[SOLVED] Thinking about buying a new Motorola phone

[MoodyBlues]

My current Moto Z² Force Edition is less than a year old; it was a new replacement under my warranty. I love it, and have absolutely zero problems with, or complaints about, it. But I'm getting that itch to buy a new phone, you know?

I intend to stick with, and buy directly from, Motorola as usual. My carrier is Consumer Cellular.

Assume that money is no object, and the one thing you're sure of is that you don't want a Razr. Which of these Motorola phones would you buy, and why? I'm bouncing back and forth between a few of them.

My main use of the phone would be on Wi-Fi, at home (like 99.9% of the time), doing things like posting on AF. Also, housecleaning on my network, shopping, banking, paying bills, taking spur-of-the-moment photos and videos, and rarely, if ever, playing games. Its use as an actual phone will be almost nonexistent--that's what my landline is for!

I don't really care about, but am intrigued by the fact that Motorola brought back, earphone jacks on some models.

Ideally, I'd have a nice, big screen--with guaranteed shatterproof glass, like my Z²--but without a lot of weight. Battery time is not a huge factor for me.

What do you think?

(This may end up being purely hypothetical...if my better judgment kicks in. I typically use a phone for 2-3 years, and have no good reason to buy a new one right now.)

 

[Dannydet]

I'm using this and have been loving it...
https://support.motorola.com/us/en/...oto-g-family/moto-g7-supra/documents/MS139117

 

[MoodyBlues]

I'm using this and have been loving it...
https://support.motorola.com/us/en/...oto-g-family/moto-g7-supra/documents/MS139117

I'm not seeing that in the list of phones I'm working from. Its screen is considerably smaller than the phones I'm eyeing.

From my list, is there a G7 that's like an updated version of yours?

 

[Dannydet]

Only the moto g stylus shows up on my end. Nothing else

 

[dontpanicbobby]

OT: Are you an early adopter [s]@Dannydet[/s]?@MoodyBlues?

 

[MoodyBlues]

OT: Are you an early adopter [S]@Dannydet[/S]?@MoodyBlues?

Um...yes, at times. Like Linux--its first release was in 1991. I dare you to guess what year I first used it!

But why are you asking?

 

[dontpanicbobby]

Because I got over that in the early 20 aughts: The PocketPC era. My original PDA was not smart. It was a mechanical address book.

 

[MoodyBlues]

Oh. I never had a PDA--went straight from cell phones [starting in the 1990s] to smartphones, once Android came along.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

So you didn't use 70s and 80s tech.
We can't help when we are born.

 

[MoodyBlues]

So you didn't use 70s and 80s tech.

Whoa, dude! What do you call a Commodore VIC-20? And a Commodore 64? And being able to roll over a Pac-Man machine?

Yeah, that's what I thought. *nodding smugly*

We can't help when we are born.

No, indeed... *sigh* And some of us were born way before others... But, as my aunt reminds me when I dread an upcoming birthday, consider the alternative!

 

[MoodyBlues]

I believe I've narrowed it down to three of these phones, specifically: the Motorola One Hyper, the Motorola One Zoom, and the Moto Z⁴ (Unlocked).

The One Hyper is normally $400, and is on sale for $350; the One Zoom is at its regular price of $450; the Z⁴ is normally $500, on sale for $400.

Things to keep in mind:

- battery time is relatively unimportant
- a big, nice display is what I'm after
- its cameras, image and video quality are not important
- its storage as shipped and, to a lesser degree, expandable are important--more is better!
- I don't think I care about Moto Mods [which I have yet to find a need to buy, or use] or earphone jacks
- call quality does matter, even though it will rarely be used for phone calls

All things considered, which would you suggest, and why?

 

[tommo47]

All things considered, which would you suggest, and why?

I'm no help to you on this one. I've only ever had one Motorola device and that was a RAZR V3i about 14 years ago. Great phone, I've still got and it still works. I was tempted when they announced the new one but it was too expensive so Chris and I had a Pixel 3a each for less outlay, and we're both chuffed to bits with them.

.

 

[MoodyBlues]

RAZR V3i about 14 years ago. Great phone, I've still got and it still works.

Oh, wow! I'd love to see pics of it, if you're so inclined.

So just based on the info at each phone's link, or looking at them side-by-side on the main page, do you care to share your thoughts? To be honest, looking at all the specs leaves me feeling a little...baffled. I know what I want in terms of use, but how that translates to all those specs, I'm not so sure!

 

[ocnbrze]

if i had to choose from that list i would pick the one zoom.

• the camera looks decent:https://www.dxomark.com/motorola-one-zoom-camera-review/
• battery life can reach 2 days depending on what you do:https://www.digitaltrends.com/cell-phone-reviews/motorola-one-zoom-review/
• comes with a decent snapdragon processor
• a 6.4" screen is big enough for me

just my two cents worth

 

[MoodyBlues]

if i had to choose from that list i would pick the one zoom.

Thanks, neighbor.

When I first got this itch, I was sure I was going to get the Z⁴. It just seemed logical, since I currently have a Z² Force. But then I started comparing models...

I'm kind of wondering about the prices. If we look strictly at their regular prices, the Z⁴ is the most expensive--so shouldn't that mean it's the best? Yet its screen isn't the biggest [by a tiny margin].

The One Zoom certainly looks good to me, but I just don't know.

By the way, I'm still waiting for my better judgment to kick in.

 

[ocnbrze]

Thanks, neighbor.

When I first got this itch, I was sure I was going to get the Z⁴. It just seemed logical, since I currently have a Z² Force. But then I started comparing models...

I'm kind of wondering about the prices. If we look strictly at their regular prices, the Z⁴ is the most expensive--so shouldn't that mean it's the best? Yet its screen isn't the biggest [by a tiny margin].

The One Zoom certainly looks good to me, but I just don't know.

By the way, I'm still waiting for my better judgment to kick in.

well if you look at it right now, the zoom is the second most expensive phone in that list....yes i know that the z4 is on sale(maybe there is a reason why it is on sale...LOL ).

but just on specs for me having a decent camera, battery life, and processor is what i usually look for. the zoom's camera looks pretty decent plus it has a wide angle lens. i have learned to love wide angle lenses. i have one on my note 10+. it comes in handy when you want to take a whole scene all in one shot.

plus having a 4,000 mAh battery with 2 days worth of life is a huge plus for me.

 

[MoodyBlues]

It's different for me, though, @ocnbrze, as I don't care about its camera [or battery time]. When I want to take 'real' photos or videos, I use one of my Nikon cameras. Trust me, with the lenses I have, there's no comparison! I only use my phones for spur-of-the-moment photos or videos, like Joy Noelle being naughty.

When I'm talking on the [landline] phone, or when I'm in the middle of something important on my [Android] phone, she ALWAYS does this thing of hers! It's where she gets down off of me, stands on the edge of the bed, stretches over and climbs part-way to the nightstand, and tries to pull a bag of Temptations out of the drawer. When successful, this involves spilling Temptations all over the place, plus potentially spilling whatever I'm drinking. Therefore, it demands my immediate attention!

This is from a few days ago; she turned toward me after I yelled, JOY NOELLE?!

Note the latte mug, full of coffee, precariously poised on the corner of the nightstand.

And HER 'Temptations' are actually her k/d prescription food. I started putting it in a Temptations bag from the very first order last year, when we first found out she was in renal failure. She still hasn't figured out they're not REAL Temptations!

 

[ocnbrze]

well that is why i said "for me". this is just my opinion on what i would get for myself, if i had to choose. for you maybe the z4, since it is on sale. the specs are fairly similar save for the battery. and like i said, it is on sale

 

[MoodyBlues]

Maybe because I originally thought I'd get the Z⁴, and it's $100 off, that's why it looks so good to me. But you made an excellent point: why is it on sale--at $100 off, no less?!

 

[Deleted User]

I'd been mulling on these and Nokia's in Blighty

One Hyper has a good single firing speaker, as has the Z4 (called One Zoom here)
Both are the only Moto's to have a circular notification light around the fps / logo.
Both 4/128Gb configuration.
Z4/Zoom has faster USB 3.1 so the specs say.

Z4 has imv more desirable OLED display and seemingly better build and finish.

Both have the better SD675 SoC over the G Series.
(The G, UK G8, P,ower has decent specs and twin speakers, though the 3 month old G8 Plus only in UK is slightly better overal)

Z4 has better camera configuration with 3 x optical and OIS on two of the 4 lenses, I think.

The One Hyper has a pop up selfie so no screen notch/punch hole, but no face unlock here and is assumed this n order to save the mildly noisy pop up mechanism.

The UK reviewer Tech Spurt found the Hyper casing scratched / chipped easily, and discovered a nasty pair of long screen scratches in a few days, though he does have a cute/cheeky little daughter.

If you can get the Z4 at a lower price I think its2 worth it, or at current price, but the One Hyoer and G Power (64GB, FHD, SD665?) are very well specced and great value compared to G series of old. I wouldn't consider the G7's at this stage.

I've had three Motos, but very happy with the performance and features of my Nokia 7 Plus bought a year late in June (old stock sale), with the still excellent SD660, 2 x zoom and very fast charging of the 3800 mah battery.

Both Hyper and Z4 have 4000 mah as you'll know.
Any Amoled screen should be a plus (I still miss my 2 Samsung's).

Part of this is from memory and checking the US and UK Moto sites but double check.

Nokia are only bringing out an 8.3 5G which looks good and not expensive, the also new 5.3 is good but not FHD.

I haven't permanently water damaged my Nokia from cleaning as I thought, so with the COVID thing I'll now personally wait to spend money if I can.

===
Added: I can't see the Gorilla glass spec on these, but suspect the Z4 is better, without full IP rating - though none will match the Z2 Force for ruggedness.

===
Z4 has a Panada King 2.5D screen glass and GG3 at the rear, and is P2i splash proof (don't ask me!)
Z4 also has a screen fps that works better than Samsung's iirc.

 

[MrJavi]

Whoa, dude! What do you call a Commodore VIC-20? And a Commodore 64? And being able to roll over a Pac-Man machine?

Yeah, that's what I thought. *nodding smugly*



No, indeed... *sigh* And some of us were born way before others... But, as my aunt reminds me when I dread an upcoming birthday, consider the alternative!

We aIso had a commodore 64 Nostalgia, the good old days.

 

[MoodyBlues]

We aIso had a commodore 64 Nostalgia, the good old days.

Indeed! I had a VIC-20 first, just for a very short time--the C64 came out right after I bought the VIC. I went back to the store where I'd bought it, sweet-talked the manager, and he let me exchange it [plus the small difference in price], for a C64. Very cool!

Did you have a tape recorder hooked up to your C64? [Have we talked about this? ] I did. I spent hours typing programs from the owner's manual, then saving them on tape. Such fun! Even with the occasional glitch--whether it was user error or an incorrect snippet in the book--it was fun and interesting. My very first exposure to programming. Gosh, those were great days.

Oh...have you heard me bitch about the disappearance of my C64? Ugh...don't get me started...

 

[MrJavi]

Indeed! I had a VIC-20 first, just for a very short time--the C64 came out right after I bought the VIC. I went back to the store where I'd bought it, sweet-talked the manager, and he let me exchange it [plus the small difference in price], for a C64. Very cool!

Did you have a tape recorder hooked up to your C64? [Have we talked about this? ] I did. I spent hours typing programs from the owner's manual, then saving them on tape. Such fun! Even with the occasional glitch--whether it was user error or an incorrect snippet in the book--it was fun and interesting. My very first exposure to programming. Gosh, those were great days.

Oh...have you heard me bitch about the disappearance of my C64? Ugh...don't get me started...

My step father bought it and used it often. He showed me a few things but I preferred video games lol. The C64 was cool and he had the add ons but I really dont remember exactly what was what. I do remember the dark background and Im thinking green texts on the screen. He thiught it was the coolest thing.

 

[tommo47]

I believe I've narrowed it down to three of these phones, specifically: the Motorola One Hyper, the Motorola One Zoom, and the Moto Z⁴ (Unlocked)

I am not having much success with the links , the Moto Z says nothing found and the One Zoom says 'not available'.

The One Hyper looks good to me and $50 off is good but not too good to be a little suspicious .

I know the pics aren't very clear, I can always take some more . That is the original charger and the V3i battery is the original - not bad for 14 years or there abouts.

 

[MoodyBlues]

I am not having much success with the links , the Moto Z says nothing found and the One Zoom says 'not available'.

They've done something--that screwed things up. I just tried the links directly from the comparison page, some work, some don't. Hopefully they'll realize they screwed up. Meanwhile, you can see them side by side on the comparison page.

Thank you so much for the pics! I never saw one of those in person, so this is very cool. It's awesome that it still works!