Moto Z vs Nexus 6p? - Moto Z Questions & Answers

Hey All! Looking to get some feedback from the community. I have the Nexus 6p and I have an opportunity to swap it out for a gently used Moto Z. Should I do it, and why?
I've owned the Moto X Pure, and the prior two models of the Moto X, so I'm familiar with Moto's features, which are pretty cool. I just don't know if I'd be making a wise trade. I don't do a whole lot of gaming, but I do use it heavily for work/multitasking. I don't know that I would take full advantage of all the Mods, though. I'm also on Verizon, if that matters.
I'm not unhappy with the Nexus 6p at all, it's a fantastic phone. Just wondering if the Moto Z is worth the change?
Any insight you could provide would be most helpful. Thanks!

I came from the same boat. Current NEXUS 6P thinking about Moto Z. I did the jump. Here's my list of + (pros) and - (cons)
+ I like the design of the Z over the 6P. It just looks/feels a lot nicer.
+ Moto mods are pretty cool. I got the battery one and adore it. The phone is so thin, that having the battery mod on it does not make it really huge.
+ I personally like the 820 over the 810. The phone really does not lag that much or get hot.
+ Reception is a lot better. I notice clearer calls and better data in doors. Then again, I'm on T-Mobile, so I'm not sure what your mileage will be on vzw.
+ Having the microSD card back is nice.
+ My unlocked Moto Z came with two years of full resolution uploads to Google Photo. Not sure about the DROID one.
- I miss the NEXUS perks. Outside of not getting updates pretty quick, you lose a lot of apps. Like, the phone dialer and contacts are from AOSP and not the same as what you get on the NEXUS. So, I lost the ability to have a spam list and search for companies in the dialer. You also don't get the auto VPN on public WiFi.
+/- The camera is OKAY at best. The Moto camera app comes with manual controls, but quality I would say is not as consistent as the 6P. You can side load the Google Camera, which I did so that I could use photo spear. But overall, I'd say this is more of a eh. The flash on the front is pretty cool.
If you have any other questions, let me know.

Thanks a ton, tjk! That's what I was looking for.

DerrtyJones said:
Thanks a ton, tjk! That's what I was looking for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, go for Z... dialer & Contacts are the main "miss" and... you can install them (in Nougat version...) from simple apk you can find on this forum section...

I did the same. Twice actually.
The things that made me switch back from the Moto to the Nexus was:
- Bigger chin on Moto
- Finger print sensor on the front
- Front facing speakers on Nexus
- Nougat
- Camera is pretty janky in low light on the Moto. Not so on the Nexus
I then upgraded from the Nexus to the Pixel which I hated because of the lazy and cheap design so I moved to the Moto predominantly for the look and feel.
I would actually say the Nexus is smoother than the Moto even with the older Snapdragon. But it does get hotter. The Moto is far better from a design perspective too; with a wooden snap-on back it feels great too.
I wasn't that fussed about Moto Mods but I've bought the battery and I still feel it's a bit meh. Hopefully in the future we'll see better implementation. The Incipio car kit looks great for example.
Overall I would take the Moto over the Nexus OR the Pixel. There are lots of secondary bonuses like the Moto Display, Moto Moves and stuff too.

You can't even compare Moto with a Chinese company in terms of anything. The only thing in which 6P beats Moto Z is the software support from Google. Apart from that, the build is solid, camera is good, I've compared the camera with Nexus 5X and it's the same one on 6P and my moto camera was a lot better than the 5X. And of course the speaker is not as good as the Moto X pure's stereo speakers but it's one of the loudest speakers I've ever heard. You should check these videos imo.

Related

LG G3 vs Moto X and somewhat vs Galaxy S5

Decided to pick up an LG G3 on Thursday... So far, I am mostly pleased. Here's a review/comparison...in random order:
The display is nice and large, but doesn't feel like a bulky 5.5" in my hand. Easier to hold than my Galaxy S5, believe it or not...I definitely don't think about it as much, probably because of the thinner bezel and body.
While it is high quality, I wouldn't say the display is most amazing screen on the planet - considering the impressive specs on paper. You'll just have to see it. On several occasions, I've noticed that text looks fuzzy/washed out on white backgrounds. But I think now that it's actually an issue with certain apps not being able to produce high enough resolution - not the display's fault.
It does very well in bright sunlight, and seems to have the most reactive light sensor compared to the Galaxy S5 or the Moto X.
Removable battery and wireless charging back (coming soon) are handy conveniences. It also has an IR blaster, which I really missed from the Galaxy S5. Believe it or not, I actually use it very regularly.
I picked up a 32gb MicroSD... The phone can handle up to a 128gb...'nuff said
Photo quality is definitely above average. Night and day compared to the Moto X - even with the most recent Moto X firmware updates. I'd say the G3 is on par with older iPhones; which has always been the one to beat. Stunning? No, but closer than most any Android phone I've owned. Better than the Galaxy S5... The laser focus feature is somewhat noticeable, though I'd say it helps the camera act more like my expectations than being a substantial bonus.
LG has made quite a few tweaks to 4.4.2. Most all are complimentary, and freshen up the interface in a better way than most. Like many though, I was very surprised to find the stock launcher a bit slow and stuttering - especially considering that the phone is quad core with 3gb of ram. I suspect they'll update things in a revision soon... Overall, the phone is snappy. And other than the stock launcher itself, everything else performs very well/fast. I really don't perceive anything negatively as "bloat".
I dearly miss the breathing Moto X notifications. LG does make up for it to some degree by offering the knock-to-power-on convenience. If you aren't familiar, you can simply double tap the screen to turn it on...no buttons to fumble for and press. So this helps to check things very quickly. The notification light on the front also compliments...
The stock keyboard is zippy and performs as well as the Google one. I like that you can change the color scheme and some of the button format, as well as the fact that it has a number bar at the top all the time.
I've been able to root the phone, which has helped to satisfy some of my hacking nature. I quickly got a bit burned out with custom roms on the Moto X - partly because things tend to glitch more than I wanted, and surprisingly because the Moto X actually has a very limited development community...even for my Developer Edition model.
I'm slightly concerned that LG has not announced any support for Android L yet.
Battery life is on par with the Moto X and Galaxy S5...probably because it's powering such a large screen.
Physical build quality is great. And I have quickly embraced LG's genius of placing all the buttons on the rear of the phone. They're very convenient, and you can even program long-press actions (with a hack) to quickly launch the camera or an app from screen off. And again, the knock-to-power-on is by far my favorite. While the Galaxy S5 uses higher quality materials, I definitely find the G3 more attractive and convenient.
I also like that the headphone jack is on the bottom of the phone.
The Moto X speaker blows away the G3. The G3 is on par with the Galaxy S5...somewhat quiet and boring. This affects music and the speakerphone negatively. Call quality on the G3 is disappointing with the earpiece as well (non-speakerphone call)...tinny and dull. Too often I find that I have a noticeably harder time hearing people than on the S5 or Moto X.
Overall, I am pleased. Tradeoffs outweigh disadvantages, and I love that I didn't have to install a ton of add-on apps to improve functionality and remove bloat. If I could unlock the bootloader, increase battery life about 3 hours, and improve the speaker/earpiece quality, it would just about be a perfect phone...
I have a moto x and am really struggling on whether or no to get the g3 or wait for the moto x+1. The g3 is only 100 now but I'm sure that price will be offered again with the iPhone coming soon.
I really like the moto x; size, features, battery life.
I guess my main concern is the size. I remember when the note 3 came out I said I'd never get a phone that big and the g3 is pretty much the same size haha
hijax2001 said:
Decided to pick up an LG G3 on Thursday... So far, I am mostly pleased. Here's a review/comparison...in random order:
The display is nice and large, but doesn't feel like a bulky 5.5" in my hand. Easier to hold than my Galaxy S5, believe it or not...I definitely don't think about it as much, probably because of the thinner bezel and body.
While it is high quality, I wouldn't say the display is most amazing screen on the planet - considering the impressive specs on paper. You'll just have to see it. On several occasions, I've noticed that text looks fuzzy/washed out on white backgrounds. But I think now that it's actually an issue with certain apps not being able to produce high enough resolution - not the display's fault.
It does very well in bright sunlight, and seems to have the most reactive light sensor compared to the Galaxy S5 or the Moto X.
Removable battery and wireless charging back (coming soon) are handy conveniences. It also has an IR blaster, which I really missed from the Galaxy S5. Believe it or not, I actually use it very regularly.
I picked up a 32gb MicroSD... The phone can handle up to a 128gb...'nuff said
Photo quality is definitely above average. Night and day compared to the Moto X - even with the most recent Moto X firmware updates. I'd say the G3 is on par with older iPhones; which has always been the one to beat. Stunning? No, but closer than most any Android phone I've owned. Better than the Galaxy S5... The laser focus feature is somewhat noticeable, though I'd say it helps the camera act more like my expectations than being a substantial bonus.
LG has made quite a few tweaks to 4.4.2. Most all are complimentary, and freshen up the interface in a better way than most. Like many though, I was very surprised to find the stock launcher a bit slow and stuttering - especially considering that the phone is quad core with 3gb of ram. I suspect they'll update things in a revision soon... Overall, the phone is snappy. And other than the stock launcher itself, everything else performs very well/fast. I really don't perceive anything negatively as "bloat".
I dearly miss the breathing Moto X notifications. LG does make up for it to some degree by offering the knock-to-power-on convenience. If you aren't familiar, you can simply double tap the screen to turn it on...no buttons to fumble for and press. So this helps to check things very quickly. The notification light on the front also compliments...
The stock keyboard is zippy and performs as well as the Google one. I like that you can change the color scheme and some of the button format, as well as the fact that it has a number bar at the top all the time.
I've been able to root the phone, which has helped to satisfy some of my hacking nature. I quickly got a bit burned out with custom roms on the Moto X - partly because things tend to glitch more than I wanted, and surprisingly because the Moto X actually has a very limited development community...even for my Developer Edition model.
I'm slightly concerned that LG has not announced any support for Android L yet.
Battery life is on par with the Moto X and Galaxy S5...probably because it's powering such a large screen.
Physical build quality is great. And I have quickly embraced LG's genius of placing all the buttons on the rear of the phone. They're very convenient, and you can even program long-press actions (with a hack) to quickly launch the camera or an app from screen off. And again, the knock-to-power-on is by far my favorite. While the Galaxy S5 uses higher quality materials, I definitely find the G3 more attractive and convenient.
I also like that the headphone jack is on the bottom of the phone.
The Moto X speaker blows away the G3. The G3 is on par with the Galaxy S5...somewhat quiet and boring. This affects music and the speakerphone negatively. Call quality on the G3 is disappointing with the earpiece as well (non-speakerphone call)...tinny and dull. Too often I find that I have a noticeably harder time hearing people than on the S5 or Moto X.
Overall, I am pleased. Tradeoffs outweigh disadvantages, and I love that I didn't have to install a ton of add-on apps to improve functionality and remove bloat. If I could unlock the bootloader, increase battery life about 3 hours, and improve the speaker/earpiece quality, it would just about be a perfect phone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree the LG UI is laggy/stuttering. Some people say they don't see it..must be magic phones.
I am confused as to why you said you missed the IR blaster on the S5? Maybe it was a mis-type, but it has an IR blaster. I agree with a lot of what you said, but I find the G3 to have worse battery life than the S5, also less polish. I miss little things (lock screen text preview vs "New Message", Native flashlight, call reject, facebook calendar sync, etc) I sold mine, but I'm actively trying to work out a deal to trade my G3 for another S5.
The headset 'loudness" on the g3 is on par with the G2 IMO, which is pretty lack luster. The M8 was the best (obviously).
For me the G3 is amazing. The only time I get any lag is when I first unlock the phone. It takes a little bit of time for the on screen buttons to come up and if I try to swipe down the notifications it stutters. But after that it is like butter. I have grown tired of Samsung. I had the S4, it was a good phone, but I am over Samsung, I needed a change and this is a change in the right direction.
Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk
I still haven't seen any lag on mine. I must have a magic one, lol!
Best phone I have had imo, granted it is not head and shoulders. I loved my g flex for entertainment purposes, but in the end was to big for my new job.
Parents are rocking that and now I am on this, it's a beautiful phone!
Also it's smaller than the Note series. I had a n2 and n3 for a short while and this I can use one handed. The other two, no way!
Rippley05 said:
I agree the LG UI is laggy/stuttering. Some people say they don't see it..must be magic phones.
I am confused as to why you said you missed the IR blaster on the S5? Maybe it was a mis-type, but it has an IR blaster. I agree with a lot of what you said, but I find the G3 to have worse battery life than the S5, also less polish. I miss little things (lock screen text preview vs "New Message", Native flashlight, call reject, facebook calendar sync, etc) I sold mine, but I'm actively trying to work out a deal to trade my G3 for another S5.
The headset 'loudness" on the g3 is on par with the G2 IMO, which is pretty lack luster. The M8 was the best (obviously).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not one bit of lag on mine, must be one of the magic ones that you speak of....
thegrants82 said:
Not one bit of lag on mine, must be one of the magic ones that you speak of....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea..,suuuure. No lag, at all. Ok
Rippley05 said:
Yea..,suuuure. No lag, at all. Ok
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This lag issue I think is very hard to gauge from user to user. What someone thinks is a perfectly fast phone could be considered a laggy phone for someone else.
I have my G3 almost completely Debloated. .I use Nova Launcher and have Animation scales at .5 and the only perceivable lag I see is sometimes going into Settings or Recents. It's definitely not anything major to me and could probably just be me nit-pickin lol
Hard to say though across the board for everyone since people have their phones set up so differently. Just my two cents my friend....
- Sent From My G3
Mistertac said:
This lag issue I think is very hard to gauge from user to user. What someone thinks is a perfectly fast phone could be considered a laggy phone for someone else.
I have my G3 almost completely Debloated. .I use Nova Launcher and have Animation scales at .5 and the only perceivable lag I see is sometimes going into Settings or Recents. It's definitely not anything major to me and could probably just be me nit-pickin lol
Hard to say though across the board for everyone since people have their phones set up so differently. Just my two cents my friend....
- Sent From My G3
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Click to collapse
This x100!
Some people just notice every little bit of everything. I am glad I am not one of those people as it would be hard to be content with anything.
It's ok guys. It started with me mentioning the lag that myself and several others experience. Then the fanboys follow me from thread to thread to remind me that they have "no lag". I'm ok with people not having the same experience , most people would just rather lie and argue about it than admit their beloved device isn't perfect.
I'm having a hard time deciding between my galaxy S5 and my LG G3. My experience is a little different from most because i'm coming from the other flagship:
S5:
-In my opinion the screen is MUCH better. colors, contrast, viewing angles and most importantly brightness. In sunlight the S5 is so much easier on the eyes than the G3
-daytime photography: overall nicer photos and more detail from shots with great lighting
-Slightly better battery life
-slightly better 4G connection
-Smoother UI
G3:
-noticeably bigger screen
-really good standby (screen off) battery life
-preferring the back buttons over side buttons as well as knock code
-night and low light photos: major improvement over S5
-video recording audio: clear vs distorted audio from S5
Rippley05 said:
I am confused as to why you said you missed the IR blaster on the S5? Maybe it was a mis-type, but it has an IR blaster.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The comparison was between the G3 and the MotoX (see the title of the thread.)
hijax2001 said:
It also has an IR blaster, which I really missed from the Galaxy S5. Believe it or not, I actually use it very regularly.
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Click to collapse
OP is saying that the IR blaster was used a lot when the S5 was owned. After moving on to the Moto X, the IR blaster from the S5 was really missed. BUT! YAY! G3 has an IR blaster!!! Back to being "that person" that changes the channels on the TVs at the bars again!
Hope this helps.
t1n0m3n said:
The comparison was between the G3 and the MotoX (see the title of the thread.)
OP is saying that the IR blaster was used a lot when the S5 was owned. After moving on to the Moto X, the IR blaster from the S5 was really missed. BUT! YAY! G3 has an IR blaster!!! Back to being "that person" that changes the channels on the TVs at the bars again!
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, I did see the title. He worded funky I guess.

G3 good enough to pull me away from '13 Moto X?

Currently have a Moto X Dev Edition, bought it back almost a year ago I believe. I like the phone but the camera sucks and the battery could be better. It's super slick and smooth, rarely have any issues with it except for Bluetooth from time to time. But I'm also already noticing a little bit of screen burn-in, and I'm not on my phone 24/7 either. I've always questioned Motorola's AMOLED screen quality, I had an S3 and S4 and those screens were great. Plus I miss having expandable memory so I don't have to stream all of my 20+ GB of music through Google Play Music...
Long story short, it's time to replace the X. I thought about the Turbo but the lack of voice/data usage, the marginally better camera, and reports of poor wifi reception are keeping me away, not to mention the brightness also is subpar. After having the S4 and all it's laggy problems, I said no more Samsung phones, but it seems the S5 is greatly improved. However I've always had my eye on the G3, seems like LG has stepped up their game. My choices right now are the S5, G3, the new Sony whateveritis, and possibly the Note 4 but that's pushing the size limit a little bit.
Thoughts?
I came from and occasionally go back to my Moto X Dev Edition. Everything about this phone is better except the software. The LG software isn't bad, but its not stock + Moto awesomeness. I'm still not sure if I'm going to keep it for that reason. I'm thinking hard about the 64gb Turbo.
I had an S3 and was going for the Turbo but seemed to be a few issues with it that killed it for me. One being zero development, screen warping/distortion and reception. So I switched to T-Mobile and bought the G3 there. It was unlocked out of the box with development going for it. I have always had an OMELED screen but the IPS on this G3 is aweome and never wish to go back. I really don't think the G3 is a bad device at all. I am very happy with it!
I had an S5 for about a week before I switched over to the G3. For the same price I got twice the internal memory, an extra gb of RAM, and a larger/better display. I like the G3 camera better as well, even though the pixel count is lower. Samsung pics were always a little noisy in indoor shots to me, the G3 is super crisp. Battery life is very good, although its much better if you debloat, root, and use a custom rom.
Also - Samsung has been locking their phones down more lately, but not so much with LG, so it looked like the G3 would end up having more development in the long run. Now with stump root and bump twrp we have unlocked bootloaders and are just waiting patiently for some ROMs. ROM choices are limited right now, but bootloader unlock only happened a month or two ago, so that's expected.
So, for me, I'm sticking with the G3 for a while because I think it has a lot of potential to get even better, but it all depends on what you're looking for really. Good luck.
I came from a 2013 moto x to the g3. Everything about the g3 is better, except for software. I'm still very happy though.
No experience with Moto X of any vintage, but came to G3 after S4 and Note3 (still have the S4 as backup phone). Never looked back. Even pre-BUMP, with just root / TiBu Freeze debloat / Nova Launcher = smooth and fast sailing here with outstanding battery management. Good build, great screen.
I would say considering the ability to modify, battery life, and specs,
nexus 6>note 4 dev edition>lg g3>droid maxx dev>droid turbo>moto X dev
Lol funny how I rated my two current phones (maxx and g3) as better than the turbo. But it's true, why get something I'll be unhappy with...
I came from a 2013 MotoX. Like others have said, the only thing you will really miss is the Moto software that worked amazingly. It outclassed the G3 in everyway. Other than that though, the screen, battery, and just about everything else is better. Did I mention the screen is better by the way? It really is amazing.
I upgraded my wife to the G3 from an iPhone. I upgraded my S3 to the Note 4. In all I must say that I was really impressed with the G3. It's a solid performer and the screen is superb. I don't have any experience with the Moto-X... but on paper, it's hard to beat the G3. It was only $99 on a 2 year contract. I wouldn't knock the lack of dev ROM's out there. Lollipop 5.0 is on it's way out now. If I wasn't getting the Note 4, I probably would have picked up the G3 over the S5.
iamq said:
I upgraded my wife to the G3 from an iPhone. I upgraded my S3 to the Note 4. In all I must say that I was really impressed with the G3. It's a solid performer and the screen is superb. I don't have any experience with the Moto-X... but on paper, it's hard to beat the G3. It was only $99 on a 2 year contract. I wouldn't knock the lack of dev ROM's out there. Lollipop 5.0 is on it's way out now. If I wasn't getting the Note 4, I probably would have picked up the G3 over the S5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you like the Note 4 over the G3? The N4 is also on my "consideration list".
I love my N4. It's a toss up. I prefer the button configuration and home button on the N4. The buttons on the back of the G3 are a little awkward to get used to. I like the G3 being 5.5" display and still having the size of an S5. The G3 has a nicer looking screen than the N4 to my eyes.
I have a fairly compact case on the N4, but it's tough to get it into the pocket compared to the G3 with its case. They both have their strong considerations. Neither one will disappoint. It would boil down to price and size comfort. I got the $200 Best Buy gift card with the N4 that made the difference. If it wasn't for that deal I would have bought the G3. I was impressed with what LG came out with.
Sent from my SM-T320 using Tapatalk
triton302 said:
Currently have a Moto X Dev Edition, bought it back almost a year ago I believe. I like the phone but the camera sucks and the battery could be better. It's super slick and smooth, rarely have any issues with it except for Bluetooth from time to time. But I'm also already noticing a little bit of screen burn-in, and I'm not on my phone 24/7 either. I've always questioned Motorola's AMOLED screen quality, I had an S3 and S4 and those screens were great. Plus I miss having expandable memory so I don't have to stream all of my 20+ GB of music through Google Play Music...
Long story short, it's time to replace the X. I thought about the Turbo but the lack of voice/data usage, the marginally better camera, and reports of poor wifi reception are keeping me away, not to mention the brightness also is subpar. After having the S4 and all it's laggy problems, I said no more Samsung phones, but it seems the S5 is greatly improved. However I've always had my eye on the G3, seems like LG has stepped up their game. My choices right now are the S5, G3, the new Sony whateveritis, and possibly the Note 4 but that's pushing the size limit a little bit.
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Best buy has some slick prices on the g3 some of them are 99 bucks with a $150 best buy gift card.
Sent from my Verizon LG G3 using Tapatalk
I've never used the Moto X, but from what I have read, it does have some really nice software/features like the driving mode, "OK Google", etc, etc, etc. That being said, I believe that is the only way the X outshines the G3. Hardware wise, the G3 beats the X - bigger and replaceable battery, SD card, better camera, larger screen.
The ONLY thing I don't like about my G3 is the fact that the speaker is on the back. I'd rather have the speaker on the front, but I totally understand and agree with LG on why they put it on the back - to make the bezels as small as possible. In doing so, they got the size of the 5.5" screen size G3 to be the same overall dimensions as other brands 5.2" screen size phones.
I was really intrigued by the always on "OK Google" feature of the X, but I actually bought an Android Wear device (a LG G watch - refurbished for $80) and now I have that same capabilities with the watch, so I don't miss that feature of the X.

Complaints/Praises so far?

I've had my phone for two days so far. After spending six months on a Galaxy S6 parts of me are very happy to be home with the Nexus line again.. mainly pure Android and the development sure to come. However, I've noticed two things so far with which I'm not terribly happy.
First, those bezels. Christ, there has to be damn near 1 1/2 inches of bezel on this phone. I thought phones were moving towards a smaller and smaller bezel these days. Apparently Google and Huawei didn't get the memo.
Second, no matter how much they tried to sell it, the camera is just not anywhere near the level of (at least) Samsung's. This camera doesn't even belong in the same sentence as the word Samsung. It doesn't have the ability to snap a clear shot of anything moving, even of my small dog walking. Any motion equals blurry pics. The camera is actually why I tried the S6. It's also why I loved it. Of course, I hated just about everything else on the S6 (even the international unlocked version I bought).
I guess we'll see whether the camera, which is the most important part of the phone for me (kids, animals) ends up being bad enough to seek another phone with a better one.
Your thoughts after using it for a few days?
Don't have mine yet. (Thanks huawei) but hopefully some Google updates can make this a better experience for you. I know the nexus 5 had some updates that improved the camera a bit.
Sent from my Nexus 7
Is this problem with moving subjects with hdr on?
Because if I'm not mistaken, Google camera has some cool but heavy post processing on photos taken with hdr+ and even the capture itself seems a bit slow at times.
This on my Nexus 5 and from what I've seen in videos it's the same pretty much with the 6p. It gives awesome results once you learn how to use it, I've taken some epic shots with my N5 and the camera is crappy.
Just don't use it for moving scenes.
I ended up writing too much xD
So, is this issue with regular hrd off shots also?
Yeah, definitely check HDR is off for motion. That and lots of light. Even with the bigger pixel size, these camera sensors are tiny and have no chance with motion in low light.
I'm actually curious about more opinions on this. I just listed my Note 5 because I had a Nexus 5 before and I want to go back to Nexus with the 6P. The camera doesn't matter that much to me because I use a DSLR for any pictures I actually care about. I'm sure it's still a massive improvement over the Nexus 5 camera I had for years, hah.
I had the s6 and note 5. I will agree that the note 5 is the better of the two, however it's not miles ahead of the 6p. If I graded them on a scale 1 to 100, the note 5 would be 95 and the nexus 6p would be an 90
Got one today. My impression is by far best nexus phone. Only thing i wish thr power button was more stiff its too light.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
2swizzle said:
I had the s6 and note 5. I will agree that the note 5 is the better of the two, however it's not miles ahead of the 6p. If I graded them on a scale 1 to 100, the note 5 would be 95 and the nexus 6p would be an 90
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Click to collapse
That's kind of how I feel. The Note 5 is very likely the best phone on the market right now, but it's still not a Nexus. And while I like the Exynos hardware, you're stuck with the lack of software. I feel like the screen is by far the best part of the Note though, so I was quite surprised to hear the same screen on the 6P or else I might have waited in the first place.
I'm in love with mine. Just arrived today. Screen is beautiful. Signal/radio is far superior to Samsung....even better than my Busted G3, and I haven't had service this good since I used HTC. Size is bigger than I would have liked. But I knew it was big going in. G3 was about my limit...and this is a tad larger. I'll get used to it. Love the bigger screen but it's just a tad to big for one hand all the time. Fingerprint sensor is flawless for me. Camera seems fine so far for me, but my complaint is the higher resolution photos are only 4:3, not 16:9. Battery life will take a few days to test. I thought I might have to root and rom because I hate the menu set up on my Nexus 7 (2013) but this is ok for me. No complaints.
BTW to the OP...the top and bottom bezels are for the speakers. No bottom speaker, than I would bet smaller bezel.
The Note 5 certainly does have the best hardware. As for the best phone that is subjective. The nexus P is certainly a great contender and at it's price point it is a superior device. No, it isn't the "best" in every category. Neither is the Note 5 or any device for that matter. All depends on what you're looking for. If you don't care about updates, development and the issues that plague samsung phones (memory management for one) then by all means get one. It is a solid device. One of the best out there.
What kept me from buying Samsung is development sucks for them, they lock down devices on the two best carriers in the USA and I'm tired of the Touchwiz bloat. Oh and its almost twice the price. If those were not true I'd gladly give Samsung my money again.
The Nexus P is a very well built device with a display that is very close to the Note 5, a very good camera, great battery life, excellent performance and you are guaranteed to have excellent development here and updates from Google.
Pick which one is more important to you.
I'm the same as the OP in the sense I came to the 6p after 6 frustrating months with the s6.
The screen, camera size and design of the s6 is pretty amazing. Excellent in all regards. But the software... Awful. Multitasking was impossible and touchwiz just annoyed me.
The 6p software is pure and fast. Excellent.
But I agree the camera and screen aren't in the same league as the s6 really.
AJerman said:
That's kind of how I feel. The Note 5 is very likely the best phone on the market right now, but it's still not a Nexus. And while I like the Exynos hardware, you're stuck with the lack of software. I feel like the screen is by far the best part of the Note though, so I was quite surprised to hear the same screen on the 6P or else I might have waited in the first place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
exactly, the note5 is a great phone however if you want stock, are sick of waiting for updates, AND are stuck with one that can't be rooted depending on your carrier you'll move to the 6p like i did.
If you guys got a good pair of headphones then you'll notice the quality of the stock tuning is amazing. Wow in impressed from stock. Not bad google not bad
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
Also coming from an S6..
The S6 screen, form factor and stock e-mail app (Exchange still sucks on Gmail) are the only things I'll miss (Maybe the Camera but I really haven't used the 6P Camera much to make that judgement).
The positives though outweigh the negatives.. much stronger latch on to wifi and mobile signal compared to the S6. Places where I would drop out of wifi completly on the s6 still give me 3-4 bars on the 6p. Software.. so much smoother than touchwiz (I'd forgotten how buttery stock android really is). Everything about the device feels faster as a result of the software even though specs wise the S6 out-guns the 6p. Battery life is awesome compared to the S6 - no more mid-day charge required.
I still dream of another Samsung Nexus...
The only bother I have is the screen has a rainbow reflection and I can't read it in my car or in the sun
The only thing that's bugging the hell out of me is the bezels but that's just because the Nexus 6 bezels were so small other than that I'm loving it
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
Praises:
Faster/smoother experience vs. my S6
Screen is nearly identical to S6
Stereo speakers are great
Complaints:
Headphone volume seems extra low
FuMMoD said:
If you guys got a good pair of headphones then you'll notice the quality of the stock tuning is amazing. Wow in impressed from stock. Not bad google not bad
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was also vary impressed of the sound quality from just out of the box. I’ve all was prefer stock android but one of the main reasons that I root my phones was to use Viper but now I have been thinking that I’ll won't have to.
BTW:
Headphone - Bose
Bluetooth Earbuds - JayBird X
Only complaint so far is the volume and power buttons being in the middle. the first thing I did was unlock decrypt and root . Plugging in and unplugging the cable I would always hit the power button which sucked when I was in bootloader mode and I plug my cable in and damn the phone is booting because my hand touched the power button. other than that this phone is ace . I need my other cases to come in. I had two verus cases but they weren't cut right so I sending them back for a return.
I'm coming from a oneplus one so I'm sure the camera will be better when mine arrives lol
I`m using this as my work phone, probably the best built Android Device I have ever used. I mainly use iOS devices, but this Nexus 6p is maybe the first Android device I could see my self using as a daily driver assuming I did not use iOS for personal use. Great Device, I had the LG G4 and the S6 edge earlier this yr and enjoy the build quality on this far more, but I will say the s6 has the best phone I used all year on a phone in comparison to the g4, 6p and the 6s+ I use as a personal phone.

What's your reasoning for choosing the Z over the Z play?

Screen, Nougat, processor, Daydream, etc? I currently have the Z but keep seeing how people are loving the Z play even more.
Battery. I'm unable to even discharge my Moto Z in a full day of use, how could I discharge the Play?
Seriously... speed and height.
Daydream VR
The VZW Z was $120 with no contract and no trade-in. Got four of them to replacing the aging phones of family members.
Locked bootloader is a huge negative for sure, but with the exception of AdAway, I find myself less concerned with root and custom ROMs given how close to vanilla the Moto is.
If someone figures out how to unlock it, I'll do it without a second thought, but at $120 the specs make it a no-brainer over the Z Play and well worth the risk of being stuck with a locked bootloader (for me).
It's thin and light
Hardware, software (nougat), thickness, the dark frame, the aluminium cover.
Hey guys. I've just gone through this so I thought I'd add my $0.02.
I went into a local shop and got some hands on tune with both of these. Honestly, with normal use I was pretty tough to tell the difference. Even the screens were close enough for that to not be an issue.
In the hand, the play felt better to me. The regular Z was almost too thin and the edges felt quite sharp.
Ultimately, I went with the regular Z and here are my reasons in order of importance to me:
1. Camera
Looking at the pictures taken I that shop there was a marked difference between the two. This may have been exacerbated my the play's lower res screen but the photos taken indoors were more passable to me.
2. Specs
Even though the play was just as smooth navigating Android, my assumption is that the SD 820 in the Z will give it more longevity.
3. Thickness
I have the speaker, camera and battery moto mods. The Z feels much better in the hand with mods installed than the play. Those couple of mm do make a difference.
4. Price
Over here in Aus, there's $300 difference between the play and the Z retail. However, I actually bought my Z on Expansys during a sale for $629 with free shipping. The play was $489 and for me the extra $$$ is comfortably justified.
I still dig the play though. I've had back of my GS7 and even though the GS7 camera is KILLER, I'd probably still pick the okay over it.
That is all, hope that helps anyone else tossing up between the two.
Play camera is considered better. Unless you're in love with the form factor of the Z I don't see it.
benjamminh said:
Play camera is considered better. Unless you're in love with the form factor of the Z I don't see it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Considered better by who? I think you'd be pressed to find even one review which would support this claim.
Play has more megapixel, sure. But it also has a narrower aperture lens so it's low light performance is always going to produce shots with now noise and less detai.
There's much more to a camera than a sensor. Case in point: Google pixel and Xiaomi Mi5s. Exact same sensor but have you heard anyone talking about the Xiaomi being the best smartphone camera money can buy? There's a reason for that.
I'm not intending to be rude here but for real... if you're going to tout the Play as having a better camera then you need a pretty solid basis for it considering every single review of the Play I came across described the camera as just passable.
Sent from my SM-G930F using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Both Anandtech' and DXO basically say the Z Play has the better camera. The shots I've seen seem to confirm that. Where are the reviews you refer to that compare them DIRECTLY? A whole lot of vitriole in that post.
Lightweight and thin, I can barely feel it in my pocket. I get 5h+ screentime with the combination of Greenify, Lux AB and another app I forget; that schedules system things around the phones hibernation.
Considering that Nougat recently got pushed for the Z Play, it was noted that Daydream VR is not included in the update because of the Z Play's low resolution and less powerful Snapdragon 635 processor. I guess I'm glad I spent the extra few bucks to get the Z instead.
I was going to get the Play, but my carrier stopped offering it, so around here it was about $400 to buy one from the classifieds. Mostly just wanted the bigger battery.
So I got the Z for zero down as an upgrade with my carrier instead. And really, the battery has surprised me. I'm getting 5 to 6 hours screen on time, and the phone charges so fast anyway. So I'm glad I got the Z now. The camera has been a nice surprise too, compared to phones I've previously had.
This is my 3rd Moto. I've had the original X and the N6 also. Have loved all my moto phones.
Still getting the battery mod soon though.
Darth said:
I was going to get the Play, but my carrier stopped offering it, so around here it was about $400 to buy one from the classifieds. Mostly just wanted the bigger battery.
So I got the Z for zero down as an upgrade with my carrier instead. And really, the battery has surprised me. I'm getting 5 to 6 hours screen on time, and the phone charges so fast anyway. So I'm glad I got the Z now. The camera has been a nice surprise too, compared to phones I've previously had.
This is my 3rd Moto. I've had the original X and the N6 also. Have loved all my moto phones.
Still getting the battery mod soon though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you with Koodo? I'm with Koodo and they did indeed just stop carrying the Z Play, just when I was thinking of upgrading to it from the X Play I was wondering whether the "regular" Z might be my next choice, and it just may be...
cucumbers said:
Are you with Koodo? I'm with Koodo and they did indeed just stop carrying the Z Play, just when I was thinking of upgrading to it from the X Play I was wondering whether the "regular" Z might be my next choice, and it just may be...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, the Z is the better device. No doubt. Minus a headphone jack and the Play has a bigger battery.
The lack of headphone jack is definitely a nuisance. Have to be charged up before watching stuff, or listening to a lot of music. There's Bluetooth headphones out there though too.
The battery life surprised me, not much worse than my oneplus-one, or N6, but not stellar of course. I just got the incipio battery mod, so that solves that. Lol. It's bulkier, but not too crazy.
So it was cash for a play, probably used, or zero for the Z on a two year contract. I'm happy with what I got though.
I'm with bell. Oh, and it's the best camera I've had on a phone so far. I don't expect pics like an actual camera, so this meets my expectations for sure. :good:
Great specs, but mostly due to how thin and sexy it looks. Battery is no big deal to me these days because quick charge is fabulous...

Is the Moto Z worth buying right now?

I have a pretty tight budget and I have the choice between an upgrade to the Moto X and Xperia XZS
The Moto X still has a warranty and the JBL module so I'm just curious of what actual Z users feel ?
What?
Moto X or Moto Z, choose what you're talking about.
No, it's not. Sure it has kinda good specs for the low price, but that low battery capacity is dragging the whole package down. Only after half a year my friends Moto Z's battery capacity already seems a lot worse than it did before. There is no denying that the battery is just not enough if you're not willing to use these bulky and expensive battery mods. Only upside is that it charges fast. I feel like there are a lot of better contenders out there for the tight budget.
If you can get a good deal it's a nice phone. It's easy to flash custom ROMs.
Thanks for the replies guys! But SLR I'm in the exam period. I got the Z, in many ways I feel it's better than my destroyed LG G6, the screen is better.
Build is awesome and front camera is a wows my friends who use iPhones. Except the battery sucks **** and lack of the headphone jack.
The JBL mod is great and I plan on getting the Incpio battery mod.. If the Z2 Force will be getting Treble support! Because I want to stick to the Z line.
None of the current Z/Z2 models will be getting official Treble support. I think someone has added Treble to a Z with Lineage. I believe there's a thread on /r/moto_z about that.

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