Will Motorola Make A Photon II LTE?

[Citizen Coyote]

Tried to do a little 'bit of guesstimating here, based on the model number of the recent FCC passing. Looks like the most recent FCC clearance is for a Qwerty Motorola (aka Motorola Photon Q), if they're keeping consistent with the model number they gave the Droid 4.

Qwerty Phones
Motorola Droid = A855
Motorola Droid 2 = A956
Motorola Droid 3 = XT862
Motorola Droid 4 = XT894
Motorola Photon Q (?) = XT897

Non-Qwerty Phones
Motorola Atrix = MB860
Motorola Photon = MB855
Motorola Atrix 2 = MB865
Motorola Atrix 3 (?) = MB866
Motorola Droid Razr/Razr Maxx = XT912
Motorola Droid Razr HD (?) = MT887

So, for those of us hoping that Sprint gets a "non-Qwerty" Photon in LTE form w/ Razr Maxx battery and Razr HD specs, I guess we'll just have to keep looking out for model numbers similar to the Droid Razr's or 1 higher than the Photon, for a "true" successor to the Photon.

The Atrix HD is official, with model number MB886. That's a bit different from the previous Atrix numbers, so I don't think we can make accurate guesses for a separate Photon successor. I would not mind seeing one with the Atrix HD's specs, however (although that battery looks paltry and would concern me).

 

[drexappeal]

The Atrix HD is official, with model number MB886. That's a bit different from the previous Atrix numbers, so I don't think we can make accurate guesses for a separate Photon successor. I would not mind seeing one with the Atrix HD's specs, however (although that battery looks paltry and would concern me).

Model number is 1 more than the Atrix 2, so it's pretty much in line with what they've used before.

Please, Sprint, get with Motorola and offer the same thing with a kickstand! I love how that looks. Even the battery doesn't bother me, as long as it's removable (just like the current MoPho).

I'm really hoping that Sprint plans on offering the same type of phone w/ a kickstand. I'd take that over the LTEvo for sure! Here's to hoping Sprint won't call it a day with just the QWERTY version of the MoPho.

 

[drexappeal]

Reading through this article:

Motorola's Atrix HD touches down: stylish, strong and skinny, but only dual-core | News Articles | Mobot.net

It says the Atrix HD will only have 8gb of internal storage? Well, if Sprint does follow in these footsteps, I'd hope they keep the internal storage size the same as the current MoPho.

 

[Citizen Coyote]

Reading through this article:

Motorola's Atrix HD touches down: stylish, strong and skinny, but only dual-core | News Articles | Mobot.net

It says the Atrix HD will only have 8gb of internal storage? Well, if Sprint does follow in these footsteps, I'd hope they keep the internal storage size the same as the current MoPho.

8gb of internal storage is a step backwards, yeah. A removable battery would be nice, too. That's one thing that makes me pause with the LTEvo, but signs there point to decent battery life. We'll see how that holds up once LTE is turned on in the next couple weeks.

 

[ljbad4life]

Now that the Atrix HD is official and priced at $99, do you think sprint will follow suit and price the photon q at $99?

 

[drexappeal]

Now that the Atrix HD is official and priced at $99, do you think sprint will follow suit and price the photon q at $99?

Well, the Photon eventually dropped to $99 within the first couple weeks of the phone being released. I remember because I got a price match on release date w/ Radio Shack, down to $179 and then 2 weeks later, everywhere was dropped to $99, so I had another price match done.

I think it all depends on the Photon Q really being a qwerty phone or not. Qwerty slider phones have typically been more expensive than non-qwerty phones (historically). I remember that the original Epic was $249 at launch because of the additional hardware.

I wouldn't mind seeing the MoPho Q at $149, since the phone isn't going to be for me, but I'd love to see Sprint match that $99 price. I'm still holding out hope that Sprint will have the balls to carry 2 Motorola phones this year and we'll see a non-qwerty version of the MoPho Q by fall.

 

[floorguy]

chatted with a tech guy at the store.....turns out qwerty only....

well maybe back to the samsung....that 2 g of ram sounds nice

 

[drexappeal]

chatted with a tech guy at the store.....turns out qwerty only....

well maybe back to the samsung....that 2 g of ram sounds nice

Thanks for the info. Oh well. I guess I'll only be upgrading one of the lines with a moto phone, if that does end up being the case. Did the tech guy mention an approximate release date, at least?

 

[busted bones]

I find those working at the stores know as much as we do or less.

 

[drexappeal]

I was reading through the FCC docs and looks like the Photon Q will have a SIM card, but it'll be locked for use on US providers:

2.5. Declaration of Available Operating Bands and Modes (Equipment Class PCE –
CDMA 800/850/1900 MHz and Band 25 LTE)
Motorola Mobility hereby declares that, while this product features GSM and WCDMA capabilities
that operate within frequency bands regulated by the FCC, these modes are locked out for use within
the territories of the United States. These modes have been disabled in the product’s firmware, and are
SIM locked by all US operators. This application, therefore, does not seek certification for these
modes.

 

[floorguy]

Thanks for the info. Oh well. I guess I'll only be upgrading one of the lines with a moto phone, if that does end up being the case. Did the tech guy mention an approximate release date, at least?

no, no release date...though i didnt press....as the qwerty made me tune out quickly...

but i did press on the qwerty part....


and yes MOST stores are idiots....stopped in a few...but this store for the most part is on top of things....

i just wish it translated to sprint fixing their S out here....

I didnt want to admit it....but it seems that the I-phone, has in fact screwed up the data

that s3 was snappy......to bad i can only get $80 trade in for my phone

 

[simcha]

Oh well... Then it looks like I won't be getting another Motorola. HTC here I come I guess...

Samsung can still kiss my big @....

I wouldn't get another Samsung anything even if it came with two bars of pure gold!

 

[Citizen Coyote]

that s3 was snappy......to bad i can only get $80 trade in for my phone

Keep it! Use it as a developer toy, or hold on to it in case you need an international phone. I don't think $80 is enough to justify selling it back to Sprint, that's a pittance.

 

[drexappeal]

Keep it! Use it as a developer toy, or hold on to it in case you need an international phone. I don't think $80 is enough to justify selling it back to Sprint, that's a pittance.

I agree. I plan on keeping my MoPho as a dedicated music player and international phone. It's the first phone, aside from the EVO, that I'll actually keep (and not sell) after upgrading.

 

[hawkinsjl]

Does anybody know the release date of Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE?

 

[drexappeal]

Does anybody know the release date of Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE?

No announcement has been made yet. Even rumors are speculation of specs.

 

[ljbad4life]

Hopefully motorola will delay it a little bit to ad Jellybean, frankly after using a nexus 7, I won't buy an android without it!

 

[Citizen Coyote]

Photon Q official, "coming soon." Nothing much beyond what we already knew, other than it's the real deal. For those who want a QWERTY slider it looks pretty sweet, but I'm not in that camp myself.

Edit: Looks like it will be shipping with ICS and not Jelly Bean, unless they change that between now and release.

 

[drexappeal]

It's official. Even though I'm getting this for my secondary line, I'm still holding out hope that Motorola and Sprint will eventually have a "true" successor to the MoPho. This doesn't seem like an "upgrade" from the MoPho, simply because of some of the same specs.

Sprint Newsroom | MOTOROLA PHOTON Q 4G LTE fact sheet

Certain features that stand out.
- Downgraded to 8gb internal storage (vs. 16gb on MoPho) (Only way this isn't a downgrade is if it's 8gb of usable internal storage, which would only be .9 gb less than the MoPho)
- qHD 540x960 TFT LCD (Isn't this the same exact screen we have on the MoPho)
- Same amount of RAM
- HD FF Camera? (My cousin, who's more verse in technical details, explained to me about the VGA FF camera on the original MoPho and told me the reasoning behind that type of decision is to eliminate lag that there'd be on a 1.3+ FF camera, which is better for business video conferencing).
- LTE (this was expected)
- MS Exchange ActiveSync? (Isn't this what Microsoft won the patent battle against Motorola with?...Does that mean there'll be a delay on this release?...LOL)

 

[KOLIO]

The PHOTON Q looks OK spec-wise,but, I'd definitely wait awhile after this is released before picking one up,due to the non-removable battery.

Having WEBTOP absent from the phone is also a major disappointment.

Let's hope MOTOROLA has a non-QWERTY PHOTON w/WEBTOP, removable battery & expandable memory slated for the near future w/SPRINT.

 

[drexappeal]

The PHOTON Q looks OK spec-wise,but, I'd definitely wait awhile after this is released before picking one up,due to the non-removable battery.

Having WEBTOP absent from the phone is also a major disappointment.

Let's hope MOTOROLA has a non-QWERTY PHOTON w/WEBTOP, removable battery & expandable memory slated for the near future w/SPRINT.

Wow, really? I didn't even see that the battery is non-removable. That's awful, if that's the case because it's the same size as the MoPho.

On top of that, regarding the "world phone" capabilities that they moved over from the MoPho...I read an article saying that it's non-removable as well! So you're stuck paying the outrageous Sprint world fees.

 

[drexappeal]

Apparently, the MoPho Q will have an unlockable bootloader:

Motorola PHOTON Q 4G LTE will have an unlockable bootloader | Ubergizmo

 

[KOLIO]

Wow, really? I didn't even see that the battery is non-removable. That's awful, if that's the case because it's the same size as the MoPho.

On top of that, regarding the "world phone" capabilities that they moved over from the MoPho...I read an article saying that it's non-removable as well! So you're stuck paying the outrageous Sprint world fees.

In case you still missed the mention of a non-removable battery,it's in the link you posted earlier. It's a 1785mAh LI-ION battery (imbedded). :-(

 

[simcha]

Wow, really? Just... Really???

I'm sooo disappointed. That phone sucks so bad. It's not an upgrade at all. In fact it's a downgrade to a lower level technology (a physical keyboard), a smaller memory capacity, the same damn screen (Really Motorola? You couldn't improve on the screen, seriously???), unremoveable battery (that really sucks!!!), you're stuck with Sprint's insane International Roaming rates if you travel with it, and to top it all off there is no webtop!!!

This phone is an absolute zero, nada, nothing...

If they don't come out with anything but this for this year, I'm done with Motorola. This is an insult to Sprint customers who are Motorola fans and who wanted a true successor to the MoPho.

If there isn't a true successor to the MoPho, I'm with HTC all the way. That LTEvo looks better and better every day.

I'm so disappointed.

 

[clgwli]

In case you still missed the mention of a non-removable battery,it's in the link you posted earlier. It's a 1785mAh LI-ION battery (imbedded). :-(

Damn I missed that part too. i was seriously so excited about this phone and now well... I do NOT like embedded batteries (even though I have one on my tablet).

I so wanted a physical keyboard again. Unlike some I do not think it is a step down. I absolutely dislike virtual keyboards. Now I'll just wait and see what others say.

I have great battery life on my current MoPho, but not being able to remove it just in case the phone goes nuts annoys me.