Upgraded to MAXX from GNex -- My Thoughts

[artdeguzman]

Thanks for all the info. I have serious trepidation about the Maxx simply for its size as I'm coming from the iPhone 5. I'm so used to the 5 fitting into every pocket I have. It's a small thing, but pocketability is important to me. So is call quality(thanks for answering that btw) and I know Motorola has a great track record in terms of call quality. I think I have my mind made up. Was kind of on the fence between Maxx and Moto X but, it's really hard to ignore that battery!!!! I'm also a big fan of the Kevlar.

Mini has the same size footprint as the iPhone 5. Bezel is almost nonexistent. I walked out with the Maxx.

Sent from my Droid Maxx

 

[regateir]

I just did the same switch and I am loving it. The phone is close enough to stock, but the customizations are great. The ability to disable bloat makes almost a stock experience. It is a great phone.

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[like2angle]

I also went to a Verizon store and compared the Maxx to my GNex, also to an S4 and to my wife's Razr HD. I was the only one in the store and they even let me take them outside and compare the displays in the sun, also make real calls.

I saw the same signal measurements as you did. The S4 and the GNex were identical in terms of dBm and asu. The Maxx and my wife's Razr HD showed the same lower signal strength, (higher dBm). The Razr HD has much better reception than my Gnex, she can often make calls and surf the web when my phone only gets hot. This tells me that Samsung calculates signal strength differently and that the Maxx will have the same great reception as the Razr HD.

The S4 had the edge in outdoor viewing and all the phones were better than the GNex.

Night and day difference between all the phones and the Gnex in the sound department.
Audio quality both speaker and ear is better on the Maxx
Audio Volume ear goes slightly higher on the S4 however voices seemed more enhanced on the Maxx
Audio Volume speaker is louder on the Maxx.

Memory available for user files 25G on the Maxx, and the Nexus gets to win one here with 28G available. The S4 and the Razr HD have expandable memory.

The Maxx works with my Ford Sync and reads text messages while driving, I think the S4 will too. Another Nexus shortfall.

Important to me, the Maxx is compatible with digital hearing aids, what was Samsung thinking when designing the Galaxy Nexus...

Battery, are you kidding, even with an extended battery the Gnex cant get far from a charger.

Trade in value, the Trade in on the Verizon Gnex is the lowest of any smart phone, even half what you get for trading in one from another carrier.

 

[hodan]

Thanks for the pics. I'm also a release day gnex buyer and the camera has been a concern. I'm an amateur photographer and like to get buy with the phone on occasion. I'm waiting for maxx preorder but don't know what I'm going to do with the 5% allocated space in my brain for worrying about battery running out everyday.

Add it to your spankbank. Everybody could use an extra 5% for that. Or maybe memorize some more pop songs. Also, you could get some old baseball cards and memorize George Brett's Avg./Hits/HR/RBI's for each year. You're welcome in advance.

 

[hodan]

I also went to a Verizon store and compared the Maxx to my GNex, also to an S4 and to my wife's Razr HD. I was the only one in the store and they even let me take them outside and compare the displays in the sun, also make real calls.

I saw the same signal measurements as you did. The S4 and the GNex were identical in terms of dBm and asu. The Maxx and my wife's Razr HD showed the same lower signal strength, (higher dBm). The Razr HD has much better reception than my Gnex, she can often make calls and surf the web when my phone only gets hot. This tells me that Samsung calculates signal strength differently and that the Maxx will have the same great reception as the Razr HD.

The S4 had the edge in outdoor viewing and all the phones were better than the GNex.

Night and day difference between all the phones and the Gnex in the sound department.
Audio quality both speaker and ear is better on the Maxx
Audio Volume ear goes slightly higher on the S4 however voices seemed more enhanced on the Maxx
Audio Volume speaker is louder on the Maxx.

Memory available for user files 25G on the Maxx, and the Nexus gets to win one here with 28G available. The S4 and the Razr HD have expandable memory.

The Maxx works with my Ford Sync and reads text messages while driving, I think the S4 will too. Another Nexus shortfall.

Important to me, the Maxx is compatible with digital hearing aids, what was Samsung thinking when designing the Galaxy Nexus...

Battery, are you kidding, even with an extended battery the Gnex cant get far from a charger.

Trade in value, the Trade in on the Verizon Gnex is the lowest of any smart phone, even half what you get for trading in one from another carrier.

I've never had Verizon, but I know their coverage is great. And you pay for it. I genuinely feel sorry for Android fans on VZW. Your GNex was designed in 2010 and released in 2011 - it's just old now. Hopefully the phones in 2015 will make us be happy to upgrade from our Ones, S4's, Moto's, etc.

 

[pdecell]

I'll be interested to hear what you thought of the Moto X vs. the MAXX. I went to the ATT store to try the X and it a very nice sized screen. But I am coming from a Droid Bionic which has a 4.3" screen. I had thought closely about the Mini which also has a 4.3 screen but to me the MAXX is a much smaller step up in physical size then I had thought before getting my hands on it yesterday and today. Which comes out on top may depend on how you interact with the phone and the size pockets you have.

 

[mblouir]

I'll be interested to hear what you thought of the Moto X vs. the MAXX. I went to the ATT store to try the X and it a very nice sized screen. But I am coming from a Droid Bionic which has a 4.3" screen. I had thought closely about the Mini which also has a 4.3 screen but to me the MAXX is a much smaller step up in physical size then I had thought before getting my hands on it yesterday and today. Which comes out on top may depend on how you interact with the phone and the size pockets you have.

I would have considered the X if it were released on VZW. Not sure when it will be, but the reps say soon.

I actually took my mother to VZW today to pick up the Mini for her. Funny enough the Motorola rep was in the store, and she was stoked at how happy I am with my purchase. She had a white Moto X on her, and she let me hold it and tinker with it for a minute.

It feels like a great phone, but I don't feel like it lives up to the hype in certain reviews (in terms of build quality and overall feel). It didn't feel in good in my hand as some reviewers made it sound. Feel is always subjective, though, is it not? Perhaps it just doesn't fit my hand well.

I will say that even if it felt better in the hand, I would have still gone with the MAXX. It has all the features of the X (+one or two more) and tons more battery life. The battery life alone is worth it to me, but everyone's needs are different.



edit--not too shabby for Day 2:

 

[return_0]

I didn't notice any software buttons on the GNex screenshot. Is it rooted? That may have affected results. Not sure whether it would improve or worsen the GNex's results though.

 

[jrabin]

These are exactly my issues, too: (i) will it be uncomfortable as a 5" phone (I'm coming from Droid X), (ii) will it be too difficult to use one-handed. On the other hand, I, too, am a big fan of the kevlar, and the large batter. My teenage son has a Droid Razr M, and he says it's rock solid; he's had a few small drops, and the phone doesn't have a scratch. (The iphone's much more fragile), and he charges the phone once every 3 to 6 days -- so the Maxx battery will probably last a long, long time. I have a friend with the Razr Maxx HD, who uses the phone non-stop, and he'll go away for a long weekend and doesn't bother bringing a charger with him, the battery life is so good.

 

[mistermojorizin]

to everyone worried about the size: i have small hands, and i can NOT use this phone one handed. though, this may change with a case. i couldn't use my gnex one handed without a case, but with an otterbox it was relatively easy. the problem is when i try to reach to the opposite corner with my thumb, the fleshy part of the palm touches the super sensitive touch screen. also, i'm worried about dropping it. with the otterbox, there was a lip around the screen to keep the palm off, the built in screen protector made the screen less sensitive, and i didn't care how many times i had to drop the phone (i never did while using it, but the fear was gone).

 

[Dreamliner330]

These are exactly my issues, too: (i) will it be uncomfortable as a 5" phone (I'm coming from Droid X), (ii) will it be too difficult to use one-handed. On the other hand, I, too, am a big fan of the kevlar, and the large batter. My teenage son has a Droid Razr M, and he says it's rock solid; he's had a few small drops, and the phone doesn't have a scratch. (The iphone's much more fragile), and he charges the phone once every 3 to 6 days -- so the Maxx battery will probably last a long, long time. I have a friend with the Razr Maxx HD, who uses the phone non-stop, and he'll go away for a long weekend and doesn't bother bringing a charger with him, the battery life is so good.

A MAXX HD battery will easily be at 40% or so after a medium/heavy day (the battery is only good for 6-7 hours of screen on time), that RAZR M would be dead by dinner in my hands.

You must know some light usage people.

 

[mblouir]

to everyone worried about the size: i have small hands, and i can NOT use this phone one handed.

Thank you for posting this! Whether or not a phone can be used 1-handed always boils down to the user. I added a note (YMMV) in my second post where I say the phone is a one-handed phone. You're absolutely right that It will be different for everyone.

 

[Honestabebread]

Talk to me about the buttons. On the Gnex we've got the soft buttons and then on certain apps the settings button appears way over to the right. I've heard that on the MAXX you get a bar across the bottom with those buttons. Also, of course, in landscape the buttons won't move. How are you finding that?

You can map a long press of the multitask button to work as menu. Settings > Display > towards the bottom.

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[naudan]

I figured I would provide my personal experience as well - Also upgrading from a Galaxy Nexus to the Droid Maxx...

1) Size: The size is obviously bigger, but not by much. Easy to handle for a 6ft guy, although I have big hands.
2) Phone Build: VERY solid. I feel like the quality of the device is so much better. I dropped the phone already (1 day in) and nothing happened, so very impressed.
3) Button locations: I Love that the power and volume are on the right side. Considering that I am a lefty, I hold the phone in my right hand, so the thump lines up perfectly with the on/off and volume switch
4) RADIOS/Reception: My god it is night and day! I work in a bunker basically, and I never got cell reception at my desk with my nexus. Now, I get 1-2 bars of 1x, which is great because I can now get texts and calls. At home, I now am consitantly on 4g rather than switching back and forth between 3g and 4g like I was on my galaxy nexus. The Wi-Fi and 4g download speeds have been excellent. I cant tell if its because of the hardware on the phone or the connection, I assume its a bit of both
5) Screen: Its OK. I would not call it stellar. Sucks just as much in the daylight - Lots of glare and not very bright. Inside, it looks great though watching HD movies or reading text.
6) Active Display: The notifications are cool. I think this is something that that is not just a 'gimmick'. It has real value as I can just glance over or pick up my phone to see the key information I was looking for.
7) 'Always Listening': This may be a gimmick, but it has been cool so far. I have used the 'OK google now.. set alarm for 40 minutes" a few times. That one is sweet
8) Battery Life: WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY better. Its stupid how much better. I am currenly running a battery test, so results arent final, but so far so awesome. My galaxy nexus would barely last 6 hours, with hardly any use. On this one I am at 23 hours with 38% remaining. Screen was ON 3hours of that. One of the huge things saving my battery is the receiption. At work - without receiption, phones drain SO quickly, so the fact that this now gets 1-2 bars of 1x makes a huge difference. I am hoping to get 36 hours easy, with tyipcal use. Granted, I am now a "power user" but I use my phone often to check emails from work. I would think that in a 24 hour period I would average 4 hours of 'screen on time' and this is handling that NO problem.
9) Wireless Charging - Works OK - I got an LG charger. People say it heats up the phone so I am a bit sketpical. For me, its more of just a 'trickle' when I am at the computer. Considering the battery life of this thing, I only need to charge up once a day. The galaxy nexus would charge much faster, most likely because of the smaller battery, but I needed to charge multiple times a day.
10) Speed - Way faster than the galaxy nexus. So far it is super smooth. Loads web pages crazy fast. I see no jitters on my end. Impressed to say the least.
11) Camera - EH. Not impressed by it. Takes better photos than the nexus, but not great. Little disappointing. They have some cool features like the 'instant access by shaking' which is nice. Also the quick burst shot is also cool just by holding your finger. But the camera itself doesn't seem to reproduce colors correctly and is grainy in lower light.

Overall impression: 9/10 - Battery. For me, I finally said to myself "Whats the point of having a top of the line phone if I can't use it, or am 'scared' to use it because I don't want to drain the battery. This thing is fast, simple (almost pure Google), has a couple nice features I will actually use and battery life is amazing so far. I was originally holding out for the note 3, but I have no regrets. Simple, intuitive, fast, and long lasting. Would recommend to anyone.