid the upcoming new moto devices coming out because the support for them is not guaranteed. Instead of monthly security patches, security patches will arrive every 60-90 days.

I would also avoid the LG G6. I personally have had nothing but constant trouble with the G6. I am running 7.0 and December security patch. LG apparently doesn't provide long term support for their devices either.
 
joe71 said:
I would avoid the upcoming new moto devices coming out because the support for them is not guaranteed. Instead of monthly security patches, security patches will arrive every 60-90 days.

I would also avoid the LG G6. I personally have had nothing but constant trouble with the G6. I am running 7.0 and December security patch. LG apparently doesn't provide long term support for their devices either.
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I feel your statement may be incorrect, involving Motorola.. I have a Moto E4 Plus and it's had 3 updates since it came out, 2 of which were in last cpl months. Plus, their bootloaders are unlockable, which opens it up for Custom Recoveries, Root, ROMs..
 
bcrichster said:
I feel your statement may be incorrect, involving Motorola.. I have a Moto E4 Plus and it's had 3 updates since it came out, 2 of which were in last cpl months. Plus, their bootloaders are unlockable, which opens it up for Custom Recoveries, Root, ROMs..
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I am just going by what several groups have said regarding the upcoming moto devices. Android Authority, XDAdevelopers both reported on the topic.
Moto seems to be releasing multiple devices this year. Which to me seems like that could become an issue. Eventually the focus will be one or two devices the others will get pushed to the side
For what its worth I do like the up moto E5 especially since it has a headphone jack
 
joe71 said:
I am just going by what several groups have said regarding the upcoming moto devices. Android Authority, XDAdevelopers both reported on the topic.
Moto seems to be releasing multiple devices this year. Which to me seems like that could become an issue. Eventually the focus will be one or two devices the others will get pushed to the side
For what its worth I do like the up moto E5 especially since it has a headphone jack
Click to expand...
My device came with January security patch.. It also got Feb & March patches, so at least this is coming from an actual user. They have also been designing the systems with the newer devices to simply be able to more easily make/build easier updates for faster security rollouts
 
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