Phone Problems, Suggestions For Replacement

[Origin Saint]

Hi guys.

I've had my Motorola Moto X 2nd. Gen since something like December 2014. It's been a blast to use for the most part, my last phone (Motorola Droid Razr Maxx) was kicking the bucket hard performance wise when I upgraded, so this thing has been a miracle.

However, lately (6 months - 1 year), it's been causing me some annoying problems. The battery seems to have some kind of calibration issue or something, and the OS acts up on boot sometimes (recorded problem). Firstly, basically every time I reboot the phone, it boots into the "Optimizing Apps # of #" screen and then spend 15 min - 1 hour "optimizing" my apps with no difference when I get into the phone. Second, the battery is dying pretty damn quick these days (not sure why). Just today, I went from 100% at 6:30am to 60% by 10am, with maybe 15 minutes tops of screen time in there, and connected to Wi-Fi.

The phone tells me that the battery condition is "good", and the voltage reads 3.5-3.9 V usually. I have tried clearing the cache partition, to no avail. I have not tried factory resetting the device, which I might this weekend.

In short, I need some help dealing with this phone until December when Verizon loosens their grip on my wallet/throat, as well as some suggestions for an off-contract phone to bring to them when the time comes.

I have some ideas on new phones, and I'd like advice from those of you who have experience (@Geoff).
I require the following:

• Android OS v6+ (Marshmallow)
• 5" - 5.7" display with > 400 ppi
• 32GB internal storage, and preferably expandable storage capabilities
• Decent rear-camera
• < $600 unlocked at most

Here's the phones I'm primarily looking at: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5BrGRw0FQtbcHRjTHdZS2RMOUU

I'll list the ones I'm most interested in here for ease:

• Motorola Moto X Pure Edition (2015)
• Samsung Galaxy S6
• Samsung Galaxy S7

 

[Geoff]

The Moto and nexus devices are going to be refreshed in August-October, so I would consider waiting for those to be released. This is what I would recommend in order:

Galaxy S7
HTC 10 (if you find it for $599)
Galaxy Note 5
Nexus 6P
Galaxy S6 Edge Plus
LG G5

I'm hesitant getting phones over a year old, as they are often close to be end of lifed for software updates.

 

[Origin Saint]

The Moto and nexus devices are going to be refreshed in August-October, so I would consider waiting for those to be released.

Yeah, I remembered that soon after my post. I won't be getting anything new until Winter 2016 anyway, so I'll keep all plans tentative until then.

Galaxy S7

Where would I be able to buy this unlocked for the US? Is there an option? Amazon seems to only have the internationally sourced models, which sounds a bit sketch.

Nexus 6P

Forgot about this guy, looks like a nice phone for sure, I'll keep him in mind.

 

[Geoff]

Yeah, I remembered that soon after my post. I won't be getting anything new until Winter 2016 anyway, so I'll keep all plans tentative until then.


Where would I be able to buy this unlocked for the US? Is there an option? Amazon seems to only have the internationally sourced models, which sounds a bit sketch.


Forgot about this guy, looks like a nice phone for sure, I'll keep him in mind.

If you're waiting until winter, I'd look at the next Nexus, Moto X 2016 / Moto Z, S7 Edge HTC 10, or LG G5. I'd rule out the Note 5, S6, and 6P simply due to their age.

For the S7, I believe you can buy it from Samsung, but eBay also has lots of resellers of new S7 international models.

What carrier is this for? That also plays an important role.

 

[Origin Saint]

What carrier is this for? That also plays an important role.

Verizon, so I need CDMA radio type.

 

[beers]

Interesting, I have a Moto X Gen2 and don't see those similar issues, aside from maybe the battery reporting 5-10% on occasion and then simply powering off instantly.

 

[Origin Saint]

It's been acting so weird for a while now. I'm planning a factory reset ASAP to see if that helps. Are there any other steps you think could help? I don't want to be stuck with a phone that is inoperable for an hour after every reboot, dies quickly, and occasionally shuts itself off when it reads 20% for another 6 months

It honestly seems like:

1. Android needs refreshed (factory reset) because some apps or something screwed stuff up
2. Battery software needs to re-calibrate. It reads incorrectly a lot and acts odd.

 

[johnb35]

Do the reset first, give it a few days and then get back to us. I've seen a reset fix tons of issues but then again I've seen a reset cause another issue to arise.

 

[spirit]

As above, try a reset before you buy anything.

 

[Origin Saint]

As above, try a reset before you buy anything.

lel , I wasn't going to just keep using a messed up phone until December without trying anything, but thanks for the agreeance.

Do the reset first

Did the reset last night (used a recovery point from Google or whatever to restore my apps for simplicity (if it screws up again I might try a complete wipe). Seems to work really well since last night. Widgets stayed updated through the night, battery only went down from 100% to 65% between about 9pm and 6:45am. I'll definitely post back here with updates as I go, but so far so good.

 

[Darren]

Widgets stayed updated through the night, battery only went down from 100% to 65% between about 9pm and 6:45am.

Ouch. My G4 drops maybe 10% overnight when unplugged with WiFi and Data on. I'm an LG fan myself, mainly for removable battery as that's a requirement in my book for any phone.

 

[spirit]

battery only went down from 100% to 65% between about 9pm and 6:45am.

Not as bad as Windows 10 on my Lumia 930 then haha!

I can barely use the phone for 4 hours now without it needing to be charged!

 

[Origin Saint]

Ouch. My G4 drops maybe 10% overnight when unplugged with WiFi and Data on

I wish. Haven't had that since the Droid Razr Maxx. But since the recovery, it's getting twice the battery life, which is definitely an improvement.

I can barely use the phone for 4 hours now without it needing to be charged!

Thanks for making me feel better! That's pretty obscene battery life for a cell phone if you ask me.

 

[spirit]

Thanks for making me feel better! That's pretty obscene battery life for a cell phone if you ask me.

Yup! I'm waiting for an update to fix this shocking battery drain issue with Windows 10. On Windows Phone 8.1 the 930 lasted for days and days.

 

[Origin Saint]

If you're waiting until winter, I'd look at the next Nexus, Moto X 2016 / Moto Z, S7 Edge HTC 10, or LG G5.

Motorola Moto Z editions & Moto Mods announced yesterday

I think I've settled. I have a real soft-spot for Motorola devices and these things look like gold, especially the Force edition with a 3500 mAh battery . That's huge, not to mention the possibility of a battery-pack Moto Mod extension. The specs look impressive:

• 2.2GHz quad-core
• 4GB RAM
• 32/64GB internal storage + microSD storage
• 3500mAh battery
• 5.5", 535ppi display
• 21 MP rear camera w/ 1080p 60fps video recording
• USB-C connection is only one present, comes with adapter for headphones
• Comes with Marshmallow 6.0.1

It's a Verizon exclusive until Fall, then the unlocked version is released along with availability at other carriers. Honestly, I might end up with another contract phone, but I haven't decided, given I haven't seen a price tag anywhere (a little disconcerting).

Maybe we should have a new phone discussion thread or something of the like? Just a suggestion!

 

[Intel_man]

Expect that Moto to cost around the same as the LG G5 or the Samsung S7.

 

[Geoff]

The new Moto Z is awful. Wait for the Nexus line to be refreshed IMO.

 

[Origin Saint]

The new Moto Z is awful.

May I ask why you say that? It looks perfectly fine to me, that's why I'm curious.

 

[Geoff]

May I ask why you say that? It looks perfectly fine to me, that's why I'm curious.

Such a disappointment of a phone. I shouldn't say it's awful, but it's no where near as good as the Moto X has been in the past. Lenovo is driving Moto into the ground.

 

[Origin Saint]

I mean, as a flagship, it's specs are pretty decent, I think. The processor is a split Quad-Core architecture (nothing extravagant by any means with hexa-cores being fairly common). The RAM is substantial. No more 16GB option, and the added ability of microSD storage. A 5.5" display with 535ppi, not stunning, but not too underwhelming imo. Huge battery size, so theoretically pretty decent battery life. Ditching the 3.5mm for a USB-C is a fair move in my book. Camera looks pretty good. Aperture is a tad on the small tide, but everything sounds quality. The optional Moto Mods look like a bit of a gimmick, but extra battery life can't hurt, and the option to change the backplate designs on the fly is a bit neat.

Really the only thing I see that this phone doesn't have going for it as a flagship status device would be more processing cores, and dropping Moto ShatterShield and going back to Gorilla Glass. Maybe stereo speakers if I'm nitpicking.

Having bought the Moto X 2nd. Gen pretty soon after release (~3-4 months) I've never noticed anything groundbreaking about it either other than the semi-custom backplate designs.

I'm honestly not looking to argue or start a war of any sort , but if you get the time, would you mind elaborating on what underwhelms you so much about the Z, I'm genuinely looking for some good insight.