Moto X: Daylight visibility

[natehoy]

Seriously contemplating a Moto X to replace my LG Optimus G Pro. The LTE antenna connector broke on my OGP and even before that signal quality was weak, and that's a problem in Maine.

I know I'm going to have some serious shell shock going back to a (to me) teeny screen, but I'll learn to adapt (sob!). Signal is important, and so is price, and I have an opportunity to get a Moto X for free.

My real question is - I use my phone in daylight. A lot. I geocache, I play Ingress, I like having a moving map display on my bicycle, and I use it for mapping in the car.

I'd like some honest opinions on how good this screen is in daylight. I'm reasonably happy with my wife's Samsung Galaxy S4, and I can certainly go for one of those, but the Moto X is a *lot* cheaper. I'll rarely be using it in daylight where battery is a consideration, and I have an external battery pack, so I'm OK with "on full-on battery-sucking bright, it's..."

I'm relatively certain that I'm not going to get Optimus G Pro (bright backlit LCD) levels of performance, but if it's at least better than my old HTC Thunderbolt, I'd probably be reasonably happy.

 

[anon(8082935)]

Re: Daylight visibility

I came from a GS4 to a Moto X and the GS4 was better in the light than the X is.

It's not impossible to see by any means, but depending on how light my background is depends on how much I can see. Generally, if I use a white theme in apps it's far more visible than a dark theme strictly because of it sort of canceling out the glare.

 

[anon(847090)]

Re: Daylight visibility

to answer your connectivity question Google's Moto X tops LTE network connectivity test - FierceWirelessTech

 

[natehoy]

Re: Daylight visibility

I came from a GS4 to a Moto X and the GS4 was better in the light than the X is. -- It's not impossible to see by any means, but depending on how light my background is depends on how much I can see. Generally, if I use a white theme in apps it's far more visible than a dark theme strictly because of it sort of canceling out the glare.

OK, not exactly what I *wanted* to hear, but then again my previous phone was an HTC Thunderbolt and I lived with that for over two years... and that screen was weapons-grade bad in daylight. I'm not actually losing the OGP, so I suppose I can always tether the OGP to the Moto X for daylight-brightness stuff if needed.

to answer your connectivity question Google's Moto X tops LTE network connectivity test - FierceWirelessTech

Thank you. That review was one of the big factors that drove me in the Moto X's direction in the first place. I'm hoping the Moto X ends up being as good in HSPA and EDGE as it reportedly is in LTE. Because where the signal is really bad around here, LTE isn't going to happen in a long, long time.

 

[natehoy]

Re: Daylight visibility

As far as the LTE test, I do find it very odd that they chose to use Verizon's LTE on the Moto X and AT&T's on everything else when the Moto X is available on AT&T. Seems like that makes the test somewhat less valuable.

Ah, well, I can get it for free without committing to a 2-year upgrade (oddity of the "Premier" plan, I qualify for an Android upgrade almost instantly after using one). So if I don't like it after a few months, maybe another phone will get cheaper in the meantime and I can always sell the Moto X.

Order placed.

 

[techitrucker]

Re: Daylight visibility

I see no difference personally between my old. Note 2 and my MOTO X. They are both good in fairly bright light. Both where better than the RAZR Maxx i had before the Note 2. I use a fairly dark theme and have no problems and the phone lives in a car dock on the dash of my truck where is constantly exposed to high levels of sunlight. What seems better on the is that the ambient light sensor works extremely well unlike any Samsung device i have owned. After two months of the screen being in almost 24 hours a day there is no burn in whatsoever. The Note was burned in pretty badly in the first couple of weeks. The Tab 3 i keep on the dash for navigation has to be fiddled with twice a day because the screen brightness never adjusts correctly. You would think Samsung could get that right but I've had four of their devices and none worked properly. I never have that problem on my X. Set it and forget it. I find battery life to be good to excellent. Never a problem getting thru a day or more. I travel everywhere. I rarely drop out of 4g and speeds are good. Voice is good. Hardly ever drop a call. Hope that helps. Verizon Moto X Developer Edition

Posted via Android Central App

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

Re: Daylight visibility

I came from a GS4 to a Moto X and the GS4 was better in the light than the X is.

It's not impossible to see by any means, but depending on how light my background is depends on how much I can see. Generally, if I use a white theme in apps it's far more visible than a dark theme strictly because of it sort of canceling out the glare.

OK, not exactly what I *wanted* to hear, but then again my previous phone was an HTC Thunderbolt and I lived with that for over two years... and that screen was weapons-grade bad in daylight. I'm not actually losing the OGP, so I suppose I can always tether the OGP to the Moto X for daylight-brightness stuff if needed.
.

Don't have a Moto X, but do have a GS4 and previously had a Thunderbolt, so thought I'd chime in. The S4 is definitely better in sunlight than the Thunderbolt was...but you do have to crank up the brightness quite a bit. I generally keep my brightness set very low, and if I forget when I step outside it's nearly impossible to see. If you use it lot outside, however, just keep your screen brightness set higher.

I'd imagine same would hold true for the Moto X.

Here's an interesting article on the subject: Screen showdown -- AMOLED vs. LCD vs. SAMOLED in direct sunlight | Android Central
A few years old for sure, and tech has improved, but to me, LCD's still do better in the sunlight.

 

[dmark44]

Re: Daylight visibility

I tried my Moto X in sunlight a few times. I am impressed with the visibility when you go to 100% brightness. It's easier to see than the LCD on my HTC Rezound, which was better than my AMOLED HTC Incredible in sunlight. I think AMOLED has improved in that regard. Maybe some of the newest LCD phones do better, but the X does better than the 3 smartphones I've had.

I concur with the last poster, I normally keep the screen at 25% and that is difficult to see outdoors when sunny.

Sent from my Moto X

 

[GadgetGator]

Re: Daylight visibility

I would label the X as being an "okay" performer when it comes to sunlight. Direct sun it's not that great. But if I shade it with my body I can see just fine which is something I could not say with other phones I have had which required me to run under a tree or building. So from that standpoint I am fine with it and find it useable enough.

 

[fldude99]

Re: Daylight visibility

Lux dash does a great job adjusting screen lighting on my Moto X. Worth checking out

 

[Ualrdynodo]

Re: Daylight visibility

Yeah it's not that great in the daytime

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Cozume]

Re: Daylight visibility

I'd like some honest opinions on how good this screen is in daylight.

It's no worse than my GNex, which was a pentile AMOLED HD screen. IOW, it sucks in bright, direct sunlight. You can't see squat and I keep my Moto X on full brightness all the time. I live in a very, very sunny place, though.

 

[dmark44]

Re: Daylight visibility

Unless they make a Kindle phone, I don't think any smartphone can claim it's much better than any other in sunlight. I may do a test between my Moto X, HTC Rezound, my wife's iPhone 4s and an ipad tomorrow...

Sent from my Moto X

 

[natehoy]

Re: Daylight visibility

Unless they make a Kindle phone, I don't think any smartphone can claim it's much better than any other in sunlight. I may do a test between my Moto X, HTC Rezound, my wife's iPhone 4s and an ipad tomorrow...

Sent from my Moto X

There's a significant difference between my old HTC Thunderbolt (horrible!) and my LG Optimus G Pro (acceptable). I tried my wife's Galaxy S4 and was surprised at how well it actually did in full sunlight - in some ways better than my OG Pro.

In any case, my Moto-X should be in today, and tomorrow is supposed to be sunny. I'll give it a test drive in the morning.

Thanks for the advice, all!

 

[natehoy]

Re: Daylight visibility

Lux dash does a great job adjusting screen lighting on my Moto X. Worth checking out

I'll have a peek if visibility becomes a real problem, thanks.

 

[dmark44]

Re: Daylight visibility

There's a significant difference between my old HTC Thunderbolt (horrible!) and my LG Optimus G Pro (acceptable). I tried my wife's Galaxy S4 and was surprised at how well it actually did in full sunlight - in some ways better than my OG Pro.

I agree. I posted earlier that my original HTC Incredible (AMOLED) was noticeably worse. The S4 and the Moto X are AMOLED and don't seem to do much if any worse than the current LCD models. So I think the difference isn't major between the current batch of flagships on the market.

Sent from my Moto X

 

[natehoy]

Re: Daylight visibility

I agree. I posted earlier that my original HTC Incredible (AMOLED) was noticeably worse. The S4 and the Moto X are AMOLED and don't seem to do much if any worse than the current LCD models. So I think the difference isn't major between the current batch of flagships on the market.

Sent from my Moto X

True, I think most companies have taken daylight capabilities at least somewhat seriously. I miss the transflective LCD screens from the PalmPilot days - but doing that in color might not work so well.