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I have been using an Ipaq 4355 with an Intel 400 MHz Processor and 64mb/64mb for about 2 years now. I just ordered a Cingular 8125 to replace it because I'm tired of having a cell and PDA. I know the 8125 has the TI 195MHz processor and I've read a bunch on these forums about speeding it up with overclocking and whatnot. I'm somewhat of a power user and I just need to know from someone with experience in both phones: Am I going to be satisfied with an overclocked 8125 with all the enhancements or do I need to spend the extra money on the 8525?
I appreciate any help you can provide.
I have a Wizard (same as 8125), and I can tell you that overclocking the phone doesn't make much of a difference in almost all software that you use. AFAIK, the only software that you can feel the difference is Skype. Depends on what you, the power-user, use the phone for. I heard that the Calendar do have significant speed problems when you have 500+ appointments there.
No idea on 8525.
Personally, I don't even bother. I had a 400 MHz Blue Angel last year and while I was kind of on the fence about which was better, eventually it occurred to me that in almost every way the wizard was at least as fast, practically speaking, and the BA didn't have EDGE while the wizard did. It tends to chug a little when first started but after a little use, it's as fast as anything else and the battery lasts a LOT longer.
Just to update anyone who might be curious about my experience with the Wiz now that I've had it for a month and a half...It's freakin fantastic. Speed is really not an issue. Every now and then it chugs when I'm moving too fast but those incidents are few and far between. I'm actually excited to throw on the Crossbow ROM to see if it gets even faster with that. The only thing I can complain about is EDGE but that's obviously Cing/ATT's problem, not the Wiz.
All in all, this is the best phone I've ever had and anyone who is interested and just doesn't have the cash for it's big Hermes brother should definitely feel confident investing in this phone.
Hi
As title suggests I may have a Wildfire on order, not yet had the despatched email so until then I cant be certain
I have had a TYTN II for quite some time 3 years or more, my main gripe with the Wildfire is the reviews are a bit mixed, some saying its a low end HTC others saying look no further!
The CPU goes from 400Mhz to 528Mhz which doesnt sound like a massive increase
also the screensize from 2.8" to 3.2" again only slightly bigger
The Android software I am not so keen although I will give it a wide birth an see if my opinion changes, I would rather have Mobile 7 because thats whats on my TYTN II now
So in a nutshell, am I getting a worthy upgrade or will I be disapointed
Please comment
Thanks
Hello,
I hope you'll like your little Wildfire, it's a pretty cool phone and Android is cool too, i love mine.
And some alternatives ROM make it quicker. Try it and you'll be pleased (and if the resolution seems too little for you try LCD Density, it make a good thing to that ^^)
If you like games, and heavy multimedia, like movies then go for another device.
efcgenius said:
my main gripe with the Wildfire is the reviews are a bit mixed, some saying its a low end HTC others saying look no further!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both are true. The Wildfire is a low end HTC Device, however, at the price, look no further. (Not 100% these days after the release of devices like Samsung Galaxy 3/5, LG Optimus One, ZTE Blade etc)
Personally, I think you will be disappointed, because, for it's time, the TyTN II was the top end device, and, now, at the beginning of the launch, the Wildfire is at the bottom of the Android lineup. However, as said by Alex, if you are not looking at heavy multimedia / gaming usage, it will do just fine.
As 3xeno said, in present times, there are better phones in the same or even lower price range, LG Optimus P500 is really popular here in my country, because it`s a better phone that the wildfire, but at only two thirds of the price.
efcgenius said:
Hi
As title suggests I may have a Wildfire on order, not yet had the despatched email so until then I cant be certain
I have had a TYTN II for quite some time 3 years or more, my main gripe with the Wildfire is the reviews are a bit mixed, some saying its a low end HTC others saying look no further!
The CPU goes from 400Mhz to 528Mhz which doesnt sound like a massive increase
also the screensize from 2.8" to 3.2" again only slightly bigger
The Android software I am not so keen although I will give it a wide birth an see if my opinion changes, I would rather have Mobile 7 because thats whats on my TYTN II now
So in a nutshell, am I getting a worthy upgrade or will I be disapointed
Please comment
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It has more ram, and more mhz, however, no gpu. Even some 2d games will run very slow without overclocking.
I would go with Milestone, to keep the keyboard, or anything within your budget that has a gpu, more than 600 mhz and is htc or samsung.
Windows Phone 7 is waaaaaaaaaay different then WM6.1.
It has way less freedom.
Android is the OS of the future.
It feels faster and more responsive then the Tytn 2.
It does not crash as much either.
Does not feature a Qwerty external keyboard but if you use Swype on your screen it is great!
I really recommend it for the price, but if you have the cash go for a Desire HD or even a legend.
But Low budget, Wildfire is very good.
Hey
So its getting close to the time when I say farewell to my DHD and sell it off to make way for the Samsung Galaxy S 2 . Is this a smart move ?
I thought about the Motorola Atrix 4G but in term of specs and availability it shows no advantage over the SGS 2. Another candidate was the LG Optimus 2x but honestly LG still has to sort out a lot of issues with that device.
Why am I selling my DHD:
- Heavy phone
- ****ty battery
- Poor HTC software support
Any recommendations and feedback will be greatly appreciated.
Id wait until htc finish their device release cycle in the 4th quarter.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
Heavy? My hd2 is just about the same weight and feels amazing in the hand! Atleast better than the crappy Samsung plastic feel. Even though I'd trade my hd2 for a Nexus S anyday.
Sent from my Gingerfied hd2
mjehan said:
Hey
So its getting close to the time when I say farewell to my DHD and sell it off to make way for the Samsung Galaxy S 2 . Is this a smart move ?
I thought about the Motorola Atrix 4G but in term of specs and availability it shows no advantage over the SGS 2. Another candidate was the LG Optimus 2x but honestly LG still has to sort out a lot of issues with that device.
Why am I selling my DHD:
- Heavy phone
- ****ty battery
- Poor HTC software support
Any recommendations and feedback will be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Poor HTC software support?? Are you kidding right? HTC has the best support so far.
I had a few Samsung phones. Support is not a strong point at Samsung.
SGS 2 is made of pure plastic. Are you going to trade full aluminium casing for cheap plastics???
Oh ... yeah.... My last Samsung phone was the i8000 a.k.a the Omnia II and in quality terms it was bad. Cheap plastic. For example the stylus that came with the package scratched my screen so bad for the first time that I used it... I could feel the scratch with my finger! The stylus was very abrasive ( bad constuction ).
DHD is a solid phone... heavy... I don't mind because it's a great felling when I hold it in my hand.
Battery is great for a 4.3 inch display. Trust me... I owned a HD2 and the battery was crappyer.
This is my opinion about DHD and Samsung phones.
If I were you I would wait for HTC to release the next generation of smartphones.
Anyway... it's your decision.
Agree!
I agree. I have a DHD and a SGS, IMHO TouchWiz is whoesome when side by side with Sense UI: it is laggy and widgets are ugly. Although the Hummingbird + PVR + Super AMOLED seems far better than Snapdragon + Adreno + SLCD, Samsung could not refine its software as HTC.
Choices...
Go with your gut. SGS2 is still younger and newer so it will in a way be a better phone than the DHD. If you're switching because of the weight, then go with Samsung. If you're also switching because of support, you'd be surprised to discover that Samsung is not better at it than HTC. Some SGS users around the world are still not getting Froyo unless they flash a custom ROM. HTC actually announced that they'll update the DHD and Z with 2.3 and custom development have already started so both stock users and custom rom users will enjoy the same Ginger goodness...
At the end of the day, it really boils down to your preference. I personally would stay with HTC than get a Samsung. IMHO, they're not in the same class, the only true competition to the DHD for me is the Thunderbolt (optimized productivity) and the NS is for the SGS2 (optimized gaming).
mjehan said:
Hey
So its getting close to the time when I say farewell to my DHD and sell it off to make way for the Samsung Galaxy S 2 . Is this a smart move ?
I thought about the Motorola Atrix 4G but in term of specs and availability it shows no advantage over the SGS 2. Another candidate was the LG Optimus 2x but honestly LG still has to sort out a lot of issues with that device.
Why am I selling my DHD:
- Heavy phone
- ****ty battery
- Poor HTC software support
Any recommendations and feedback will be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been contemplating the same move, mainly because it is the only 4.3" screen handset with a dual-core slated for release any time soon. I'm intrigued by the SAMOLED PLUS and can't wait to see it in the flesh, especially now the PenTile sub pixel arrangement has been ditched. That said, I'm not keen on TouchShizz (or SenseUI for that matter), and while the lightness appeals to me, the 'plasticky' feel of Samsung handsets has always been a turn off! Just referring to your point about HTC support, Samsung are no better and in many ways they are worse, so be aware before you make the jump.
The most important factor for me however is the development scene. I mean, that's why we're all here at XDA! Don't get me wrong, I know that it may well be an active scene with many custom ROM's based on Samsung Firmware but will there be CM? Will there be tailor made AOSP ROM's built to harness the power of the hardware. That is what is holding me back. The possibility of a signed or even encrypted bootloader is high, and the 2 separate hardware revisions (Tegra, Exynos) will hinder true development so until I've scene the forums being filled with weird and wonderful ROM's and Kernels, I will stick with the DHD. Recently the DHD scene has had a massive boost with the release of the Telus DHD and Inspire 4G bringing in a whole wave of North American interest in the device.
Anyway, the SGS2 is highly appealing with great hardware but for me I think making the jump early would be a mistake, unless you are happy with stock phones. Maybe I'll see you in the SGS2 section sometime in the future.
Regards.
I'll be ditching my dhd for the s2. HTC have gone down hill, they can't even align a camera lense! Customer service is rubbish too. Hate this poorly built phone.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
The SGS2 is gonna be a good phone no doubt. I personally like the "bigness" of the DHD coz i have big hands and i like to feel it in my pocket I even have a case that makes it even thicker.
I dont like Samsung smartphones they dont appeal to me somehow. Cant put my finger on it exactly but i think its a mix of the amoled displays which i dont like and the plasticy feel..
I cant say too much about the HTC support but i think its great that they're bringing the Gingerbread rom soon. Build quality is very good with my phone but i heard it can be different.
@Battery: It heavily depends what kind of user you are. But in my case the battery of the DHD is more than enough. With my use it lasts me 2 full days then i charge it overnight.
I think its a "how many days are you getting" thing with the battery. When you're a heavy user with everything enabled and everything syncing/pushing all the time it will last you a day. And i dont think thats gonna change with the SGS2. Maybe you'll have 30% left in the evening instead of 20%. So what you gonna charge anyway.
My DHD never lasted me less then a day even when i play games and watch movies and use my psx emulator. What do i want more? If i go on a trip i take a spare battery with me anyway.
I'd wait and see what HTC will release as a successor of the DHD.
So I dont want to go in the whole custom rom district because its not for everyone. But its just amazing how good the scene is with the DHD! They have a rom for everyone Guess we'll have to wait and see if there will be anything comparable with the SGS2.
mjehan said:
Hey
Why am I selling my DHD:
- Heavy phone
- ****ty battery
- Poor HTC software support
Any recommendations and feedback will be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To answer your criticisms,
- heavy phone, yeah the samsung will feel like a cheap piece of plastic against the DHD
- ****ty battery, it really isn't with a little TLC I easily get 24 hours of my DHD and with mad-murdocks battery fix even more is attainable
- Poor HTC software support, lol your off to samsung good luck with your updates
There are a lot of reason why my love for the DHD died faster than its battery apart from the reasons mentioned:
- GPS doesn't work for me despite the fixes
- SMS notification issue (which is seriously such a let down!)
- HTC Sense killing my android experience
If I was to pick one flaw that ruins this phone it is the battery. I have tried all fixes, tweaks and tricks. It goes only 4,5 hours if used constantly which is unacceptable... and that too is if I disable all the features this phone has to offer.
At least with the Atrix or the SGS 2 I will have 8-10 hour battery under normal Wifi/3G conditions which I need since I am quite often away from home travelling.
PS: im not gonna buy additional accessories like batteries or chargers that I need to carry around with me.
Every SGS I've handled (friends also had), totally four, are crackling all over the housing from back cover to display bezel. That was so complete turn-off and I just couldn't stand it, I had to sell the phone.
DHD on the other hand while being solid aluminium, has it's weak plastics and they are quite turn-off as well, but luckily some blu-tacks have maid my device completely noiseless what comes to cracklings etc.
SGS2 looks quite sexy, no doubt, but having the experience from it's predecessor I haven't even thoght about it yet. I got to see & feel it in hands.
Oh, does SGS2 still have RFS filesystem? That was truely horrifying with random lags!
mjehan said:
There are a lot of reason why my love for the DHD died faster than its battery apart from the reasons mentioned:
- GPS doesn't work for me despite the fixes
- SMS notification issue (which is seriously such a let down!)
- HTC Sense killing my android experience
It goes only 4,5 hours if used constantly which is unacceptable...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe you i'd lose my love for my DHD too under these conditions :/ Strange thing though, i have none of them!
I really like HTC Sense when you disable the annoying parts like Hub or Likes. And as I said my battery lasts usually for 2 days, at least one (24h) when I use it really heavily with emulators, movies and long phone calls.
With some love (right custom rom - i use ARHD, maybe different radio, watching processes to find out cpu abuse, disable unneeded stuff with TitaniumBackup) the DHD is a great great phone.
Imho thats how android works, i mean its even based on Linux. Once you've arranged everything the way you want it, its awesome. But it needs some work to get there.
At this moment no one knows if SGS2 wont have its own problems or when it will be available, so i guess we have to wait and see till some real reviews come out.
If you want something that just works without worrying, with basic functions, but doesnt let you change things and arrange it the way you want, i suggest u go for an iPhone the 5th version should be announced soon i think.
clouds5 said:
If you want something that just works without worrying, with basic functions, but doesnt let you change things and arrange it the way you want, i suggest u go for an iPhone the 5th version should be announced soon i think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll never go Apple. I'm too smart to fall for their marketing gimmicks
Would you rather have a samsung galaxy 1 or a desire hd?
Well you can get your samsung galaxy 2 and then you know whats going to happen!! HTC will release a beast and blow it out of the water, again.
Samsung make good internal components and then choose to plague them with bad software and lousy build quality, i'm not sure on the battery life on the sgs or sgs2, but the old on was a very good phone albeit with some sorry issues (ie touchwiz)
We had one in our work the other day (sgs2) and it was blazingly fast, apparently there's only 2 of them made and they were prototypes, it was super slim and very quick, quite impressed with it if i'm honest.
However HTC will always come out with something better though, as for the comments you've made, the battery is poor if your going to hammer it with gaming, music, a 4.3inch screen, wifi downloading, video streaming....etc and to name but a few of the things which the dhd does just superbly, I would just like to say that for the size of the battery, i think it lasts remarkably well. Oh and that's not even starting with the overclocking which most dhd users will be doing, i've had mine up to 1996mhz, never went higher than that.
The weight of the phone for me is great, i don't like light, cheap ass phones, if the samsung galaxy S was solid chrome with no touchwiz then it would have sold a hell of lot more.
As for HTC customer support, I have to say i've always had good service from my HTC products so i've never needed to call them, that's not to say that they won't ever go wrong but i've never had to call them.
From what i hear though they're not too bad, I've heard some stories about Samsung though.
My advice would be to see your contract through (if that's what you have) and then see whats on offer, timing is crucial if you don't want to make a bad decision when purchasing / contracting a phone.
I got lucky.
I'd wait for htc pyramid. That phone will be cranking. No point getting dual core now anyway because we don't really have the software to support it. You'd be like all those people who "upgraded" to windows xp 64 bit edition only to find a bunch of drivers were unavailable and 99% of the software was still 32 bit anyway.
Sent from my Desire HD pocket rocket.
Well,here's the rub.
The DHD is probably as fast as it gets for now.As dr.m0x said,the software we have now can't take advantage of dual cores.So they might be only a little faster,but most probably not because of the second core.
Sense,IMO,is the best Android UI(If i can call it that) up to date.Yeah,it makes the phone a little slow,but with such a beast the DHD is,I don't really notice.I had noticed on my Hero,that's for sure! It makes everyday usage easier and more appealing for the end user.Some may prefer AOSP/CM and they are right in some ways.It's fast,it's customizable,it's light and is the first to receive new software.But I'll stay with Sense on my primary phone(Am running CM7 on my Desire though! ).
Build quality is just wow.My pal punched me the other day and his fist landed on my leg,just on my DHD(I know,he is such a bastard! ).The thing didn't even get a scratch on it(well,so to say,it couldn't get scratched by that but other,worse things could've happened).The guy's hand was tied and sore for more than two weeks! There are some problematic phones,yeah,but not so many imo.Plus,it's aluminium,not plastic(I do hate plastic phones).
As for hardware,I generally agree the DHD isn't the most powerful beast out there.But it's got some guts.Really,REALLY strong guts if you ask me.Not just talking about power out of the box,but how many phones do you know that exist out there that can handle OCing up to 2GHz STABLE?The SGS hits some 45 degrees Celsius(dunno about fahreneit)on heavy usage(ie gaming) @1GHz.My DHD,after two hours of playing Angry Birds,Gun Bros and some videos,it never even reached 37(I have SetCPU notify me and underclock when it hits 37 degrees).Now watch my sig.It's running at a solid 1.8GHz.Get me a SGS to do that.If the plastic doesn't melt,I'm buying it!
Then there's developer support.It might not be what everyone wants,but I and most of us around here do care I think.There is word that the SGS2 has a locked bootloader.So it will either be unrootable(by that I mean custom roms etc) or it will be a pain in the @$$ to root it.Until it's confirmed whether it has a locked bootloader or not,I wouldn't consider it.But that's just me!
Not wanting to be a fanboy here,but the DHD is the purchase I regret the least.I did regret getting a Desire over the SGS,but that's not the case with the DHD.
So yeah,I'd agree with the guys that said you should keep the DHD for now and wait for HTC's dual-core offer.I bet it'll kick some ass!
I wouldnt do, i'm sure the SGS 2 is better, but why would it be worth? You got yourself already kinda expensive phone, selling your DHD would make you lose quite some money, ofcourse its true selling it now would bring more money then in 2 years, but I wouldnt do it.
I got mine DHD with 24 months contract, and well I most will keep the phone for those 24, not that it matters much, but I think its a good investment to keep a phone for atleast 2 years and then perhaps get a new phone after 2 years with a new contract of 24 months perhaps.
Wait until HTC releases there next desire HD, maybe desire HD 2? or the rumoured pyramid...
I've made a pact to myself that I will be getting the next nexus phone (nexus 3). It'll be the best for software updates (first phone to get it) and by then vanilla android should be awesome.
dhiral.v said:
Wait until HTC releases there next desire HD, maybe desire HD 2? or the rumoured pyramid...
I've made a pact to myself that I will be getting the next nexus phone (nexus 3). It'll be the best for software updates (first phone to get it) and by then vanilla android should be awesome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As soon as I can, I'm gonna go Nexus and never go back. Nexus is the face of android through Google's eyes, android as it should be. It may not have the best hardware for the duration of of being Nexus, but it will always have the best software. People are almost hitting the 4k mark in quadrant with no overclocks on their nexus S's.
Sent from my Gingerfied hd2
Hi there, this is my first post and I have an interest in this phone. Can owners of this phone please briefly state the pros and cons of this device as it would be a real help for me (and others) to decide whether I purchase this phone or not.
I will create a list in the next post weighing out all the good and the not so good features of this phone.
Thanks in advance!
List of Pros/cons
The list so far:
Pros:
- Great value
- Very fast 2nd Gen Snapdragon CPU which is easily overclockable
- Adreno 205 GPU (very good graphics)
- 512mb RAM
- 2gb Internal memory
- Large 3.8" WVGA screen
- 3g / HSDPA / Wi-Fi b/g/n / Bluetooth / GPS
- 5mp Camera with 720p HD recording
- Parts are cheap to replace (batteries, chargers etc.)
- Feature packed
- Decent battery (personal preference)
Cons:
- Bulky
- Not the best aesthetics (personal preference)
- Low quality components (crappy Bluetooth, Mic, Camera, Internal Memory and Poor touchscreen/multi-touch implementation)
- Android 2.2 (However, you can easily flash a stable 2.3.5 Rom)
- Lack of knowledge/customer support from Huawei[
- Branding (I'm being picky )
only thing i could call a con and that's really stretching it is it's relative bulkiness.
No dual core
Actually Android 2.2 is pretty old already, that would be a bad thing. But we already have a stable 2.3.5-ROM so it is no big deal at all. Not the best aesthetics? I think it looks pretty expensive if you ask me. The galaxy s of a friend of mine does not look any better than the u8800. As far as I know the camera is not that great, and the megapixel do not provide any information about the quality (my old camera with 3MP makes better photos than any phonecamera, simply because it has a real object lens and a bigger sensor).
In my opinion the real advantage of this device is that you get the speed of devices that cost twice as much. Of course those devices have a much bigger screen, do not forget that.
There is one situation in which the processor will be too slow: Playing some n64-games; for example Zelda - Ocarina of time is not really enjoyable. Also the screen is almost too small if you do use the touchscreen-controls (you can use a ps3 controller).
Lack of prestige? You gotta be kidding, right?
If you have the money for the u8800, go get it. If you have slightly more money you can go for a used galaxy s. I would have bought the galaxy s but I wanted a phone with 2 years warranty. If you have a lot more money you could be a galaxy s 2 for example, it will have a dualcore (no problems with emulating n64, that i can assure you) and a bigger screen.
XphX said:
Actually Android 2.2 is pretty old already, that would be a bad thing. But we already have a stable 2.3.5-ROM so it is no big deal at all. Not the best aesthetics? I think it looks pretty expensive if you ask me. The galaxy s of a friend of mine does not look any better than the u8800. As far as I know the camera is not that great, and the megapixel do not provide any information about the quality (my old camera with 3MP makes better photos than any phonecamera, simply because it has a real object lens and a bigger sensor).
In my opinion the real advantage of this device is that you get the speed of devices that cost twice as much. Of course those devices have a much bigger screen, do not forget that.
There is one situation in which the processor will be too slow: Playing some n64-games; for example Zelda - Ocarina of time is not really enjoyable. Also the screen is almost too small if you do use the touchscreen-controls (you can use a ps3 controller).
Lack of prestige? You gotta be kidding, right?
If you have the money for the u8800, go get it. If you have slightly more money you can go for a used galaxy s. I would have bought the galaxy s but I wanted a phone with 2 years warranty. If you have a lot more money you could be a galaxy s 2 for example, it will have a dualcore (no problems with emulating n64, that i can assure you) and a bigger screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your input. Updated list accordingly.
XphX said:
Lack of prestige? You gotta be kidding, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to clarify, from lack of prestige, I meant it as if somebody asks you what phone you have, and you say Huawei U8800, they'd probably think that you have a cheap chinese model. It's not really a big thing for many people but I thought it was worth mentioning.
Pro:
- Good specs for the price
- Good battery life on 2.3.5 (unofficial)
Con:
- Low quality components (crappy Bluetooth, Mic, Camera, Internal Memory - big but useless without hacking)
- Real problems with official Froyo Roms, which should have never go out on the market with so many bugs/issues (not going to sleep properly, unstable wifi etc etc)
- No official Gingerbread support, even Huawei actually owns the 2.3.5. license
- Lack of knowledge/customer support from Huawei (if you have an issue, they replace the handset and you get an identical handset with the same problem)
I would like to say, that this phone would have been one of the biggest fails on the market, if there was no support from excellent developers.
It's only because of people like Dzo, Stockwell and Genokolar, that I didn't throw this phone in the bin.
Huawei is fresh in the phone manufacturing industry and this handset reflects this aspect loud and clear. This is why no one really heard about it...
huawei is everything but fresh in the phone industry
darkado said:
huawei is everything but fresh in the phone industry
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I said phone manufacturing, not telecommunications (I know that they are major manufacturer of WCDMA backbone and access network elements), there is a small difference...
katu2006 said:
I said phone manufacturing, not telecommunications (I know that they are major manufacturer of WCDMA backbone and access network elements), there is a small difference...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your input. It's very disappointing that you get such a great value smartphone which is spoiled by basic features and low quality components. I'm really doubting if I should get this now.
everybody has a set of pros and cons on this phone, and i dont think its a good idea to make ur buying/non-buying decision purely basing on others comments..
for me, its only mattering "pro" is the high price-performance ratio..
(and one more now, after seeing such an active on-going development effort to make this phone better..)
and no "con" at all (as this is what i expect from a product of this price..)
thus if u think single-core cpu is a "con", no official support is a "con", little brand recognition (outside china) is a "con", u can alway pay a few bucks more to get dual-core, famous-branded models..
and honestly speaking, this phone is indeed NOT intended for everybody..
its just not as idiot-proof as iphone (as with most android phones..), not as good-looking (to some) as sensation, not as ego-boosting as sgs2, etc..
but its definitely easier to hack with, to manipulate with, and to brick with (not sure on this point though, as more flexibility does not necessarily imply easier brickability..)..
imho, its more suitable if u r the kind of person who would like to play with android instead of just using it..
as usual, the above represent my opinion only..
OP, just tell us what you are looking for and how much money you want to spend.
XphX said:
OP, just tell us what you are looking for and how much money you want to spend.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Between £150 - £200 is my budget. The U8800 is more towards the lower end of my budget and as I can get it at that price brand new, it is quite appealing. However, you can get other phones like a second hand Galaxy S for a bit more while still being within reach of my budget.
What I'm looking for is killer hardware as well as a good community which makes the phone easily hackable and 'tweakable.' Regarding the U8800, it has exactly what I'm looking for at the price point but if it falls short of basic things like the touch screen, then what can you do. Being a previous ZTE Blade owner, I was extremely impressed as basic functions were not sacrificed.
There are a lot of people that switched from the Blade to the U8800 and are quite happy it seems. I think you do not have much choices here - luckily. You can either get the galaxy s or the U8800, as you already said yourself.
If the galaxy s is in a good condition and if you can live with a phone that has no warranty anymore, I'd say go for it. For me, none of my phones ever had any hardware-problem, so I could have easily bought all of them in used condition.
It is just that buying something off ebay is risky. I do buy little stuff there every now and then, but no expensive stuff - if the seller just lies about a "little" problem and you want to return it, you probably won't see your money again. If a friend of yours sells you his used galaxy s, take it. That would be the best choice in my opinion. Either get a galaxy s that you can inspect and try out before you buy it or go for the u8800.
katu2006 said:
Low quality components (crappy Bluetooth, Mic, Camera, Internal Memory - big but useless without hacking)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bluetooth was reported to be problematic, yes; some people reporting it to be fine (I just use the headset sometimes and it works perfectly well). Mic also works perfectly fine for me. Camera is not as good as with other handsets, yes. It takes 10 minutes to make the memory useable, but I admit, what Huawei did there makes not even sense.
katu2006 said:
Real problems with official Froyo Roms
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Click to collapse
Froyo does not matter to me as it already is old and I would not recommend anybody to buy this phone if he wants to install Froyo.
katu2006 said:
No official Gingerbread support
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That with Gingerbread is a shame, right now I hope for support in the future. Worst case: You won't get the new features... but: it works fast and stable already, so you won't miss more than the new features (whatever they are and will be...).
katu2006 said:
Lack of knowledge/customer support from Huawei
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Instead we got the community. As long as everybody stays here at xda-devs or at modaco we will get support. When everybody leaves in one year or maybe in two, then you are pretty much f...on your own. On the other hand, in a year all the problems should be sorted out.
katu2006 said:
this phone would have been one of the biggest fails on the market, if there was no support from excellent developers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly, and now it is a fast and stable phone with android 2.3.5 - at least for me it works perfectly well.
Noob here....
I have this phone and bought it about 3 weeks ago. It's my first smartphone and did a little research on the reviews.
From my perspective, being a total noob, so far I've been really happy with the X5. Sure, battery life is horrible and the camera could be better but I've managed to take some nice shots and some OK video. For me it's great to have this capability in my pocket and liberating to be able to catch up on the day's news and podcasts siting by the pond in the backyard in the morning.
Strangely perhaps I haven't been having problems with the reported wifi problems nor any problems with the Hi Suite software from Huawei.
I have had a couple of little glitches but nothing a quick re-boot hasn't fixed.
My first android has exceeded my expectations but I come from a point of nothingness.
Towards the end of it's 1 year warranty I plan doing all what seems to be the fun things to do like rooting and other fiddling around
Even after reading about the X5 shortfalls I'm still happy with what I have and don't feel inferior at this stage.
I bought the phone for $AUD260. Have spent around $25 on apps and around a further $25 on accessories...like extra mini USB cables for my various stations where I can charge the phone, a in-car charger just in case, a case and some screen protectors.
I've been having fun on my X5 and that's what it all comes down to for me.
seems this phone doesn't support UMTS 850/1900Mhz
so it may only use 2G data service in North American
policeman0077 said:
seems this phone doesn't support UMTS 850/1900Mhz
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Someone said that he got an answer about that from Huawei and they told him they just forgot to write this on the description page... someone could try it out to make it clear.
Clevo89 said:
Sure, battery life is horrible
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hold on, I get 2-3 days of standby when I do only use the phone for about 1 hour calling per day and about 20-50 sms per day. If I play n64 or something it lasts a day, maybe another half day. Actually this is the best battery life I ever encountered with a handset. I use 2.3.5 which seems to have a good battery management and SetCPU has 245min and 806max, scaling conservative.
XphX said:
Someone said that he got an answer about that from Huawei and they told him they just forgot to write this on the description page... someone could try it out to make it clear.
Hold on, I get 2-3 days of standby when I do only use the phone for about 1 hour calling per day and about 20-50 sms per day. If I play n64 or something it lasts a day, maybe another half day. Actually this is the best battery life I ever encountered with a handset. I use 2.3.5 which seems to have a good battery management and SetCPU has 245min and 806max, scaling conservative.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're exaggerating with 3 days... The most I ever got on this phone is 51h and that without using it at all, mostly on stand by the whole time...And I've tried ALL Roms available till today.
I'm 100% sure that NOBODY got 72 h of this phone.
You probably didn't had many phones and don't have a good term of comparison...This phone has average battery life and only on Gingerbread Roms. On any Froyo Roms, you'll be lucky to get 20 h out of it.
Pros:
If you can root it and install a good ROM, it can become really fast, faster than many android phones (except dual core).
Very nice price.
It seems expensive and has a really sturdy exterior. The screen crystal is also very hard and resistant to scratches.
It is fully featured (sensors, very nice screen, high resolution, etc).
I had not the slightest problem with any of its subparts (bluetooth, GPS, camera). (Maybe I am lucky, though).
If you root it and install a good ROM, video recording becomes very good.
If you dont play with it all the time, battery lasts for one day or two.
You catch friends with iPhones 1 and 3G looking at it with envy.
You catch friends with iPhones 4 looking at you with envy, as soon as they hear its price and find out about the prices of apps at android market. (They paid for many of the apps you will get free).
Cons:
As with all smartphones, if you play demanding 3D games, in 2-3 hours you will need to find a wall socket (so this is not really a con).
Something with the multitouch doesn't seem perfect. I don't know why.
It's not an iPhone.
It has not a dual core CPU.
It's not a tablet.
If you are amongst some friends with iPhones, you will still not have one.
Conclusion: I am very happy with the X5. My wife wants to steal it from me, and she plays with it all the time. She already has finished many games on it (Angry Birds, Angry Birds Rio, Diversion, Cut the Rope and others). I managed to read two books on it, while on vacations.
It was a good buy.
I bought my Galaxy Note on Nov. 27. It sucks that I already have problems with the USB. This is the first time I bought an unlocked cellphone and I think it will be the last. The sting of having a problem with a new tech. and not knowing how to fix it is not worth for me I think.
What are your experiences in early adopting to tech.?
I just got mine yesterday. Hope nothing mess up. How you mess up the usb port?
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA App
So where is the difference with a locked or an unlocked model ?
If you have a problem you will have to send it in for warranty either way.
vjoom said:
How you mess up the usb port?
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't know to be honest.
From what I've been reading on the internet, the USB dock connector on Samsung phones/tablets seems to have more problems than usual.
I'm reading similar stories on Samsung devices:
phone/tablet not detected when plugged to the PC
phone think it's charging when it's not plugged in
device charging when only turned off
USB storage doesn't work
friedje said:
So where is the difference with a locked or an unlocked model ?
If you have a problem you will have to send it in for warranty either way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I gathered, unlocked means you're device can be used with any compatible carrier/service provider. Locked phones are usually supplied by the carrier/service provider and can only be used with that carrier/service provider. Hope this helps.
I'm not really sure about warranty. I'm from Canada and the Galaxy Note has been announced but not yet released. I called Samsung Canada today and they don't support it yet.
My question to Galaxy Note owners in North America: How have you dealt with problems related to devices not yet released in your country?
From what I gathered, unlocked means you're device can be used with any compatible carrier/service provider. Locked phones are usually supplied by the carrier/service provider and can only be used with that carrier/service provider. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not what he was referring to. Whether you buy a locked or unlocked model, your hardware is the same. So your chances of having a problem with a locked model are the same as an unlocked one
andruyd said:
I bought my Galaxy Note on Nov. 27. It sucks that I already have problems with the USB. This is the first time I bought an unlocked cellphone and I think it will be the last. The sting of having a problem with a new tech. and not knowing how to fix it is not worth for me I think.
What are your experiences in early adopting to tech.?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem might be moisture put it in a bag with some dry rice overnight... It might help
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
And take out the battery and leave the back open
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
I've been an early adopter for both the Note and S2 and neither devices have the issue you're describing
Also if you're charging the device through the USB port and the device is using up more juice than the 500mA, then it will not charge quick enough to replenish the battery.
I don't know about AT&T. But with T-Mobile, if I had a problem with my phone, I could just drive over to a T-Mobile store, tell them my issue, and they'll swap it out or give me a nice loaner phone while they send it in for repairs. They make it really easy.
If you buy an unlocked phone, it seems like there would be a lot more hassle having to deal with the manufacture directly.
Though my friend had to deal with HTC and he said they were extremely awesome, cross-shipped him a replacement, paid for postage both ways, etc. Not sure how awesome Samsung is.
ph00ny said:
Also if you're charging the device through the USB port and the device is using up more juice than the 500mA, then it will not charge quick enough to replenish the battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's normal behavior.
jeriz said:
The problem might be moisture put it in a bag with some dry rice overnight... It might help
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And if that doesn't work you could have a curry with the rice the next day! ;-)
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note using XDA Premium app.
andruyd said:
Don't know to be honest.
From what I've been reading on the internet, the USB dock connector on Samsung phones/tablets seems to have more problems than usual.
I'm reading similar stories on Samsung devices:
phone/tablet not detected when plugged to the PC
phone think it's charging when it's not plugged in
device charging when only turned off
USB storage doesn't work
From what I gathered, unlocked means you're device can be used with any compatible carrier/service provider. Locked phones are usually supplied by the carrier/service provider and can only be used with that carrier/service provider. Hope this helps.
I'm not really sure about warranty. I'm from Canada and the Galaxy Note has been announced but not yet released. I called Samsung Canada today and they don't support it yet.
My question to Galaxy Note owners in North America: How have you dealt with problems related to devices not yet released in your country?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought mine from Expansys, they said if something happen, send it to them and they will take care of the warranty. I think they send it out to Europe for repair.
Bought mine early and not one single issue. Not sure why others have so many issues. Same with my evo and evo3d, many had issues and I had none. Lucky I guess
From the giant: Galaxy Note
Bummer. I have had and or have three Samsung phones and have not had any issues with the usb.
Do you use the OEM cable? I only use Samsung OEM chargers and cables for my phones. I know they are standardized, but I worry about other brands not fitting as well. I have like 6 sets. They are like $3.50 on Amazon. I would contact Samsung in your country to see if they will help you. Although they are not required to, they may help you anyway. It is worth a try!
honf said:
That's normal behavior.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
of course it is
some people still do not understand it
I gave back mine.
the biggest problems for me:
speed, ram, heat, design flaws.
Speed....
This screen needs a processor with twice the speed of the Exynos 4xxx.
The S II is so popular because it can take everything you give it and show it to you at minimum 50 frames per second.... 50-60 frames per second is optimum for the human eye. Let us call it S II fluid awesomeness.
The Note has to move much more pixels, so it has half the speed of the SII, particularly on graphically intensive stuff (not invented by me, benchmarks prove it). So we get 25 frames per second...
25 frames is like a TV.... the minimum acceptable... when the Note has a problem to keep up this overclocked speed it goes below 25 fps and it becomes unacceptable for people coming from the SII like me.
The Note deserved a better processor, but I guess this privilege is reserved to the SIII. And Samsung probably thought 25 frames per second is good enough for tv so people will be fine with it. But we are talking about a high end phone here and we now want SII fluid awesomeness on a high end phone. Ok, not we... I want SII fluid awesomeness on a Note.
Our madame moderator will hate this but I write it anyway...
The Note Lte is 1/3 (33%) slower then the N7000.... so it goes below 25 frames and sometimes even touches 9 frames per second on very intensive graphics.
Imagine.... and I complain about the N7000...
Does it mean it is terrible? No.... it is ok....
But also the Acer Liquid Metal is ok.... if you are satisfied with stuff that is "ok"... and it costs just 150$.
Ram...
This screen needs more ram then 1 GB. It is unacceptable that I take the latest flagship and have to use tricks used with crappy low ram phones (launcher, freezing etc) because the screen and the stylus support eat up so much ram.
heat...
This is the same processor of the SII.... the normal speed is 1.2 ghz... they are overclocking it... what happens when you overclock? heat... too much heat... also the screen seems to generate too much heat.
What happens when the heat reaches an unacceptable level.... the phone slows down... to protect itself... and all this heat is uncomfortable for me.... 50+ C
design flaws....
Samsung has become careless or is overworked by creating so many different devices. They are overstretching themselves, maybe...
Fact is, the camera is not protected... every idiot notices it... why?
They tried to fix it with the free flip cover that is different and protects the camera... but the flip cover itself is a failed product... everybody loves it but it simply falls apart. This is quality?
Samsung you can do this with one of your many Galaxy Ace, W, Y, M, R.... but not with a flagship that costs like a Iphone 4s.
The back cover.... makes strange sounds... at least mine...
The screen.... a mess of production problems with a lot of unsatisfied customers and we need a developer like supercurio to fix the flawed color reproduction.... the lockscreen when in black is obscene... come on....
The USB cable... not even this they can do right.... who had the idea to make it glossy and slippery so that I do not manage to pull it out?
Does a glossy cable look cool... yes... does it work... NO!
The most important problems for me are Speed and Ram...
And I know there are a mountain of new products coming.... with quad core... 5 times faster gpu... these will be good enough to power this beast of a screen.
I have posted some info today on some of the devices that are coming but also this got deleted by some very kind Moderator....
I just say N8000 N8010 N8013.... look it up...
And the SIII is coming... with Exynos 5xxx... dual core with 2 ghz...
Twice the speed of cpu and 5 times the speed of gpu...
Who knows when it is coming because they have so much in the pipeline that is not yet globally distributed... so i suspect they are holding back new stuff to not ruin the marketing of the older stuff that is getting sold just now in some markets.
A lot of minor versions of old stuff gets out too so it is a mess to sell old stuff, sub-versions of old stuff and local versions of all the stuff... canadian versions, multiple US versions, multiple qualities of chinese versions...
How you sell all the old stuff if you come out with SIII? This is their problem...
And a lot more is coming.... look back at how much came out in 2011... there is no reason to expect less in 2012.... I hope they do something about production quality... at least for the flagship devices.
For the moment.... the best phone on the Android market still is a product that came out one year ago and that is still popular like nothing else.
People want it and with all devices going down in price, the S II went up in price.
You can now buy a Atrix, Galaxy R, Evo 3D or LG Optimus 3D for around 250 euros. The SII is still there at 430...
legion1911 said:
......And the SIII is coming... with Exynos 5xxx... dual core with 2 ghz...
Twice the speed of cpu and 5 times the speed of gpu...
Who knows when it is coming because they have so much in the pipeline that is not yet globally distributed... so i suspect they are holding back new stuff to not ruin the marketing of the older stuff that is getting sold just now in some markets.
A lot of minor versions of old stuff gets out too so it is a mess to sell old stuff, sub-versions of old stuff and local versions of all the stuff... canadian versions, multiple US versions, multiple qualities of chinese versions...
How you sell all the old stuff if you come out with SIII? This is their problem.......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I agree with most of this^^, the product releases are too close and they show off everything early and make consumers wait for a long time (that the next big thing is right around the corner).
On the topic of early adopting, I once bought the latest and greatest for my gaming PC around 2007-2008 (can't remember to be honest; cost me $3500). I'm still happy with it and typing this on that machine right now. Back then, I bought it for PC gaming but now I just use it for consuming media and not so GPU instensive games. Going to try and push it for 2 more years with Windows 8.
@legion Tl;Dr
Nice rant... but I disagree with everything you were trying to say.
This screen needs a processor with twice the speed of the Exynos 4xxx.
The S II is so popular because it can take everything you give it and show it to you at minimum 50 frames per second.... 50-60 frames per second is optimum for the human eye. Let us call it S II fluid awesomeness.
The Note has to move much more pixels, so it has half the speed of the SII, particularly on graphically intensive stuff (not invented by me, benchmarks prove it). So we get 25 frames per second...
25 frames is like a TV.... the minimum acceptable... when the Note has a problem to keep up this overclocked speed it goes below 25 fps and it becomes unacceptable for people coming from the SII like me.
The Note deserved a better processor, but I guess this privilege is reserved to the SIII. And Samsung probably thought 25 frames per second is good enough for tv so people will be fine with it. But we are talking about a high end phone here and we now want SII fluid awesomeness on a high end phone. Ok, not we... I want SII fluid awesomeness on a Note.
Our madame moderator will hate this but I write it anyway...
The Note Lte is 1/3 (33%) slower then the N7000.... so it goes below 25 frames and sometimes even touches 9 frames per second on very intensive graphics.
Imagine.... and I complain about the N7000...
Does it mean it is terrible? No.... it is ok....
But also the Acer Liquid Metal is ok.... if you are satisfied with stuff that is "ok"... and it costs just 150$.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is beyond crap....the processor and GPU are more than fine for N7000(Galaxy Nexus does fine with a 1.2ghz ARM Cortex-A9(same as N7000) and a lower end GPU), it just happens that Samsung sucks at making software for taking advantage of their hardware properly. If proper GPU acceleration would be present(Like it should be in ICS), this thing would fly out of the gate(It actually does in the CM9 Alpha rom, even though that thing has hardly any GPU acceleration).
Dragooon123 said:
This is beyond crap....the processor and GPU are more than fine for N7000(Galaxy Nexus does fine with a 1.2ghz ARM Cortex-A9(same as N7000) and a lower end GPU), it just happens that Samsung sucks at making software for taking advantage of their hardware properly. If proper GPU acceleration would be present(Like it should be in ICS), this thing would fly out of the gate(It actually does in the CM9 Alpha rom, even though that thing has hardly any GPU acceleration).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you mean like the fact that ICS has a native GPU acceleration builtin and GB doesn't?