Decisions, decisions!

[twojosh]

Currently have a turbo 2 since December. Battery life has gotten worse in the past few months and I'm bored with the phone. Normally don't keep a phone longer than 6 months.

What would be the best upgrade for battery life, camera, durability and maybe larger screen and water resistant.

Looking at v10, v20, note 7(when repaired), z force Droid(concerned camera not so good) or dare I say the iFollow 7(iPhone 7).

Thoughts?

 

[Aquila]

if you're only going to keep it 6 months then I'd say V20; otherwise I'd say Note 7 or iPhone 7+

 

[twojosh]

if you're only going to keep it 6 months then I'd say V20; otherwise I'd say Note 7 or iPhone 7+

Thanks for the response. Why would you not recommend the z force?

 

[Technified]

Any phone that YOU decide on will be good because it would be YOUR decision. Not someone else's!

 

[YAYTech]

I'm sure plenty of folks (including myself) would recommend the Z Force. It's a great phone with excellent battery life and smooth operation. The mods are cool too, but it's an excellent phone without them as well.

 

[Aquila]

I got the Z Force for my wife, she loves it. I wouldn't not recommend it, but it's too expensive for a 6 month phone and IMO the security updates and other updates aren't necessarily up to par enough for it to be a 2 year device.

 

[Toes Up]

I too am a T2 owner and I share some of your priorities. Each of the phones you listed has their pluses and minuses. For example the Force is shatterproof but not water resistant. Plus, the N7 has a better camera. On the other hand, the N7's screen durability is questionable, not to mention the lessor/exploding battery. IPhone 7 is now water resistant, but the screen is not as tough, no SD card, etc.

Pick your biggest priority and get what suits your needs best. Good luck!

 

[mobrules]

I switched to the Force from the original Turbo. I bought the Turbo when it launched October 2014. I feel the Force is the best out of them all. Battery life is amazing. I am pretty severe with disableing apps and controlling background data. I can EASILY get 2 days without the battery mod. With the mod I could go 3 days. I don't believe any of the phones you listed will do that.

But everyone may not place the level of importance that I do on battery life.

I typically keep a phone for about 2 years. I felt this was the one that would allow me to do that.

It's also the most vanilla android OS out of the ones you listed. Can't stand Apple, except for the stock. I like to be able to change the look of the stock launcher. I use Action launcher.

Not sure if I've been able to give you an opinion helping you make a choice or not. But those were the factors that went into me making my choice. All phones have different things so it's whatever works for you.

 

[twojosh]

Is the camera a concern on the z force? Most reviews say it's about the same as the turbo.

 

[Dconn1975]

Being an apple user for so long or until this year, I would narrow it down to two phones. Z Force and iPhone 7. I watched the release videos and I have to say that I want one. My plan is to hold out for the iPhone 8 since it's supposed to or possibly show me some creative innovation which is huge to me. My vote is go for the Z Force. This is coming from someone who couldn't stand android until I got the original droid turbo for a while and kept me with Motorola. The Z Force is a pretty awesome device all the way around and is as smooth as you can get interface wise. Let us know what you decide. Also it will come down to size too. That is why my other phone is the Sony Experia X 5 inch. I love a small phone and I actually use it more than my Force. It's a grab and go one hander. Plus Sony has similar software interface to Motorola. Seamless. Not choppy like Samsung which I tried my best to like. I say go Force. You'll be happy with it.

 

[mobrules]

Is the camera a concern on the z force? Most reviews say it's about the same as the turbo.

I dont really have an opinion. It takes photos that are good enough for me. So I really dont have much opinion.

 

[Revolutionary]

Is the camera a concern on the z force? Most reviews say it's about the same as the turbo.

Those reviewers (I've not seen this particular lament) must be smoking something strong. As a Turbo owner, the camera on the Z Force is leagues better. Faster, crisper, better exposure and color - on par with my iPhone 6s (work phone). I don't know about the Z Droid, but the camera on the Force is great, as least in normal interior light and daylight.*

*I can't comment on low light, as I've not had opportunity to use it under low lighting conditions.

 

[jtriplet]

I switched to the Force from the original Turbo. I bought the Turbo when it launched October 2014. I feel the Force is the best out of them all. Battery life is amazing. I am pretty severe with disableing apps and controlling background data. I can EASILY get 2 days without the battery mod. With the mod I could go 3 days. I don't believe any of the phones you listed will do that.

But everyone may not place the level of importance that I do on battery life.

I typically keep a phone for about 2 years. I felt this was the one that would allow me to do that.

It's also the most vanilla android OS out of the ones you listed. Can't stand Apple, except for the stock. I like to be able to change the look of the stock launcher. I use Action launcher.

Not sure if I've been able to give you an opinion helping you make a choice or not. But those were the factors that went into me making my choice. All phones have different things so it's whatever works for you.

Just a question for clarification. If you are going to use Action Launcher on any phone you have, why does it matter how close to vanilla Android the phone is on its own?

 

[mobrules]

Just a question for clarification. If you are going to use Action Launcher on any phone you have, why does it matter how close to vanilla Android the phone is on its own?

I can understand why your asking. But my point is the plain OS is the most vanilla out from what I've seen, besides a Nexus device. My choice to use Action launcher doesn't change that.

I'm just amazed at how different manufacturers change the OS.

For example a family member was having some sound issues with a galaxy 5. I tried to help him and was amazed at how much Samsung changes things. I tried but wasn't able to figure it out. I looked in the forums here, on XDA, and YouTube. After messing with it for an hour I gave up. He bought a Z Force soon after.


And for full disclosure every smart phone I've ever owned had been Blackberry or Motorola. I had severe crackberry addiction. I then switched to the original Droid, to Droid 4, Droid Bionic, Droid Raza Maxx HD, original Turbo, and now the Z Force. Not sure if my order is correct. I didn't start using Action launcher until the Turbo.

So as you can see I'm partial to Motorola. I'm not sure it will continue after this now that Lenovo is involved. Time will tell.

 

[beeare]

I have the z-force. This isn't something I would make an official recommendation on, because it's mostly subjective, and comes down to what you prioritize. For me battery life is the most important thing, and I've been using the battery Mod with this phone. It's absolutely ridiculous! I go 2 full days of serious use. I usually go to sleep with the battery Mod about kicked and then wake up with 80% left on the phone battery. The 80% easily lasts me the next day, and to this point I haven't had to charge again until bedtime on the 2nd day. So it's a for real 48 hour phone with the battery Mod, not just a phone with the capability of getting 48 hours under very particular use. For me that's a game changer. The battery Mod makes it a little heavy and adds thickness, but in my opinion not too thick or heavy given what it does. I personally don't mind the weight, but when you hold a much lighter phone, it's definitely gonna standout.

And...

Camera is excellent. Definitely better than my wife's 6s and up there with the S7 from comparisons I've done in person. I didn't really test low light in those tests but I don't look to take a lot of low light photos, so not a big deal for me. Overall I've gotten excellent photos, and the flash works perfectly well in dark settings. In marginal light conditions, it's been more than adequate. The T1 camera really wasn't very good as a reference point for my opinion. The T2 had a solid camera, but you needed a really steady hand. I think it's similar on the z-force in terms of what you need to do to optimize your photos. You probably need a steadier hand than you will with the S7 or Iphone. So it might not be quite as easy to point and shoot and get an incredible shot, but the capabilities are right up there with anything on the market.

And the operation is the smoothest of any android phone I've used. I've had the last 3 Motorola flagships, and I thought all of them were buttery smooth, but this phone is on another level. It doesn't lag in the slightest and the screen transition and sensitivity is easily the best on any android phone I've tested. It's right up there with an iPhone in my opinion in this regard.

 

[Mike Dee]

if you're only going to keep it 6 months then I'd say V20; otherwise I'd say Note 7 or iPhone 7+

Why 6 months on the V20?

 

[Aquila]

Why 6 months on the V20?

Because it sounds like a really awesome device but I don't necessarily trust LG to kick out updates and so it'll be a good device to jump to the G6 or whatever they have next from