[Geo_Ipe]

Originally Posted by S_U_N

I was planning to get one for my mother - who needs it for Skype/ video calls/ WhatsApp and Facebook and a reasonable battery life.

My dad has been using the Mi4i for the past 4-5 months with similar usage as you've listed, except for video calling. Battery easily lasts a day. I haven't noticed any overheating issues, neither has my dad.

Can't comment on their aftermarket service as I've never had to use it.

[sukhoi]

Folks, need your help and inputs in helping me finalize a phone for myself.

This is going to be my first smartphone. Yes, there are people like me who still do not own a smartphone but as one of my colleague at office put it, it is a necessary evil, so finally I have been given the ultimatum by family to get one of my choice or else they would pick one for me (and it could be any OS / model and I would have to live with it).

So past few days have been spent reading about some of the phones out there and deciding which one to go for. After some googling and reading, I narrowed down my choices to the following: LG G4 / Moto X Style / Nexus 6P / Moto Force (Droid 2) / ??

My main requirements are (well not too sure since have never used a smartphone before):
1) Should be a good phone (voice call quality)
2) Need a good camera. We as a family love to take pictures/videos, whether it is a new recipe being tried in the kitchen or an outing to the mall or a family function (where everyone takes out their phone to capture the moment and I am left out). A good camera is a must. On this front, LG G4 has a camera with Optical Image Stabilization but others do not. Does this make LG G4 a clear winner over others, at least in this department?
3) Dual sim not a must but if is there I may end up using it. Noob question, if the two sims are of two different service providers, does it cause interference? A colleague faced this problem so asking
4) Good battery life, would not want to carry a charger around all the time
5) Not very tech savvy when it comes to phones so would want to keep it stock and not update except for android updates as and when they happen
6) Would be watching movies / videos etc. and hence good speakers would be nice. How much improvement do dual front speakers offer over single speaker when it comes to sound output?

Originally Posted by sgiitk

My MotoX Style arrived yesterday.

@sgiitk - Initial impressions of this phone please sir?

Originally Posted by createrkid

LG G4 Review: After one week.
The shift from a low/mid range device to a performance beast has certainly been a pleasant experience.

What I don't love
->LG's optimus UI doesn't appeal to me at all coming from bone stock android.
->Placement of power button and volume rockers at the back.
->Lockscreen visuals look crappy, pattern unlock looks and feels like a third party app.

@createrkid - Are the facts that you have listed as not loved too much of a deal breaker or an average joe (like me) would be able to live with them. They would not interfere with the usage of the phone I presume. Size apart, how would you compare G4 versus 6P?

Originally Posted by mukul32

Exactly. The LG G4 is a fantastic piece of hardware and brilliant as a powerful media device, and an exceptional camera; but an equally hopeless piece of software and overall Android experience.

@Mukul32 - Would you rate the Moto X Style better over LG G4 since it offers a more closer stock android experience or would you say that to experience the best that android has to offer one should consider Nexus 6P (and get Marshmallow out of the box)?

Am pretty confused, if I consider:
1) stock android then Nexus 6P becomes the de-facto choice I guess
2) good camera then get confused between LG G4 and Nexus 6P. How much does OIS make a difference? Is it a deal breaker/maker?
3) Display then LG seems to be the winner since it has AMOLED while Moto X has IPS (which I am told is not as good as AMOLED) and Nexus 6P has some bluish tinge issues on screen (per some online reviews. Would be checking out MKBHD's review tonight at home) and as @createrkid mentioned screen burn in as well
4) the various goodies that Motorola offers like Moto Assist etc and a near stock android experience then Moto X Style is what I lean towards

I would like to believe that by year end all of them would be on Marshmallow so on that front all are at par.

help...

[createrkid]

Originally Posted by sukhoi

help...

The G4 doesn't have an amoled, it has an IPS Quantum display. To be honest, all these phones are brilliant for the average Joe. But, looking at the emphasis you're putting on the camera, the LG g4 wins hands down. Battery life for me has been around a little more than 4 hours screen on time. For everything else, I suggest you pick up the Nexus 6P

[mukul32]

Originally Posted by sukhoi

Folks, need your help and inputs in helping me finalize a phone for myself.
My main requirements are (well not too sure since have never used a smartphone before):
1) Should be a good phone (voice call quality)
2) Need a good camera. We as a family love to take pictures/videos, whether it is a new recipe being tried in the kitchen or an outing to the mall or a family function (where everyone takes out their phone to capture the moment and I am left out). A good camera is a must. On this front, LG G4 has a camera with Optical Image Stabilization but others do not. Does this make LG G4 a clear winner over others, at least in this department?
3) Dual sim not a must but if is there I may end up using it. Noob question, if the two sims are of two different service providers, does it cause interference? A colleague faced this problem so asking
4) Good battery life, would not want to carry a charger around all the time
5) Not very tech savvy when it comes to phones so would want to keep it stock and not update except for android updates as and when they happen
6) Would be watching movies / videos etc. and hence good speakers would be nice. How much improvement do dual front speakers offer over single speaker when it comes to sound output?

@Mukul32 - Would you rate the Moto X Style better over LG G4 since it offers a more closer stock android experience or would you say that to experience the best that android has to offer one should consider Nexus 6P (and get Marshmallow out of the box)?

If this is your first entry into the Android experience, I would strongly suggest the phone to be a stock Android one. This is because stock Android offers a straightforward and neat user experience, hence significantly reducing the learning curve for a newbie. The The LG G4 as I had said earlier, makes for a brilliant media and camera device, but a horrible Android experience, courtesy the LG UI. The whole software is really heavy, cluttered and ugly in many places. On the flip side, for experienced and heavy users who don't mind the design, there are some great tricks built into the UI, like the knock code and dual window. But the execution of most of these is also not practical.
If you are okay with the size however (it's 5.7"), the Moto X Style is actually the better overall device. The best part is stock Android, and the Motorola additions. The camera is also very good, you may like to check out camera samples in the full GSMArena review here.
Both of them are pretty neck-and-neck in terms of hardware, carrying the same screen tech (IPS LCD), same resolution, same processor, same amount of RAM, and the same size of battery (3000 mAh). The Moto is a slight bit bigger and thicker, but also is IP52 certified, hence can theoritically protect itself against accidental wetting due to rain or splashes. The G4 also comes with superfast laser autofocus and OIS, which does help if you shoot moving objects a lot, or in low light, or have shaky hands, but I think one can do without it as well.
However, where the Moto really eclipses the G4 is by offering the far better Android experience. And I believe the end user experience is what matters the most, over and above raw specs. The user interface is what we come across every single time we open the device, and the Moto definitely is one up in that regard. Its software has genuinely useful features, unlike the G4's gimmicky ones, and is far more pleasing to the eye. And in sheer design, UI snappiness, and practicality, stock Android on its own is enough reason to skip the G4 for the Moto or the Nexus.

Then, the Nexus 6P is a brilliant device in its own right, but the Moto does almost everything that the Nexus does, but costs a full 10-12k less. The Nexus gives you fingerprint support, and it's a big deal in Marshmallow, but so is native SD card support, which only the Moto offers. The Nexus feels more premium in the hand due to the full metal body, but its big and slippery, so most premium phones get under cases in a while anyway. The Nexus has a more hi-tech camera on paper, with laser autofocus and 1.55µm pixel size, etc but the Moto too offers phase detection autofocus and a much larger 21 MP sensor size. Both get dual LED flashes.
The Nexus may offer faster updates but the Moto software tricks are too good to miss.
But ultimately the price gap is huge. It almost seems as if the Moto qualified under the sub-4-metre mark to get excise benefits! It's that much cheaper!

In the end, the Moto stays a pure Android device, but also delivers where it matters in real life use, eg, faster charging than anything else out there, the Moto X software tricks, IP52 rating, SD card slot, etc. It does not have any major shortcomings, is an unbeatable package for the price, and would easily be my pick and suggestion to you.

Again, that's only what I feel, and I suggest you to check out a few reviews in detail to get a better feel of the device(s): the MKBHD reviews, the GSMArena full reviews, and for a more native Indian opinion, GeekyRanjit's video reviews. He does special camera reviews too, which can help. I won't recommend PhoneArena or The Verge, as both are known to be biased toward certain manufacturers.

[Marauder]

Originally Posted by sukhoi

Folks, need your help and inputs in helping me finalize a phone for myself.

This is going to be my first smartphone.

After some googling and reading, I narrowed down my choices to the following: LG G4 / Moto X Style / Nexus 6P / Moto Force (Droid 2) / ??

help...

Since this is your 1st Android phone, your options should be narrowed down to stock Android phone i.e. Moto X Style and Nexus 6P.
These are the advantages of each phone over the other:

Nexus 6P over Moto X

• Better Camera
• Fingerprint Sensor
• Guaranteed Android Updates
• Premium Materials
• Slightly better battery life

Moto X Style over Nexus

• More affordable
• Expandable Storage
• Better in-hand feel, more comfortable to hold
• Useful Motorola additions like Moto Voice

[mayankk]

My dad was hell bent on getting the passport. We went and saw it as well, and there was a lot of confusion about warranties if the phone was bought from US, or online, vs BnM. However, BnM price was coming out to be 44.5 k after a "discount" of 500 bucks! Gee thanks. This was about 8K over the other deals.
So anyway, the passport was surrendered, and he picked up 2 phones, a Sony m4 aqua, and an HTC 728g for my mother.
He had been eyeing an android for sometime, owing to the ease of using his yoga tablet. Its a pretty decent entry level phone from Sony. He discarded the Z2, saying the aqua felt better i his hands. No cares about specs.

The 728 is a surprise. Its decently sized, and was chosen primarily because of CDMA.
They're both pretty happy playing around with the phones, dumping all apps that catches their interest.

Total price was 33k, with an even split, more or less, between them.

[saadat1992]

Guys! How's the Samsung On7?
Is it good?
That or the Moto G2 4g?

Mom wants a Samsung but I'm suggesting her the Moto G2 cos I know how good Motorola is as my prev phone was a Moto E and the current one is a Moto X!
Anyone came across reviews for the Samsung? They're also having an exchange offer on that phone which will bring the effective price to 9k.
So, I'm confused if I should pick the G2 or the on7!

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by sukhoi

Moto X Style


@sgiitk - Initial impressions of this phone please sir?

It took a couple of days to get it going. We got the nano-SIM a day later and activation/migration was another day. Luckily Voda Store was barely 1.2km (about 200m from where we join the Race Course Road). The transaction was vry smooth. The next day I got a couple of smses about the migration, and then it happened. One interesting signal did not drop to zero on the htc by inself.

Uber smooth and nice. Remember I am moving from a three year old Sprint htc One m7 CDMA/GSM (running on GSM) 5.0.2 to Style on 5.1.1. The htc is a dual core and not quad core. I will say highly satisfied.

[mukul32]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

The htc is a dual core and not quad core. I will say highly satisfied.

Sir, as far as I have known, the One M7 Sprint version also came with the same 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 as the international M7. However, I may be wrong as well. Please correct me if so.
Thank you.

[kkkkkaran]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Remember I am moving from a three year old Sprint htc One m7 CDMA/GSM (running on GSM) 5.0.2 to Style on 5.1.1. The htc is a dual core and not quad core.

Sorry, a little OT :the htc one m7 was also a quad core. It ran a snapdragon 600, each core having max clock speed of 1.7gHz. Released in march 2013.

[car_crazy1400]

Guys, how good / bad is Oneplus two?

I am in two minds over getting one.

But am in an immediate need for replacement of my old Samsung Note 1.

Any other mobile within similar price range?.

Thanks

Rishi

[Oxy]

Originally Posted by sukhoi

Folks, need your help and inputs in helping me finalize a phone for myself.

I wonder why are you hell bent on spending so much.

It's your first smartphone. If you are not very particular about Android, get a Lumia 730. It fulfills all the requirements that you have listed and costs a third of the latest Nexus.

[creative420]

Originally Posted by saadat1992

Guys! How's the Samsung On7?
Is it good?
That or the Moto G2 4g?

Mom wants a Samsung but I'm suggesting her the Moto G2 cos I know how good Motorola is as my prev phone was a Moto E and the current one is a Moto X!
Anyone came across reviews for the Samsung? They're also having an exchange offer on that phone which will bring the effective price to 9k.
So, I'm confused if I should pick the G2 or the on7!

G2 is a better phone compared to On7 strictly because you get a pure android experience and awesome built quality. I've seen 3 unboxing of On7 since morning as I had to buy a phone for my brother (bought him Lenovo P1m because he wanted a monster battery).

The screen is a plain TFT screen vs Gorilla Glass 3 on MotoG2. No Android M update for On7 and the built quality is very plasticy. They're missing out on some basic sensors, noise cancellation speakers etc.

Also, the styling on Samsung is so boring. I suggest cough up a bit more and get her MotoG3 or a G2 4G at least.

[saadat1992]

Originally Posted by creative420

G2 is a better phone compared to On7 strictly because you get a pure android experience and awesome built quality. I've seen 3 unboxing of On7 since morning as I had to buy a phone for my brother (bought him Lenovo P1m because he wanted a monster battery).

The screen is a plain TFT screen vs Gorilla Glass 3 on MotoG2. No Android M update for On7 and the built quality is very plasticy. They're missing out on some basic sensors, noise cancellation speakers etc.

Also, the styling on Samsung is so boring. I suggest cough up a bit more and get her MotoG3 or a G2 4G at least.

Thanks man!
I did come across a couple of reviews on the 'on' twins and they seem to suggest the same. Those phones stand no chance against the Moto G2 4G.
Easily a better choice among the two!
A friend of mine cracked her G2's display and that threw me in a dilemma cos her old Samsung Galaxy core has taken so much abuse and is still in one piece.
She doesn't want a Moto cos I had power key issues with my Moto E1.
So it must be either the G2 / G3 or the J5!

[mukul32]

Originally Posted by Oxy

I wonder why are you hell bent on spending so much.

It's your first smartphone. If you are not very particular about Android, get a Lumia 730. It fulfills all the requirements that you have listed and costs a third of the latest Nexus.

That's a rather good way to quietly promote Windows Phone. I'm no Lumia hater, but tell me, if one were to suggest a budget phone, why a Lumia 730? The Moto G 2015 costs exactly the same, and gets a better processor, camera, water resistance, far better battery life and better feel in the hand too. Android Lollipop (and soon Marshmallow) is a far more beautiful and intuituve experience than the solid but barebones WP. And let's not get to apps. And the Moto is a much newer device too. Why not suggest that then?

And all Lumia fans may start hitting me back with the performance excuse, but honestly, that Windows phone doesn't lag at all is a myth. They sure don't stutter like budget Samsung's do, but loading heavy apps and websites and media takes its own time. Similarly, that Android lags, is also a myth. Only Samsung's lag. If someone doesn't know anything of Android except Samsung, he doesn't know anything of Android at all. No stock Android phone of a branded make having good quality hardware lags these days. But unfortunately, Windows Phone fans won't ever know what 'these days' means. They are still experiencing the past.

And that "Windows app situation is getting better" is like saying "Skoda's service is getting better". It may be getting 'better', but will take a long long time to become GOOD. And remember, there's no TBHP app for Windows Phone either.
In all, don't see a single reason to buy any Lumia at the moment at least.

And thirty grand for a Moto X style isn't too much for the top-of-the line experience that it offers. (The Nexus 6P does seem overpriced for what it offers above the midrange flagships though.) But in the end, instead of settling for compromises in a budget device that one might not have expected, it's better to get a high end device if one is ready to spend enough.