Galaxy Note 4 or Motorola Nexus 6?

[FoxKat]

You need this right here...

How do you make a phablet easier to use in one hand Give it a Buddy The Verge

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Have to say I like that concept. In fact, there ought to be a "Little Buddy" phone device like that which would connect via Bluetooth or NFC to the Phablet (aka Nexus 6), and do just what you see there. I remember when I wasn't buying Motorola phones all the time - this was way before smart phones, and even at the introduction of Digital CDMA on Verizon (then Bell Atlantic Mobile), and I went through a couple manufacturers. One was Audiovox, and I can't recall the other one, but I remember that the drive or push was to make smaller phones. The one in particular that stood out in my mind was a "candy bar" sized phone, not too dissimilar in shape and size to maybe a Three Musketeers bar.

I loved that phone. It was slim and (for it's time), light. Back then, the display only needed to show the signal level, battery level, phone number, time, and maybe a few other minor tidbits of information. The displays were typically three line LCDs with the smaller indicators on a top row above the text. I think the display on this particular phone (wish I could remember who manufactured it so I could have posted an image), was maybe 1.2" X 1" or so.

Today we've also gone towards smaller (and lighter), but in a different way...thickness. It seems the company that develops the phone which is as thin as a piece of 20# bond printer paper (and just as large), will be the hero in all this. Personally, thinner isn't necessarily better, perhaps best seen as in the recent (overly hyped Apple), Bendgate debacle. Frankly, I don't mind a little "girth" in my phone, however if it's as flat as a pancake but so wide it won't fit in my shirt or pants pocket or can't be held to my face without looking REALLY strange, then it's too big for me (imagine holding an iPad to your face to make a call???).

Also, for my small hands (no snide comments necessary), means that a phone that's too wide becomes too difficult for me to handle comfortably. There's something to be said for a narrow form factor as it fits in the hands better, and also allows most, if not all functions to be controlled with just the fingers on that same hand while holding it.

But I digress...

I guess I'll have to see just how big the Nexus 6, Moto X2 and Droid Turbo feel in my hands, my pocket, and look while held against my ear in order to be sure I won't look really stupid while making a call.

 

[Jonny Kansas]

Have to say I like that concept. In fact, there ought to be a "Little Buddy" phone device like that which would connect via Bluetooth or NFC to the Phablet (aka Nexus 6), and do just what you see there. I remember when I wasn't buying Motorola phones all the time - this was way before smart phones, and even at the introduction of Digital CDMA on Verizon (then Bell Atlantic Mobile), and I went through a couple manufacturers. One was Audiovox, and I can't recall the other one, but I remember that the drive or push was to make smaller phones. The one in particular that stood out in my mind was a "candy bar" sized phone, not too dissimilar in shape and size to maybe a Three Musketeers bar.

I loved that phone. It was slim and (for it's time), light. Back then, the display only needed to show the signal level, battery level, phone number, time, and maybe a few other minor tidbits of information. The displays were typically three line LCDs with the smaller indicators on a top row above the text. I think the display on this particular phone (wish I could remember who manufactured it so I could have posted an image), was maybe 1.2" X 1" or so.

Today we've also gone towards smaller (and lighter), but in a different way...thickness. It seems the company that develops the phone which is as thin as a piece of 20# bond printer paper (and just as large), will be the hero in all this. Personally, thinner isn't necessarily better, perhaps best seen as in the recent (overly hyped Apple), Bendgate debacle. Frankly, I don't mind a little "girth" in my phone, however if it's as flat as a pancake but so wide it won't fit in my shirt or pants pocket or can't be held to my face without looking REALLY strange, then it's too big for me (imagine holding an iPad to your face to make a call???).

Also, for my small hands (no snide comments necessary), means that a phone that's too wide becomes too difficult for me to handle comfortably. There's something to be said for a narrow form factor as it fits in the hands better, and also allows most, if not all functions to be controlled with just the fingers on that same hand while holding it.

But I digress...

I guess I'll have to see just how big the Nexus 6, Moto X2 and Droid Turbo feel in my hands, my pocket, and look while held against my ear in order to be sure I won't look really stupid while making a call.

I remember those days as well. Before I even had a cell phone. My dad found a flip phone magnet that would ring when you pushed the button. This, of course, was back when everyone wanted the smallest phone possible. He brought it to work & watched jaws drop as he pretended to receive a call on that tiny thing. I had a cell phone years before he actually even carried one.

I suppose that was only natural given the "Saved by the bell" cell phone of the 80s when they first came out. Those suckers were huge by any standard.

I've got fairly large hands with long fingers, so I take for granted that I can wield a larger phone one handed where others can't, but even with that being the case, thinness isn't a selling feature for me.

I put a case on my s4 almost right away because it was so slippery went I set it down on the couch or my lap. It took me quite a while to adjust now that I've taken the case off. Still feels almost flimsy being so thing, especially when I hold it in landscape mode as I'm doing right now to type this.

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[soulpatch]

so torn on this. To stick witht he preorder of the polished note 4 (have note 2 so used to touch wiz) or go with the stock nexus 6???

Is it sad that the front speakers are a selling point to me. LOL. The lack of SD card support hurts but I think I can deal with 64GB. Though that greatly reduces my ability to record in 4K having such small memory unless I am able to dock a USB memory stick to it...

 

[droideddie13]

Nexus! I had a Samsung Galaxy S4 and was not as impressed, and the Note is just too big as a main phone for me.

Well the Nexus 6 is the same size as the Galaxy Note 4.

 

[droideddie13]

I was gonna buy a Note 4 or S5 but I hate Touch Wiz UI and the slow Android updates. Only if it had an unlockable boot loader I would buy it and flash a pure Android ROM like Cyanogenmod with no manufacturer skins. Nexus 6 is a pure Android phone, same size as Galaxy Note 4, fast Android updates. I can easily fix the no SD card problem on the Nexus 6 with root access and an OTG cable or micro SD card reader.

 

[FoxKat]

Well the Nexus 6 is the same size as the Galaxy Note 4.

Right, and I didn't know just how big it was going to be at the time I wrote that post. Now that I know, I've resigned to the Turbo as my choice however the Nexus 6 is a beast as well (basically the same phone but bigger screen), and I wouldn't mind having a larger Nexus 6 as a tablet...

 

[pc747]

Right, and I didn't know just how big it was going to be at the time I wrote that post. Now that I know, I've resigned to the Turbo as my choice however the Nexus 6 is a beast as well (basically the same phone but bigger screen), and I wouldn't mind having a larger Nexus 6 as a tablet...

They are both beasts it is going to come down to two things (really three). Do you prefer to be able to use your phone with one hand or two, is root and unlocking the bootloader important, do you care whether you are the first to get new software or not?
There is the notion of stock android, but Motorola has really tamed down the blur a lot to where it is practically stock android with different app icons.

 

[FoxKat]

They are both beasts it is going to come down to two things (really three). Do you prefer to be able to use your phone with one hand or two, is root and unlocking the bootloader important, do you care whether you are the first to get new software or not?
There is the notion of stock android, but Motorola has really tamed down the blur a lot to where it is practically stock android with different app icons.

100% in agreement. In respect to the blur, it's really no longer blur but more enhancements to Android, and as we've seen the blur is now being incorporated into 5.0 in some respects, so it's less a tax on the system as an overlay and more incorporated at the system level.

 

[droideddie13]

100% in agreement. In respect to the blur, it's really no longer blur but more enhancements to Android, and as we've seen the blur is now being incorporated into 5.0 in some respects, so it's less a tax on the system as an overlay and more incorporated at the system level.

Motorola is trying to deliver stock Android to users as much as possible. They are trying to avoid a lot of unnecessary skins. Skins are just no longer necessary. Google has improved the Android experience so much that OEMs don't need to try to "improve" the user experience.

 

[pc747]

Motorola is trying to deliver stock Android to users as much as possible. They are trying to avoid a lot of unnecessary skins. Skins are just no longer necessary. Google has improved the Android experience so much that OEMs don't need to try to "improve" the user experience.

I have to slightly disagree. The skins are the manufactures way to distinguish one device from the other. If it was not for skins we would not have some of what we see now. Unfortunately the same skins that led to innovation also resulted in fragmentation. Google is trying to rein in the fragmentation but the reality is that it is a double edge sword. You can not be as diverse as android and not be fragmented because the smaller companies can not afford to keep up with updates. The only solution is if android can provide a way where once a device is no longer supported by the manufacturer it becomes a nexus like device by flashing software from google. But really that can and will not happen . I mean once google starts waving that self righteous finger manufactures will remind google about the galaxy nexus (which based on Google's hardware requirements should get android L).

 

[droideddie13]

I have to slightly disagree. The skins are the manufactures way to distinguish one device from the other. If it was not for skins we would not have some of what we see now. Unfortunately the same skins that led to innovation also resulted in fragmentation. Google is trying to rein in the fragmentation but the reality is that it is a double edge sword. You can not be as diverse as android and not be fragmented because the smaller companies can not afford to keep up with updates. The only solution is if android can provide a way where once a device is no longer supported by the manufacturer it becomes a nexus like device by flashing software from google. But really that can and will not happen . I mean once google starts waving that self righteous finger manufactures will remind google about the galaxy nexus (which based on Google's hardware requirements should get android L).

I have never been a fan of manufacturer skins anyway. The reason is because the os doesn't look clean even though its meant for "better user experience." Think about it as a Windows PC. All Windows computers are the same. No skins on top of Windows. This is because when its time to upgrade, the user can get confused. They will think their new computer is something completely different from their old one. This is the same way I see smartphones. If a user is using a certain Android device, then upgrades to a new device and all of a sudden the user interface is completely different, there can be confusion even though its the same operating system. An example: People often think a Samsung Galaxy and a Motorola Droid are completely different from each other. This is exactly why Google has been forcing OEMs to place the Android logo at boot up screens. My dad's HTC One M8 has it. My Razr M looks different from HTC One M8 but same OS.

 

[pc747]

I have never been a fan of manufacturer skins anyway. The reason is because the os doesn't look clean even though its meant for "better user experience." Think about it as a Windows PC. All Windows computers are the same. No skins on top of Windows. This is because when its time to upgrade, the user can get confused. They will think their new computer is something completely different from their old one. This is the same way I see smartphones. If a user is using a certain Android device, then upgrades to a new device and all of a sudden the user interface is completely different, there can be confusion even though its the same operating system. An example: People often think a Samsung Galaxy and a Motorola Droid are completely different from each other.

Agree and that has always been my argument why skins are not needed (windows) but after playing with android wear I had a change of heart. As long as we are given the option to buy a pure device I am cool and now welcome skins. Plus most windows computers they are a blur to people. Majority of consumers when they go to best buy look for what is on sale. Most do not know Asus from HP. But with phones people may not know the name "blur" or "touchwiz" but they know the difference between HTC , Samsung, and Motorola based on look. So manufacturers have a point that they want to be able to distinguish one from another. And as far as android wear it is a matter of time before we see Google loosen up with allowing it to be skinned. Because android wear is new and in its infancy they want to control the software until it matures beyond where it is at.

 

[droideddie13]

Agree and that has always been my argument why skins are not needed (windows) but after playing with android wear I had a change of heart. As long as we are given the option to buy a pure device I am cool and now welcome skins. Plus most windows computers they are a blur to people. Majority of consumers when they go to best buy look for what is on sale. Most do not know Asus from HP. But with phones people may not know the name "blur" or "touchwiz" but they know the difference between HTC , Samsung, and Motorola based on look. So manufacturers have a point that they want to be able to distinguish one from another. And as far as android wear it is a matter of time before we see Google loosen up with allowing it to be skinned. Because android wear is new and in its infancy they want to control the software until it matures beyond where it is at.

So basically, either way there's confusion. If all manufacturers deliver the same user experience, there really is no difference between HP and Asus like you said. So people can't decide what to get. The only difference is hardware, customer satisfaction, and tech support and service. Lenovo is one of the top PC sellers worldwide (which owns Motorola btw) I do agree that manufacturers should sell a pure version and a manufacturer version though. This already is happening. Google is offering Google Play Editions which are essentially un-skined phones from multiple manufacturers. Example: There's a Google Play Edition HTC One M8 without manufacturer skins like HTC Sense.

 

[pc747]

So basically, either way there's confusion. If all manufacturers deliver the same user experience, there really is no difference between HP and Asus like you said. So people can't decide what to get. The only difference is hardware, customer satisfaction, and tech support and service. Lenovo is one of the top PC sellers worldwide (which owns Motorola btw) I do agree that manufacturers should sell a pure version and a manufacturer version though. This already is happening. Google is offering Google Play Editions which are essentially un-skined phones from multiple manufacturers. Example: There's a Google Play Edition HTC One M8 without manufacturer skins like HTC Sense.

You right manufacturers "should" sell pure versions and they gave it a try last year. Unfortunately the sales did not support enough people willing to pay for it. Now you can argue " yeah why pay $700 for a phone when the same phone is selling for $199". There is not enough out cry for a clean version and majority of those crying about it end up buying a nexus. Like I said, I would like to see a way where once a manufacturer stops supporting the device people can flash software to make it a google play device. But majority of the people that keep their phones more than two years don't care about updates. Think about it. Our parents and people their age like the phone the way they bought it, heck when they get an update they are yelling at the rep at the carrier store because things look different and it is not the way it was before so they want to go back.
Really my friend people like us, the nexus is that device that is for us. We have to be mindful that what we want is not always what everyone else wants. And I think that android commercial is fitting because we are different.

 

[droideddie13]

You right manufacturers "should" sell pure versions and they gave it a try last year. Unfortunately the sales did not support enough people willing to pay for it. Now you can argue " yeah why pay $700 for a phone when the same phone is selling for $199". There is not enough out cry for a clean version and majority of those crying about it end up buying a nexus. Like I said, I would like to see a way where once a manufacturer stops supporting the device people can flash software to make it a google play device. But majority of the people that keep their phones more than two years don't care about updates. Think about it. Our parents and people their age like the phone the way they bought it, heck when they get an update they are yelling at the rep at the carrier store because things look different and it is not the way it was before so they want to go back.
Really my friend people like us, the nexus is that device that is for us. We have to be mindful that what we want is not always what everyone else wants. And I think that android commercial is fitting because we are different.

True. To be fair, the average consumer doesn't care about Android updates or things like "skins." Manufacturers should at least let customers unlock their bootloaders in case if the customer is a tech wiz or "geek" like most people call it so that people like us are able to flash a pure Android ROM. But this doesn't go for just geeks. This goes for developers too. Developer editions aren't selling very well either just as the Google Play Editions aren't selling very well. Manufacturers do allow customers to unlock bootloaders but Verizon and ATT have the old habit of locking their devices. So if you are a tech geek, Verizon and ATT is not for you.