G'Nex to RAZRr Maxx

[infantrytrophy]

My wife and I have suffered for 8 years with poor cell phone reception in our home - we must stand in a couple of specific spots inside the house or the front porch to maintain adequate signal for calls. This has been consistent for several older cell phones. Visitors to our home have the same experience with a wide variety of cell phones - Apple, Samsung, Blackberry, LG.

We just bought new phones a couple of months ago - my wife an iPhone 4S and a Razr Maxx for me. The RMaxx is much better than any other phone I have seen, including the iPhone 4S. I can wander throughout most of the house and maintain a call, whereas other phones are still stuck to the usual locations.

The RMaxx clearly is better than any other phone that I have tried, in terms of reception in weak areas. This feature trumps all of the other features, IMO.

The next most important feature is battery life. All other considerations are not important.

 

[jntdroid]

My wife and I have suffered for 8 years with poor cell phone reception in our home - we must stand in a couple of specific spots inside the house or the front porch to maintain adequate signal for calls. This has been consistent for several older cell phones. Visitors to our home have the same experience with a wide variety of cell phones - Apple, Samsung, Blackberry, LG.

We just bought new phones a couple of months ago - my wife an iPhone 4S and a Razr Maxx for me. The RMaxx is much better than any other phone I have seen, including the iPhone 4S. I can wander throughout most of the house and maintain a call, whereas other phones are still stuck to the usual locations.

The RMaxx clearly is better than any other phone that I have tried, in terms of reception in weak areas. This feature trumps all of the other features, IMO.

The next most important feature is battery life. All other considerations are not important.

You mean, you actually like it to function as a... phone??

 

[kellygh5]

Thanks for all of the great feedback! The RMaxx arrived yesterday afternoon, and my initial thoughts are: It's the small things in life that often make a big difference!

I have not had a chance to really use the RMaxx in a variety of areas as a phone. The actual phone is the only reason I was willing to switch. The few phone calls I did make were clear but were at home. I did not have a problem with the G'Nex at home; however, the call quality at home is better on the RMaxx. A little crisper.

The RMaxx, even at home, is faster than any of my G'Nex. Blazing fast. The G'nex was too, in the right conditions, but I experienced some lags in speed & w/ the keyboard. Those issues do not appear to be a universal experience but mine. I could have defintely lived with that as one of those small issues. I was willing to wait out the updates while learning to root.

Andielyn: You are right. The RMaxx feels pretty good in hand. I haven't put a case on it yet (a must with 3 young kids playing games), but I'm hopeful it won't feel too wide. I remember it feeling so wide in the store, but I was also trying it after having used a Droid Incredible for 1.5 yrs. With the D'Inc, even the G'Nex felt massive. Initially I felt like I was putting a book to my ear, especially in the sea of iphone users. I'm relieved about the size.

Screen: G'Nex is superior, IMO. The RMazz, as jntdroid said, is really nice too, but it falls short. I say this not just because of pixels, but because of the bezel! Ugh! The bezel on this phone is large, and I really do not like it. A waste of space. I love the true full size screen on the G'Nex. No buttons and darn Verizon logo. I'd rather it have a Razr logo over Verizon for pete's sake. Yes, logo is pretty trivial. It's the smaller things that often bring a smile to my face, and the screen on the G'Nex is one of those. This will take some getting used to or getting over. I also appreciated the boot-up on the G'Nex. Those pretty splahes of color on the fab screen is just a preferable wake-up to the drab black & red Droid eye. I know that's petty too, because a functioning call making/receiving phone is what is important here, right??

I had a little shortness of breath when I opened the apps....wholly, bloat! I don't buy computers from anyone other than the manufacturer, because I get very annoyed with all the garbage loaded on store bought. If I want Kindle and NFL apps on my phone, I will put them there; otherwise, the extras loaded are irritating. Big edge to G'Nex there; however, in all fairness, I don't think the Maxx is nearly as bad as some. Anyone ever taken a Droid Charge out of the box :icon_evil:?

I'm already missing ICS. I love cleaning up a screen with folders! Can someone tell me how to do that? I was so excited to see I can create folders, DocsDad. Thank you for the quick, reassuring post. I do also miss being able to pull up multiple screens & going back-n-forth between them seamlessly. I have not had time to play with this phone, so maybe I can still do that on the Maxx?

Last, why does someone put the charge plug at the top of the phone? You can't talk on a phone plugged in from the top, BUT I won't have to talk on this phone while charging! Yay. There is no doubt that the battery is terrific. Even if mine is not working correctly, it's still superior+ to any phone I have had or seen.

Thanks, again, y'all for your responses! I don't mean to gripe about the Maxx. I think I will learn to love it. It's just the immediate switch from another great phone that I really wanted to work. The Maxx is smooth, fast, appears to have better reception, better speakers, and arguably better build quality. My last G'Nex did not have reception issues as much as audio. The call did not technically drop, still connected, but all sound disappeared. "hello...hello...anyone there?" Unacceptable. Sorry for long post & any typos. I can't find the spell check.

 

[huskur]

Thanks for all of the great feedback! The RMaxx arrived yesterday afternoon, and my initial thoughts are: It's the small things in life that often make a big difference!

I have not had a chance to really use the RMaxx in a variety of areas as a phone. The actual phone is the only reason I was willing to switch. The few phone calls I did make were clear but were at home. I did not have a problem with the G'Nex at home; however, the call quality at home is better on the RMaxx. A little crisper.

The RMaxx, even at home, is faster than any of my G'Nex. Blazing fast. The G'nex was too, in the right conditions, but I experienced some lags in speed & w/ the keyboard. Those issues do not appear to be a universal experience but mine. I could have defintely lived with that as one of those small issues. I was willing to wait out the updates while learning to root.

Andielyn: You are right. The RMaxx feels pretty good in hand. I haven't put a case on it yet (a must with 3 young kids playing games), but I'm hopeful it won't feel too wide. I remember it feeling so wide in the store, but I was also trying it after having used a Droid Incredible for 1.5 yrs. With the D'Inc, even the G'Nex felt massive. Initially I felt like I was putting a book to my ear, especially in the sea of iphone users. I'm relieved about the size.

Screen: G'Nex is superior, IMO. The RMazz, as jntdroid said, is really nice too, but it falls short. I say this not just because of pixels, but because of the bezel! Ugh! The bezel on this phone is large, and I really do not like it. A waste of space. I love the true full size screen on the G'Nex. No buttons and darn Verizon logo. I'd rather it have a Razr logo over Verizon for pete's sake. Yes, logo is pretty trivial. It's the smaller things that often bring a smile to my face, and the screen on the G'Nex is one of those. This will take some getting used to or getting over. I also appreciated the boot-up on the G'Nex. Those pretty splahes of color on the fab screen is just a preferable wake-up to the drab black & red Droid eye. I know that's petty too, because a functioning call making/receiving phone is what is important here, right??

I had a little shortness of breath when I opened the apps....wholly, bloat! I don't buy computers from anyone other than the manufacturer, because I get very annoyed with all the garbage loaded on store bought. If I want Kindle and NFL apps on my phone, I will put them there; otherwise, the extras loaded are irritating. Big edge to G'Nex there; however, in all fairness, I don't think the Maxx is nearly as bad as some. Anyone ever taken a Droid Charge out of the box :icon_evil:?

I'm already missing ICS. I love cleaning up a screen with folders! Can someone tell me how to do that? I was so excited to see I can create folders, DocsDad. Thank you for the quick, reassuring post. I do also miss being able to pull up multiple screens & going back-n-forth between them seamlessly. I have not had time to play with this phone, so maybe I can still do that on the Maxx?

Last, why does someone put the charge plug at the top of the phone? You can't talk on a phone plugged in from the top, BUT I won't have to talk on this phone while charging! Yay. There is no doubt that the battery is terrific. Even if mine is not working correctly, it's still superior+ to any phone I have had or seen.

Thanks, again, y'all for your responses! I don't mean to gripe about the Maxx. I think I will learn to love it. It's just the immediate switch from another great phone that I really wanted to work. The Maxx is smooth, fast, appears to have better reception, better speakers, and arguably better build quality. My last G'Nex did not have reception issues as much as audio. The call did not technically drop, still connected, but all sound disappeared. "hello...hello...anyone there?" Unacceptable. Sorry for long post & any typos. I can't find the spell check.

Just to chime in a little on the charging port.....I love the fact its on top! It sits very nice on my charging station. The side and bottom charging ports doesn't allow them to "sit right" while charging.

In all fairness....the Maxx is truly a great phone and will be upgraded to ICS eventually. No worries. Enjoy the Maxx.

 

[zomnomnombie]

If you long press on a homescreen you should get the option to create a folder. I personally do not like the default folders on Gingerbread.

I actually use the App Groups as folders icon customizability being the main reason. Simply create an App Group in the app drawer and then when you long press on a homescreen> tap shortcut> app group> select group.

If you want ICS folders I used to use ADW Launcher (free from Play Store) and it had the same drag and drop circle folders as ICS. The only reason I'm not using that now is because I'm actually enjoying my stockbread.

Sent from my DROID2 using DroidForums

 

[kellygh5]

Just to chime in a little on the charging port.....I love the fact its on top! It sits very nice on my charging station. The side and bottom charging ports doesn't allow them to "sit right" while charging.

In all fairness....the Maxx is truly a great phone and will be upgraded to ICS eventually. No worries. Enjoy the Maxx.

I didn't think of the location benefits when using a dock station. A docking station doesn't exist for the G'Nex, but the possibility of having to use it while charging sure does

Thanks for the suggestions, zomnomnombie! I will look at both App Groups & ADW launcher. I get overwhelmed when I see so many widgets on a screen and prefer to have groups. My kids like to pull up their own game folder as well.

I forgot to ask earlier about the equivalent of a battery pull. How to? I must admit I don't care for not having a removeable battery. I will get used to that as well, but there is something gratifying about physically pulling a battery when all else fails. I am glad to be going to get an sd card today. This is a big plus for the Maxx. Like folders, there are just some things I like to keep separate/in its own space.

 

[Andielyn]

Andielyn: You are right. The RMaxx feels pretty good in hand. I haven't put a case on it yet (a must with 3 young kids playing games), but I'm hopeful it won't feel too wide. I remember it feeling so wide in the store, but I was also trying it after having used a Droid Incredible for 1.5 yrs. With the D'Inc, even the G'Nex felt massive. Initially I felt like I was putting a book to my ear, especially in the sea of iphone users. I'm relieved about the size.

Kelly thank you for your detailed comparison! When looking at phones the G'Nex was a top contender. I'm glad you are getting used to the size...that good feel will only get better. :biggrin: Doesn't it have a nice balanced feel? I am using just a standard silicone protector from Verizon but I don't have young kids playing with it. There have been great reviews of the Otterbox here...if it were me I would probably go with the Commuter just because I love that sleek feel of the MAXX and wouldn't want to lose that. The silicone case is barely noticeable. I just covered my screen last night with ArmorSuit and I think I am going to like it.

Glad you are enjoying your new phone even if you don't find the display quite up to the G'Nex.

 

[dlc1265]

I had a similar situation. After 3 GNex that dropped calls and didn't get service at my house I was offered a refurb Maxx. The one I got looked like it was brand new. It still had the origional wrapping on it. I absolutly love it! Never looking back! I wish I would have opted for this to begin with. Now since I didn't get a brand new phone, I didn't get the charger and USB cable; I kept my Gnex ones. There didn't seem to be a problem with that. The only dissapointment was that I didn't get an SD card. I did have a 32Gb on that I used. VZW customer service made me a happy guy!

 

[jkaod]

I didn't think of the location benefits when using a dock station. A docking station doesn't exist for the G'Nex, but the possibility of having to use it while charging sure does

Thanks for the suggestions, zomnomnombie! I will look at both App Groups & ADW launcher. I get overwhelmed when I see so many widgets on a screen and prefer to have groups. My kids like to pull up their own game folder as well.

I forgot to ask earlier about the equivalent of a battery pull. How to? I must admit I don't care for not having a removeable battery. I will get used to that as well, but there is something gratifying about physically pulling a battery when all else fails. I am glad to be going to get an sd card today. This is a big plus for the Maxx. Like folders, there are just some things I like to keep separate/in its own space.

Holding "power" and "volume down" at the same time until it re-boots is the equivalent of a battery pull.

 

[jroc]

Nice to see some ppl still value decent reception. Ppl can hate on moto for whatever reasons....but give them credit for what they do good.

Reception is a big reason I'm a moto fan. And the reason the RAZR is my main phone.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using DroidForums

 

[droidlady05]

I had two G'Nexs in 1 1/2 weeks time. It was fun to play with, but whenever I'd have actual phone call people would complain they couldn't hear me anymore and there was a cracking and popping noise. This happened on both phones.

Had to switch to RMaxx. I need my phone to actually be a phone sometimes.

Sent from my Droid Razr Maxx

 

[shamus]

It's crazy how many of us ended up in here after ridiculous Gnex voice problems.