Need help picking a new phone please. Coming from 1st gen Moto X

[OpetMajka]

I absolutely love my 1st gen Moto X, but it has been slowly developing issues that I can't seem to fix. My #1 requirement is that my new phone is less than 5", otherwise I'd go with a newer generation. All of my phones have been Motorola, sans a lowly samsung for a short time, but my devotion to the brand was not on purpose. It appears Motorola just tends to make phones I enjoy, until they started making everything oversized.

I think the thing I love most about my Moto X is that it is like having a personal assistant that knows what to do and when. That I can do so many things hands-free. I don't consider myself a power user. I don't modify the phone beyond removing bloatware and adding ad blocker. I mostly use it for entertainment (streaming and popular playstore games) and office productivity (emails, notes, scheduling, managing documents- pdf, xls, xml, etc). I do take a lot of pictures of my family.

I'm worried I'm going to miss the thing that sets the Moto X apart from the rest, though I know a few have adopted similar technology.

It needs to be a current phone still sold through a retailer, my work will be purchasing it. And it needs to be ATT compatible or sold unlocked.

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[Aquila]

iPhone 6s; there unfortunately aren't any good sub 5" Android phones.

 

[OpetMajka]

Isn't this an android forum? I definitely don't want an iPhone lol!

 

[Aquila]

Isn't this an android forum? I definitely don't want an iPhone lol!

Yes, but under 5" unfortunately means getting a phone that rather sucks on Android. If you can deal with a phone that is 5", the HTC 10 becomes an option and most likely the new Nexus Sailfish, which should be out in around October becomes an option.

 

[OpetMajka]

I'm not in a big hurry, but I had been looking at the Xperia Z5 Compact. Is it really worse than an iPhone?

 

[libra89]

I'm not in a big hurry, but I had been looking at the Xperia Z5 Compact. Is it really worse than an iPhone?

The Z5 Compact is decent. Sadly, on reviews comparing it to the iPhone SE, more than one person has said that the SE is a better choice for people who want small phones. I don't think you can go wrong with the Z5 Compact at all, just make sure to find it for a good price. I hear that on Android 6.0, the battery life just isn't the same for it.

Check out these videos:

Those are just two, there was some more that I saw but I can't remember the channel name.

 

[Aquila]

It weirds me out that the SE is compared because the SE is 4.0" and the 6s is 4.7" like the Z5C is 4.7".

 

[OpetMajka]

I'm just so anti-Apple that I can't imagine the iPhone being better than ANY android phone. While it may test better with its hardware, it's still iOS.

 

[libra89]

It weirds me out that the SE is compared because the SE is 4.0" and the 6s is 4.7" like the Z5C is 4.7".

In a general context, it is weird but if you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. Both of those phones are the only "small" phones that aren't trash. I would even argue to say that they are the only small phones worth talking about. I'm pretty sure that the compact is probably the only small Android phone that isn't junk, but it's still newish.

 

[OpetMajka]

I hear one of the new Nexus phones are supposed to have a 5" screen. If it is ergonomic to the hand, not too much bezel, I might consider it. Otherwise I'll probably go with the Z5 Compact unless something new shows up.

 

[Aquila]

If there's a store you can try out an HTC 10; the smaller nexus should be very similar feel to that, but a slightly smaller screen.

 

[OpetMajka]

that doesn't sound promising then, the HTC 10 is definitely too big for my liking.

 

[libra89]

I'm hearing 5" and 5.2" for the same phone so we'll have to find out what it is really going to be.

 

[dhawalpateldp60]

if budget isnt an issue i would recommend htc one m8. it still is one of those good phones. if u r on a tight budget the latest xiaomi 3s would do the job. but sadly you wouldnt find the touchless controls of the moto x but u can achieve the similar functionality on any android phone.

 

[OpetMajka]

I will hold off a little while to see what else about the new Nexus comes to light, but I'd only consider 5" for a Nexus, definitely not anything else. So any other option needs to be less than 5" and it looks like the Z5 Compact is the best of the small currently available.