Looking at the Droid X2...need some feedback

[intelligen]

I've been looking at Android phones for a while now and it seems like there have been a lot of complaints about call quality on a lot of models. The X2 is one of the few that has been reported to have great call quality in all the reviews I've found, but looking at the first couple pages of this forum, it looks like people have had a lot of other issues with this phone. I'm wondering whether those problems are common, or if it's just that everyone is more vocal about reporting problems with this phone.

The other phone I'm looking at is the Incredible 2. People seem generally happy with that phone, but I've seen mixed reviews on call quality, and that phone seems to have made a few trade-offs in the specs department. The only special functionality I want to add is the ability to tether since I do use that feature every once in a while on my current smartphone. If anyone here has owned both I'd especially appreciate your feedback.

If a few of you could help me out in making a decision, I'd really appreciate it.

What issues have you had with the X2?

How often do you have to reboot or reflash your phone because something isn't working?

Have you had any problems that you've just had to learn to live with?

Have you had any problems that other X2 owners don't seem to have?

Why did you pick the X2?

What other phones did you consider?

Would you make the same choice again? If not, what would you choose instead?

 

[Mr One 2#AC]

I would certainly buy this phone again. Purchased two for $150, can't beat that!!! Call quality is awesome even in my house where my reception is less than stellar. My old bb storm2 dropped calls constantly. This phone has yet to do that! I was even at a concert and was able to make a call and hear the recipient as could they hear me. This is my first android phone as well so, can't compare to the others. I have rooted and put a rom on as well which has helped w the audio playback skipping, which is the only issue I have come across.

 

[whiplash473]

There's a few things with this topic - the forum is to get help on problems so I understand what you mean but its also part of the reason the forums are here.....the call quality is probably the best out of all the phones I've ever had.....there are some problems with the phone but a lot of it gets solved fairly easily/quickly if you ask/search..lots of stupid things that aren't device-changing problems.....this phone is unreal..root it and remove bloatware and its insanely snappy even with a lot running.....its a strong phone too (physically and digitally) - its a well made and very solid feeling phone and as for apps/games there isn't anything that this phone can't do that I've come across yet.....my girlfriend has a D2G and she makes fun of me for having a pc that makes phone calls instead of a phone that acts like a pc.....overall its an awesome phone and I'venever regretted buying it.
To answer your Q's:
-had some minor issues but id say 99.9% of them were fixed with the GB update
-i reboot once every day/other day just because..id say I reboot cuz I have to about once every 2 weeks or so and its just cuz it needed it anyways
-not that I can think of
-everyone has their own problems with phones
-cuz it was the sickest phone out when I got it and I think its still holding a podium stand with the rest
-charge (X2 is a lot quicker navigating around but no 4G
-in a heartbeat

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk

 

[Devinator]

I've had the issues mentioned above.

I reboot daily by choice (recommended by manufacturer, maybe not necessary, but, it is a PC, so a good idea), as well as leave my phone off for at least a minute, but, generally longer. Never had to factory reset.

Sometimes it reboots. Generally not a big deal. Plus random bugs that don't show up consistently. The other day I was playing a game, received a call, answered it, and, when I was done, all I saw was a black screen, could lock and unlock phone, but, nothing else. Hit the back button a couple of times and it brought me back to my desktop. Never happened before though. Other than really random stuff like that, and sometimes rebooting, there is nothing that is really a deal breaker for me.

Nope. My girlfriend has an X2 as well and we have the same minor issues.

I picked the X2 after months of research. I would not consider any phone with a smaller screen. I narrowed it down to a couple of phones. Decided I was going to buy it from Costco. They had the X2 and the Charge. I had heard good things about the Charge as well. Picked it up and was immediately turned off by the shape, and, the fact that it felt like a plastic Barbie toy phone or something. And, then looked at the screen, wow, ugly. My girlfriend described it as garish, and, I think that's a spot on description. This thread compares the two screens: http://forums.androidcentral.com/motorola-droid-x2/113519-how-do-you-like-your-screen.html I was honestly not impressed. The X2 seems more like a grown up phone too, and, it's built REALLY solid.

Like I said, I considered the Charge for a moment or so. I had maybe one other phone in the my list while doing research that I considered, but, I must not have considered it very hard if I can't remember what it was, haha.

Yes, I absolutely would. Over three months later, and, just last night my girlfriend was saying over and over again how much she loves her phone. My buddy at work as an original X and over a year later he still comes up to me and is like, I love my phone. And, I feel that I will be saying that a year from now as well.

One final note on your last two questions combined. I really had my heart set on the Galaxy S II, but, my phone was degrading day by day and barely worked anymore. I was trying to survive using an external charger, and, a portion of my screen. The S II kept getting pushed back and back and I just couldn't wait any longer. So, I pulled the trigger and got my X2, definitely my top pick from what was available. I'm glad I got it when I did, three months later and still no S II. And, who knows if Verizon will even carry it at all.

Okay, I think I went on enough. To summarize, there are two extremely satisfied X2 owners in our household.

 

[Wookie Claws]

I wasn't a Verizon subscriber until almost a month ago. I had Moto phones before but not since the Rizr. I got a Xoom and liked the build quality etc.

When we went to switch to Verizon (from T-Mobile) they had a BOGO deal and I got an X2 and my wife got a Droid 3. I had a G1, MTSlide, and MT4G. After a bit of acclimation I got used to and really like my X2. It's very solid and has made me rethink about Moto cell phones. I looked at the the Cliq and hated it, and I hated what I saw of moto blur.

So I was a bit hesitant to get a Moto phone with a 'blur-like' overlay. I have to say that the overlay they have now isn't bad at all. I think I'd still prefer stock, but can live with this overlay.

I find that I need to reboot about once a week, silly things like the music app not starting when the headphones are plugged in.

X2 was part of the BOGO deal and didn't have a keyboard, which I like
I thought about the Thunderbolt... and now that the Bionic is out that one looks good. I've got a couple years to wait so we will see what is out then.

With the same situation I would buy the X2 again. Verizon's 3G data is slower than T-Mobile's data was, but I am finding that its not that bad and I just use Wifi to download lard files/apps.

 

[bbsadaj]

i would also buy this phone again. but it might be a toss up between the X2 and the DINC2, the latter not available at the time i got my X2. also a good portion of my relatives got phones with front facing cameras since. the things that sold me though were-solid build quality of device, reputation of motorola putting out a good product, dual core processor, screen size. some of the negatives including battery life seem to be inherent on all android phones so that didn't factor in my decision. i also use wifi at home and have excellent download speeds so the lack of 4g doesn't bother me.

 

[intelligen]

Thanks for the great feedback, everyone! I've been watching Amazon and Wirefly for weeks to see if the price would drop to free like the DINC2. It was free on new contracts for a while, and finally dropped to free on individual and family plan renewals just today or sometime in the past couple days.

I almost bought a DINC2 on several occasions over the past month, but I couldn't bear the thought of being stuck with a phone with flaky call quality that I couldn't use in sunlight. I'm hoping the stability problems have been worked out and I have as good an experience as everyone who voted in the poll. I guess if I do end up having spontaneous reboot problems, I can try swapping for something else.

I should have a DX2 in my hands by Wednesday.

 

[Devinator]

Wow, I can't believe four months later and my phone is free. If only I had a smart phone before I got my X2. I could have held out and saved 120 bucks. Oh well. Glad that you finally decided to join us with an X2!! I'm sure you wont be disappointed.

 

[srvctec]

I should have a DX2 in my hands by Wednesday.

Welcome to the DX2 club. I've had mine since June 20 and had strongly considered the DINC2 for about 6 months prior to that because I had seen it mentioned in January on one of the tech sites. I studied it and even downloaded the owner's manual to learn prior to upgrading to it on June 20. Then the DX2 came out in May and I completely changed my mind. Bigger screen and the only phone I've ever had that I can actually see the display in sunlight. Super call quality, too- I've had people think I was on a landline when talking to me on my DX2.

Let us know how you like it.

 

[hkklife]

What issues have you had with the X2?
Frequent (1x or 2x daily) random reboots, occasional (1x or 2x per week) lockups or 3G drops requiring a battery pull, camera photos come out extremely dark probably 60% of the time due to a synchronization problem between the shutter and the flash. Of course, the pentile screen is terrible for fast action games and viewing certain images (particularly fleshtones) but I knew that going into it and I still think the extra pixels and superb brightness mostly compenate for it.

How often do you have to reboot or reflash your phone because something isn't working?
I have to reboot my phone several times daily, in addition to keeping an eye on my free RAM. I will probably upgrde to the leaked 2.3.4 SBF this week after I read a few more hands-on experiences.

Have you had any problems that you've just had to learn to live with?
I have been considering buying a new phone outright ever since I got the X2, to be perfectly honest. I actially passed on a few pre-owned Droid 3 and Bionic deals recently in hopes of an upcoming X2 OTA update fixing some of these issues. Either way, if the Nexus Prime is all it's cracked up to be, I may very likely take the plunge and get that one at full retail later this year. I have learned to live with the stuttering audio, the pentile screen, the relative lack of RAM and internal storage. I CANNOT happily live with the random resets, the loss of 3G connectivity, and the horrible, horrible camera

Have you had any problems that other X2 owners don't seem to have?
I have had 2 brand-new X2's and both of them have exhibited this camera flash/sync/dark/pixelated image problem. My first X2 was even worse than that one is.

Why did you pick the X2?
Because I had an overall superb Droid X experience last year and earlier this year. I got the X2 due to my investment in a huge stock of X cradles, docks, cases, batteries, and accessories. I also really like the formfactor

What other phones did you consider?
Droid 3, but it wasn't out at the time (early July). But now I really wish I had waited! I also gave a passing glance to the Charge and TB but those are just too bulky, too battery-hungry, and basically sporting last year's technology. And I refuse to go with a new device in 2011 that has fewer pixels than my Droid 1 had in 2009!

Would you make the same choice again? If not, what would you choose instead?
No, I would have either tried to muddle through with my DX a bit longer or perhaps waited for the Droid 3 or the Bionic.

My advice? Either get a cheap used Droid X to tide you over OR wait a few months until the market is hit by a wave of very capable LTE handsets running ICS.

 

[Devinator]

What issues have you had with the X2?
Frequent (1x or 2x daily) random reboots, occasional (1x or 2x per week) lockups or 3G drops requiring a battery pull, camera photos come out extremely dark probably 60% of the time due to a synchronization problem between the shutter and the flash. Of course, the pentile screen is terrible for fast action games and viewing certain images (particularly fleshtones) but I knew that going into it and I still think the extra pixels and superb brightness mostly compenate for it.

How often do you have to reboot or reflash your phone because something isn't working?
I have to reboot my phone several times daily, in addition to keeping an eye on my free RAM. I will probably upgrde to the leaked 2.3.4 SBF this week after I read a few more hands-on experiences.

Have you had any problems that you've just had to learn to live with?
I have been considering buying a new phone outright ever since I got the X2, to be perfectly honest. I actially passed on a few pre-owned Droid 3 and Bionic deals recently in hopes of an upcoming X2 OTA update fixing some of these issues. Either way, if the Nexus Prime is all it's cracked up to be, I may very likely take the plunge and get that one at full retail later this year. I have learned to live with the stuttering audio, the pentile screen, the relative lack of RAM and internal storage. I CANNOT happily live with the random resets, the loss of 3G connectivity, and the horrible, horrible camera

Have you had any problems that other X2 owners don't seem to have?
I have had 2 brand-new X2's and both of them have exhibited this camera flash/sync/dark/pixelated image problem. My first X2 was even worse than that one is.

Why did you pick the X2?
Because I had an overall superb Droid X experience last year and earlier this year. I got the X2 due to my investment in a huge stock of X cradles, docks, cases, batteries, and accessories. I also really like the formfactor

What other phones did you consider?
Droid 3, but it wasn't out at the time (early July). But now I really wish I had waited! I also gave a passing glance to the Charge and TB but those are just too bulky, too battery-hungry, and basically sporting last year's technology. And I refuse to go with a new device in 2011 that has fewer pixels than my Droid 1 had in 2009!

Would you make the same choice again? If not, what would you choose instead?
No, I would have either tried to muddle through with my DX a bit longer or perhaps waited for the Droid 3 or the Bionic.

My advice? Either get a cheap used Droid X to tide you over OR wait a few months until the market is hit by a wave of very capable LTE handsets running ICS.

While I do experience some reboots/freezes, they are definitely not daily.

And, I have no issues with the quality of photos on my phone. They do not come out extremely dark. I actually like the camera a lot. I use my camera constantly and have taken some great shots. Both my girlfriend and I have X2s and we'll go out hiking for the day, take hundreds of shots, and, they come out great. We get some shots that aren't in the best of focus, but, that's to be expected. You just make sure you take a couple of shots of anything you are interested in and sift through for the best one later.

My screen is great for games. I have played a decent amount of games on it and have not been disappointed.

I reboot my phone every morning, as is suggested in the user manual. Other than that, I rarely need to reboot it.

I will say that the stuttering audio problem does exist. I think it can be eased a bit by getting a different music playing app. I was testing PowerAmp the other day and as I recall, it wasn't happening. It is an issue though.

Have not experienced a loss of 3G either.

All I can say is there are two happy X2 owners in my household. I'm sorry to hear you have had so many issues with yours.

 

[intelligen]

Hey, everyone, thanks for the warm welcome! So far I like most things but am hoping the latest OTA update fixed some of the stability problems.

@hkklife, thanks for sharing your not-so-happy experience with this phone. Yesterday my phone spontaneously rebooted in the morning, then I had to reset it twice yesterday evening because it locked up. The second time, it locked up when someone was calling me, and it wouldn't stop ringing even though the caller had already hung up.

I was able to get the OTA update to 2.3.4, so I'm crossing my fingers that the problems are fixed. If not, I guess I need to try uninstalling some of the apps I've downloaded.

 

[Devinator]

I was able to get the OTA update to 2.3.4, so I'm crossing my fingers that the problems are fixed. If not, I guess I need to try uninstalling some of the apps I've downloaded.

When did you get 2.3.4 OTA? Both my girlfriend and my phone are 2.3.3 and I just tried to update both of them. No luck. :'(

 

[bad05gtt]

Now that the soak test is over,I was part of it, I can come out of the closet as it where !!! I had the Droid X and loved that phone! Unfortunately I dropped it in some water and got the Droid X2 thinking it would keep up the X tradition. You know where I'm heading with this ! It was the red headed step child to the original X ( reboots,music skipped,charging problems and Bluetooth problems ) Now for the drum roll please............... THE DROID X2 IS BACK BABY !!!!!!! All the problems mentioned above where fixed with the recent soak test (update) So just sit back and relax and wait for the OTA and be pleasantly surprised

 

[srvctec]

Sweet! I've had no real problems with my X2 since GB update, but if 2.3.4 is even better, then that's great! Waiting patiently.

 

[fargles]

just got 2.3.4 must say even though I haven't activated the thing the app drawer is soooooo much smoother and I love the CRT tv animation:3 haven't played any music yet so we shall see.

 

[Devinator]

Anyone know when this is going to be official?

 

[fargles]

Anyone know when this is going to be official?

Well I do know the soak test is done, and last time VZW put out the .pdf it took about a week to start actually being pushed sooooo, I would say give it a couple more days. Although the .sbf is released and it's really simple to do, so if you want to take the plunge and update that would be the best option.

 

[Devinator]

Okay, I figured it'd be a couple of days. Thanks.

I'm not rooted. I currently have no intentions to do so. Also, I can wait a couple of days.

 

[GaryA]

New to the Dx2. Just got it yesterday as a replacement for Inc2. Went from Fascinate to Inc2 to Dx2.
Fascinate had so many problems, but still worked ok as a phone.
Inc2 worked beautifully as everything but a phone. Signal was non existent here without an extender.
Dx2 has a great solid signal. Best reception I have ever had here.Gps seems very accurate.
Call quality is very good on both ends.
I think the screen is as good as if not better than either of the others.
Print is very sharp and easy to read. Sat in direct sun today and screen was easy to see.
Only thing I noticed was a bit of choppy movement when scrolling,not real bad but noticeable.
Music player seems to work good. Took a couple pictures that looked very good.
Battery life seems a little lacking, but will see if it evens out with some time.
Don't like the buttons, but minor complaint.Downloading apps was very fast.
So far very happy with it. 2.3.3 on it.
Biggest problem now is what to do with two Fascinate backs,batteries,skins and
two Inc2 backs,batteries and skins.