Hello all. Thought I would post some quick general impressions of the phone if there were anyone currently thinking about purchasing. I'm coming from and LG G3 which I've been pretty satisfied with, except for the semi-cheap feel of the phone due to its plastic construction and the UI's fragmented feel. Was considering the LG G4, and the Yet to be Released Moto X Pure...but will ride with this for now.
1. Design/Quality of Build.
Overall build quality is good. I don't think it is at the level of others competitors such as the Samsung S6 or HTC ONE, but it definitely does not disappoint. I believe the rear end-caps (top and bottom of the phone) are cast aluminum then machined, but I might be wrong. On my phone, the alignment is slightly off on the rear radii forming the curved back, but not crazy enough to ding style points. The phone feels solid and has a decent weight to it. I have larger hands so I feel the weight aids in holding the phone, making it a bit more tactile. The overall shape of the phone makes it easy to grasp. The glass on the front is not recessed, but feels intentional. IF your not going to use a cover the textured finish feels nice. I always use a minimalist skin because I shy away from large protectors (a little OtterBox hate...).
The design when you feel it up close is very compelling....a good differentiation over what's on the market currently. I personally like the triangulated grill details. I am not a fan of the right side power button as it is a bit small, but feel they have it there for a reason due to right-handed use. I am biased because coming from the LG G3 and it's tap two wake feature, which allows you to tap the screen anywhere to awaken the phone spoils you. This should be a Android- Wide feature (Will argue that til' the day I die...LOL.) I have noticed the ear speaker is placed off-center to the right at the top of the phone...which if help improperly can inhibit the sound while you are chatting. Usually a quick repositioning of the phone gets you straight again, but would make a bit more send to place that speaker in the middle..IMO.
2. Call Quality.
Sometimes I feel we get so caught up on the specs of a phone that we forget to tackle the basic functionality...call quality. I'm on AT&T and have a really good network where I live. In my limited 2 days of use, the call quality has been great. People can hear me and I can hear them....that is a good sign. This has been with the handset and with the included JBL earpieces (which sound awesome). I do travel so will reserve a full commentary on total call quality until I'm in areas with less than desirable service. A good phone helps overcome lack of great networks IMO.
3. Screen (Quad HD)
The screen is bright and have decent viewing angles. Outside in the sunlight I could see the screen very well. I do have the auto-brightness set so I'm sure there was some compensation happening, but that's fine...the experience should be seamless regardless.
4. Camera.
I haven't had the chance to fully put the camera through it's paces, but for the 30 or so INDOOR shots I've taken, it's seems to take good pictures without any fuss. I snap my kids all the time so I will post pics when I get more time to play with the settings in different environments.
5. UI
So far, no complaints. If you are familiar with Android then the is about as near to stock Android as you can come. There is the Zshare thing that I have not figure out yet...but will in due time. To me, can I make a call, text, answer emails without too many operations to get to these functions? With the Axon phone I can answer yes to all of these. I'll try and post a week from now to see if I feel the same
6. Battery Life.
Again have not had the phone that long, but I went all day yesterday, medium use without charging. That's usually my goal as I don't expect any phone to last more than a day, but I do expect a day.
7. Media Playback and Sound
I consider myself a wanna-be-audiophile. I do enjoy nice headphones and earbuds. I will say that this phone and included JBL earphones have to be the nicest sounding stock setup that I've heard to date. I'm having some issues keeping the Dolby Setting in place and have not been able to tell a difference in the sound enhancing provided by the Headphone HiFi settings, but even with that, they sound GREAT! Don't think you'll be disappointed here.
That is just a quick synopsis of my time with the Axon Phone thus far. Hard to rate it at this point, but I will say that I have not been disappointed. I am trying to figure settings, and missing some functionality that my last phone had...but so far so good. Hope this helps with anyone looking to make a purchase.
1. Design/Quality of Build.
Overall build quality is good. I don't think it is at the level of others competitors such as the Samsung S6 or HTC ONE, but it definitely does not disappoint. I believe the rear end-caps (top and bottom of the phone) are cast aluminum then machined, but I might be wrong. On my phone, the alignment is slightly off on the rear radii forming the curved back, but not crazy enough to ding style points. The phone feels solid and has a decent weight to it. I have larger hands so I feel the weight aids in holding the phone, making it a bit more tactile. The overall shape of the phone makes it easy to grasp. The glass on the front is not recessed, but feels intentional. IF your not going to use a cover the textured finish feels nice. I always use a minimalist skin because I shy away from large protectors (a little OtterBox hate...).
The design when you feel it up close is very compelling....a good differentiation over what's on the market currently. I personally like the triangulated grill details. I am not a fan of the right side power button as it is a bit small, but feel they have it there for a reason due to right-handed use. I am biased because coming from the LG G3 and it's tap two wake feature, which allows you to tap the screen anywhere to awaken the phone spoils you. This should be a Android- Wide feature (Will argue that til' the day I die...LOL.) I have noticed the ear speaker is placed off-center to the right at the top of the phone...which if help improperly can inhibit the sound while you are chatting. Usually a quick repositioning of the phone gets you straight again, but would make a bit more send to place that speaker in the middle..IMO.
2. Call Quality.
Sometimes I feel we get so caught up on the specs of a phone that we forget to tackle the basic functionality...call quality. I'm on AT&T and have a really good network where I live. In my limited 2 days of use, the call quality has been great. People can hear me and I can hear them....that is a good sign. This has been with the handset and with the included JBL earpieces (which sound awesome). I do travel so will reserve a full commentary on total call quality until I'm in areas with less than desirable service. A good phone helps overcome lack of great networks IMO.
3. Screen (Quad HD)
The screen is bright and have decent viewing angles. Outside in the sunlight I could see the screen very well. I do have the auto-brightness set so I'm sure there was some compensation happening, but that's fine...the experience should be seamless regardless.
4. Camera.
I haven't had the chance to fully put the camera through it's paces, but for the 30 or so INDOOR shots I've taken, it's seems to take good pictures without any fuss. I snap my kids all the time so I will post pics when I get more time to play with the settings in different environments.
5. UI
So far, no complaints. If you are familiar with Android then the is about as near to stock Android as you can come. There is the Zshare thing that I have not figure out yet...but will in due time. To me, can I make a call, text, answer emails without too many operations to get to these functions? With the Axon phone I can answer yes to all of these. I'll try and post a week from now to see if I feel the same
6. Battery Life.
Again have not had the phone that long, but I went all day yesterday, medium use without charging. That's usually my goal as I don't expect any phone to last more than a day, but I do expect a day.
7. Media Playback and Sound
I consider myself a wanna-be-audiophile. I do enjoy nice headphones and earbuds. I will say that this phone and included JBL earphones have to be the nicest sounding stock setup that I've heard to date. I'm having some issues keeping the Dolby Setting in place and have not been able to tell a difference in the sound enhancing provided by the Headphone HiFi settings, but even with that, they sound GREAT! Don't think you'll be disappointed here.
That is just a quick synopsis of my time with the Axon Phone thus far. Hard to rate it at this point, but I will say that I have not been disappointed. I am trying to figure settings, and missing some functionality that my last phone had...but so far so good. Hope this helps with anyone looking to make a purchase.
