[sajo]

Originally Posted by digitalnirvana

@sajo if you are conversant with android adb commands, try installing a custom recovery and loading the rom image from there. But if the bootloader is corrupt, then unfortunately jtag or motherboard fix would be required. Please check this for starters http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=3122492

I tried ADB , and is not being detected by my PC. None of the fastboot commands work either. I have got generic Google USB drivers. Will check if Moto specific drivers help.

[digitalnirvana]

Originally Posted by sajo

I tried ADB , and is not being detected by my PC. None of the fastboot commands work either. I have got generic Google USB drivers. Will check if Moto specific drivers help.

Generic drivers should work but use the oem cable. Does it boot into recovery? Am afraid your bootloader might be corrupt and jtag could be required

[sajo]

Originally Posted by digitalnirvana

Generic drivers should work but use the oem cable. Does it boot into recovery? Am afraid your bootloader might be corrupt and jtag could be required

No, does not boot into recovery.
Upon normal powerup , the usual Moto bootup animation works fine, after which I get a lit black screen. And it stays that way until the battery totally runs out.

[digitalnirvana]

Originally Posted by sajo

No, does not boot into recovery.
Upon normal powerup , the usual Moto bootup animation works fine, after which I get a lit black screen. And it stays that way until the battery totally runs out.

The bootloader is probably corrupt, is the bootloader unlocked (as in do you see a modified flag in the fastboot menu) - if so you might still have a chance of pushing a new image, but unlikely. Taking it to a service centre will probably mean replacement of the motherboard. A jtag repair would be cheaper if you know of a shop who do it properly, else take it to the service centre

[texmonster]

Originally Posted by mukul32

Guys, I have both of you covered. And let me get straight to it- I would say the Moto G4+ it is. I have been using the G4+ for the last month or so now, and it has been an absolutely wonderful experience.

Hi mukul32,
I am searching for a mobile to replace my Wifey's Asus Zenfone 5. That phone has following problems:

• Average camera
• Poor Battery backup
• Very low sound from inbuilt speaker.

The new phone must be without these problems. How is Moto G4 plus with respect to the above? Also, the phone must not heat during voice calls (Calls run over 30 mins sometimes). She prefers 5" phones. Some 5" phones in consideration are HTC 628, Oppo F1, Oneplus X, Xperia M4 Aqua and Honor 6. Main requirements are a good camera to capture pictures of my toddler, good battery backup and loud inbuilt speakers.

Will buy Moto G4 Plus inspite of its 5.5" size based on your feedback.

[sgiitk]

All this talk about screen size. I still remember the old Motorola advt where the mobile was hidden in the palm. The lady is making a call, and the chap on the next table thinks she is talking to him!

[Thad E Ginathom]

And I remember a cartoon joke about a guy who is boasting about what his huge mobile phone can do. In the next frame, we see the big truck-type batteries he has to carry around to power it! They used to be called carphones because people didn't have pockets that big.

Originally Posted by sajo

No, does not boot into recovery.
Upon normal powerup , the usual Moto bootup animation works fine, after which I get a lit black screen. And it stays that way until the battery totally runs out.

There is a tool called RSD Lite, which I've heard of, but never seen as I don't have any Windows machine. It is for flashing Motorola roms. With a locked-boot-loader device, I don't know if it can be used to flash a stock image to save a bricked phone. XDA would probably be the place to find out.

[adimicra]

Originally Posted by sajo

I tried ADB , and is not being detected by my PC. None of the fastboot commands work either. I have got generic Google USB drivers. Will check if Moto specific drivers help.

Try the Moto drivers.
I was able to restore my Moto X which was bricked while installing a custom ROM.

If it is detected by adb and you have the original recovery, then you can definitely recover it.

Originally Posted by texmonster

Hi mukul32,
I am searching for a mobile to replace my Wifey's Asus Zenfone 5. That phone has following problems:

• Average camera
• Poor Battery backup
• Very low sound from inbuilt speaker.

The new phone must be without these problems. How is Moto G4 plus with respect to the above? Also, the phone must not heat during voice calls (Calls run over 30 mins sometimes). She prefers 5" phones. Some 5" phones in consideration are HTC 628, Oppo F1, Oneplus X, Xperia M4 Aqua and Honor 6. Main requirements are a good camera to capture pictures of my toddler, good battery backup and loud inbuilt speakers.

Will buy Moto G4 Plus inspite of its 5.5" size based on your feedback.

While Moto G4+ is a great phone, it is pretty big even by 5.5" standards. In my hand it felt bigger than other 5.5" phone like Leco 1s. Also, it doesn't have a compass which might or might not be an issue depending upon usage.

You can wait for the Honor 5C which will be launched on June 22.
It has a Kirin 650 chipset which is much better than the one on the Moto G4+ 617 chipset (comparable to the Qualcomm 652 Soc),metal body, 5.2" screen and all the normal bells and whistles. It will have 2 configurations I think - 2Gb/16Gb and 3GB/32GB and should be priced under 15K.

[sajo]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

There is a tool called RSD Lite, which I've heard of, but never seen as I don't have any Windows machine. It is for flashing Motorola roms.

I unlocked the bootloader, and using fastboot(RSDLite wont detect my device either) , tried to flash the stock 4.4.4 Android ROM. Bootup animation works fine , unfortunately I am still met by a blank screen.

[mukul32]

Originally Posted by adimicra

You can wait for the Honor 5C which will be launched on June 22.
It has a Kirin 650 chipset which is much better than the one on the Moto G4+ 617 chipset (comparable to the Qualcomm 652 Soc),metal body, 5.2" screen and all the normal bells and whistles. It will have 2 configurations I think - 2Gb/16Gb and 3GB/32GB and should be priced under 15K.

Such phones are good for the casual users who care more about the build material, looks, in hand feel, 'features' etc of a phone than anything else. Having pretty strong hardware they tend to offer good performance too. But that's where the positives end.
For the more enthusiastic kind of users or purists, proprietary chipsets and Chinese user interfaces are absolute no-nos. That automatically stands for an iOS copy in the software, a poor Android experience, poor interface design, gimmicky features, slow or no updates and nonexistent custom support. Also, in some cases inconsistent performance despite good hardware, bugs, compatibility issues, etc etc.
Since both guys are ex-Moto users and well familiar with the rooting world, they fit into the latter category and not the former. Hence I suggested the G4+. Otherwise even the Redmi Note 3 makes a great case for itself. But it simply isn't a device for the enthusiast. Much like recommending a Hyundai to a Jeeper. He will always prefer the transfer box and 4x4 to climate control and touchscreens.

Originally Posted by texmonster

Hi mukul32,
I am searching for a mobile to replace my Wifey's Asus Zenfone 5. That phone has following problems:

• Average camera
• Poor Battery backup
• Very low sound from inbuilt speaker.

The new phone must be without these problems. How is Moto G4 plus with respect to the above? Also, the phone must not heat during voice calls (Calls run over 30 mins sometimes). She prefers 5" phones. Main requirements are a good camera to capture pictures of my toddler, good battery backup and loud inbuilt speakers.
Will buy Moto G4 Plus inspite of its 5.5" size based on your feedback.

Since you mentioned camera, I guess it has to be the G4+. It simply has the best pair of cameras in its class. Otherwise, even RedMi Note 3 would have been a good choice with a huge battery and a pretty metal body (especially in gold).
The G4+ also has a pretty loud and decently crisp front facing speaker. Now I don't make a lot of calls, and in the month or so of this phone I don't remember making a call longer than 2-3 minutes (messaging apps just do the job most of the time) and it hasn't felt unusually hot at all. With long calls, it may perhaps heat a little, but I feel not uncomfortably so.
But my feedback is based on my own usage. For extensive feedback regarding real life usage, call quality, network etc I'd suggest you better check out GeekyRanjit's YouTube reviews on the device. (The full final review is the one that is called 'review with pros and cons'). He tests devices a lot over calls, basic usage and even stuff like 4G networks and navigation which I simply don't use and can't comment about. He is simple and produces honest reviews, rather than fancy camera angles and audio effects.
That said, I do feel his feedback on the heating issue has overall been a bit exaggerated. I never felt a reason to complain as much as he does about just that one issue. Perhaps it is due to preproduction software on the review unit.
Even in the C4ETech speed test comparisons, their device takes way too long to open simple apps like YouTube, Twitter, GMail, etc which I've personally checked mine definitely does quicker.

As for the form factor and size, I was myself apprehensive about a device bigger than something like a Galaxy Grand. But I've been quite happy with how light it feels. It isn't small as such, but feels great to use and handle. I've slapped on a case to further improve grip, and I'll attach a link to that one when I open BHP on PC the next time. In fact I typed all of this with one hand on my G4+ and it doesn't feel uncomfortable to hold for a long while at all. And for your wife it'll be even better as ladies often keep their phones in their purse/bag, unlike our shirt/short pockets. Because this phone has been a tight fit in the rather small pockets of my shorts.
Apart fom that all perfect. No problems at all.
Hope it helps!

[adimicra]

Originally Posted by mukul32

Such phones are good for the casual users who care more about the build material, looks, in hand feel, 'features' etc of a phone than anything else. Having pretty strong hardware they tend to offer good performance too. But that's where the positives end.
For the more enthusiastic kind of users or purists, proprietary chipsets and Chinese user interfaces are absolute no-nos. That automatically stands for an iOS copy in the software, a poor Android experience, poor interface design, gimmicky features, slow or no updates and nonexistent custom support. Also, in some cases inconsistent performance despite good hardware, bugs, compatibility issues, etc etc.
Since both guys are ex-Moto users and well familiar with the rooting world, they fit into the latter category and not the former. Hence I suggested the G4+. Otherwise even the Redmi Note 3 makes a great case for itself. But it simply isn't a device for the enthusiast. Much like recommending a Hyundai to a Jeeper. He will always prefer the transfer box and 4x4 to climate control and touchscreens.

WOW.. I just gave him another option. No need to get worked up . So, relax!

You don't like Chinese phones. Good, but fact is brands like Xiaomi and Huawei are no longer the small players. They make kickass phones with awesome build quality and great specs and there are people who love the user experience as well.
By the way, did you care to read about the Kirin 650 chipset? It's way more advanced than Snapdragon 617 and comparable to Snapdragon 652.
And you are free to suggest anything else. Redmi Note is a good option but the requirement was of a smaller phone preferably 5"

I did not know that the person who posted the query above ever mentioned that he is averse to Chinese phones. I see that he in fact shortlisted a Chinese phone (Honor 6).So, how did you assume all of the above?

Now, I had the pleasure to use the G4+ for some time and I did not like it at all. The specs might be decent for the price but what about the Motorola build quality. It felt cheap to me. And Motorola didn't even put a basic compass in the phone and the trademark opleohobc coating is also no longer there. By the way, who owns Motorla? Lenovo. Again, a Chinese company

By the way, I am having the original Moto X for the last couple of years and planning to buy a new one soon.

[petrolhead_neel]

Originally Posted by mukul32

Guys, I have both of you covered. And let me get straight to it- I would say the Moto G4+ it is. I have been using the G4+ for the last month or so now, and it has been an absolutely wonderful experience.

Thank you again for your help bro. Appreciate it.

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Dear Neel,
Mukul32 has answered your question very well. Moto G4 + will be a very good choice. Buy it and you will get stable ROMs a few months later.

Thanks a ton for helping me out here!

This is what is scaring me...

Also, how strong a case does the OPO make given that there might be discounts in the coming days/months?

Neel

[landcruiser123]

Originally Posted by petrolhead_neel

Also, how strong a case does the OPO make given that there might be discounts in the coming days/months?

Neel

Think it's the best phone with respect to custom roms. Go for it.

[mukul32]

Originally Posted by adimicra

WOW.. I just gave him another option. No need to get worked up . So, relax!

Well, that was an issue, really sorry! I wasn't able to see which post you quoted. It didn't load properly in the app over my snail speed 2G network. I thought you were suggesting that phone to the previous query by Neel and Sajo, who are evidently power users. And the dots didn't connect so well in that case. You may see where I was coming from then.
And I didn't intend to get worked up at all. Sorry again if it appears like that.

You don't like Chinese phones. Good, but fact is brands like Xiaomi and Huawei are no longer the small players. They make kickass phones with awesome build quality and great specs and there are people who love the user experience as well.

I never argued with that. But the 'kickass' is usually just limited to the build, feel in hand and the specs. (But honestly, that's what sells phones in most cases over real life performance and user experience). The performance doesn't always match up to the specs. The Mi5 and the international S7 for example both come with a Snapdragon 820. See which one performs better and by how far.
And Xiaomi and Huawei are big volume players no doubt, but majorly in cost-sensitive developing markets, mainly China. Xiaomi is the topper there, IIRC. They are still struggling big time in the USA or other developed markets where the buyer is generally more demanding and aware. They can't play the specs/price game there. Huawei signed the Nexus deal last year primarily to find traction in developed markets. At least the 6P showed that they have serious potential if used well like Google did.

By the way, did you care to read about the Kirin 650 chipset? It's way more advanced than Snapdragon 617 and comparable to Snapdragon 652.

Way more advanced? Comparable to 652? How? Well, both run on ARM architecture, and both contain two clusters of four Cortex A53 cores each. But while the Snapdragon 617 is clocked at 1.5 and 1.2 GHz for the two quad cores, Huawei has clocked their own Hisilicon Kirin 650 slightly higher, at 1.7 GHz. Qualcomm probably underclocked the processor to improve battery and thermal efficiency. Last year's Snapdragon 615 also used the same A53 cores at 1.7 GHz and that one was notorious for its heating issues. In the 617, Qualcomm has been able to reduce the heating considerably from the 615.

Now, the Snapdragon 650 replaces four of the A53 cores by two more powerful A72 cores. That's where the performance boost in phones like Redmi Note 3 comes from. The A72 couple alone makes the 650 consistently perform better than the A53 based octa-cores. However the 617 still is more battery efficient.
The 652 on the other hand, which is even more powerful, doubles the A72 cores from the 650 to four of them. So that one would perform even better than the 650, and noticeably so.

Again, where the Qualcomm processors are better is optimization and efficiency. That's why Qualcomm chipsets are also a little costlier than equivalent Mediatek or Huawei counterparts. The Chinese OEM's look to save costs there. But devices above a certain price range (say 20k) almost exclusively use Qualcomm processors no matter what make. Samsung still make their own high-end processors too, for developing markets.
The Qualcomm processors also have their own Adreno series GPU's which are much better than the ARM Mali series used in the Kirin processors, which are same GPU's that Mediatek use too.

And you are free to suggest anything else. Redmi Note is a good option but the requirement was of a smaller phone preferably 5"

This sentence made me realize something is wrong and open the post up again, on the PC website. Now I hope its clear how I got confused. I did mention the Redmi Note 3, which is a great performer, but the camera is its weak point.

Now, I had the pleasure to use the G4+ for some time and I did not like it at all. The specs might be decent for the price but what about the Motorola build quality. It felt cheap to me. And Motorola didn't even put a basic compass in the phone and the trademark opleohobc coating is also no longer there.

I agree, the G4+ doesn't feel 'premium' as such, and it does feel a bit plasticky, but that's not to say it feels cheap. The build quality is top notch. I dropped my phone on the bezel once, and absolutely nothing happened. Cheap is what Samsung budget phones from a year or two ago felt. Even the Nexus 5X feels really plasticky and not at all premium. But LG have screwed it together so well that it still feels solid and nice to hold.
The compass sensor is the only gripe that I have with the phone. But it surprisingly still comes with a gyro sensor which many phones at that price point (including the Honor and Moto X Play) don't. The oleophobic coating and a 'splash resistant' nano-coating are both still there on the G4+.

By the way, who owns Motorla? Lenovo. Again, a Chinese company

That's the financial and management part, not technical. But yet, it only proves my point. Would they buy Motorola if they would have been able to match Motorola's quality and standards on their own?

Also, how strong a case does the OPO make given that there might be discounts in the coming days/months?

Neel

Well, this one is tricky. It has had unreal support for two full years, and it would most likely continue for a good while, but the OPO would stop selling now. It is two generations old. It has its share of positives, but IMO at an extra cost over the G4+ it probably isn't worth it in 2016. If you get the OPO, you won't be able to rely on official software support at all. Effectively flash it out of the box. It won't get CyanogenOS or OxygenOS updates after M. And Oxygen is a bit lame TBH. That's where the Moto holds an advantage. It comes with official M (with all Google apps, no Moto or AOSP stuff, not even messaging or gallery app, has Google Messenger for texts and Photos for the gallery) preloaded, and has official N and O updates confirmed already, which would naturally be fully stable. So you can stay unrooted till warrnaty expires and still stay on latest stock Android with security updates.
Also, another thing is that the Moto comes with two critical hardware features the OP misses out on- fingerprint scanner and fast charging. And trust me, both are worth it. And both really work in the Moto. If you need the communication part and reliability of stable software from your phone, it has to be the Moto. I was myself seriously behind some sort of an OPO deal till the alternatives weren't much better, but the thought of staying on a custom ROM from day one, and the age of the phone made me pull out. The G4+ sealed the deal.

[phamilyman]

@Neel: The OPO's crap camera alone should be a reason to drop it IMHO. Agree with Mukul on fingerprint sensor and fast charging. No point buying a 10k phone without both.

For custom ROMs, the rule is to buy a snapdragon. They have the best support.

Mukul - you may hate Xiaomi, but their updates are quick, their phones are supremely featured and work perfectly out of the box (two months with RN3). I'm afraid, except for your evident love for stock android which lacks most of the MIUI customizations - RN3 is a compelling buy (except speakerphone / weight- the camera is not too bad either, definitely much better than OPO).

Out of the box I can do stuff like separate notification SMS from personal ones / mark all as read, call recording, per app permissions (GPS / contact / data usage / notification etc) - its fairly nice. Its so convenient I haven't rooted it - because most of the power user stuff is built in. Please don't diss MIUI without any details. It has its own problems (miniscule notification size, problematic to expand notifications) but those are iOS like - livable compromises