Help me understand this phone

The correct answer is to leave Verizon.

sam007 said:

Guys

I had a Galaxy Nexus phone a long time ago on Verizon - the best phone I've ever had and if I remember, it was pure Google flavor and got updates directly from Google

Is this phone basically the same concept or is it just another Verizon phone where you wait a while to get the latest Android version for months

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It's not like a Nexus. You have to wait, but the Moto X was the fastest non-Nexus phone to get KitKat last year, and received it before some Nexus devices.

Also, does Verizon directly sell the same phone in developer version?

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Motorola was selling a developer edition of the 2013 Verizon Moto X, but I don't know if they still are.

I just checked - they still seem to be, for $400. Moto X (1st Gen.) Developer Edition for Verizon

The 2014 Moto X will not have a developer edition on Verizon. They will be selling the "Pure edition" unlocked for GSM networks only, so it won't work on Verizon.


[edit] Oh, to answer the question, though - no, Verizon does not directly sell the developer edition. I think that they never do for any phone. You have to buy it from Motorola, unsubsidized.

If you want the 2013 Developer edition (fantastic phone by the way!), I'd order it sooner rather than later. The MotoMaker for the regular 2013's has been redirecting to the new X, it won't be long until there are no more DE's available. So, if that is something that is important to you then get going.

The new X's are supposedly going to be available on Verizon tomorrow.

sam007 said:

Guys

I had a Galaxy Nexus phone a long time ago on Verizon - the best phone I've ever had and if I remember, it was pure Google flavor and got updates directly from Google

Is this phone basically the same concept or is it just another Verizon phone where you wait a while to get the latest Android version for months

Also, does Verizon directly sell the same phone in developer version?

Thanks

Click to expand...

This is a unique phone in terms of user experience. It offers a 'pure' or 'vanilla' Android experience. Free of bloatware and has built-in design to do a few key common tasks (i.e., get information from the web, read/send texts without touching the phone, trusted bluetooth security, location awareness/profiles, etc). Its solid, bug free, lasts a full day on the battery, and quite fast overall.

Updates come direct from Motorola---at least on the XT-1053 T-Mobile.

In my opinion, the 1st gen was good as it gave Motorola a chance to experiment and now with some lessons learned they released 2nd gen---which seems to be even better.

sam007 said:

nd if I remember, it was pure Google flavor and got updates directly from Google

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It was pure Google, but Google had to go through Verizon to push updates. This phone developed a bad reputation for updates as it was far behind the GSM Galaxy Nexus. In fact, last I heard was that the Verizon variant wasn't even getting Android 4.3.

sam007 said:

Is this phone basically the same concept or is it just another Verizon phone where you wait a while to get the latest Android version for months

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It's mostly stock Android, so updates are very fast. Motorola has also done a good job of navigating Verizon's update process. Here's some comparative timelines as per Motorola's website (using the 2013 Moto X).

https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/answers/prod_answer_detail/a_id/94927/p/30,6720,8696

Received Android 4.4 11/2013. This was the same time as the unlocked model and within 30 days of the Nexus 5 launch.

Skipped 4.4.1 (not all minor updates are needed or will be pushed).

Received 4.4.2 in 2/2014, same month as the unlocked model. This was within 90 days of the Nexus 5 release.

Skipped 4.4.3 (released 6/2014 for Nexus 5 and unlocked Moto X)

Received 4.4.4 in 7/2014 (within 30 days of Nexus 5)

So as you can see, updates for the Verizon branded Moto X have been very fast. However, many updates will be skipped as not all point releases are major enough to warrant a big push.

sam007 said:

Also, does Verizon directly sell the same phone in developer version?

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There is a developer edition for the 2013 Moto X on Verizon, but they're harder to come by. If you can find one, and you want one, grab it while you can. I don't think Moto is selling them on their site anymore, but I could be wrong.

BTW, Verizon will not have a developer/pure edition of the 2014 Moto X, but due to requirements attached to part of their LTE spectrum, their Moto X variant will be sim unlocked. You'll still have the bloatware and locked bootloader, but at least you can move your phone to a GSM-based carrier in a pinch.