I will be getting a new phone in the next week and the LG Marquee has made my short-list. For the folks who already own one, what did you wish you knew about this phone before you bought it? I've seen a lot of complaints about the short battery life. Has anyone found a combination of power management apps, Mugen batteries and removing services that can give the Marquee a full day (or more) of use?
What did you wish you knew about this phone before you bought it?
- Thread starter SERO wireless
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Re: What did you wish you knew about this phone before you bought
When I am interested in a product, like you normally I do some research on it 1st. I go to forums expecting to read the pros & cons. Unfortunately, for the most part lately there has been a ridiculous amount of misinformation posted in these forums. Obviously, forums are filled with posts & threads from people that express their opinions of a specific product. I have no problem with that at all. I know how to filter through posts that are BS. I don't have any problem with differences of opinions, nor a problem with someone out there doesn't like this phone or has had a negative personal experience with it....but I do have a problem w/ false or incorrect information. Take some time & read through as many threads in this forum as possible. Especially posts by dishe, tcaudill01, hoovhartid, & myself (nosajsam).
with that said, let me try to help point you (& others) in the right direction
As one of the 1st to have this phone around here I can say that I still love it. I have a Sero plan on Sprint & for me this is a great 3G device that keeps my plan @ $40.00. I found (like many others) that initially it isn't buttery smooth out of the box...but that can be fixed very easily (by installing a different launcher). The screen is great & imo so is the size of the phone.
CAMERA
I like that it has dual cameras & having a flash is a big plus. (Here are some pics from my phone)
http://forums.androidcentral.com/sprint-lg-marquee/133991-show-pics-taken-your-marquee-camera-thread.html#post1406599
ROOT
The phone can be rooted very easily (see post here)
http://forums.androidcentral.com/sprint-lg-marquee/125210-sprint-lg-marquee-root-3.html#post1377281
BATTERY LIFE & CHARGING
Yes, there are phones out there w/ better Battery life. The battery life of coarse depends on the user but with a few easy tweaks (shutting off things when not needed/being used) 18-24 hours of battery life is possible.
Check out this very helpful post with really good tips on how to improve the Battery life of this phone.
http://forums.androidcentral.com/sprint-lg-marquee/126645-tweaks-improve-your-battery-life-responsiveness.html
I applied most (not all) of the tips & I am consistently able to get 18-24 hours of pretty steady use without having to recharge. I always keep a charger nearby anyway.
Brightness - If you keep the phone at 100% brightness, your battery will drop quickly. If you can adjust it & keep it lower it may help improve your Battery life.
Keeping the Data Sync, GPS, Bluetooth and Wifi are on (even they aren't being used) will drain the battery. Shutting them off when not in use will help improve Battery life. There is a free power control widget that comes with the phone but for more customization options, the EXTENDED CONTROLS App is recommended.
For best charging performance be sure to USE THE STOCK CHARGER
check out this thread
LG Marquee, AC/USB Charging, and YOU!
After reading the link I posted above I installed Battery Monitor Widget & found that some of my aftermarket chargers & cables were not working well with this phone. Once I determined which ones worked best, I uninstalled the app.
Apps such as BATTERY MONITOR WIDGET, JUICE DEFENDER, & TITANIUM BACKUP are great & do their job well. Before I installed these apps I was getting a consistent 18-22 hours battery life & didn't see much improvement after I installed them....so I took them off.
ACCESSORIES
This is the way to go: For LG Optimus Black P970 B 3x GEL TPU Case COVER SKIN | eBay
Anyways, I hope this helps!
Feel free to reply or PM me directly if you have any questions or if there is anything else I can help you with.
When I am interested in a product, like you normally I do some research on it 1st. I go to forums expecting to read the pros & cons. Unfortunately, for the most part lately there has been a ridiculous amount of misinformation posted in these forums. Obviously, forums are filled with posts & threads from people that express their opinions of a specific product. I have no problem with that at all. I know how to filter through posts that are BS. I don't have any problem with differences of opinions, nor a problem with someone out there doesn't like this phone or has had a negative personal experience with it....but I do have a problem w/ false or incorrect information. Take some time & read through as many threads in this forum as possible. Especially posts by dishe, tcaudill01, hoovhartid, & myself (nosajsam).
with that said, let me try to help point you (& others) in the right direction
As one of the 1st to have this phone around here I can say that I still love it. I have a Sero plan on Sprint & for me this is a great 3G device that keeps my plan @ $40.00. I found (like many others) that initially it isn't buttery smooth out of the box...but that can be fixed very easily (by installing a different launcher). The screen is great & imo so is the size of the phone.
CAMERA
I like that it has dual cameras & having a flash is a big plus. (Here are some pics from my phone)
http://forums.androidcentral.com/sprint-lg-marquee/133991-show-pics-taken-your-marquee-camera-thread.html#post1406599
ROOT
The phone can be rooted very easily (see post here)
http://forums.androidcentral.com/sprint-lg-marquee/125210-sprint-lg-marquee-root-3.html#post1377281
BATTERY LIFE & CHARGING
Yes, there are phones out there w/ better Battery life. The battery life of coarse depends on the user but with a few easy tweaks (shutting off things when not needed/being used) 18-24 hours of battery life is possible.
Check out this very helpful post with really good tips on how to improve the Battery life of this phone.
http://forums.androidcentral.com/sprint-lg-marquee/126645-tweaks-improve-your-battery-life-responsiveness.html
I applied most (not all) of the tips & I am consistently able to get 18-24 hours of pretty steady use without having to recharge. I always keep a charger nearby anyway.
Brightness - If you keep the phone at 100% brightness, your battery will drop quickly. If you can adjust it & keep it lower it may help improve your Battery life.
Keeping the Data Sync, GPS, Bluetooth and Wifi are on (even they aren't being used) will drain the battery. Shutting them off when not in use will help improve Battery life. There is a free power control widget that comes with the phone but for more customization options, the EXTENDED CONTROLS App is recommended.
For best charging performance be sure to USE THE STOCK CHARGER
check out this thread
LG Marquee, AC/USB Charging, and YOU!
After reading the link I posted above I installed Battery Monitor Widget & found that some of my aftermarket chargers & cables were not working well with this phone. Once I determined which ones worked best, I uninstalled the app.
Apps such as BATTERY MONITOR WIDGET, JUICE DEFENDER, & TITANIUM BACKUP are great & do their job well. Before I installed these apps I was getting a consistent 18-22 hours battery life & didn't see much improvement after I installed them....so I took them off.
ACCESSORIES
This is the way to go: For LG Optimus Black P970 B 3x GEL TPU Case COVER SKIN | eBay
Anyways, I hope this helps!
Feel free to reply or PM me directly if you have any questions or if there is anything else I can help you with.
Re: What did you wish you knew about this phone before you bought
If your goal is to be on Sprint Sero-P for $40 a month, I think the Marquee should be at the top of the very short list of current phones able to do that. I have seen larger batteries online with extended back covers, but most people like how thin & light the Marquee is. It's a little too thin for me, so I wouldn't mind the bigger battery, but it is my wife's phone.
If your goal is to be on Sprint Sero-P for $40 a month, I think the Marquee should be at the top of the very short list of current phones able to do that. I have seen larger batteries online with extended back covers, but most people like how thin & light the Marquee is. It's a little too thin for me, so I wouldn't mind the bigger battery, but it is my wife's phone.
Re: What did you wish you knew about this phone before you bought
It has a great form, feels good in the hand and fits in the pockets of all my pants. It is easily rooted and unrooted. Battery life is horrendous though I am still trying to improve it. It is easy to use as a wireless tethering point, you don't even have to root it to do that, the native Android tethering setting will work with one change in settings.
Launcher Pro makes the screen much less jumpy.
I wouldn't say call quality is as good as other phones I have used (a little robotic sometimes) and the volume does not go up high enough in my opinion. Ditto on headphones volume, it can be a challenge to hear Netflix shows through my headphones if there is other noise around.
It has a great form, feels good in the hand and fits in the pockets of all my pants. It is easily rooted and unrooted. Battery life is horrendous though I am still trying to improve it. It is easy to use as a wireless tethering point, you don't even have to root it to do that, the native Android tethering setting will work with one change in settings.
Launcher Pro makes the screen much less jumpy.
I wouldn't say call quality is as good as other phones I have used (a little robotic sometimes) and the volume does not go up high enough in my opinion. Ditto on headphones volume, it can be a challenge to hear Netflix shows through my headphones if there is other noise around.
Re: What did you wish you knew about this phone before you bought
Yes, I'm on SERO-p. My short list is down to the Marquee and the Motorola XPRT. Plan B is to bite the bullet and pay the premium data fee. I like the big, bright screen on the Marquee but I'm concerned about the battery life and call quality. I often travel on business and I'm used to having a phone I can use lightly for several days before charging. Lightly is defined as checking voicemail twice a day and checking email once a day. Nosajsam is skilled and competent but can only get a max of 24 hours of battery life - that really concerns me.
On the other hand, the XPRT has 380 hours of standby time but a smaller, duller, low-res screen, a hard keyboard and froyo. It sounds like I'll need to get a Mugen battery, make some tweaks and switch the phone completely off when not in use if I want to take the Marquee on the road.
The call quality has been mentioned a few times on the Marquee. At its best is the call quality good, or just o.k.? Does the phone require 4+ bars before the call quality drops off?
Yes, I'm on SERO-p. My short list is down to the Marquee and the Motorola XPRT. Plan B is to bite the bullet and pay the premium data fee. I like the big, bright screen on the Marquee but I'm concerned about the battery life and call quality. I often travel on business and I'm used to having a phone I can use lightly for several days before charging. Lightly is defined as checking voicemail twice a day and checking email once a day. Nosajsam is skilled and competent but can only get a max of 24 hours of battery life - that really concerns me.
On the other hand, the XPRT has 380 hours of standby time but a smaller, duller, low-res screen, a hard keyboard and froyo. It sounds like I'll need to get a Mugen battery, make some tweaks and switch the phone completely off when not in use if I want to take the Marquee on the road.
The call quality has been mentioned a few times on the Marquee. At its best is the call quality good, or just o.k.? Does the phone require 4+ bars before the call quality drops off?
Re: What did you wish you knew about this phone before you bought
I completely understand your concern regarding the Battery life. I can't speak for everyone here but I have never found myself in a situation where I am not near some sort of power source (home, car, work etc) for 18+ hours. If I knew I was going to be I would most likely limit my phone usage as much as possible but regardless I ALWAYS have a charger with me. I came from having a Touch Pro 2 & just kept the habit of plugging my phone in all the time.
I have not experienced any call quality or drop out issues but I am in Fort Lauderdale & frequently in West Palm Beach & Miami (big cities). So maybe it depends where you are at. Although recently I did experience a "reset in call" as mentioned in this thread here: http://forums.androidcentral.com/sprint-lg-marquee/140211-reset-call.html This issue is not specific to the Marquee, unfortunately it appears to be a wide spread bug in many android device and versions. This has only happened to me twice since I have owned the phone.
I don't know much about the Motorola XPRT but I did get a Galaxy S II for my daughter & the phone smokes!! Without a doubt it is the best phone I have ever messed with right out of the box. So if you can afford & don't mind paying $50, then go with a 4G phone. I don't see myself getting a 4G phone until I know exactly for sure what Sprint has in mind with the whole LTE / WiMax thing.
I am not a high tech, 3d gamer typebut more of a casual, average daily phone user. I call, text, very occasionally check email/go online. I really don't have many apps installed.
For me the Marquee is perfect.
I completely understand your concern regarding the Battery life. I can't speak for everyone here but I have never found myself in a situation where I am not near some sort of power source (home, car, work etc) for 18+ hours. If I knew I was going to be I would most likely limit my phone usage as much as possible but regardless I ALWAYS have a charger with me. I came from having a Touch Pro 2 & just kept the habit of plugging my phone in all the time.
I have not experienced any call quality or drop out issues but I am in Fort Lauderdale & frequently in West Palm Beach & Miami (big cities). So maybe it depends where you are at. Although recently I did experience a "reset in call" as mentioned in this thread here: http://forums.androidcentral.com/sprint-lg-marquee/140211-reset-call.html This issue is not specific to the Marquee, unfortunately it appears to be a wide spread bug in many android device and versions. This has only happened to me twice since I have owned the phone.
I don't know much about the Motorola XPRT but I did get a Galaxy S II for my daughter & the phone smokes!! Without a doubt it is the best phone I have ever messed with right out of the box. So if you can afford & don't mind paying $50, then go with a 4G phone. I don't see myself getting a 4G phone until I know exactly for sure what Sprint has in mind with the whole LTE / WiMax thing.
I am not a high tech, 3d gamer typebut more of a casual, average daily phone user. I call, text, very occasionally check email/go online. I really don't have many apps installed.
For me the Marquee is perfect.
Re: What did you wish you knew about this phone before you bought
What he said ^. Even down to area, I'm right below you in Miami. Not a heavy app user and I don't play video games on my phones.
The GSII screen looks a little pixelated to me, the resolution isn't sufficient for the screen size. I'll consider the Galaxy Nexus when LTE comes to South Florida. Between not paying anything for the Marquee (free at BB) and the ten clams I save per month vs a 4g phone, I figure that I'd be willing to pay full price by that point if I am in the middle of this contract.
What he said ^. Even down to area, I'm right below you in Miami. Not a heavy app user and I don't play video games on my phones.
The GSII screen looks a little pixelated to me, the resolution isn't sufficient for the screen size. I'll consider the Galaxy Nexus when LTE comes to South Florida. Between not paying anything for the Marquee (free at BB) and the ten clams I save per month vs a 4g phone, I figure that I'd be willing to pay full price by that point if I am in the middle of this contract.
Re: What did you wish you knew about this phone before you bought
It is an amazing device just needs a rom, if you are patient it will be an amazing device
It is an amazing device just needs a rom, if you are patient it will be an amazing device
Re: What did you wish you knew about this phone before you bought
Thanks for the advice on cases - ordered and awaiting their arrival
Thanks for the advice on cases - ordered and awaiting their arrival
Re: What did you wish you knew about this phone before you bought
I was one of the very first to get the marquee, and did an initial exchange because of battery life. My replacement did seem slightly better immediately, but after I added JuiceDefender I have never looked back. With my average use, I can get 36 hour out of it easily now, and I'm very satisfied. I wouldn't hesitate for a second to replace it. If you would like a thin, light, elegantly designed slab phone and you have sero-p, I think it's perfect. I love the fact that I can get a replacement for a lot less then the top-end phones and that it's $10 less a month because of the ins/outs of the sero-p deal. The one thing I would really like is a notification light. Haven't found any good work-around for that yet that's satisfied me.
I was one of the very first to get the marquee, and did an initial exchange because of battery life. My replacement did seem slightly better immediately, but after I added JuiceDefender I have never looked back. With my average use, I can get 36 hour out of it easily now, and I'm very satisfied. I wouldn't hesitate for a second to replace it. If you would like a thin, light, elegantly designed slab phone and you have sero-p, I think it's perfect. I love the fact that I can get a replacement for a lot less then the top-end phones and that it's $10 less a month because of the ins/outs of the sero-p deal. The one thing I would really like is a notification light. Haven't found any good work-around for that yet that's satisfied me.
Re: What did you wish you knew about this phone before you bought
thanks for the JuiceDefender recommendation, I installed it this weekend and it makes a huge difference.
thanks for the JuiceDefender recommendation, I installed it this weekend and it makes a huge difference.
I don't know how u get 18 hours with this phone. I've had it for a little more than 2 months and I have to charge it like every 6 or 7 hours. it constantly dies on me. other than that I haveno gripes about the phone.
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