Nexus 5, Nexus 4, Moto G: Off-contract Android Heaven

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Patrick Tobin

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I love my Windows Phone but I will be switching to Android as I cannot afford Apple nor can I get all the features I need for my work now with my Windows OS. It is unfortunate as I love the interface and snappiness of WP8.
 

vern72

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...and this is the part of the formula that Apple doesn't get: different price points. That's why Android is at over 80% saturation.
 

ioconnor

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This evening I ordered the T-Mobile $70 unlimited 4G prepaid plan to go with my Nexus 5. T-Mobile's plan is suppose to be unlimited with no throttling.

Has anybody actually tested this plan?
 

Bloob

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...and this is the part of the formula that Apple doesn't get: different price points. That's why Android is at over 80% saturation.
Apple does get it, but they choose to not care, they still have about 50% market share in high end devices, and they still get the most of the best apps first. Not sure how long that will last, but people who own iDevices tend to be more likely to use money on apps as well. Of course, Nexus -devices are little more than advertising platforms, so they are usually best value for money hardware -wise.
 

allanitomwesh

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If they actually sell it outside the USA and UK,maybe. But their "oh it's only on Verizon" nonsense has them broke. They have how many phones? Droid Maxx,Moto X,Atrix HD,Razr HD,Razr HD Maxx, Photon Q,And now Moto G and guess how many of those work outside of Verizon let alone America?
 

bombebomb

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No 1080 screen, no sd card, no 3000mha battery, no money printer, no core I7, I think ill wait till the next model.

Without the I7 or money printer this phone is worth $178 at best, and not a dollar more!
 

allanitomwesh

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You forgot the nail clipper and can opener. And of course it has to have Radeon R9 graphics at least.
 
I just found out that I'm somehow off-contract (some sort of clerical error between my carrier and where I bought my Note 2) and knowing these phones are out there makes switching to pay-as-you-go seem like the only sane option.
 
At this price, I really don't think I care if the battery is removable. The SD card thing does bother me, but even though I have a 64 GB card in my current phone, I'm still using less than 11 GB total between the internal flash and the card. I realize other people's usage patterns vary, though.
 

teh_chem

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I think 1GB of RAM doesn't cut it on Android 4.1+ systems. For the unlocked price, the Moto G is a great deal; but I think it's not the best comparison to the N5 or even the N4 (though the point of this article isn't really to be a shootout between the phone spec's).

That being said, 8GB and 16GB options with no SD card slot...I wouldn't buy it. I can get by with a 32GB phone without a SD card, but 8 or 16? I couldn't get the most out of it that I expect.
 

JD88

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1 GB should be decent in this case. Stock Android with limited carrier bloat is not nearly as bad as something like Touchwhiz or Sense where tons of RAM is necessary for all the crap running in the background. Things should even be better once it gets KitKat.
 

jacobdrj

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I wish these options were available a couple months ago, as I wouldn't have been forced to move to WP8 Nokia Lumia 521 phones for my entire family...
The prices for usable budget androids were too high, and reasonably priced ones were too handicapped.

Google had no choice but to start selling reasonably priced, reasonably specified Android phones, less they loose the remaining, still very large, group of 1st time smartphone late adopters, who are quite pleased when they opt for the low-end WP8 phones... They don't want to dare loose out on the potential growth as they have been.

For my family it is too late. Me, my wife, my brother in law, my dad, my other brother in law have already opted for Lumias (521 and 1020) and we are quite pleased with our decisions.
 

JD88

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At $99 the 521 is an almost unbeatable value. I would never personally leave Android, but for someone who needed a phone to get by between contract upgrades or a user who only needs basic function with no contract it's a great option.

This Moto G though has the potential to really be something. We'll have to see what their production capability is.
 

teh_chem

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I don't think it has anything to do with carrier bloat. I don't think 1GB of RAM on my Nexus 7 is enough either, and that's Vanilla android. My LG Optimus G has 2GB of RAM, and frequently at least 1.5GB is in use as reported by task manager. There's so much more fluidity and smoothness in switching apps and opening apps with my phone vs. my N7 it's not even funny.
 

JD88

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This surprises me because I was basing part of my assessment on how well my Nexus 7 runs with only 1GB. It always seems fast at pretty much every task. What are you doing on yours when you notice a slowdown?
 
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