I think the Moto X 2014 has inadequate storage

Kalvin Kerns

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Just out of curiosity, why would anyone buy one of these if they only come in 16 and 32gb versions?

Even acknowledging the apparent fact that they are pretty good phones, what's your justification for purchasing a phone with what a lot would say is inadequate storage?

I'm impressed with what I see and read about these, but I can't fathom buying a new phone with the same or less storage than my current phone has. Oh and Cloud storage doesn't make up for low onboard.

Just interested in hearing peoples thoughts on this.

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Golfdriver97

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Re: Not enough storage

I had the 16 GB Moto X 2013. That came after a Samsung S3, so getting used to a finite amount of space was a factor. But after a while, i started to realize where I could trim down on what was on the device. Mainly my music. I kept about 150 of my more favorite songs, and I found that was enough for me. I became much more cognizant of what I was downloading, and made a habit to either backup what I did download, or deleted what was no longer needed.

Overall, I can say it can be done; a matter of discipline, but it can be done.
 

UJ95x

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Re: Not enough storage

While I agree that 16 is a little low, for a lot of people (dare I say most?) that is enough. I have an S4 with 16GB of storage (only about 10 out of the box) and a 16GB SD card and I still have over 15GB left between the two. A 32GB device would definitely be enough for me.
And like Golfdriver said, what usually takes up the most storage on devices is media and photos/videos. I never saw a need for having my entire collection of music with me at all times so like him I only have about 200 at once. The photos and videos can all be stored using cloud services which leaves the rest of your storage for any apps you may need.
 

Aquila

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Re: Not enough storage

Just out of curiosity, why would anyone buy one of these if they only come in 16 and 32gb versions?

I assume for the millions of people that buy 16 & 32GB devices every year, they believe (correctly or incorrectly) that 16 or 32GB will be sufficient for them. Every year a few nerds talk about needing much higher minimums and every year almost every single person given a choice buys the cheapest device, which is typically the 16GB version.

Even acknowledging the apparent fact that they are pretty good phones, what's your justification for purchasing a phone with what a lot would say is inadequate storage?

I'm sure thousands of people sounds like a lot, but for those thousands there are hundreds of millions doing just fine on devices with 4, 8, 16 and 32GB.

but I can't fathom buying a new phone with the same or less storage than my current phone has

You're not alone, but definitely in a very tiny minority on that one. We haven't seen any substantial increases on Android.. only Apple has actually taken advantage of the 2012 innovation that allows for larger than 64GB in a phone, and they charge $200 over base for that option.

Oh and Cloud storage doesn't make up for low onboard.

32GB is "low"? That aside, how doesn't it? For those that utilize it, the requirement for on-board storage is surely mitigated with things such as having movies, music and photos all stored (and more importantly backed up) in the cloud. For those that cannot or will not take advantage, obviously there are still other alternatives, but that doesn't lessen the ability for the technology to mitigate - just the person's ability to use that service - which obviously requires them to find alternative services or an alternative device.

I'm not saying that this or any device is or is not good for your specific use case - merely that for the vast majority of people, 16GB is way more than sufficient and workable as an option and for the majority of which it is not - 32 is more than a 100% increase in available space. Those that truly need more than 32GB are very rare and it is my opinion that most of those would be better served to improve their utilization rather than spending more on other solutions that are potentially less efficient.
 

dhc8guru

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Re: Not enough storage

I think in the review of the ATT bloatware MotoX said there was 10gb available. Probably around 13gb if you got a Pure MotoX. Spend the $50 and get the 32gb. Unless your a heavy user, 32 is more than enough. I am a moderate user and if I took the time to upload some photos to the cloud, I could get by on a 16gb. I am running a Note 2 with 16gb and a 32gb sd card. The onboard memory is at 12gb and the Sd is at 15gb.

Putting it in perspective, my old 2005 Dell computer had a 50 gb hard drive and believe me I had a lot of files on it and still never really ran out of space.
 

Jagsrock95

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Re: Not enough storage on Moto X 2014

Not everyone likes to load their phones up to the brim with apps and music. I have my favorite apps that I use daily and I keep a decent amount of off line music with plenty room to spare. I prefer to keep it light and don't save movies and I don't leave photos/videos on my phone for long. The overall design and fluidity of the device makes up for the lack of SD storage etc. I can understand having an issue with 16gb but 32gb on device storage is honestly enough for a phone. Also it's kind of silly to just discount the cloud since it does pretty much solves most storage issues.

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Kalvin Kerns

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Re: Not enough storage

I had the 16 GB Moto X 2013. That came after a Samsung S3, so getting used to a finite amount of space was a factor. But after a while, i started to realize where I could trim down on what was on the device. Mainly my music. I kept about 150 of my more favorite songs, and I found that was enough for me. I became much more cognizant of what I was downloading, and made a habit to either backup what I did download, or deleted what was no longer needed.

Overall, I can say it can be done; a matter of discipline, but it can be done.

Cool I hear you and thanks for taking time to reply. The way I look at is if I'm going to"upgrade" a device I keep my life on I kinda don't think I should have to cut corners and make compromises.

I'm just thinking memory is pretty cheap so I'm not understanding manufacturers who choose to provide such low amounts. It doesn't seem competitive.

It's disappointing because if they would only offer a 64gb option I think they would be able to grab a much larger audience and I don't think that would increase the device cost too much.

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Aquila

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Re: Not enough storage

It's disappointing because if they would only offer a 64gb option I think they would be able to grab a much larger audience and I don't think that would increase the device cost too much.

Last year they did, but it wasn't right at launch. While I'd like to see more options, if they're not going to sell in high volume then the cost of making the changes to the line can easily outweigh the benefits. I hope they're making these decisions based on something more than just dollars and cents, but ignoring cost is a mistake too.
 

dhc8guru

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Re: Not enough storage

The only audience they are grabbing are people who think bigger is better or don't really have a grasp of how much memory they need. Personally I have seen the ugly side of what happens when you don't keep files on the cloud or backed up. These phones are computers and they can all fail. I tell my wife to send all 1200 ish photos she keeps on her phone to the cloud. She never listens and every time her phone gets broken or she upgrades, she always seems to loses a few photos, contacts or other files.
 

ultravisitor

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Re: Not enough storage on Moto X 2014

Just out of curiosity, why would anyone buy one of these if they only come in 16 and 32gb versions?

Even acknowledging the apparent fact that they are pretty good phones, what's your justification for purchasing a phone with what a lot would say is inadequate storage?

My "justification" is that I'm not a hoarder, and I only need to buy as much as I need. I don't need more simply because someone else needs more.

Imagine that. Not everyone has the same needs, and not everyone needs to buy more than what they need just to make others happy.
 

Golfdriver97

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Re: Not enough storage

I'm just thinking memory is pretty cheap so I'm not understanding manufacturers who choose to provide such low amounts. It doesn't seem competitive.

Like Spock said, people typically choose what is the most inexpensive. Because the 2013 Moto X was pretty minimal for that the OS took, I think that is another reason 16 is a little more feasible for people. Now the Samsung S4, where nearly 8 GB was taken up by the OS, that is an instance where Samsung should have, to use a poker term, 'raised the bid' on storage, making 32 minimum. Who knows, that alone might have set a precedent.

Another thing to consider is the Moto X, was first released as a upper mid-tiered phone. To rephrase, a good Handset, and a comfortable price point. To a degree, the 2014 did it again. Sure it is more expensive than the 2013, but there have been significant hardware improvements. Also, consider the device you are getting is a very good one for the roughly $500 price tag.

My M8 is a 32 GB, and my habits that I learned from the X haven't changed. I still keep minimal media on my device, don't use an Sd card, and out of 24.93 GB usable space, I have 13.86 free, or about 55%.

If I was offered a chance at a 16 GB 2014 X, I would probably take it.
 

erwaso

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Re: Not enough storage on Moto X 2014

All my music is on Google play music. 32gb is more than enough for the apps/games/pics/vids I take. Then I eventually move the pics /vids to some form of cloud storage.

But 16GB? no Bueno haha

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the_icon12

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Re: Not enough storage on Moto X 2014

I wouldn't even say most people think that's not enough storage. Maybe to nerds lime us it is, but to the average customer, 16 to 32 is just fine. That's what it is directed towards, the average customer, not the smaller population of phone geeks.

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Kalvin Kerns

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Re: Not enough storage on Moto X 2014

I think everyone here have some really good arguments. I completely discounted cloud storage, but you know what? I use G+ to auto backup my pics. I hadn't really considered it seriously, but I could easily delete pics and probably lots of apps I don't use.

So I'll give you that, cloud storage and keeping the apps under control would go a long way towards cutting down on storage needed.

But considering OS size and growing app size (they are growing on mobile just as they are on computers) I would say that at the very least all manufacturers should offer a minimum of 32gb with higher options available. My opinion is that 16gb simply is not enough anymore.

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Ry

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Re: Not enough storage on Moto X 2014

16GB is still good enough for me.

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acedl

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Re: Not enough storage on Moto X 2014

Yep bought a 16gb no reason to store files on a phone lost or damaged they are gone. Use a cloud service. Offline files are slowly going away. CDROM's, floppy's all gone, physical storage eh on its way out.

I have 4 email accounts, lots of photos that are backed up. All top social media apps installed on a droid M with 8gb total, with 1 gig free in space.

Plus when you use your phone for work, you are very wise about what you have on your phone. I work in destination marketing we live for content - photos videos etc. No problem.

I guess its a different approach. My phone isn't a toy its a tool I use for work.
 

someguy01234

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Re: Not enough storage on Moto X 2014

There is 24.39GB of user storage space for the pure 32GB, which is kind of low imo. My music stuff is 17gb, but I just have to re-encode then or leave some out. It's manageable I guess but I wouldn't mind 64gb for $50 more, but they'll probably charge more than that. I was a bit spoiled by the OnePlus.
 

Kalvin Kerns

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Re: Not enough storage on Moto X 2014

Well after all is said and done, I guess what Apple has done by completely skipping 32gb will eventually force android to do the same. Although I really wish they'd have skipped 16. Oh well.

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Scott7217

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Re: Not enough storage on Moto X 2014

Oh and Cloud storage doesn't make up for low onboard.

It would be interesting to see what people's reaction would be if manufacturers set a 16 GB maximum storage capacity for all Android devices. The expectation would be that everyone would use the cloud. Would people be happy?
 

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