[Moto Maxx General] ChazzMatt:
EDIT:

I started this thread in April 2017 and went through year waiting for and then eliminating phones that could replace my beloved Quark, without losing any features like QHD (1440p) OLED, Qi wireless charging, and 3.5mm headset jack. While also GAINING features that have become de rigueur for premium Android phones, like IP68 dust/water resistance and fingerprint sensor.

I also wanted to be able to root the phone to keep total control. By the end of the 2017, the only phone that met those requirements (for me in the U.S.) and also was aesthetically pleasing was the open market LG V30 US998. The Exynos Galaxy Note 8 was just too large.

The LG V30 was not even on the original list below, but the LG G6 was... and it failed. The end-of-year LG V30 was what the LG G6 SHOULD have been. It's a more refined version of the LG G6.

I may keep this thread going to discuss 2018 phones, but they will have to beat the Quark while also competing with the excellent LG V30...

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NEW Phones to replace 2014 Quark (Droid Turbo/Moto Turbo/Moto Maxx)?

FIVE PHONES TO WATCH IN 2017

There's NOTHING on the market right now or even in the past two years that is better than the 2014 Quark, in my opinion. The LG G4 and ZTE Axon 7 came close. So, I am waiting for NEW phones to come out.

I have three 64GB XT1225 -- two daily phones running RR 6.X and one still new in the box. I've come up with a list of 5 phones coming out later this year to watch, to see if they are worthy of replacing my daily Quark phone... Skip to the bottom if this is too long to read. ;) But I explain my criteria.

I've had the Quark since December 2014, when I bought two in the same month, and then spring of 2016 I bought a 3rd Quark to be emergency backup (still new in the box).

During that time I had a couple of LG G2 phones I had as backup but when I bought the 3rd Quark, I sold those on eBay. I even won FREE a new 2015 LG G4 from AT&T in a contest, and sold it NEW IN THE BOX (but added a Qi wireless charging back cover I ordered from Europe, so it was even better than new). That 2015 LG G4 (with the Qi wireless functionality) was actually the closest replacement phone I've found for the Quark. But that was the money I used to buy the 3rd 2014 Moto Maxx XT1225.

My point is, each year since 2014 I've looked at various flagship phones and for one reason or another they don't match up to what I have now.

2016 ZTE Axon 7 came very close.

5.5" AMOLED (exactly same Samsung panel in the Google Pixel XL, has same part number)

Google Daydream VR certified

64GB/4GB RAM ($400, now

$357

) or 128GB/6GB RAM ($500) -- both with microSD card

award-winning DAC

headset jack

front-facing stereo speakers

frame designed by BMW

20MP camera with rear OIS

bootloader unlock on request and has root, custom ROMs

For Verizon users, CDMA bands and Verizon VoLTE (on stock Nougat and LOS 14.1)

WOW. So, why not? No Qi wireless charging. Plus reports ZTE's firmware could be better. The custom ROMs are almost fixed, but in the beginning couldn't even access the award-winning DAC. Audio was all messed for months on the custom ROMs. But you could still root and run stock.

I wish Google had bought 1 million of these, slapped on their software and sold them as the Google Pixel XL. I seriously would have considered buying it, but the lack of Qi wireless is still a deal killer.

2016 Google Pixel XL.

Bezels too big for no reason. No Qi wireless charging. Google has lost their sense of direction. I owned two of the gen3 Galaxy Nexus and two of the gen5 LG Nexus 5. Ever since the WHALE 2014 Moto Nexus 6 (which I refused to buy), they have lost their sense of what mainstream smartphone users want. A 5.2" - 5.5" updated version of the Moto Nexus 6 would be PERFECT. UPDATED Snapdragon chipset, Qi wireless, QuickCharge 4.0, 1440 AMOLED, headset jack, etc. -- but in a reasonable size.

2016 Moto Z Force

Verizon exclusive. No headset jack. Crappy mods to make you pay for what should already be in the phone -- particularly stereo speakers, Qi wireleless charging, larger batteries. Except you can only use ONE mod at a time.

2016 Moto Z

No headset jack. Crappy mods to make you pay for what should already be in the phone -- particularly stereo speakers, Qi wireless charging, larger batteries. Except you can only use ONE mod at a time.

2016 LG G5

Crappy mods. Even crappier than the Moto Z series.

2017 LG G6

No Qi wireless for international models. No DAC/bigger storage for U.S. models. LG messed up. Make ONE phone with premium specs for the entire world!

2017 Galaxy Samsung S8

Very interesting. Specs are good. Has Qi wireless charging, 1440p AMOLED. Exynos variants have already been rooted and has official TWRP and ROMs. But I'm going to wait until 2nd half of 2017 to see what else is coming...

WHAT ELSE IS COMING THIS YEAR?

Here's FIVE phones to keep your eyes on.

This list below is in order of increasing likelihood -- with the bottom two being VERY interesting.

5 - 2017 Google Pixel 2

Probably still won't have Qi wireless or headset jack... Because Google is stupid.

4 - 2017 OnePlus 5 reportedly will have 1440p AMOLED. I'm not buying a 1080p phone, not since having 1440p since 2014. And any phone I buy has to have Qi wireless charging. I'm also concerned about OnePlus proprietary "Dash Charge" since I have many, many QuickCharge chargers. I'm NOT throwing those away.

3 - 2017 ZTE Axon 8

What could ZTE do to improve their almost perfect ZTE Axon 7 specs? Add Qi wireless charging.

What else could they do? Improve their firmware.

So, let's see what they do!

2 - 2017 Nokia 9

The Nokia 9 is expected to feature the following, key specs:

5.5-inch QHD OLED Display

Snapdragon 835, Adreno 540

22 MP Dual-Lens Carl-Zeiss Rear Camera

6 GB RAM

64 GB / 128 GB storage

12 MP FFC

3800 mAH Battery

Qualcomm Quick-Charge 4

Iris Scanner

Finger-Print Scanner

Nokia OZO Audio Enhancements

IP68 certification

Android 7.1.2 Nougat

Will run STOCK Android. Will it have Qi wireless? I'm very curious about this phone.

1 - 2017 Moto Z2 Force

5.5" 1440p AMOLED

headset jack

Snapdragon 835

Reportedly the Moto Z2 Force will NOT be a Verizon exclusive. Will be sold by all the major U.S. carriers and internationally. Also Motorola is ADDING BACK the headset jack. This still leaves the mods... But you could add a "battery pack" mod which also adds Qi wireless charging. Yes, you are paying $70-$80 for the larger battery and Qi wireless which should already be in the phone. But the final result would be basically an updated Quark.

Leaked renders of Moto Z2 Force

You have that camera hump, but the battery pack mod evens it out. :rolleyes:

One of the Qi wireless 2,200 mAh extended battery pack mods for the 2016 Moto Z series. They are also guaranteed to fit the 2017 Moto Z2 series. Adds battery capacity AND Qi wireless charging functionality.

Last year's Moto Z Force (the Verizon exclusive with the missing headset jack) had a 3,500 mAh battery. If the Moto Z2 Force has same battery capacity, then adding this 2,200 mAh battery pack mod would give you 4,700 mAh battery capacity!

Any international variants would have probably have bootloader unlocked on request, just like now.

#1 and #2 are the best bets, with #3 right behind them (depending on Qi wireless).

I'm not buying anything right now. There's no rush, and nothing out there right now (LG G6, Galaxy S8) are compelling enough that I can't wait to see what develops by end of the year.

IF I don't buy anything this year (my wife and I are in the process of adopting two children, but can't say anything more about that for now), perhaps NEXT year's LG G7 will have AMOLED display? Reportedly LG promised almost their entire supply for this year to Apple, which is why the LG G6 still has LCD. And perhaps LG will realize the folly of regionalized specs (Qi in U.S., with DAC/more storage for Asia). Maybe NEXT year LG will produce a FANTASTIC PHONE for the entire world.