What to get - Maxx or Galaxy S4?

[artdeguzman]

You can disable all the bloat in app manager. It's a non issue. (In assuming your talking about the droid)

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk 4

Yep. All bloat disabled and removed from app drawer.

Sent from my Droid Maxx

 

[Dreamliner330]

The one with juice pack of about 3x the thickness of the maxx, and taller as well. As for software, Motorola is preferred not only in ui at this point but update turn around time.

This is precisely what makes the decision so difficult for me. If I bought the HTC One I would be installing the Google Edition ROM and would like the screen much better. But I just don't know.

I just have a feeling a Google Edition One would be smoother than a MAXX....but it'd be huge.

 

[techgeek32#WN]

Unless there's a setting I'm missing somewhere (which I've checked pretty thoroughly), this is how it works...

"Ok Google Now... Text <wife's name> Hey I should be there in about 15 minutes"

Wait a few seconds, it pulls up with my wife's picture with the text message underneath and the "send" option. It's not like some things (like a phone call) where there's a progress bar waiting for you that will eventually force the action... it waits until you hit send. If the text is off at all, I either start over completely (which is fine because you can use "Ok google now" again) or fiddle with it and edit the text manually.

It does the same thing for calendar appointments. And for phone calls, it defaults to the speaker being off - which, I would assume, if you're calling someone via voice command, you'd want the speaker on by default. But you have to hit "speaker" on your phone. The music takes a lot of "post voice command" work as well.

At this point (and hopefully this will change), it's no more intuitive than Voice Search, or hitting the "mic" next to the Google Search widget - they've simply added a way to "tap" that mic with your voice from anywhere and any state. That's very very cool in and of itself, but it's lack of intuitiveness after that initial command renders it somewhat useless IMHO. FWIW, general searches, navigation, etc. work fine - but again, identical to Google Now/Voice Search before.

Not to be trollish, but S-Voice on my S4 is 1000x more intuitive, even if it's not on its own core (for those that had the S3, S-voice is a lot better on the S4). I might have to wake S-voice with a button (unless I have it set to always on or in car mode), but from that point forward it's 100% voice. I can also customize wake commands and have a few different ones set. But S-voice works like this:

"Ok Galaxy (customizable)... text <wife's name> Hey I should be there in about 15 minutes"

"Ok, is this the message you want to send?" and shows you your message, but then prompts you via VOICE to continue... if I say "yes" or "send" or whatever, it'll send it... if I leave it in the S-voice app, she'll notify and read new texts back to me. If the text was wrong, I can say "no" or "edit" and she'll immediately ask for a new message. Again, complete voice interaction. Works the same for calendar appointments as well. Music isn't perfect on the S4 either - but if you haev music ON your device, you can use the S4's Music app and control it with "next, previous, pause, play, volume up, volume down" - and it works great as long as that music isn't too loud!

If they integrated Moto Assist more with Google Now it would be great... but MA is limited to a generic text response right now as well.

Holy cow that became long, sorry...

Yes. Dragon Mobile Assistant does everything that S Voice does and in some instances much better. It works better in the car than the S Drive app that the S4 uses. I have a Maxx that I am testing right now and have Dragon Mobile Assistant loaded on it to make up for the shortcomings of the Motorola software. Hands free voice control should be just that. If I have to eventually tap or press a button to complete the task or function it is not really hands free is it.

 

[robstunner]

This is precisely what makes the decision so difficult for me. If I bought the HTC One I would be installing the Google Edition ROM and would like the screen much better. But I just don't know.

I just have a feeling a Google Edition One would be smoother than a MAXX....but it'd be huge.

Take a look at the gpe conversion threads on xda. You lose a lot of stuff going to the gpe software. If its aosp u want, at this point it's either nexus devices or Motorola

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[Dreamliner330]

Take a look at the gpe conversion threads on xda. You lose a lot of stuff going to the gpe software. If its aosp u want, at this point it's either nexus devices or Motorola

Looks pretty AOSP to me. With rooting and ROMing, there will be way nor cuts imitation options on the One. Logic will most likely prevail though. I guess it depends what starts showing up in Craigslist first though.

 

[anon(19981)]

I just went to the store today and played with the one, s4 and maxx for a couple of hours. I left the store with the maxx. I am upgrading from a razr maxx HD and I have to say that the screen is much better on the new maxx. The camera is the only question about the new maxx but I have taken some really good pictures (along with some not so good ones) with this camera. This leads me to believe that it might be a software issue that may get resolved in the future.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[jm610]

After over 3 years I am still using an HTC droid incredible, the first and only smartphone I've had. I was grandfathered into unlimited 3g for $30 a month, lol, so I've been putting off getting a new phone for awhile. I checked out the Maxx and S4 today. We all know the specs and which is supposed to be better than the other on paper, but I just don't see a difference. The screens looked the same, actually the Maxx's seemed a little brighter and yes the brightness was turned up all the way on both. I don't know how much different the processing power can be; I didn't notice any hiccups while scrolling or anything. They both took similar pictures, the Maxx's seemed brighter. The UI's seemed the same. I don't know why people say touch wiz or whatever other manufacturer's flavor of android sucks. What is the difference! There were little differences here and there but I didn't prefer one over the other; though I only spent like an hour looking at them. I like HTC Sense on my Incredible, I don't really know what stock Android is like so what do I care. Hell I'm using 2.3.4, any version of 4 point something Android is probably noticeably different no matter who's added a little on top. Basically both phones seemed identical.

I don't have music or videos saved on my phone, but do have over two thousand photos so 32gigs is probably fine but I like having it saved on an sd card, if my phone breaks I can just pull out the card. If 32gigs isn't enough though it's nice to know there are options. I'm still using the same 3 year old battery lol, so I probably don't need a replaceable battery, I've got a charger at home, work and the car. I'm gonna get a slim case so whether the back is plastic or Kevlar doesn't really matter. I'm really just worried about how well the S4's calling capabilities are. If the S4 camera is that much better than the Maxx, I'd probably rather have the better camera than better calling capability haha. In the end it will come down to calling capability, battery and camera. I hate shopping for a phone!!!

 

[STARGATE]

After over 3 years I am still using an HTC droid incredible, the first and only smartphone I've had. I was grandfathered into unlimited 3g for $30 a month, lol, so I've been putting off getting a new phone for awhile. I checked out the Maxx and S4 today. We all know the specs and which is supposed to be better than the other on paper, but I just don't see a difference. The screens looked the same, actually the Maxx's seemed a little brighter and yes the brightness was turned up all the way on both. I don't know how much different the processing power can be; I didn't notice any hiccups while scrolling or anything. They both took similar pictures, the Maxx's seemed brighter. The UI's seemed the same. I don't know why people say touch wiz or whatever other manufacturer's flavor of android sucks. What is the difference! There were little differences here and there but I didn't prefer one over the other; though I only spent like an hour looking at them. I like HTC Sense on my Incredible, I don't really know what stock Android is like so what do I care. Hell I'm using 2.3.4, any version of 4 point something Android is probably noticeably different no matter who's added a little on top. Basically both phones seemed identical.

I don't have music or videos saved on my phone, but do have over two thousand photos so 32gigs is probably fine but I like having it saved on an sd card, if my phone breaks I can just pull out the card. If 32gigs isn't enough though it's nice to know there are options. I'm still using the same 3 year old battery lol, so I probably don't need a replaceable battery, I've got a charger at home, work and the car. I'm gonna get a slim case so whether the back is plastic or Kevlar doesn't really matter. I'm really just worried about how well the S4's calling capabilities are. If the S4 camera is that much better than the Maxx, I'd probably rather have the better camera than better calling capability haha. In the end it will come down to calling capability, battery and camera. I hate shopping for a phone!!!

I always loved my Motorola phones. They really have the best antennas. However, now that I have the Galaxy S4, I see that it gets the same signal as my previous phone (Motorola Photon) did.

Sent From a Galaxy S4 Away!

 

[Dreamliner330]

I've been eyeing that LG G2, some pretty awesome stuff. Customization button bar, about the same size as a DROID MAXX (not as wide) with a 5.2" 1080 IPS LCD screen, 3000mah battery, Optical Image Stabilization, 24-bit DAC...I think I'm going to hold off for just a bit longer.

 

[STARGATE]

I've been eyeing that LG G2, some pretty awesome stuff. Customization button bar, about the same size as a DROID MAXX (not as wide) with a 5.2" 1080 IPS LCD screen, 3000mah battery, Optical Image Stabilization, 24-bit DAC...I think I'm going to hold off for just a bit longer.

It sounds like a great phone and LG has been stepping up its game.

Sent From a Galaxy S4 Away!

 

[techgeek32#WN]

Now this is surprising are you sure about this?

Yep. There is no total hands free with the Maxx. You can't speak a text message to reply like you can on the S4, but you can install Dragon Mobile Assistant which offers more features than the S4 and puts the Motorola version to shame.

 

[anon(19981)]

Yes. Dragon Mobile Assistant does everything that S Voice does and in some instances much better. It works better in the car than the S Drive app that the S4 uses. I have a Maxx that I am testing right now and have Dragon Mobile Assistant loaded on it to make up for the shortcomings of the Motorola software. Hands free voice control should be just that. If I have to eventually tap or press a button to complete the task or function it is not really hands free is it.

You can download touchless control app from Motorola in the play store. It has some updates like the option for speakerphone to be on after placing a call and other refinements. Its a good idea for this app to be in the play store. It will allow Motorola to update it without having to go through Verizon for approval. https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...s?id=com.motorola.audiomonitor&token=ChpzA1oS

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[Payne78]

For me the decision was easy once I went to Verizon and looked at the Maxx. The screen, only 720p, looks just as good to me as the S4, unless I bring it up to my nose. The battery is amazing. The 32gb seems plenty enough since Google+ automatically backs up my pics. But the biggest selling point for Moto is it's build quality. My sisters S2 just feels flimsy in my hands compared to any Moto phone I've owned. Plus I love the notifications and the "ok google now". Only thing I'm not crazy about is the touch buttons, wish they were onscreen like my Droid M had.

 

[jm610]

How do you reboot the Maxx if it freezes since you can't pull the battery. I'm guessing its some sort of hold power + volume button. I don't know if I trust that being the only way. My Incredible has froze several times and I just pull the battery. Has anyone had a phone without removable battery that's froze and the reboot sequence of buttons hasn't worked?

 

[Tommy Bayshore]

I had the S4, the HTC One, and now i have the Droid MAXX. I see the specs about the S4's screen having more pixels but that really means nothing, at least not in this case. The screen on my MAXX BLOWS away the S4's screen. The touchwiz is a complete disaster, not saying motos is a whole lot better but the moto is loud, speaker is great, tons of great stock sounds come with it, no it doesnt have a SD slot but i also dont need to carry my entire music library around with me 24/7.
So far i love this phone, very impressed with it and the call quality and battery life are superb. Would highly recommend over the HTC and S4.

 

[anon(19981)]

How do you reboot the Maxx if it freezes since you can't pull the battery. I'm guessing its some sort of hold power + volume button. I don't know if I trust that being the only way. My Incredible has froze several times and I just pull the battery. Has anyone had a phone without removable battery that's froze and the reboot sequence of buttons hasn't worked?

Hold - volume along with power button until it it starts to reboot. I used this on my last two variations of the maxx with no issue. Rebooted every time.

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[o4liberty]

I had the S4 and yes it was a nice device but lag is definitely a major issue with the S4. I played with the Maxx yesterday and from what I saw it was very fluid no lag. To me the screen colors look brighter on the Maxx then the S4 did. I believe they are both nice devices but personal preferences will determine which to buy.

 

[STARGATE]

I believe they are both nice devices but personal preferences will determine which to buy.

And at the end of the day what matters is that we have great choices.

Sent From a Galaxy S4 Away!

 

[BigDogDVJ]

And at the end of the day what matters is that we have great choices.

Sent From a Galaxy S4 Away!

Agreed!

Sent from my Droid Maxx using Tapatalk 4

 

[conan1071]

My s4 gets 3g or voice only in many places and my maxx hd didnt and im in the Chicago area

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