6P Review and Annoyance

[jdot104]

I've certainly seen some reviewers secretly testing other phones before they were even announced. Marques Brownlee got an early model of the OnePlus 2, but couldn't spill the beans until it was announced by OnePlus. It's possible that review units are currently circulating without public knowledge.

Sent using Tapatalk

 

[truebruin]

I believe there was an embargo on Nexus 6 reviews last year. I think they all were posted on November 12, which was about a month after Google announced it.

 

[vzwuser76]

I've had the MXPE for over 2 weeks now and I'm returning it for the N6P. The MXPE is a good phone and the N6P seems to be everything good about the MXPE and then some. It was a no brainier for me.

The only thing the MXPE has over the N6P is an SD card so unless that's your #1 priority I say get off the fence and order the nexus already.

The SD card would definitely be nice. I actually have one ready for it. They had a sale awhile back on Amazon and I've got a 128GB card for it. If I went the 64GB route on the internal storage, I'd have 192GB of total storage for $150 less than the 128GB 6p model costs. So that's a plus in the XPE's side.

Beyond that the other sticking points are screen, radios, and updates. PhoneArena did their review of the XPE and when they did their display tests the screen on the XPE is said to top out around 714 nits, where the Galaxy S5 only tops out at 470 nits, but the contrast is also better on AMOLED. The 6p's radios are an unknown, but in the past Huawei's radios are supposed to be pretty good, but until the 6p is reviewed we won't know that for sure. And lastly updates, we know the Nexus will be better in that regard, but apparently there's a soak test for the XPE which some are speculating could be Marshmallow. And since they are now bypassing the carriers, that could mean quicker updates down the line. On updates there's no way to know how Motorola will handle them before the 25th, but if they do get their 6.0 build out by then, that may be enough to sway me.

 

[So Cold]

The SD card would definitely be nice. I actually have one ready for it. They had a sale awhile back on Amazon and I've got a 128GB card for it. If I went the 64GB route on the internal storage, I'd have 192GB of total storage for $150 less than the 128GB 6p model costs. So that's a plus in the XPE's side.

Beyond that the other sticking points are screen, radios, and updates. PhoneArena did their review of the XPE and when they did their display tests the screen on the XPE is said to top out around 714 nits, where the Galaxy S5 only tops out at 470 nits, but the contrast is also better on AMOLED. The 6p's radios are an unknown, but in the past Huawei's radios are supposed to be pretty good, but until the 6p is reviewed we won't know that for sure. And lastly updates, we know the Nexus will be better in that regard, but apparently there's a soak test for the XPE which some are speculating could be Marshmallow. And since they are now bypassing the carriers, that could mean quicker updates down the line. On updates there's no way to know how Motorola will handle them before the 25th, but if they do get their 6.0 build out by then, that may be enough to sway me.

There's more to screen quality than max brightness, I personally never have my phone at max brightness. Also why are you using the galaxy s5 for comparison? If you want to know about the N6P screen look at the note 5.

Definitely don't go Moto for the updates, all of the news lately in this department looks abysmal and I'm really disappointed with Moto for this.

An Open Letter To Motorola: Start Promising A Concrete Period Of Update Support To Your Customers Or Start Losing Them

One of the key points for me is battery, the battery on the MXPE isn't bad but the N6P is a slimmer phone, bigger battery and more efficient screen so that was a huge tipping point for me.

 

[TheDonJ77]

There are plenty of reviews, what are you talking about?

I think people including myself are talking about full in depth reviews, not the quick 2-3 minute hands-on videos

Sent from Da Beast, AKA, The classy white, Galaxy Note 5

 

[TheDonJ77]

Hopefully reviews will start popping up within the next week or so. I still haven't ordered yet.

Sent from Da Beast, AKA, The classy white, Galaxy Note 5

 

[htowngator]

Hopefully reviews will start popping up within the next week or so. I still haven't ordered yet.

Sent from Da Beast, AKA, The classy white, Galaxy Note 5

I would bet most reviews will be Oct 26 right before first shipments.

 

[TheDonJ77]

I would bet most reviews will be Oct 26 right before first shipments.

Yeah, I'm hoping they do. I really want to see how the camera and battery plus the snapdragon chip holds up before I go all in.

Sent from Da Beast, AKA, The classy white, Galaxy Note 5

 

[vzwuser76]

There's more to screen quality than max brightness, I personally never have my phone at max brightness. Also why are you using the galaxy s5 for comparison? If you want to know about the N6P screen look at the note 5.

Definitely don't go Moto for the updates, all of the news lately in this department looks abysmal and I'm really disappointed with Moto for this.

An Open Letter To Motorola: Start Promising A Concrete Period Of Update Support To Your Customers Or Start Losing Them

One of the key points for me is battery, the battery on the MXPE isn't bad but the N6P is a slimmer phone, bigger battery and more efficient screen so that was a huge tipping point for me.

I realize that, which is why I also mentioned the contrast ratio. And I meant to say Note 5 when referring to brightness. IIRC the S5 has lower brightness than 470 nits. The reason I look at brightness isn't because I plan on keeping it at full brightness 24/7. I look for that because if I need a brighter screen, it's available. Having dealt with the Turbo and it's 270 nit screen, there are many times outside where with the brightness all the way up, I still have a hard time seeing what's on the screen. Having a display that can go brighter is an advantage, although with an LCD screen you sacrifice true blacks for it.

Yes I have seen that. While what happened with the Moto E is unacceptable especially inwake of them advertising it as a device that wouldn't be left behind in terms of software updates, it is also there lowest model device. Now even though they marketed it the way they did in regards to updates, low tier devices should never expect updates. Most carry lower end specs, and for all we know there may have been an incompatibility with it's hardware. Since Motorola has yet to speak on the matter, we're left with factless speculation. As far as the 2014 Moto X for AT&T and Verizon are concerned, again I believe that is more on the carrier's shoulders than Motorola's. Especially when you consider the 2014 X Pure, which is unlocked, is getting the update. And since they essentially use the same ROM (the only differences between the Pure and the carrier versions seem to be bloatware and supported bands) they could easily update the device. So if that is true, and Motorola wouldn't have much work in getting an update for those devices, who's left? The carriers. I believe that is the reason they went the unlocked route for this year's Moto X, after the debacle that was the Turbo update, and the current CF that is the 2013 Moto X update, they were tired of dealing with push back from the carriers. Since this is the first year they're going this route for the Moto X (besides the Pure/unlocked editions of years past) we don't know for certain, good or bad, what will happen.

But we have no idea on the battery as of yet. The Droid Turbo had an even larger battery on it with a smaller AMOLED screen and it still only just gets me through a day (16 hours of Charger with maybe 3 hours SOT). As far as the slimness of a phone, I'd rather have a device that is more like the XPE in that regard. The curved back has a better feel in the hand (my opinion and shared with many reviewers). In regards to a more efficient display, where are you getting that from? AMOLED is efficient with a dark background, but since they've gotten rid of a dark theme for Marshmallow, a white background will actually be harder on battery life with an AMOLED screen.

In all of this, I was simply giving my opinion on why I'm on the fence. You see it your way, I see it mine. All of it is idle speculation until we get any sort of confirmation (actual reviews of the performance of the 6p and a statement on the update reasoning from Motorola). Until that happens, we can argue till were blue in the face, but until we get some facts, they are in actuality just our opinions.

 

[AustinIllini]

I think people including myself are talking about full in depth reviews, not the quick 2-3 minute hands-on videos

Sent from Da Beast, AKA, The classy white, Galaxy Note 5

Exactly. It's a metal phone. It feels like all the other metal phones and about 30% of the plastic phones. And it runs Android.

 

[So Cold]

I realize that, which is why I also mentioned the contrast ratio. And I meant to say Note 5 when referring to brightness. IIRC the S5 has lower brightness than 470 nits. The reason I look at brightness isn't because I plan on keeping it at full brightness 24/7. I look for that because if I need a brighter screen, it's available. Having dealt with the Turbo and it's 270 nit screen, there are many times outside where with the brightness all the way up, I still have a hard time seeing what's on the screen. Having a display that can go brighter is an advantage, although with an LCD screen you sacrifice true blacks for it.

Yes I have seen that. While what happened with the Moto E is unacceptable especially inwake of them advertising it as a device that wouldn't be left behind in terms of software updates, it is also there lowest model device. Now even though they marketed it the way they did in regards to updates, low tier devices should never expect updates. Most carry lower end specs, and for all we know there may have been an incompatibility with it's hardware. Since Motorola has yet to speak on the matter, we're left with factless speculation. As far as the 2014 Moto X for AT&T and Verizon are concerned, again I believe that is more on the carrier's shoulders than Motorola's. Especially when you consider the 2014 X Pure, which is unlocked, is getting the update. And since they essentially use the same ROM (the only differences between the Pure and the carrier versions seem to be bloatware and supported bands) they could easily update the device. So if that is true, and Motorola wouldn't have much work in getting an update for those devices, who's left? The carriers. I believe that is the reason they went the unlocked route for this year's Moto X, after the debacle that was the Turbo update, and the current CF that is the 2013 Moto X update, they were tired of dealing with push back from the carriers. Since this is the first year they're going this route for the Moto X (besides the Pure/unlocked editions of years past) we don't know for certain, good or bad, what will happen.

But we have no idea on the battery as of yet. The Droid Turbo had an even larger battery on it with a smaller AMOLED screen and it still only just gets me through a day (16 hours of Charger with maybe 3 hours SOT). As far as the slimness of a phone, I'd rather have a device that is more like the XPE in that regard. The curved back has a better feel in the hand (my opinion and shared with many reviewers). In regards to a more efficient display, where are you getting that from? AMOLED is efficient with a dark background, but since they've gotten rid of a dark theme for Marshmallow, a white background will actually be harder on battery life with an AMOLED screen.

In all of this, I was simply giving my opinion on why I'm on the fence. You see it your way, I see it mine. All of it is idle speculation until we get any sort of confirmation (actual reviews of the performance of the 6p and a statement on the update reasoning from Motorola). Until that happens, we can argue till were blue in the face, but until we get some facts, they are in actuality just our opinions.

Didn't mean to argue and told you to get off the fence and order the phone with only good humor intended.

Obviously we are all different and I jumped the gun and already ordered the MXPE so my hand was forced to make a decision. I opted to return the moto and go with the nexus. Everything I've heard about the nexus has been positive and with all the bad PR moto is getting right now it makes me feel more comfortable with my decision.

I think you're in a good spot because you're choosing between two phones that both look awesome. I can't wait to get my hands on that 6P!

 

[dflores]

The Note 5, not the S5, was used as a reference because it's the same size screen and latest generation from the same supplier said to be supplying the screen for the 6p. The Note 5 screen is said to put out over 800 nits to remain visible in daylight. My current phone is an AMOLED with ~200 nits output; it's damn near useless outdoors.

 

[vzwuser76]

The Note 5, not the S5, was used as a reference because it's the same size screen and latest generation from the same supplier said to be supplying the screen for the 6p. The Note 5 screen is said to put out over 800 nits to remain visible in daylight. My current phone is an AMOLED with ~200 nits output; it's damn near useless outdoors.

I know that, I put S5 in by mistake, which I already addressed. Can I ask where you got that the Note 5 can put out over 800 nits, because I am going off of PhoneArena's review of the Moto XPE, and in the comparison table, they're saying the Note 5's Amoled screen had a maximum brightness of 470 nits compared to the Moto XPE's LCD with a max brightness of 715 nits. In most cases, LCD screens have an edge over AMOLED screens in terms of brightness, so I'd be really surprised if that wasn't the case. But if it is that's one more point in the Nexus 6p's favor. Here's a link to the PhineArena review I mentioned, just scroll down to the brightness test.

Motorola Moto X Pure Review

 

[vzwuser76]

This might interest some as well. Apparently Huawei's network division are conducting 5G field tests and getting around 3.6Gbps. So hopefully their knowledge of networks points to good reception on the 6p.

Real world 5G field test produces data speed of 3.6Gbps

 

[beaner b]

I know that, I put S5 in by mistake, which I already addressed. Can I ask where you got that the Note 5 can put out over 800 nits, because I am going off of PhoneArena's review of the Moto XPE, and in the comparison table, they're saying the Note 5's Amoled screen had a maximum brightness of 470 nits compared to the Moto XPE's LCD with a max brightness of 715 nits. In most cases, LCD screens have an edge over AMOLED screens in terms of brightness, so I'd be really surprised if that wasn't the case. But if it is that's one more point in the Nexus 6p's favor. Here's a link to the PhineArena review I mentioned, just scroll down to the brightness test.

Motorola Moto X Pure Review

Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+ OLED Display Technology Shoot-Out

 

[Trees]

Yeah, I'm hoping they do. I really want to see how the camera and battery plus the snapdragon chip holds up before I go all in.

Sent from Da Beast, AKA, The classy white, Galaxy Note 5

I'm starting to think this way too. Have the 6P on order, but know about the Note 5 as my wife has it and overall she's quite happy with it. The camera is great, and the fingerprint scanner works equally as well.

64GB storage is sufficient for me as on my Note 4 I've only used 22GB on the 64GB SD card, and have ~ 11GB free on the internal storage. I'm going to think on this a bit more and see what the reviews say about the camera and battery life.

 

[vzwuser76]

Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+ OLED Display Technology Shoot-Out

The only problem is there is no test done by Displaymate on the Moto XPE to compare it to. Since they're getting over 800 nits and PhoneArena is only getting 470 nits, I can't use the measurements to compare until Displaymate does a test on the XPE. Because either DM or PA has some flawed results, and in that case I can't pick a measurement from one and a measurement from the other and compare them. The only way to really compare the two is to use the same tests for both, something apparently PA and DM don't do.

 

[Alex98]

The only problem is there is no test done by Displaymate on the Moto XPE to compare it to. Since they're getting over 800 nits and PhoneArena is only getting 470 nits, I can't use the measurements to compare until Displaymate does a test on the XPE. Because either DM or PA has some flawed results, and in that case I can't pick a measurement from one and a measurement from the other and compare them. The only way to really compare the two is to use the same tests for both, something apparently PA and DM don't do.

If you read carefully, you will see that PA and DM found fairly close results for 100% manual birghtness (402-512 vs 470 nits as far as I remember). The 800nits from the DM review is what they found when putting the phone on auto-brightness under very high ambient birghtness.

And that's because of a feature you will find in all Samsung's recent AMOLED smartphone. It allow the display to benefits from a huge brightness boost when put under very high brightness.
But it comes with downsides :
* First, you can't use it with manual brightness because such a brightness will cause an AMOLED display to age faster and eventually to burn in.
* This brightness boost also change drastically the colorimetry. It boost saturation a lot which will burn details and cause very unrealistic rendering (far beyond what I have seen in any other display in my life).

So, it's not a thing that you can set manually, it kick in when the phone think that you need it.
But except Samsung's ones, not other AMOLED smartphone does that. So they basically just have the maximum brightness that can be set manually.

 

[vzwuser76]

If you read carefully, you will see that PA and DM found fairly close results for 100% manual birghtness (402-512 vs 470 nits as far as I remember). The 800nits from the DM review is what they found when putting the phone on auto-brightness under very high ambient birghtness.

And that's because of a feature you will find in all Samsung's recent AMOLED smartphone. It allow the display to benefits from a huge brightness boost when put under very high brightness.
But it comes with downsides :
* First, you can't use it with manual brightness because such a brightness will cause an AMOLED display to age faster and eventually to burn in.
* This brightness boost also change drastically the colorimetry. It boost saturation a lot which will burn details and cause very unrealistic rendering (far beyond what I have seen in any other display in my life).

So, it's not a thing that you can set manually, it kick in when the phone think that you need it.
But except Samsung's ones, not other AMOLED smartphone does that. So they basically just have the maximum brightness that can be set manually.

I was under the assumption that PA took that into account when they came up with that. From their Note5 review...

"For starters, the Note5’s Super AMOLED display produces just a smidgen better 470 nit luminance, thanks in part to its high-contrast mode kicking in when it’s in direct sunlight."

Is that not the same mode Display Mate is talking about when it's in automatic brightness? If it is, then they are getting two different measurements. If it isn't, it still doesn't matter because if non Galaxy devices can't make use of it anyway, then the 470 nits it gets in manual mode is the max it will achieve in the Nexus 6p, which puts the 714 nit measurement from the Moto XPE's LCD ahead of it in terms of max brightness.

Am I not reading that correctly or what?

 

[Alex98]

I was under the assumption that PA took that into account when they came up with that. From their Note5 review...

"For starters, the Note5’s Super AMOLED display produces just a smidgen better 470 nit luminance, thanks in part to its high-contrast mode kicking in when it’s in direct sunlight."

Is that not the same mode Display Mate is talking about when it's in automatic brightness? If it is, then they are getting two different measurements. If it isn't, it still doesn't matter because if non Galaxy devices can't make use of it anyway, then the 470 nits it gets in manual mode is the max it will achieve in the Nexus 6p, which puts the 714 nit measurement from the Moto XPE's LCD ahead of it in terms of max brightness.

Am I not reading that correctly or what?

They talk about contrast so I will assume that they talk about adaptative display. Plus, all other sites I have seen have measured the Note 5 at around 450 nits Max manual and more than 600 nits at maximum auto-brightness boost so, 470 nits seems pretty low.

Add to this that measurements will vary a lot depending on what you are measuring with Samsung's AMOLED smartphones due to the algorithms that they use.
They use adaptative brightness which seems to target a general power consumption for the display and will adapt brightness to meet the target. So, measuring the luminance of a single white pixel in a total black image will give you far higher results than if you had measured the same pixel on a total white page. (And that's why DM is better than PA or GSMarena, they measure different APL).

But yeah, it doesn't matter for the 6P. Brightness boost is not as sim