Compared to a Droid 1, any downsides?

[Snoking]

So TC you do not like much about this phone, however if they have a Max model with large battery you might get one???

Sent from my ADR6425LVW using DroidForums

 

[kpoker]

I guess as someone who still has the motorola droid (d1 I guess) I am optimistic about this phone. I didnt get the d3 since it didnt seem like much of an upgrade. The D4 does seem better and looks like nothing comparable is coming anytime soon. My main concern is the battery life, I use my phone alot. Is battery life not great compared to the d3 or will my battery life be even less then what I have now with the d1?

I know it varies but I am trying to gauge the battery of the d1 vs the d4 basically.

 

[TC_Mits]

So TC you do not like much about this phone, however if they have a Max model with large battery you might get one???

Sent from my ADR6425LVW using DroidForums

I also have chickens on my farm -- none with teeth though; good QWERTYs are getting scarce as hen's teeth.

...
Btw, I heard from a very reliable source that D4maxx could be announced as early as July with a hardware upgrade. Th hardware speculation is the screen so for those who can wait maybe a decent option. Of course these are rumors and no real guarantees and even if it is announced in the summer who knows how long for release.

A global D4G MAXX with ICS, a 3.3amp battery, a 1.5gc DC SoC, and a 4.3"+ display -- NOT RGBW -- would be a pretty damn good phone.

I'd still hate the crappy keyboard layout. I'd have to fotch a way to break the battery connection for a real reset. And I'd resent the hell out of the encrypted bootloader. But, like I said, for now, "only show in town."

On the other hand, by late summer Mozilla BTG will be up or very close to it. And that brings with it all kinds of possibilities...

Perspective instantiates reality.
( By DX w/DF app. )

 

[kpoker]

I guess as someone who still has the motorola droid (d1 I guess) I am optimistic about this phone. I didnt get the d3 since it didnt seem like much of an upgrade. The D4 does seem better and looks like nothing comparable is coming anytime soon. My main concern is the battery life, I use my phone alot. Is battery life not great compared to the d3 or will my battery life be even less then what I have now with the d1?

I know it varies but I am trying to gauge the battery of the d1 vs the d4 basically.

Would like to hear some thoughts on this from anyone knowledgable.

 

[guidot]

Depends on whether you plan on using 4G.

4G is like a big 1960's era V8. Just sucks battery down like no ones business.

Very happy with my D3 and its removable battery.

Sent from my XT862 + ICS

 

[r314bd]

I know you're asking for downsides OP but one thing I noticed today on the D4 coming from the D1 is that the D4 runs much, much cooler, temperature wise. With my D1, when I was running Pandora + Navigation in my car dock, the temperature would sometimes hit 115F or more; the D4 runs at least 10 degrees cooler (never got above 104F.)

Just thought that was worth noting

 

[kpoker]

Can you turn 4g off? Not sure about the advantages of 4g

 

[TC_Mits]

Can you turn 4g off? Not sure about the advantages of 4g

LTE is the only reason I skipped on the D3. If I could get a D3 with LTE & a full gig of RAM, I'd prefer it to the D4.

LTE is like sex, until you've been there it's hard to see what all the fuss is about; but once you have, you'd really rather not be without it.

Streaming video unbuffered. Try that on your D3. And everything is just that much faster...

LTE does drink the juice like a DeSoto V8 drinks Hi-Test, that's true. And it's why it was so perfectly STUPID to put a non-removable battery in the D4.

Yes, there are apps you can dl to toggle LTE on and off.


Perspective instantiates reality.
( By DX w/DF app. )

 

[jonathankrall]

Would like to hear some thoughts on this from anyone knowledgable.

I switched from a D1 to a D4 a little more than a week ago and spent the first 48 hours replicating my old D1 setup. That is, I presently use the new phone just like I used the old phone. I don't notice much difference in battery usage. The D4 seems to drain it a little faster, but not enough to change my charging habits. In fact I never bothered to swap out the old charger for the new one where it sits in my kitchen, waiting for me to plug it in every morning.

My other experiences are similar to those posted. The camera is much better. I like the bigger screen. The new gallery is weird, but I just learned about quickpic and use that. The camera button isn't much of an issue--it can now be quickly accessed from the unlock screen. With the new unlock screen, however, the silent mode isn't quite as accessible as before--still on the unlock screen, but smaller and less clear at a glance. The Verizon network has issues with 3G/4G switching (phone loses its ability to connect to data--this seems to be an issue with all Verizon 4G/LTE phones), which I resolved by setting the phone to 3G only. It's still noticeably faster than my D1 because the hardware is so much faster. Overall it's a big improvement (I was getting annoyed with the slowness of my old phone). Hopefully updates to the phone and the network will improve things over time and make 4G reliable enough for me to switch 4G back on.

My biggest complaint: I miss the notch at the bottom that resulted from the top of the slider being smaller than the bottom. When I pick my phone up, it is often upside-down.

 

[r314bd]

Would like to hear some thoughts on this from anyone knowledgable.

I upgraded to the D4 from the D1 a few weeks ago. Any difference in battery life is negligible for me. I think that's due in large part to the fact that I live in the center of a very strong 4G market and rarely if ever lose 4G signal.

4G itself is not a huge battery hog from my experience. If your phone is constantly having to switch between 4G/3G/1x, that is what will kill your battery life.

I easily get over 24 hours on battery on the D4 with light/moderate use. The only real tweak I made was to freeze the bloatware using Titanium Backup. I keep my screen brightness at 100%, I never turn off 4G, and I use no smart actions.

 

[guidot]

What was your screen on time from that shot? That is all that matters tbh.

Sent from my XT862 + ICS

 

[kpoker]

Whats bloatware? Seems I am ready for the d4. will probably turn 4g off

 

[r314bd]

What was your screen on time from that shot? That is all that matters tbh.

20 or 22 minutes, can't remember which

Whats bloatware? Seems I am ready for the d4. will probably turn 4g off

It's software preinstalled on the phone that can't be uninstalled (without some minor "hacking") and uses system resources. Check out this thread for a list.

 

[guidot]

OK. I don't think 20 minutes in over a day is even considered light use IMHO.

3 hours screen on in 13 hours is a good test.

Sent from my XT862 + ICS

 

[mccompunerd]

I have to agree with Guidot. My first full day off with my D4 I was on it constantly with wifi, and most of the day medium brightness. I got between 6 and 7 hours of heavy use before it started beeping telling me to plug up.
That was around 2 hours on the phone, 3-4 hours playing games, and the rest reading or checking twitter.
A normal day at work (working 12 hour shifts)I'm on it maybe 3 hours, and the battery lasts 14-15 hours.
Light usage for me would be around an hour and a half a day, but those are really rare for me.