Q reception: good or bad? - Motorola Q Forum

Shaun32 · 07-21-2007, 02:49 PM

I think I remember reading something somewhere about the Q constantly searching for better reception, and that draining the battery down. Is this true? I will not be using a data plan if that is any part of the equation. Also I will be using it in Denver for a couple weeks then Chicago near the downtown area for the majority of the time. I would think reception would not be an issue in either place, especially not Chicago.

bjack56 · 07-21-2007, 03:33 PM

Can't comment on the locations you've specified, but I can say in my area (northern Alberta) the reception is as good if not better than the Razr I had previously.

The sound quality is noticeably better (IMHO)

miro · 07-21-2007, 04:29 PM

I think reception and overall call quality are among the strongest features on the Q. I live in a large city, voice and data quality are always excellent. My last phone was a POS Samsung, though... so my comparison is a little biased. :-)

mjonesmb1 · 07-21-2007, 07:55 PM

I live in Omaha, NE.. (Don't ask) I had a Rzr before the Q and the Rzr Got crappy reception in my house and I would drop calls a lot... But with my Q I have yet to drop a call anywhere in my house or for that matter I have never dropped a call period.. I have had the Q now for about 3 months..... The Q has been the best investment I have made...

miro · 07-21-2007, 11:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shaun32

I think I remember reading something somewhere about the Q constantly searching for better reception, and that draining the battery down. Is this true? I will not be using a data plan if that is any part of the equation. Also I will be using it in Denver for a couple weeks then Chicago near the downtown area for the majority of the time. I would think reception would not be an issue in either place, especially not Chicago.

To address your battery concerns.. while I don't know for sure if there's any truth to what you read, I can tell you from reading here and comparing it to my own experience that your mileage is just going to vary depending on your usage. My typical day is checking news/email to and from work on the bus (about 30 minutes each way of constant web browsing), emails all day and regular phone usage. I charge my phone nightly, but I rarely ever see less than two bars by the time I get it plugged in before bed. On "heavy voice days" I will pretty much drain the battery by 11:00PM. I use Candlelight and keep my apps closed... that's the extent of my "conservation" and I'm pretty satisfied with the results. It's not a cellphone, and the battery's not going to act like one, I'm just OK with that fact...!

bjack56 · 07-22-2007, 12:05 AM

<snip> It's not a cellphone, and the battery's not going to act like one, I'm just OK with that fact...!

Well put!

Shaun32 · 07-22-2007, 05:02 PM

Miro, when you say "it's not a cellphone, and the battery's not going to act like one," do you mean that the battery is much worse than a cell phone? Also, do you have an extended battery? From what I've read, it sounds like with your extensive usage of the phone, you must have one. I'm just wondering and it sounds like reception won't be a problem at all. I'm planning on an extended battery, but if you don't have one and you use your phone that much, I will have to reconsider.

Thanks for all your comments!

miro · 07-22-2007, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shaun32

Miro, when you say "it's not a cellphone, and the battery's not going to act like one," do you mean that the battery is much worse than a cell phone? Also, do you have an extended battery? From what I've read, it sounds like with your extensive usage of the phone, you must have one. I'm just wondering and it sounds like reception won't be a problem at all. I'm planning on an extended battery, but if you don't have one and you use your phone that much, I will have to reconsider.

Thanks for all your comments!

What I really meant was that I feel like the Q gets a bad rap in the battery department because a lot of smartphone users are used to standard cellphone battery performance... you're just doing a lot more with the Q, so understandably it's going to pull more power out of the battery. The Q is about on par with my last Motorola phone, which was a i95CL (Nextel).

I don't have an extended battery.. it's the same one that came in the box from Sprint. It's been great for me so far... I would say start wth the normal battery and see how well you do with it once you get "settled" with your Q. If the honeymoon ends and you're still hurting for battery life, then go for the extended battery. If you drive, definitely get the car adapter.. it's a good thing to have in a pinch.

K3SRK · 07-22-2007, 09:02 PM

I would say the Q battery life is just under average for the smartphone genre. I agree with the 'its not a phone' comment overall; a cellular phone only syncs the time with the towers every few seconds while the Q is constantly doing the cellular stuff AND whatever tasks and/or functions are constantly running. That will definitely affect battery life.

Every Q user here has seen their task list with all the crap running. Most of us have even tripled the size of the list compared to a fresh install. It takes a lot of power to do that.

I do think Motorola could have put a slightly better battery in the thing but they didn't.

I've been surprised that I haven't had more battery issues than I've had. I run the Q pretty hard all day but it hasn't cut out on me once.

Shaun32 · 07-24-2007, 02:22 PM

Awesome! This sounds great. Thanks for the helpful information everyone!