Looking for an upgrade from the Droid Turbo.. Still can't seem to find a decent, modern phone?!

Anathem

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I've had my Turbo for a little over 3 years, and it's seen some wear, so I thought I should think about getting an upgrade. However, it seems that all (yes, all) alternatives that are out/coming out soon are worse quality than the 2014 Droid Turbo.. My main concern is the battery: this 3-year-old "ancient" technology has a 3,900 mA-hr battery. The upcoming Samsung Galaxy S9 is poised to have a measly 3,000 mA-hr battery (seriously?).

For me, battery is the biggest concern: I've been lucky to have the Turbo for the past 3 years, and if it weren't for the fact that my power button is jammed, I would stick with it for a few more years. I also enjoy the great resolution, though it would be nice to have a superamoled display. I also like the 5.2" screen size and don't want to go much bigger.

Does anyone around here have any recommendations of what I should get/wait for? I was looking at the Asus ZenPhone 4 Max, but aside from the battery, it seems to be quite lacking (such as the display). I don't see anything interesting coming out from Motorola, which is a shame as this would be my first non-Motorola phone.

I appreciate all your help!
 

B. Diddy

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Have you considered any of the recent past flagships, like the OnePlus 5 (3300 mAh) or LG V20 (3200 mAh)?

I think most phone manufacturers shy away from really big batteries due to the bulk and weight. They're trying to find the right balance between enough battery to get the average user comfortably through one day and not too much battery that it makes the phone unwieldy. Also, since many phones have quick charging now, there's less pressure to have big batteries -- users can regain a lot of battery very quickly.
 

jsarche

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I also was a Motorola loyalist for years, but I just don't like their new designs. So back in August, after my Turbo was becoming noticeably slow and really showing its age, I switched from the Turbo to the Samsung Galaxy S8 Active, and I've been really happy with the new phone. Battery life is at least as good as the Turbo's, and I feel it's just as rugged as the Turbo. I hate using a case, so ruggedness was a priority for me - even more than my carrier (I had to switch carriers to get the S8 Active, but that hasn't been a problem, and these days, it's really easy to do).
 

gendo667

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You can get a S8 Plus at a decent price. It's shockingly compact, too. I can say the battery on my standard S8 has been fantastic. Even on the Oreo beta. I imagine it's even better on the Plus model.

On a side note, the S8 is the first Samsung device I've owned and it's been a great experience. Happy hunting.
 

Stack697

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Try the Moto x4. I also had the Droid Turbo and my battery was slowly becoming weak and newer apps were lagging my device. Tried the 5' Pixel2, which was nice, but I guess I'd grown accustomed & loved that Moto display and actions. The X4's midrange processor is actually faster then the old Droid & I'm getting day and a half battery life from the 3000 mah battery. Yeah your losing the amoled screen but your gaining an awesome front fingerprint reader & keeping Moto Display & actions . I tried, but just couldn't find a smaller sized device - Moto flagship or otherwise with comparable features.
 

chanchan05

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You forget to consider that newer phones also have more power efficient components. An example is the S7 Edge, just one year after the Droid Turbo. The Exynos version has a higher battery life rating despite having a smaller 3500mah battery. But I guess you're in the US so you won't be able to get the Exynos versions.

Anyway, the Huawei Mate 10 and 10 Pro have 4000mah batteries.
 

Mooncatt

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The LG V20 is an awesome phone and the most complete package with features now absent from most smartphones, and a rather durable design. It's about a year and a half old, but it's still a worthy powerhouse.

Regarding your battery concern, most modern phones sip on their batteries, so size alone isn't the only consideration. That said, the V20 has a removable battery. So you can buy some spares if you want, or get an aftermarket extended battery. I just started using my Perfine brand 6,400mAh battery today and it's been nice so far (still breaking it in), and I've seen some in the 10,000mAh range if you're that power hungry.
 
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Anathem

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I appreciate all the replies.

I am considering the S9 because it seems to be fairly powerful and should last at least 3 years (that's another one of my goals here). Now that the full phone specs/pricing/features have been released, does anyone have any advice regarding this decision? I haven't heard too much about the battery life, but it seems that the S9 won't be terrible, but still not great either. I haven't seen any comparisons of its length with that of the Turbo. I'm also not sure the other phones listed here will last me until 2021.

Thanks again,
 

PowrDroid

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I appreciate all the replies.

I am considering the S9 because it seems to be fairly powerful and should last at least 3 years (that's another one of my goals here). Now that the full phone specs/pricing/features have been released, does anyone have any advice regarding this decision? I haven't heard too much about the battery life, but it seems that the S9 won't be terrible, but still not great either. I haven't seen any comparisons of its length with that of the Turbo. I'm also not sure the other phones listed here will last me until 2021.

Thanks again,
Had my Droid Turbo for 3 years as well and loved it for the excellent battery life. Got a Pixel 2 XL just before Christmas and the battery life is better than the Turbo ever was. I've gotten 6 hours screen on time and still had 40% battery left. I'd say 8 hours screen on time is doable.

The Pixel 2 XL has the best camera on a smart phone. Battery and camera are my two priorities in a phone and the 2 XL is fantastic. Throw in smooth, stock Android OS and seamless integration with Google software and a I'm one happy camper.

I looked at the Samsungs before buying the 2XL and ultimately I decided I didn't want the Samsung OS skin laid over Android. Reading the S8 and S8+ forums you see the threads about lag and stutter and needing to reboot and all the same tricks needed to get back that just bought speed and smoothness the Samsung originally had. Like you, I figure on keeping a phone for 3 years and I don't want to have lagging and stuttering 6 months into ownership. The Turbo had Moto's minimal OS skin on it and it never lagged. I know the Pixel will never have that either.

Is the S8 and Note 8 on Oreo yet? If not, why not?

I definitely wanted the superior battery life and better camera on the Pixel 2 XL. Also the timely security patches and updates, unlimited photo storage in the cloud, and, oh yeah, the 2 year warranty.
 
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Bamzilla

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My Droid Turbo still works great and I've had it since launch date back in Oct 2014. Only thing that is bad is the battery life is awful now as I have used it a ton over the years. I keep waiting for "the next best thing" to come along and haven't bought anything. I'm thinking I may finally take the plunge and get the S9+ as it seems to be top of the line for everything like the Turbo was when I bought it. I wish Motorola had just kept updating the Turbo as is with smaller bezels. My parents have the Turbo 2 and that was a nice upgrade but the newer Motorolas just don't do it for me.
 

chanchan05

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The problem is you equate mah with battery life. If the S9 was using a battery as power hungry as the processor on the Turbo was, then sure the 3000mah is measly. But as the years went by, not only did processors get more powerful, they also became more efficient and less power hungry.
 

PowrDroid

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The problem is you equate mah with battery life. If the S9 was using a battery as power hungry as the processor on the Turbo was, then sure the 3000mah is measly. But as the years went by, not only did processors get more powerful, they also became more efficient and less power hungry.
But screens have gotten bigger and Samsung has all their stuff on top of stock Android.
 

chanchan05

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But screens have gotten bigger and Samsung has all their stuff on top of stock Android.
Everything has become more power efficient. And just equates in the end. For example:

https://m.gsmarena.com/motorola_droid_turbo-review-1163p3.php

https://m.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s8-review-1603p3.php

In GSMArena's standardized test, the Droid Turbo has a rating of 90hrs with its 3900mah battery. The smaller S8 has 84hrs with 'just' a 3000mah battery (AOD is off). While it doesnt translate to actual hours on real life use, we can see their relativity to each other. They'd barely have any difference. And that's with a higher resolution too. You can save even more battery by running battery saving mode which reduces screen resolution and reduces CPU power consumption by 30%.

Then you have to factor in that the new chips on the S9 are more power efficient than on the S8.


Although if you really don't want to go for a lower mah, the Huawei Mate 10/Pro is a Note 8 competitor with a 4000mah battery.
 

Mooncatt

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Just get a V20, swap in a 10,000 mAh extended battery, and call it a day. Heck, call it a week for some users. Lol
 
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I stopped reading where you asked "does anyone have?"

I hear you I do. Kind of sound like me, I'll tell you what I did. My original Turbo is mine. Paid off. So worst case scenario is I have a FANTASTIC 2nd phone and that ain't bad. And my guess is your "new phone" will conk out or you'll have problems and you'll go right back to the "Iron horse of Phones": The Motorola ORIGINAL Turbo.😁

Mine isn't the EXACT phone but my original (I forget what the problem was, wasn't terrible though) I sent back to Verizon and they sent me out a refurbished phone. Heckuva deal though. IMO if you couple the Original Droid Turbo with an OtterBox you just simply Cannot beat that combination. Again - that is just my opinion. But I use my phone basically from the time I get up till I go to bed, surfing the internet.... watching videos etc etc. If we go out of town or out for the weekend I bring my Big Mophie JuicePack (in case I'm out in the woods etc.) and I'm good to go.

I've tried the Turbo2 and two other phones myself and ended up returning them. Why take on another bill when what I have is paid for AND it's simply better than the ones that were sent me? It's a no brainier.

I don't know what or how you use your phone, but I don't see how anyone can actually USE their cell more than I do. They could use it "as much".....but not more. I think it'd be impossible.

What I would do if I were you is if your Turbo happens to not be holding a charge or something physically wrong with it.....I'd take it to your local Motorola Certified Repair Center and they'll hook you up and it'll be just like brand new and you're good to go. Or have Verizon send you a Certified Refurbished Unit and off you go. When I took mine to the repair store the man that owns and runs it told me something to the effect when he saw me take off the OtterBox that "the original Turbo in his opinion was one of just two or 'maybe' three cell phones that have been made that overall are the best." Now that is saying alot, and he wasn't just blowing sunshine on me either and he explained alot about why he was saying that but I don't remember all what he said. I remember him saying how it was "extremely stable" and that the Turbo and one other model (don't remember which) actually get better with time. I forget the jargon he used but it made sense to me at the time.

But the most important thing for me are 1- Battery life 2-Screen Size 3- Volume and the Turbo kills it on all three IMO. I'm going to grab me one of the bigger ones.... I have the 32GB Black Ballistic and I'd like to have the bigger one.....just because. But until there is simply a wayyyyyy better phone in the three areas it just doesn't make sense to me, but that's just me.

Good luck with whatever you choose.👍
 
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I'm trying to understand why folks just don't get a new battery, cost me $73.00 out the door. Of course you want to go to a certified Motorola Repair Store, I took for granted that they were everywhere. Or is it that you and others just simply wanted to get an entire new phone?
 

PowrDroid

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I'm trying to understand why folks just don't get a new battery, cost me $73.00 out the door. Of course you want to go to a certified Motorola Repair Store, I took for granted that they were everywhere. Or is it that you and others just simply wanted to get an entire new phone?
Don't have certified Motorola repair store in my area. I wanted a new phone for a bigger screen, better camera, fingerprint sensor, more RAM, and faster software and security updates.

My Pixel 2 XL battery is better than my Droid Turbo ever was and the camera is the best available on a cell phone. Battery and camera are my two biggest criteria in a phone and the Pixel 2 XL nails it.

The Turbo was a great phone for me and I'm glad yours is still going strong.
 

Einsteindks

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Looking forward to the release of the LG V40 ThinQ. I'm on my second screen and battery with my Turbo. Loved my Turbo ever since I got it! Highly disenchanted with all the new Motorolas coming out. I hate to go bigger, but it seems like I have no other choice.
 

leehardballer12

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Don't have certified Motorola repair store in my area. I wanted a new phone for a bigger screen, better camera, fingerprint sensor, more RAM, and faster software and security updates.

My Pixel 2 XL battery is better than my Droid Turbo ever was and the camera is the best available on a cell phone. Battery and camera are my two biggest criteria in a phone and the Pixel 2 XL nails it.

The Turbo was a great phone for me and I'm glad yours is still going strong.

I had the Droid Turbo as well, with the Ballistic Nylon back and 64GB... my first Android phone after a long line of BlackBerry phones. The only case I could tolerate for it was the Turbo flip case, which I thought I would hate...

I actually kept that phone for nearly 3yrs. The Ballistic Nylon is no gimmick, as it survived a direct hit from an 80+ mph pitch from my son which I barely deflected. I was damn glad that phone was in my pocket, but thought for certain my phone was toast! I probably would have kept it even longer if the screen hadn't cracked, 3 weeks after the 2yr warranty expired, while using it to assist me while working on my furnace.

I tolerated the cracked screen for a few more months (with a Zagg Invisibleshield), but eventually went with the Pixel. I went with the smaller one since it closely matched the overall size of my Turbo, but with a bigger screen. And I got the 124GB version for about the same as a 64GB Pixel XL would have cost.

While I did miss the Moto Actions and the screen quality of the Turbo, I feel I got a worthy upgrade upgrade in the Pixel. Two others in my household went with Moto Z phones (Moto Z Play and Moto Z Force), and are both very happy with the trouble free performance of each. The wife LOVES her Z Play and uses the Moto Actions daily, along with the Moto Mod speaker. (which might be her favorite electronic device!) My son got the Moto Mod battery pack, and enjoys very long battery life.

There are SEVERAL worthy upgrades available for fans of the Turbo...but I sure wish they had a ballistic nylon option available, I might be all over that if it ever comes out again...
 

91sonomast

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Do any of you guys still have your Droid Turbo in ballistic nylon that works well enough that I could transplant my motherboard in to it and save my pictures? It feel off the counter and the digitizer shattered. If I get a phone that I can continue to use once I swap motherboards that would be great. I loved my Turbo and was almost as heartbroken over the loss of it as I was the loss of the pictures. The power button got finicky about a year ago, it kind of had a mind of its own.
Digitizer is shattered, it's stuck in boot loop(had to unplug the battery because I thought it was going to explode it got so hot). Let me know if you have one, I'd be interested in buying it and hopefully salvaging my pics.
 

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