Upgrade time, but which phone? (Verizon)

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nsafreak

Diamond Member
Oct 16, 2001
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Well Verizon has some decent deals running with their Edge plan and their upgrades to their data plan. I'll be able to go from my current 4GB plan to a 10GB plan with a small ($8) increase in cost. I've liked my Samsung S3 but I've grown quite tired of TouchWiz and its bloat and unfortunately I didn't unlock the bootloader and load an alternate rom while that was still possible. So I'm going to be staying away from Samsung this time around (unless somebody knows that its possible to unlock the Note 4) and focus on a couple other phones. Candidates I'm looking at:

Motorola Droid Turbo - Nice screen, fast processor and quite possibly a very long battery life with that large battery. Motorola has one of the closest to a pure Google experience outside of a Nexus phone so I could deal with it being a locked device and just put up with the crap that Verizon loads on it. Cons that I'm not aware of?

Sony Z3v - I've had zero experience with Sony phones so I'm not quite sure what to expect. The specs definitely look nice and reviews are generally favorable. Would you folks put this above the Droid Turbo, below it or about the same level?

LG G3 - The oldest of the bunch in this roundup but when I first started looking it topped the list. It seems to have a pretty clean ROM (aside from what Verizon loads on it) and it may actually be possible to unlock the bootloader if need be. Any reason I should pick this phone over the other two or should it be at the bottom of the list?

If it helps at all use case wise I use the phone a lot for listening to music and podcasts while I'm at work so if one has a better audio output than another that might be a factor. Although I do have a portable USB DAC that I used with my S3 via an OTG cable so I can use it again.
 
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paperwastage

Golden Member
May 25, 2010
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no nexus 6 ?(it should be completely open - bootloader, root, etc. the z3v/droid turbo doesn't have unlockable bootloader)

I wouldn't even look at the G3. The GPU is weak at driving that QHD screen (droid turbo has a better GPU driving its QHD screen)

Just a note: none of these phones can do simultaneous voice + data. future updates (for VoLTE) will correct this situation, but it'll probably come out January next year
 
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ImDonly1

Platinum Member
Dec 17, 2004
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Another one of these threads...

Droid Turbo or Nexus 6 depending what size phone you want.
iPhone 6 or 6+.

The z3v is a flop because they are calling it a z3v, but it is really a z2 rebranded as a z3 for verizon. They are selling last year's model pretending it's the new one.

If you are OK with a 6" phone go Nexus 6, otherwise Droid Turbo. Reviews aren't out for either so you should probably wait.
 
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nsafreak

Diamond Member
Oct 16, 2001
7,093
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81
Well, I've thought about the Nexus 6 but there is no guarantee that it will remain unlocked on Verizon's network. When the original Nexus was sold on their network there were some definite issues in getting updates to it although I don't recall if the bootloader was unlocked or not. So unfortunately Verizon doesn't have the best rep when it comes to Nexus devices purchased directly through them.
 
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ImDonly1

Platinum Member
Dec 17, 2004
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nsafreak said:
Well, I've thought about the Nexus 6 but there is no guarantee that it will remain unlocked on Verizon's network. When the original Nexus was sold on their network there were some definite issues in getting updates to it although I don't recall if the bootloader was unlocked or not. So unfortunately Verizon doesn't have the best rep when it comes to Nexus devices purchased directly through them.
Click to expand...

This year there is one Nexus for all. There will not be separate versions for carriers.
The bootloader on the verizon galaxy nexus was unlocked.
Either way wait and see, we could be wrong.
 
Red Storm

Red Storm

Lifer
Oct 2, 2005
14,233
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Personally I would pick between the Nexus 6 and the Droid Turbo. Basically, if you don't like the size of the Nexus, go with the Turbo.
 
notposting

notposting

Diamond Member
Jul 22, 2005
3,498
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ImDonly1 said:
Another one of these threads...

Droid Turbo or Nexus 6 depending what size phone you want.
iPhone 6 or 6+.

The z3v is a flop because they are calling it a z3v, but it is really a z2 rebranded as a z3 for verizon. They are selling last year's model pretending it's the new one.

If you are OK with a 6" phone go Nexus 6, otherwise Droid Turbo. Reviews aren't out for either so you should probably wait.
Click to expand...

From what I read (Ars) that doesn't even make sense. Same internals as the new, but in the old style (and with Qi). DL's review of the Z3 itself was just slow and bloaty. And messing with the bootloader thus far apparently screws up camera stuff?

What about the HTC, should be good audio?
 
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Ramses

Platinum Member
Apr 26, 2000
2,871
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Turbo or Nexus, the latter if you can wait and deal with the size, the former if not.
 
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xSauronx

Lifer
Jul 14, 2000
19,582
4
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ill probably get a turbo, but id really rather just take my moto x [2013] with me.

i dont really want a larger phone, but i have to get a phone when i sign up so i just as well get the latest and greatest, i suppose, so itll last me the next 2 years [hopefully without complaint]
still sort of want a customized moto x, but to get it 32gb and with wood on the back is $$ anyway
 
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nsafreak

Diamond Member
Oct 16, 2001
7,093
3
81
Well, I may have to throw in looking at other carriers into the mix as well although I'm not sure that'd help. One of the other reasons that I'm considering an upgrade is because my battery gets absolutely drained while at work. I thought it was possibly just because the S3 might not have that great a battery life but I think it's more likely because the phone is frequently switching between 3G & 4G signals. My work enviroment is not cell phone friendly although some carriers, for whatever reason, seem to do better than others. I work in a building with a lot of metal, 4 uplink satellite dishes in front of the building, a small datacenter, a large number of PCs and electronic testing equipment. So to say it's cell phone unfriendly is likely an understatement. Now I do work on the outer portion of the building so I'm not near all of that equipment so that may explain why some providers work better than others as well. How does the S3's radio compare to the Turbo? Sorry to drag this thread on for so long but I might as well make sure the upgrade is worth it.
 
vi edit

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
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Samsung's radios, particularly on earlier phones were bad. I had a Galaxy Note II on Verizon in a place with poor signal. The note could pull zero signal and I couldn't receive any text messages or calls on it in my office. It's battery would be torched by about 3:00PM if it wasn't on a charger.

I went over to a MotoX and was finally able to get text messages to come across. I could also receive calls coming in, but would have to walk down the hallway to get enough signal to have a clear conversation. But the radio was certainly straining and it would torch my battery by 12:00 or so.

I now have a turbo. Same signal strength as the MotoX, but I can go a full day with it and still be at 50% when I get home. The battery on this thing is very good.

If you really are in a dead zone and want the ability to get calls in and out, I'd look at T-Mobile and one of their new wifi calling phones. I'm not sure exactly how they work. I wonder if it cuts off the cellular radio under poor reception. I know that from a benchmark standpoint, T-Mobile devices are almost always the best battery life of the same device across carriers. They must have a quicker cutoff of radio power to signal than others. Devices must stop trying earlier.
 
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Ramses

Platinum Member
Apr 26, 2000
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If you have good wifi at work you could use a Google voice number for voice and txt and nix the cell radios all together till you're out.

I can't comment on the LTE/cdma really but there have been quite a few reports of lazy wifi reception on the Droid Turbo, I've confirmed them on my example vs my GS4 and N7 tab.
Not crazy bad, just weaker than it should be. I'm still emailing with Moto supports about it. Still isn't any phone I'd rather have really.
 
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