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840quadra

Moderator
Original poster
Staff member
Feb 1, 2005
9,489
6,385
Twin Cities Minnesota
Greetings,

While I know it is unheard of for a Moderator on an apple site to seek Android advice ;) , I have to report, I am a fan of both platforms and already have a few devices in my personal fleet, including a Pixel.

What I am looking for now is a good suggestion for Oreo capable phones that have as clean of an android install is a possible. These devices would be used for automotive diagnostic software, as well as some functions for a BMS system I need to support at work.

The front runners on my limited research are the 5X and 6P Nexus phones based on price, and support of Oreo. The pixel would be awesome, however cost of entry, and , chance of heavy damage on the device puts me in a position of ruling that device out. This device would also be loaned out to customers, so the less value the better in this regards.

Since the world of Android is so complex, I just wanted to be sure I didn’t rule out some other good options.

Thanks for any suggestions people can offer!
 
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ramram55

macrumors 6502a
Jul 27, 2012
829
189
Pure android- Oreo is for Pixel and Nexus 5X and 6P. Some Nexus 5X and 6P lately having battery boot log and premature shut down problems. Just to let you know.
 
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v0lume4

macrumors 68030
Jul 28, 2012
2,554
5,329
The Nexus 6P is a heck of a device, and still (nearly) smooth as butter on Oreo 8.0.

However, battery life isn't amazing, and as @ramram55 mentioned, some users have premature shutdown problems with the battery. Mine likes to shut down at 10-15%.

FWIW, I purchased mine used off of eBay in mint condition. It's served me well. And if you're just using the phone for development purposes, I'd imagine the potential battery problem (which you may not even experience with your device) isn't too big a deal.
 

840quadra

Moderator
Original poster
Staff member
Feb 1, 2005
9,489
6,385
Twin Cities Minnesota
Ideally I would also like to have an SD card, as some of these devices will log directly to it, but, it isn’t a requirement ovrrall.

I really appreciate the suggestions so far. I am glad my observations on the selections I made have been decent. Just was curious if some of the Chinese options were at all worthwhile.
 
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nviz22

Cancelled
Jun 24, 2013
5,277
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Might want to look towards a Motorola device, like the G5 Plus because it can get Oreo at some point and has clean software plus a SD card.
 

Michael Goff

Suspended
Jul 5, 2012
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Moto X4 Android One edition can be bought from Project Fi. It is promsed to get Oreo by the end of the year and has a microSD card slot.
 
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nviz22

Cancelled
Jun 24, 2013
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Moto X4 Android One edition can be bought from Project Fi. It is promsed to get Oreo by the end of the year and has a microSD card slot.

Only problem is that Google didn't make it so cheap. Though Moto has some of the cleanest software around.
 

nviz22

Cancelled
Jun 24, 2013
5,277
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It's about the price Moto made it I think. And Android One is probably the cleanest.

Which confuses me since Android One is meant to be a lower cost product offering with many amenities like clean software and timely updates. I think it could be the spiritual successor to the Nexus line if done properly.
 

Michael Goff

Suspended
Jul 5, 2012
13,329
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Which confuses me since Android One is meant to be a lower cost product offering with many amenities like clean software and timely updates. I think it could be the spiritual successor to the Nexus line if done properly.

That's what Android Go is now. Android One is basically Nexus.
 

S.B.G

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 8, 2010
26,679
10,464
Detroit
While I know it is unheard of for a Moderator on an apple site to seek Android advice ;) ,
It’s not unheard of, in fact I made it heard of recently!

What I am looking for now is a good suggestion for Oreo capable phones that have as clean of an android install is a possible.
Sounds like we’re looking for about the same thing but for different reasons. I’m looking for a vanilla Android phone, or something very close to it like some of the Motorola phones that have been mentioned.

Which confuses me since Android One is meant to be a lower cost product offering with many amenities like clean software and timely updates. I think it could be the spiritual successor to the Nexus line if done properly.

That's what Android Go is now. Android One is basically Nexus.
So that’s something I’ve beeen wondering about too. Is ‘Android One’ something different than the Android that comes on a Pixel or Nexus?
 

ramram55

macrumors 6502a
Jul 27, 2012
829
189
Only problem is that Google didn't make it so cheap. Though Moto has some of the cleanest software around.
Yes, Google wants to make money, moto g5 and g5s plus are the closest in term of specs yet cheaper.
 

nviz22

Cancelled
Jun 24, 2013
5,277
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Yes, Google wants to make money, moto g5 and g5s plus are the closest in term of specs yet cheaper.

They can still make money by selling large volumes of like $100 phones or subsidized phones? What about doing deal with Metro PCS to offer exclusive phones?
 

ramram55

macrumors 6502a
Jul 27, 2012
829
189
They can still make money by selling large volumes of like $100 phones or subsidized phones? What about doing deal with Metro PCS to offer exclusive phones?
The idea is to get the max profit with min investment. Just as Apple did with $250 capital and a return of more than $500. Makes them the world's most profitable company. Capitalism at its best.
 

nviz22

Cancelled
Jun 24, 2013
5,277
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The idea is to get the max profit with min investment. Just as Apple did with $250 capital and a return of more than $500. Makes them the world's most profitable company. Capitalism at its best.

It's harder to do that with smaller budget phones because you have to sell more on a volume than margin unless you can mass produce $5 phones to sell them at like $100.
 

840quadra

Moderator
Original poster
Staff member
Feb 1, 2005
9,489
6,385
Twin Cities Minnesota
Thanks for all the advice and suggestions. I have access to a good deal on a used 6P locally, and want to give that a try. Worst case if I don’t like it, I can post it up on something like Swappa!

Cheers!
 
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