Should I buy a new Droid Turbo?

[Issemann]

Verizon is currently running a promo that gets you $200 for bringing over your number from another carrier. In addition, there is another promo that gets you $150 for purchasing the Motorola Droid Turbo on their Edge plan. Both promos combined get me the Turbo for $150 net. Is this deal worth it? (I currently have the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact on AT&T).

 

[Phoenix212]

If only the answer were so simple. Here's some true or false questions to ask yourself:

1. I need an all day battery that lasts (at least) 24 hours without a charge.
2. I don't mind a little extra heft in my pocket if its there to give me that all day charge.
3. I want a good camera but don't need it to be the best at taking action shots.
4. I don't mind if my phone doesn't receive an OS update beyond Lollipop 5.1.
5. I would like my phone to include a complimentary 1 time exchange in case I break my screen.

If you answered TRUE to at least 3 of those questions, the Droid Turbo is a great option for you. If you answered FALSE to 3 or more questions, you might want to look elsewhere.

Personally, I really like my Droid Turbo and do not regret purchasing it a couple months ago. I don't think that Lollipop is so amazing that I absolutely must have it immediately today (now now now!!!) on my phone. It has been buggy on other phones, to say the least, and I prefer stability over bleeding edge. Kit Kat is very stable on the Turbo and I am more than pleased with the phone's performance on Kit Kat. The camera does have a somewhat slow shutter speed (which is easily overcome for action shots but long-pressing the screen for rapid fire shots) but the images it creates are beautiful (IMHO). Also, Motorola made a good faith effort to fix the camera lag issue in a recent app update for the Moto Camera. It would seem that the lag may be able to be fixed via a future software update.

In addition, the fact that Verizon will exchange the phone one time in your first two years of ownership if you break the Gorilla Glass screen is just icing on the cake (since I bought the phone secondhand, I do not have insurance on it so this 1 time trade in is a great thing for me). So, here's why I like my Turbo (in no particular order):

1. Blazing fast processor, no lag in anything I do.
2. Stable OS build.
3. Battery lasts me at least 24 hours, typically around 36 hours.
4. Built like a tank, my 9 month old son has yet to destroy it despite his best attempts.
5. Camera takes great pictures, even if it lacks in shutter speed.

There are some on this forum who do not share my view (so jaded!!) and want out. For some people, the fact that the phone has yet to receive its Lollipop update is why they want out, for others it is the somewhat slow shutter speed of the camera.

I hope this helps you. I bought my phone secondhand for $400 a couple months ago and I still believe it was a very good purchase. But, of course, YMMV. There is no easy answer when it comes to determining which is the right phone for you. It's all about your wants and needs.

BTW, according to your math it appears you are looking at the 32gb model. To future-proof your phone as much as possible, you might want to pony up the extra $50 for the 64gb model. There is no microSD slot so you are limited to the internal memory only. Of course, this all depends on your personal wants/needs.

 

[GeodudeFFP]

Verizon is currently running a promo that gets you $200 for bringing over your number from another carrier. In addition, there is another promo that gets you $150 for purchasing the Motorola Droid Turbo on their Edge plan. Both promos combined get me the Turbo for $150 net. Is this deal worth it? (I currently have the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact on AT&T).

I love my Moto Maxx (international unlocked Turbo), but I'm curious...what does it do that your Z3c doesn't do?

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Issemann]

I love my Moto Maxx (international unlocked Turbo), but I'm curious...what does it do that your Z3c doesn't do?

The Turbo has a faster processor, more RAM, a bigger screen & higher resolution screen, fast/turbo & wireless Chi charging and a bigger battery. (Just to name a few things).

But the real reason I am contemplating this is because I have the opportunity to upgrade my entire family's devices by switching from AT&T to Verizon for a total net cost of about $210.

 

[GeodudeFFP]

Then heck, I'd go for it...you'll love the Turbo!

Posted via Android Central App

 

[mrtonk]

If only the answer were so simple. Here's some true or false questions to ask yourself:

1. I need an all day battery that lasts (at least) 24 hours without a charge.
2. I don't mind a little extra heft in my pocket if its there to give me that all day charge.
3. I want a good camera but don't need it to be the best at taking action shots.
4. I don't mind if my phone doesn't receive an OS update beyond Lollipop 5.1.
5. I would like my phone to include a complimentary 1 time exchange in case I break my screen.

If you answered TRUE to at least 3 of those questions, the Droid Turbo is a great option for you. If you answered FALSE to 3 or more questions, you might want to look elsewhere.

Personally, I really like my Droid Turbo and do not regret purchasing it a couple months ago. I don't think that Lollipop is so amazing that I absolutely must have it immediately today (now now now!!!) on my phone. It has been buggy on other phones, to say the least, and I prefer stability over bleeding edge. Kit Kat is very stable on the Turbo and I am more than pleased with the phone's performance on Kit Kat. The camera does have a somewhat slow shutter speed (which is easily overcome for action shots but long-pressing the screen for rapid fire shots) but the images it creates are beautiful (IMHO). Also, Motorola made a good faith effort to fix the camera lag issue in a recent app update for the Moto Camera. It would seem that the lag may be able to be fixed via a future software update.

In addition, the fact that Verizon will exchange the phone one time in your first two years of ownership if you break the Gorilla Glass screen is just icing on the cake (since I bought the phone secondhand, I do not have insurance on it so this 1 time trade in is a great thing for me). So, here's why I like my Turbo (in no particular order):

1. Blazing fast processor, no lag in anything I do.
2. Stable OS build.
3. Battery lasts me at least 24 hours, typically around 36 hours.
4. Built like a tank, my 9 month old son has yet to destroy it despite his best attempts.
5. Camera takes great pictures, even if it lacks in shutter speed.

There are some on this forum who do not share my view (so jaded!!) and want out. For some people, the fact that the phone has yet to receive its Lollipop update is why they want out, for others it is the somewhat slow shutter speed of the camera.

I hope this helps you. I bought my phone secondhand for $400 a couple months ago and I still believe it was a very good purchase. But, of course, YMMV. There is no easy answer when it comes to determining which is the right phone for you. It's all about your wants and needs.

BTW, according to your math it appears you are looking at the 32gb model. To future-proof your phone as much as possible, you might want to pony up the extra $50 for the 64gb model. There is no microSD slot so you are limited to the internal memory only. Of course, this all depends on your personal wants/needs.

This is great and really should be a sticky.

 

[doogald]

4. I don't mind if my phone doesn't receive an OS update beyond Lollipop 5.1.

I'm not so sure about this one. No guarantees, but Motorola has committed to updating phones to a new OS so long as the phone will run it well (though it's generally if the phone is less than 2 years old.) M seems less of an update to L than L was to KitKat, and I'm willing to bet that the Turbo will see M, probably about this time next year.

 

[PowrDroid]

Verizon is currently running a promo that gets you $200 for bringing over your number from another carrier. In addition, there is another promo that gets you $150 for purchasing the Motorola Droid Turbo on their Edge plan. Both promos combined get me the Turbo for $150 net. Is this deal worth it? (I currently have the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact on AT&T).

The Z3 is a pretty nice handset. The Turbo would be an upgrade but not an amazing upgrade. I think the answer lies in the difference between AT&T and Verizon. For example, do you ever have trouble with dropped calls on AT&T? Would switching to Verizon lower your monthly bill or give you more features/data? If you get that deal and go on Edge, your phone will cost you (net, after discounts) about $6.25 a month. That's a tough deal to turn down.

The biggest advantages with switching phones would be the bigger screen and you'd get the Moto software suite (Moto Assist, Actions, Voice and Display) which I've come to love. The Turbo is close to stock Android which was important to me, but YMMV. The Turbo has a bigger battery but the Z3 has plenty of battery.

 

[mimsiesboy]

Verizon is currently running a promo that gets you $200 for bringing over your number from another carrier. In addition, there is another promo that gets you $150 for purchasing the Motorola Droid Turbo on their Edge plan. Both promos combined get me the Turbo for $150 net. Is this deal worth it? (I currently have the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact on AT&T).

No,,, get a nexus 6 from Google, hindsight is 20/20

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Issemann]

No,,, get a nexus 6 from Google, hindsight is 20/20

Yes, ideally that's what I would LOVE to do. But the N6 is way too big for me. If I go to Verizon and get the Turbo, I am about 5 months away from the next Nexus device. If I like what Google is putting out there, I can always upgrade at that time.

 

[jem9777]

Unless battery life is your only concern, get something else. LG G4, Samsung Galaxy S6, and Nexus 6 are all better than the Turbo overall. Plus you can actually make phone calls and get OS updates on them.

Or wait for the new LG Nexus this fall...I can't wait to dump my Turbo and get that.

 

[Issemann]

Unless battery life is your only concern, get something else. LG G4, Samsung Galaxy S6, and Nexus 6 are all better than the Turbo overall. Plus you can actually make phone calls and get OS updates on them.

Or wait for the new LG Nexus this fall...I can't wait to dump my Turbo and get that.

I actually get very good battery life with the Xperia Z3 Compact. But as I mentioned above, the Turbo has a faster processor, more RAM, a bigger & higher resolution screen, fast/turbo & wireless Chi charging and has the capability of VoLTE (when it becomes available).

What I failed to mention is that I currently have 3 lines on AT&T and the real reason for this discussion... I am looking to add a 4th line and by switching to Verizon, I would be able to upgrade my whole family with new devices for about $211.

 

[doogald]

There are some on this forum who do not share my view (so jaded!!) and want out. For some people, the fact that the phone has yet to receive its Lollipop update is why they want out, for others it is the somewhat slow shutter speed of the camera.

FWIW, some people are having trouble with WiFi (there is a thread detailing spontaneous reboots when connected to Apple Airport routers, other people have issue with range compared with their last phones or other devices, I've seen some posts saying that they cannot hold a WiFi connection). Others who say that voice and data is a necessity are having trouble with VoLTE (especially issues with dropped calls) and others with BT connections to cars (particularly newer Subarus, if memory serves me right.) I'm not sure that people are ready to switch away because of those issues, but it's not just the camera issue or the lack of lollipop (which is such a short-term concern; the phone is clearly going to be upgraded) that the Turbo has for some people.

 

[PowrDroid]

I actually get very good battery life with the Xperia Z3 Compact. But as I mentioned above, the Turbo has a faster processor, more RAM, a bigger & higher resolution screen, fast/turbo & wireless Chi charging and has the capability of VoLTE (when it becomes available)

.

VoLTE has been available on the Turbo for several months.

What I failed to mention is that I currently have 3 lines on AT&T and the real reason for this discussion... I am looking to add a 4th line and by switching to Verizon, I would be able to upgrade my whole family with new devices for about $211.

Yes, and that would be the deciding factor for me.

 

[jamielov]

I am one who wanted and did get out. As ive been a moto owner for as long as i remember, i wouldn't exactly call myseld jaded.

Ill echo what was said above, battery life is unreal. That much is great. Camera is (my opinion) bad. Really bad for anything but still shots. Take it with a grain of salt the talk of improvement, because a lot of the people speaking on the improved camera were also the same ones saying how the camera was absolutely flawless before motos update. It helped for sure, but not enough to make it what i consider "good".

So, read the above posts and decide what is important to you. The 5.1 upgrade isnt going to turn the phone into a golden masterpiece. It will fine tune some existing issues.

I settled eventually on the G4. What was most important to me, a camera (g4 killed it, ridiculous how good this is) and battery (hands down moto is king here) were my deciding factors. A replaceable battery alleviated any battery life fear.

Last point...to put it into perspective, i went backwards to my Maxx after getting tired of the faults i personally found in the turbo, and didn't miss the turbo at all. So there is another opinion to consider. Good luck

 

[Phoenix212]

Take it with a grain of salt the talk of improvement, because a lot of the people speaking on the improved camera were also the same ones saying how the camera was absolutely flawless before motos update.

I don't recall ever saying the camera was flawless prior to the update. Please correct me if I am wrong on that point. That said, I don't know how you can deny that the camera update improved the shutter speed. Still not great, but I believe others have found that shutter speed is approximately 0.5 seconds faster than before the update.

 

[jamielov]

Def not implying it was you. But I was absolutely ripped apart, to the point of personal insults, when I commented on the camera prior to update, suggesting it was just not up to par. Since then I try to be very cautious of what I comment on, but would like others to have the information available to them that I didnt have when I purchased the phone. Im very careful to ALWAYS say its my opinion, and my opinion only. Had moto not touted the camera in all theirs ads prior to release it may have gone better. But even with the update I still don't feel its the "powerhouse 21mp so you wont miss any of the action" camera that moto wanted to promote they had. For someone who finds it important like I did, it may be a big deal.

I will agree the camera update was an improvement, but in my experience, the camera was/is an all time fail, as it took them that long to address the issue, which the months of performance for me was so poor it was the first phone to turn me away from motorola for good, as I had faithfully purchased every incarnation of the droid all the way back to the original droid. For the poster asking about purchasing one, and having used it and the Lg G4, I can not believe I was loyal to motorola for that long. I truly feel aside from battery life, they have nothing to offer me, so I would offer a resounding "no, do not purchase the phone".

 

[GeodudeFFP]

I'm no photographer, but I have to admit the camera is less than what I hoped for. (even my LG G2's is better!). That said, I'd still buy the Turbo if I had to do it again, since I still feel it does most everything I want it to do, and very well. I guess if I could make it "better" (for me) I would have improved the camera (add OIS, for crying out loud), add an IR blaster, and louder call volume...then it would be my version of perfect. Still, it's a darn good phone. But I think photo buffs should definitely look elsewhere.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[conan1071]

Unless battery life is your only concern, get something else. LG G4, Samsung Galaxy S6, and Nexus 6 are all better than the Turbo overall. Plus you can actually make phone calls and get OS updates on them.

Or wait for the new LG Nexus this fall...I can't wait to dump my Turbo and get that.

Why do you say you can actually make calls?

 

[Phoenix212]

But even with the update I still don't feel its the "powerhouse 21mp so you wont miss any of the action" camera that moto wanted to promote they had.

Definitely agree with you on this point. I don't think it's a complete fail, but "won't miss any of the action" is inaccurate, at best. That said, burst mode has given me pretty good action shots.