I bought an unlocked LG V20 because I wanted a cheap flagship-ish phone with a good camera (UPDATE: and now it's $20 cheaper)

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein) 08/30/2017 at 11:04 • Filed to: None

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I have a Moto X Pure Edition that I bought a couple years ago. It still works totally fine! The only problem is the USB port on the bottom is getting loose, and depending on the cable, it doesn’t charge steadily. It’ll cost $150* for Motorola to repair it.

Loose USB ports are !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! with the Moto X Pure. The standard repair from Motorola involves replacing the entire circuit board the USB port attaches to, so you get a fresh USB port. Or they just send you a refurb phone as a replacement. Either way, it would be $125, plus another $25 to do an advance exchange where they send you a fresh refurb phone and then you send them back your phone.

I called around to phone repair places for estimates, and got three very different responses:

Nationwide chain store: “Sure, we can fix that for $79.”

Local store 1: “We can probably fix that, it would cost about $60-70, but there are some other components on the board near the USB port and soldering in a new USB port might damage them. I’ve successfully done this type of repair on other phones. We won’t charge you anything if the repair isn’t successful.” (but of course then you have a totally worthless phone)

Local store 2: “You shouldn’t try to fix that phone, soldering in a new USB port will burn out the microphone.”

Features that are important to me in a phone are:

Better CPU and RAM than the Snapdragon 808 and 3 GB of RAM in my current phone

Better camera

5.5” or larger screen

Fingerprint scanner

NFC

Verizon & T-Mobile compatible because I’m on Verizon thru Total Wireless now, but T-Mobile is expanding their network in WI and I may switch at some point.

I was all ready to buy a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , because it ticks all those boxes, and I recently recommended my sister buy one. Newegg even ran a sale last week for $329 instead of the usual $369. But there were some remarks about its camera being kinda crappy in low light, and I wanted to see what my other options were.

So I found that !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . It was listed as “more coming soon,” and I confirmed with a chat agent that they expect them in on September 4th. It’s kinda huge, but it ticks all my boxes, and has a better camera than the Axon 7. So I bought it. It should be here at some point relatively soon after September 4th.

Once it arrives, I don’t think it would be good to try and sell my Moto X Pure with the deteriorating USB port. I’ll probably take my chances with local phone repair place #2, and then sell the phone once it’s (hopefully) fixed.

I was hoping to stretch my Moto X Pure to something past 2 years, and it was still working totally fine except for that stupid USB port. But I figure it’s better to repair it and move on now while it’s still worth something, rather than repair it and keep it to some point in the future where it’ll be worth a lot less.

UPDATE: Today I looked at the B&H product page for the V20 and the price dropped to $349. Since the phone won’t be in stock until September 4th anyway, I did another quick session with a chat agent, and they adjusted my order to the new price. Yay. Now if only B&H had less !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! I’d feel better about this.

Chariotoflove > Textured Soy Protein 08/29/2017 at 18:24

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My iPhone 6S Plus was having loose cable issues too. It came when I was trying to use some extra cables I bought (not cheap ones either). I have to use the Apple one it came with to get it tight. Our other iDevices work fine with the third party cables, though. Frustrating.

Mercedes Streeter > Chariotoflove 08/29/2017 at 18:27

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Lighting port replacements are pretty easy to do. This Moto X one sounds like a nightmare though, think I’d rather replace the screen on a new galaxy phone xD

Textured Soy Protein > Chariotoflove 08/29/2017 at 18:28

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I first noticed the problem a few weeks ago on a weekend where my wife and I did about 250 miles of driving to multiple stops in WI and IL. I had the phone in my Genuine ///M Performance Phone Nook™ and the screen kept randomly blinking on.

At first I thought there was some kind of Spotify glitch waking it up, but then I realized the power cable was loose and every time it “unplugged,” the screen turned on.

Chariotoflove > Mercedes Streeter 08/29/2017 at 18:31

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Yes. I was just trying to commiserate, but I wouldn’t want to be him.

I did replace an iPad screen myself once using a part I got on eBay and a youtube video. $20 all in, and my daughter thought I was a fix-it god.

Priceless.

Textured Soy Protein > Mercedes Streeter 08/29/2017 at 18:33

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So, in your opinion as a serial phone flipper, should I try to get the USB port repaired before selling, or just sell it as is?

Chariotoflove > Textured Soy Protein 08/29/2017 at 18:34

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This is where wireless charging will come in handy, when they get it so it doesn’t add so much weight and complexity. It’s like the old days with Walkmans when the first thing to go was the phone jack that would come unsoldered from the board. Ports are a weakness.

Mercedes Streeter > Textured Soy Protein 08/29/2017 at 18:40

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That depends on how much money you want to make off it. They appear to be worth about $140-$160 on eBay in good condition, so getting it repaired for that cheapest price of $79 may not net a whole lot of money. They seem to be selling for about $90-$100 in similar condition as yours.

My verdict? I probably would sell it as is, but that’s only because I haven’t repaired a Moto phone before so I don’t know how able I would be to repair the port myself. I sold a Galaxy S7 for about $170 with a broken screen because I didn’t want to chance replacing the glass, screwing up, then needing a digitizer/LCD.

Monkey B > Textured Soy Protein 08/29/2017 at 19:17

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Pixel refurbs are out there for $379 (or something like that) It’s what I just ordered since OnePlus is a joke of a phone and worse a joke of a company.

Textured Soy Protein > Monkey B 08/29/2017 at 19:37

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I’d only want a Pixel XL and I’m leery of the short warranties on refurbished phones.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Textured Soy Protein 08/29/2017 at 20:51

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My wife bought one, then dropped it in the ocean. It didn’t survive.

We waited several weeks for the insurance to replace it. Backorder.

We finally bought a replacement locally and charged it back to the insurance. We still haven’t received the check.

That’s when I discovered refurbished v20s were selling for $300. We were seriously bummed.

We’ve learned a lot by losing a lot of money on this phone.

Textured Soy Protein > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/29/2017 at 21:03

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I’m buying at the good part of the depreciation curve.

ThePenguin > Textured Soy Protein 08/29/2017 at 22:18

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The V20 is a seriously underrated phone.

Gerry197 > Textured Soy Protein 08/30/2017 at 03:22

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I’m a Samsung Galaxy Note guy, but had to skip the 7 for obvious reason. I also have Iphone 7 plus from work, but my personal phone is a LG V20, and I love it better than any phone I have owned.

Of course a lot of that has to do with Android OS, I can’t stand my Iphone 7 OS, but the phone itself has so many positive attributes, from design to function.

Considering the new Galaxy 8 Note, but not just yet.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Textured Soy Protein 08/30/2017 at 09:56

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GREAT CHOICE

I got my V20 back in November as a black friday deal....and at no cost to me through Verizon. Man I snagged a deal that day (that Verizon claims isn’t a real deal still btw, whatever though I argued, they paid).

I love the 2nd screen, the double camera for it’s normal and pano mode, the finger print scanner and the 2nd screen...which is SHOCKINGLY useful.

Textured Soy Protein > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 08/30/2017 at 10:12

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What kind of stuff do you do with the second screen? Since they were the same price, I picked the V20 over the Axon 7 because of the better camera, and because it has a 5.7” screen like my current phone vs 5.5” on the Axon 7 (which is only a small difference, and less of a difference in reality because the Axon 7 has physical back/home/recent apps buttons which I’m not a huge fan of but they save screen real estate). But I didn’t really think the V20’s second screen would do much of anything other than make the phone a little taller than it otherwise would need to be.

Monkey B > Textured Soy Protein 08/30/2017 at 10:31

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place I bought mine offered extended warranties at checkout. Forget the cost.

Textured Soy Protein > Monkey B 08/30/2017 at 10:47

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When I looked for Pixel XL refurbs they started at $479 for a 32 GB or $519 for 128 GB, before adding any additional warranty. A brand new V20 64 GB was $369, and actually I just looked and today the price is down to $349 so I’m going to redo the order to save the 20 bucks.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Textured Soy Protein 08/30/2017 at 10:53

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I figured it would be a stupid gimmick-y thing.

But I love it. Right now I have my screen closed/locked. I can see I have 3 facebook notifications, one from the Nextdoor app and I can also see it’s Wednesday the 30th, 10:50 AM and a battery meter. I just swiped the mini second screen to the right and I can hit “quick note”, turn on/off wi-fi, bluetooth, flashlight and vibration on the phone. I can also control media playing on the phone with this mini-screen instead of using the whole thing. Saves battery by not operating the full screen for little tasks like that.

Also, when the screen is unlocked you can set 5 app shortcuts up top so you can jump apps without even going back to the home screen.

I thought it would be stupid, now I don’t know if I’ll be able to live without it and I hear the next LG flagship won’t have one. Which gives me a sad.

C62030 > Textured Soy Protein 08/30/2017 at 11:09

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I love my Pure Edition to death, but it’s starting to do that too. My Nexus 7 did the same thing as well. I hope I can afford a new one before it gets too bad.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Textured Soy Protein 08/30/2017 at 11:51

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I only have one gripe with my v20, (lol, sounds like some shitty thing out of The Crew by Ubisoft). I do not think the display is bright enough for daily outdoor use. It’s only a gripe because I work in an office but if I had to work outside everyday I would have moved on to a different device.

The battery compartment in mine (international model is excellent, stays clean has room for extra storage (128gb card in mine) and a second sim card (so I can make all the calls in RoK for work).

I originally got this one thinking I could flash it and get Project Fi service but alas it can only be used for data on a non-Nexus/Pixel device and not for calls simultaneously.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Textured Soy Protein 08/30/2017 at 11:53

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Also, usb type-c masterrace.

Textured Soy Protein > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/30/2017 at 12:29

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This will be the second USB-C device in my house. The other one is my wife’s Asus Zenpad 3S 10 tablet. But our JBL Flip 2 bluetooth speaker, our bluetooth headsets and headphones, her Moto G5 Plus and my Lenovo Yoga Tab 2 are all micro USB.

We have a 5-port USB charger set up behind a bookshelf with micro-USB cables running up to the shelf. It’s not Quick Charge compliant but does a good job of optimizing standard charging for each device. When I got her tablet I bought a couple of the little micro USB to USB-C converters so we can leave the same cords in place and use one of the converters for our USB-C devices.

Her tablet came with a dinky like, 1.5 foot USB-C cable. She usually plugs it in on her nightstand so I bought a couple of the braided 6 foot USB-C cables, one of which is plugged into the Asus charger by her nightstand. Assuming the V20 also comes with a USB-C cable, between that, the dinky Asus cable, and the other 6 foot cable, I probably won’t have to buy any more.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Textured Soy Protein 08/30/2017 at 12:48

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If we do sell ret Senna this year I will send you a couple mid length braided type c cables.

Textured Soy Protein > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/30/2017 at 13:13

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Haha, thanks in advance!

Actually if anything, I would probably buy a cable with a right-angle USB-C connector. I usually keep my phone in this nook in front of my shifter.

When I plug it in with a regular micro USB cable, I have to push it all the way to the left in the nook so the micro USB plug can fit between the phone and the side of the nook. Going over the high side of the nook puts some vertical pressure on the USB port.

If I had a right-angle USB-C connector, the cable could instead come over the lower front edge of the nook and maybe not wear out the port.

Mercedes Streeter > Textured Soy Protein 08/30/2017 at 17:30

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Plus like, IMO, the V20 looks way better. No crazy bezels, no identity crisis with the materials on the back panel either.

Textured Soy Protein > Mercedes Streeter 08/30/2017 at 17:43

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I would happily take the Pixel XL and its pure, frequently-updated Android experience over whatever better materials are on the V20. I keep my phone in a case. I never touch the fancy materials.

But I got a brand new V20 for $350 vs. $500 for an A-grade refurb Pixel XL from Groupon . So it’s a tradeoff.

Walmart and Jet.com are selling a Total Wireless—but still unlocked— Nexus 6P for $385.55 . I considered it for a little while, but the hardware isn’t in the same league as the V20 and Axon 7 with their S820 and 4 GB of RAM.

Mercedes Streeter > Textured Soy Protein 08/31/2017 at 11:57

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Fair enough lol :)

I would run far, FAR from the Nexus 6P. It looks pretty good on paper and it’s supposedly a “flagship” phone, but the build quality is so horrid it makes even the cheapest phones seem well-built.

Textured Soy Protein > Mercedes Streeter 08/31/2017 at 13:11

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I remember when the Nexus 6P came out there were people having problems with it bending or the camera glass spontaneously breaking. Plus the S810 isn’t much of a performance bump over the S808 in the Moto X Pure.

I was all ready to grab an Axon 7 since my sister has been happy with hers (that she bought maybe a month ago at my recommendation) but the better camera on the V20 swayed me. ZTE has been very good about pushing updates for the Axon 7, and LG not so much on the V20, but I’m a photo nerd and wanted the better camera. I still have my real camera but I’d like to have my phone photos look as good as possible.