Moto G4
- Thread starter Hokiefyd
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After having the G4 for almost 24 hours, I can say that I really enjoy it so far. One of my biggest questions is, how well does it play music/video over the single loudspeaker? I must say, it's remarkably clear, and much better than my Droid Mini was. It had a loudspeaker on the back of the phone, so the volume changed quite dramatically depending on how you were "cupping" the phone in your hand. The single loudspeaker on the front of the G4 is mighty impressive to me.
Other parts of the phone are agreeable to me also. I like the subdued styling (I'm not into "bravado" with my phones), I like the super vibrant display, I like that it's already compatible with nearly everything else in our house (micro USB), and I like that it takes an SD card, so I can expand its storage as much as I want.
The potential lack of OS updates is fine with me. If they update it to a good image of Android 7, that'd be fine. But I was actually quite pleased with how KitKat ran on my Droid Mini, especially in the midst of reports of a bunch of screwed up Lollipop updates, some phones waiting for 5.1 to update because 5.0 was such a mess, some phones waiting for 6.0 because they couldn't get 5.x right, etc. 6.0.1 is what's on it now and it runs sweet. Even if that never changes, I'd be a happy camper.
Activating it was a cinch. It seems that all I needed to do was remove the micro SIM from my Droid Mini and pop it into my G4. The G4 is marketed as taking a micro SIM (which it does), but the SIM tray is actually double-sided, so you can flip it for a nano SIM. That's pretty smart.
For being into this phone for about 100 bucks plus tax, I feel like a thief.
Other parts of the phone are agreeable to me also. I like the subdued styling (I'm not into "bravado" with my phones), I like the super vibrant display, I like that it's already compatible with nearly everything else in our house (micro USB), and I like that it takes an SD card, so I can expand its storage as much as I want.
The potential lack of OS updates is fine with me. If they update it to a good image of Android 7, that'd be fine. But I was actually quite pleased with how KitKat ran on my Droid Mini, especially in the midst of reports of a bunch of screwed up Lollipop updates, some phones waiting for 5.1 to update because 5.0 was such a mess, some phones waiting for 6.0 because they couldn't get 5.x right, etc. 6.0.1 is what's on it now and it runs sweet. Even if that never changes, I'd be a happy camper.
Activating it was a cinch. It seems that all I needed to do was remove the micro SIM from my Droid Mini and pop it into my G4. The G4 is marketed as taking a micro SIM (which it does), but the SIM tray is actually double-sided, so you can flip it for a nano SIM. That's pretty smart.
For being into this phone for about 100 bucks plus tax, I feel like a thief.
Good deal. Glad you like the phone.
I initially thought the lack of SD card slot in the 5x was going to be a big issue as I used my previous phone as an MP3 player and would tend to store a lot of content locally. But last year I bought a standalone MP3 player for that purpose so that I don't drain my phone's battery too quickly, so that became a non-issue.
Still, if you're planning to record a lot of video and take tons of pics with your phone, expandable storage would have been nice.
I initially thought the lack of SD card slot in the 5x was going to be a big issue as I used my previous phone as an MP3 player and would tend to store a lot of content locally. But last year I bought a standalone MP3 player for that purpose so that I don't drain my phone's battery too quickly, so that became a non-issue.
Still, if you're planning to record a lot of video and take tons of pics with your phone, expandable storage would have been nice.
Also of note, I do like the small gestures that Motorola has programmed into their phones. For camera, you just twist the phone with your wrist twice. That worked on my Droid Mini also, and I find myself twisting my wife's iPhone trying to pull the camera up. It, of course, doesn't, and requires a swipe of the screen. On the G4, you can also set the phone screen-down to automatically put it in silent mode. Not something I'll do until I get a bumper-type TPU case for it so I don't scratch the screen, but that's cool. You can also have it to immediately silence when you pick it up, which is nice. If you forget to silence it in a meeting, you don't have to fumble with it trying to turn it off -- you just grab the phone and it goes mum. Smart.
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
After having the G4 for almost 24 hours, I can say that I really enjoy it so far. One of my biggest questions is, how well does it play music/video over the single loudspeaker? I must say, it's remarkably clear, and much better than my Droid Mini was. It had a loudspeaker on the back of the phone, so the volume changed quite dramatically depending on how you were "cupping" the phone in your hand. The single loudspeaker on the front of the G4 is mighty impressive to me.
Other parts of the phone are agreeable to me also. I like the subdued styling (I'm not into "bravado" with my phones), I like the super vibrant display, I like that it's already compatible with nearly everything else in our house (micro USB), and I like that it takes an SD card, so I can expand its storage as much as I want.
You must have gotten lucky as my Best Buy wouldnt price match and give the gift card.
The potential lack of OS updates is fine with me. If they update it to a good image of Android 7, that'd be fine. But I was actually quite pleased with how KitKat ran on my Droid Mini, especially in the midst of reports of a bunch of screwed up Lollipop updates, some phones waiting for 5.1 to update because 5.0 was such a mess, some phones waiting for 6.0 because they couldn't get 5.x right, etc. 6.0.1 is what's on it now and it runs sweet. Even if that never changes, I'd be a happy camper.
Activating it was a cinch. It seems that all I needed to do was remove the micro SIM from my Droid Mini and pop it into my G4. The G4 is marketed as taking a micro SIM (which it does), but the SIM tray is actually double-sided, so you can flip it for a nano SIM. That's pretty smart.
For being into this phone for about 100 bucks plus tax, I feel like a thief.
After having the G4 for almost 24 hours, I can say that I really enjoy it so far. One of my biggest questions is, how well does it play music/video over the single loudspeaker? I must say, it's remarkably clear, and much better than my Droid Mini was. It had a loudspeaker on the back of the phone, so the volume changed quite dramatically depending on how you were "cupping" the phone in your hand. The single loudspeaker on the front of the G4 is mighty impressive to me.
Other parts of the phone are agreeable to me also. I like the subdued styling (I'm not into "bravado" with my phones), I like the super vibrant display, I like that it's already compatible with nearly everything else in our house (micro USB), and I like that it takes an SD card, so I can expand its storage as much as I want.
You must have gotten lucky as my Best Buy wouldnt price match and give the gift card.
The potential lack of OS updates is fine with me. If they update it to a good image of Android 7, that'd be fine. But I was actually quite pleased with how KitKat ran on my Droid Mini, especially in the midst of reports of a bunch of screwed up Lollipop updates, some phones waiting for 5.1 to update because 5.0 was such a mess, some phones waiting for 6.0 because they couldn't get 5.x right, etc. 6.0.1 is what's on it now and it runs sweet. Even if that never changes, I'd be a happy camper.
Activating it was a cinch. It seems that all I needed to do was remove the micro SIM from my Droid Mini and pop it into my G4. The G4 is marketed as taking a micro SIM (which it does), but the SIM tray is actually double-sided, so you can flip it for a nano SIM. That's pretty smart.
For being into this phone for about 100 bucks plus tax, I feel like a thief.
You must have gotten lucky as my Best Buy wouldn't price match and give the gift card.
Originally Posted By: JasonC
You must have gotten lucky as my Best Buy wouldn't price match and give the gift card.
The guy at Best Buy predicted that it wouldn't work. He also wasn't immediately aware of the $50 gift card. I showed it to him on the website, and he pulled it up on his computer and verified it. He said that Amazon's $50 instant credit was "probably their reaction to our gift card", and that his computer system likely wouldn't allow both.
Fortunately for me, rather than asking the manager first, he let the computer decide if it was going to give both. He rang up the phone first, and it run up at $199 and indicated the $50 gift card incentive. He then did a price override (which didn't seem to require a manager's approval), and the gift card incentive stayed on the screen. He had a half bewildered look about him and said, "well, it looks like it's gonna give you both".
Before he could say anything else, I said, "great, let's do it", and pulled out my wallet. This was at the Best Buy in Winchester on Jubal Early Dr.
You must have gotten lucky as my Best Buy wouldn't price match and give the gift card.
The guy at Best Buy predicted that it wouldn't work. He also wasn't immediately aware of the $50 gift card. I showed it to him on the website, and he pulled it up on his computer and verified it. He said that Amazon's $50 instant credit was "probably their reaction to our gift card", and that his computer system likely wouldn't allow both.
Fortunately for me, rather than asking the manager first, he let the computer decide if it was going to give both. He rang up the phone first, and it run up at $199 and indicated the $50 gift card incentive. He then did a price override (which didn't seem to require a manager's approval), and the gift card incentive stayed on the screen. He had a half bewildered look about him and said, "well, it looks like it's gonna give you both".
Before he could say anything else, I said, "great, let's do it", and pulled out my wallet. This was at the Best Buy in Winchester on Jubal Early Dr.
Still loving this thing. The 3000 mAh battery is nuts. I can use the phone nearly the entire day, including GPS on the road, and I still have a third of the battery left at the end of the day. And the turbocharger is wonderful -- it really does put a strong charge back into it lighting quick.
Lenovo, who owns Moto, just backed off their pledge to provide monthly security updates to Moto phones, if that is important to you. Otherwise a good choice.
They have committed to updating it, but not necessarily monthly:
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/07/m...curity-patches/
I've never owned a phone that received a monthly security update. Verizon/Motorola updated my Droid Mini about once every six months, if that.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/07/m...curity-patches/
I've never owned a phone that received a monthly security update. Verizon/Motorola updated my Droid Mini about once every six months, if that.
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
They have committed to updating it, but not necessarily monthly:
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/07/m...curity-patches/
I've never owned a phone that received a monthly security update. Verizon/Motorola updated my Droid Mini about once every six months, if that.
Yes, you are correct. It just bothers me when a company promises something with a new product, or in this case, a whole line of products, then quickly backs off of it. Its hard to say how often, or even if, there will be security updates. Maybe only when Android OS updates, maybe more often, maybe not even then. Its hard to say if your Droid Mini was receiving security or just software updates, likely not security. I never have owned a phone that received them either. I never worried too much about it, but I do think its becoming increasingly important. I think the G4 is a great value, but I'm not sure Lenovo made a good move with their backoff, saying its "too difficult", when people are already a bit leery of Lenovo buying Moto, and Lenovo is a gigantic corporation with tons of resources.
They have committed to updating it, but not necessarily monthly:
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/07/m...curity-patches/
I've never owned a phone that received a monthly security update. Verizon/Motorola updated my Droid Mini about once every six months, if that.
Yes, you are correct. It just bothers me when a company promises something with a new product, or in this case, a whole line of products, then quickly backs off of it. Its hard to say how often, or even if, there will be security updates. Maybe only when Android OS updates, maybe more often, maybe not even then. Its hard to say if your Droid Mini was receiving security or just software updates, likely not security. I never have owned a phone that received them either. I never worried too much about it, but I do think its becoming increasingly important. I think the G4 is a great value, but I'm not sure Lenovo made a good move with their backoff, saying its "too difficult", when people are already a bit leery of Lenovo buying Moto, and Lenovo is a gigantic corporation with tons of resources.
Originally Posted By: Rand
Then you had better not buy any carrier phones.
Any carrier specific models are lucky to get updates 6-9months after my nexus 5x.
My days of buying carrier phones and signing contracts are long gone and permanently over with. It makes no sense.
Then you had better not buy any carrier phones.
Any carrier specific models are lucky to get updates 6-9months after my nexus 5x.
My days of buying carrier phones and signing contracts are long gone and permanently over with. It makes no sense.
They are for me as well. The Droid Mini I used to have is probably the last carrier phone I'll own...certainly at the prices of GOOD unlocked cell phones these days...
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