Is the Droid Turbo 2 the Best Android...Ever?

[Aquila]

What device pricing are you comparing to other than the 6P?

Moto X Pure, Nexus 5X, LG G4, Nexus 6P.

IMO the Turbo 2 should be priced ABOVE the Nexus 5X but near or below the Moto X Style, so $400 would have been appropriate for entry level. It should definitely be below the 6P.

 

[doogald]

Moto X Pure, Nexus 5X, LG G4, Nexus 6P.

IMO the Turbo 2 should be priced ABOVE the Nexus 5X but near or below the Moto X Style, so $400 would have been appropriate for entry level. It should definitely be below the 6P.

Honestly, I could see it being a slight premium over the Moto X Pure ($450 for 32 GB) for the battery and the shatterproof thing, and maybe for the 810, but, otherwise, it shouldn't be $175 more.

 

[rdjr74]

Why can't you get it subsidized before the 15th? I just ordered a Turbo 2 on a 2 year contract by transferring an upgrade from one of my UDPs to a TDP line. I had to do it before the 15th in order to get the UDP line back on contact. Otherwise, Verizon was going to increase the UDP line charge by $20/month. Over the life of the contract, that's $480. The Turbo 2 64Gb, with an extra turbo charger for the car and taxes was ~$393. That made the decision easy- essentially they are paying me $87 to upgrade vs the increased line charges I would have to otherwise pay.

Sorry I was referring to the 6P.

 

[Aquila]

Honestly, I could see it being a slight premium over the Moto X Pure ($450 for 32 GB) for the battery and the shatterproof thing, and maybe for the 810, but, otherwise, it shouldn't be $175 more.

Yeah, I could justify a slight increase over the Pure, but I can't justify it going above the 6P.. so splitting the difference seems reasonable. There are a lot of trade offs between the Pure and TURBO 2, so I count them as approximately equal devices.

TURBO 2 Pros:
Unbreakable
Battery Life
Wireless Charging


Pure Edition Pros:
Bigger screen
No bloatware, easier to update
38% less expensive (32GB versions, base models X Pure is 56% less expensive)
Dual Speakers

 

[YAYTech]

Moto X Pure, Nexus 5X, LG G4, Nexus 6P.

IMO the Turbo 2 should be priced ABOVE the Nexus 5X but near or below the Moto X Style, so $400 would have been appropriate for entry level. It should definitely be below the 6P.

Style/Pure: 32gb model: $450.
Turbo2 specs advantage: better processor, wireless charging, shatterproof screen, much bigger battery
Turbo2 specs disadvantage: smaller screen

Nexus 5x 32gb model: $430
Turbo2 specs advantage: better processor, wireless charging, shatterproof screen, bigger screen, much bigger battery
Turbo2 specs disadvantage: no fingerprint sensor

Nexus 6P 32gb model: $500
Turbo2 specs advantage: wireless charging, shatterproof screen, bigger battery
Turbo2 specs disadvantage: no fingerprint sensor, smaller screen

LG G4 32gb model: $552
Turbo2 specs advantage: better processor, wireless charging, shatterproof screen, much bigger battery
Turbo2 specs disadvantage:

I can't see any justification for saying the Turbo2 should be $400. I can see where it maybe should be a bit cheaper, but I'm thinking in the $500-550 range would be appropriate/competitive, and all it takes is one crappy working cracked screen phone to trade in to get the Turbo2 for $424 on Verizon. Also keep in mind that the Nexus phones have always been great bargains for their specs.

 

[Aquila]

Style/Pure: 32gb model: $450.
Turbo2 specs advantage: better processor, wireless charging, shatterproof screen, much bigger battery
Turbo2 specs disadvantage: smaller screen

Nexus 5x 32gb model: $430
Turbo2 specs advantage: better processor, wireless charging, shatterproof screen, bigger screen, much bigger battery
Turbo2 specs disadvantage: no fingerprint sensor

Nexus 6P 32gb model: $500
Turbo2 specs advantage: wireless charging, shatterproof screen, bigger battery
Turbo2 specs disadvantage: no fingerprint sensor, smaller screen

LG G4 32gb model: $552
Turbo2 specs advantage: better processor, wireless charging, shatterproof screen, much bigger battery
Turbo2 specs disadvantage:

I can't see any justification for saying the Turbo2 should be $400. I can see where it maybe should be a bit cheaper, but I'm thinking in the $500-550 range would be appropriate/competitive, and all it takes is one crappy working cracked screen phone to trade in to get the Turbo2 for $424 on Verizon. Also keep in mind that the Nexus phones have always been great bargains for their specs.

Aside from the G4 the others all have more and/or faster updates, slimmer software and I'm not going to consider the 808 an inferior processor. These phones are all very competitive with each other so there's definitely something for (just about) everyone in a relatively low price margin here, but of those 5 devices, I think that the TURBO 2 is (for my purposes) the 4th or 5th best (LG G4 is 4th or 5th to me) yet it is the most expensive by a huge amount. I'm trying hard not to put the TURBO 2 (or Moto X Force) too far behind the X Style because the specs are right up there and it even has some perks like wireless charging. I like that you're comparing similar storage models to each other - but right now too many people buy whatever the cheapest option is, so those 16GB devices are going to move volume.

Also keep in mind, my rough top ten list (for my needs) = Nexus 6p, Moto XPE, Galaxy Note 5, Nexus 5x, Sony Xperia Z5, Moto X Play, LG G4, DROID Turbo 2, Nexus 6, HTC M9. So with the Turbo in 8th place, the way my mind works, is that the Turbo should be approximately the 8th most expensive in order to bring its value proposition up to par. That said, the 6P being the current king of phones at a super low price does throw that theory for a bit of a loop.

 

[anon(19759)]

While that bodes well for the Huawei, it's still a brand that *I* know next to nothing about, and doesn't have an established reputation in the US. The Motorola brand is kind of in a questionable time of change, but overall it seems like Lenovo makes good stuff, at least with the laptops & such I've worked with. Either way, the brand isn't a big sway one way or the other to me.

How is moto is a questionable time? Lenovo is leaving them alone and they continue to make new products. That's not questionable at all.

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[anon(19759)]

But no credit check with VZ.

Posted via the Android Central App

Only if you're already a good-paying customer.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Jmaxku]

While that bodes well for the Huawei, it's still a brand that *I* know next to nothing about, and doesn't have an established reputation in the US. The Motorola brand is kind of in a questionable time of change, but overall it seems like Lenovo makes good stuff, at least with the laptops & such I've worked with. Either way, the brand isn't a big sway one way or the other to me.

I felt the same way about LG with the Nexus 5. I don't regret purchasing it one bit for the very simple reason that it's a Nexus phone. I ordered the Nexus 6P and can't wait to see Huawei's engineering skills. The only Nexus product I wasn't satisfied with was the Asus Nexus 7 (2012). Light leaked through the bezels everywhere, the memory used was awful and the tablet ran like garbage after the first OS update. The only major OEM I haven't purchased a phone from is Motorola, but I own the HTC Nexus One, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Samsung Galaxy S4 GPe, LG Nexus 5, Asus Nexus 7 (2012), Samsung Nexus 10 and soon I will own the Huawei Nexus 6P.

 

[YAYTech]

Aside from the G4 the others all have more and/or faster updates, slimmer software and I'm not going to consider the 808 an inferior processor. These phones are all very competitive with each other so there's definitely something for (just about) everyone in a relatively low price margin here, but of those 5 devices, I think that the TURBO 2 is (for my purposes) the 4th or 5th best (LG G4 is 4th or 5th to me) yet it is the most expensive by a huge amount. I'm trying hard not to put the TURBO 2 (or Moto X Force) too far behind the X Style because the specs are right up there and it even has some perks like wireless charging. I like that you're comparing similar storage models to each other - but right now too many people buy whatever the cheapest option is, so those 16GB devices are going to move volume.

Also keep in mind, my rough top ten list (for my needs) = Nexus 6p, Moto XPE, Galaxy Note 5, Nexus 5x, Sony Xperia Z5, Moto X Play, LG G4, DROID Turbo 2, Nexus 6, HTC M9. So with the Turbo in 8th place, the way my mind works, is that the Turbo should be approximately the 8th most expensive in order to bring its value proposition up to par. That said, the 6P being the current king of phones at a super low price does throw that theory for a bit of a loop.

I think maybe we're looking at this from two different perspectives. I'm talking about what the market will bear, and general cost per specs, and it feels like you're talking about how it would need to be priced to get *you* to consider buying it.

A lot of the things we have to consider when buying are subjective (what's the value of fast updates? what's the value of wireless charging?). For one buyer, a feature, spec, or characteristic may be a deal breaker. For example, the Droid Maxx early on didn't support the Square payment reader. As a small business owner using Square, I couldn't justify buying a phone that didn't support square. The specs and price could be worlds better than anything else on the market, but if it doesn't meet the owners needs (or very strong wants), it doesn't matter. One person may be willing to pay an extra $100 for something like wireless charging. Another buyer won't use it, couldn't care less, and doesn't way to pay one penny extra. As we've seen in this forum, some care about small styling details (like logo placement), while others couldn't care less.

It sounds like you de-value the phone a fair amount for the perceived likelihood of slow & fewer updates (which I agree is likely, and very fair to consider). You de-value it further for its bloatware (though I think to be fair, most or all of the bloatware can be disabled or removed, but it's still there & fair to consider.)

It also sounds like you don't add much value for the shatterproof screen. I'm guessing you have a history of taking good care of your phones, so it's not a major concern (same goes for me, though it would be a little comforting). I'd bet money that if Apple made shatterproof versions of the iPhone and charged an extra $200 for them, they'd sell like hotcakes. For a lot of people, that's a feature that is very valuable, and could alone justify the price difference between the Turbo2 and other offerings.

I can totally understand your reasons for the Turbo2 being down a little bit on your list. I'm just not convinced that your reasons translate into "it would make the most business sense for Motorola/Verizon to price the Turbo2 substantially lower." I think they'll have great sales as-is. I wouldn't be surprised if there were a small drop in price after the new year, or sometime when a new competitor launches, but I think (especially with the trade-in offers, etc) that they'll sell fine for now without a price drop.

 

[elvee68]

Only if you're already a good-paying customer.

Posted via the Android Central App

You just need to be current. I sometime run a week late. Just how my bills run for the month. I was late this month yet I have a T2 in my hand now.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Premium1]

When you hear what most people want in a phone:

Removable or long lasting battery
Expandable storage
Excellent camera
Durable (in this case extremely).
Not a phablet
Near stock android


This device seems to check all the boxes that most look for/complain about when a device comes out and always seems to be missing something. Every device is always missing that one feature...

Unfortunately being loved down to Verizon is a downfall. But I'm scheming the ways to make it work!

Eh it is still just about as large as most "phablets" anyway, even with the smaller screen size.

 

[doogald]

How is moto is a questionable time? Lenovo is leaving them alone and they continue to make new products. That's not questionable at all.

They are not just leaving them alone - they recently laid off 20% of the work force, including all of the people who work on the Moto apps (display, voice, assist, etc.) and moved those jobs to engineers at Lenovo.

That said, it also seems that Lenovo laid off even more of their own smartphone employees and now all development will come out of Motorola. Still, I hardly call this leaving Motorola alone - Lenovo is definitely more actively involved in Motorola than they were before.

See http://phandroid.com/2015/08/14/motorola-cuts-2015/

 

[kmf1]

I read somewhere, not long ago, that Motorola is not including some of the Moto apps in Marshmallow because of duplication of ideas. Well, that explains the folks who work on the Moto apps being laid off. We may not want Marshmallow as badly as we think, if we have to lose some of the great Moto apps that we have become used to.

 

[YAYTech]

How is moto is a questionable time? Lenovo is leaving them alone and they continue to make new products. That's not questionable at all.

Posted via the Android Central App

There is no way a change of ownership could have no effect. Even if Motorola is being left largely alone, it's still a transition. There's a chance it results in improvement, the proof is in the products and service. So far things look good, but it's dangerous to assume.

 

[dpham00]

Like I said in other posts, the best phone is purely subjective and is based on your preferences and usage pattern.

That said, the Turbo 2 is a great piece of kit, but only a few things hold it back for me.
- Verizon stuff
- Longer than usual system updates
- Lack of availability outside Verizon unless you decide to import the Moto X Force, which is an international variant of the Turbo 2

I'd put the SD810 on there as well, but I feel that the heat has died down a bit.

Personally, I prefer the Nexus 6P, but that's just my preference.

The t2 does get heavily throttled when under heavy load for extended periods of time. Aside from that it takes longer to load apps from scratch than the note 5.

It also has heavy memory management but that isn't a cpu related issue.

 

[Rebel without a Clue]

Same here... FP sensor would have made this (or in my case the force) an instant buy. USB C would have been the cherry on top, but not a deal breaker.

 

[TomSelleck]

Honestly, I'm more interested in the display for the screen itself. I thought there were rumors about watches coming out with flexible displays.

 

[YAYTech]

the N6 and the turbo 2 have almost the same specs, I think the only exception is the finger print scanner

The N6P lacks wireless charging. There are some other specs differences too, but they are more similar than different.